[Congressional Bills 110th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 1205 Introduced in House (IH)]







110th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 1205

 To reauthorize the Coral Reef Conservation Act of 2000, and for other 
                               purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                           February 27, 2007

Mr. Faleomavaega (for himself, Ms. Bordallo, Mrs. Christensen, and Mr. 
 Abercrombie) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
  Committee on Natural Resources, and in addition to the Committee on 
 Science and Technology, for a period to be subsequently determined by 
the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall 
           within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
 To reauthorize the Coral Reef Conservation Act of 2000, and for other 
                               purposes.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Coral Reef Conservation Amendments 
Act of 2007''.

SEC. 2. EXPANSION OF CORAL REEF CONSERVATION PROGRAM.

    (a) Project Diversity.--Section 204(d) of the Coral Reef 
Conservation Act of 2000 (16 U.S.C. 6403(d)) is amended--
            (1) by striking ``Geographic and Biological'' in the 
        heading and inserting ``Project''; and
            (2) by striking paragraph (3) and inserting the following:
            ``(3) Remaining funds shall be awarded for--
                    ``(A) projects (with priority given to community-
                based local action strategies) that address emerging 
                priorities or threats, including international and 
                territorial priorities, or threats identified by the 
                Administrator in consultation with the Coral Reef Task 
                Force; and
                    ``(B) other appropriate projects, as determined by 
                the Administrator, including monitoring and assessment, 
                research, pollution reduction, education, and technical 
                support.''.
    (b) Approval Criteria.--Section 204(g) of that Act (16 U.S.C. 
6403(g)) is amended--
            (1) by striking ``or'' after the semicolon in paragraph 
        (9);
            (2) by striking paragraph (10); and
            (3) by inserting after paragraph (9) the following:
            ``(10) promoting activities designed to minimize the 
        likelihood of vessel impacts on coral reefs, particularly those 
        activities described in section 210(b), including the promotion 
        of ecologically sound navigation and anchorages near coral 
        reefs; or
            ``(11) promoting and assisting entities to work with local 
        communities, and all appropriate governmental and 
        nongovernmental organizations, to support community-based 
        planning and management initiatives for the protection of coral 
        reef systems.''.

SEC. 3. EMERGENCY RESPONSE.

    Section 206 of the Coral Reef Conservation Act of 2000 (16 U.S.C. 
6405) is amended to read as follows:

``SEC. 206. EMERGENCY RESPONSE ACTIONS.

    ``(a) In General.--The Administrator may undertake or authorize 
action necessary to prevent or minimize the destruction or loss of, or 
injury to, coral reefs or coral reef ecosystems from vessel impacts, 
derelict fishing gear, vessel anchors and anchor chains, or damage from 
unforeseen or disaster-related circumstances.
    ``(b) Actions Authorized.--Action authorized by subsection (a) 
includes vessel removal and emergency restabilization of the vessel and 
any impacted coral reef.
    ``(c) Partnering With Other Federal Agencies.--When possible, 
action by the Administrator under this section should--
            ``(1) be conducted in partnership with other Federal 
        agencies, including the United States Coast Guard, the Federal 
        Emergency Management Agency, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, 
        and the Department of the Interior; and
            ``(2) leverage resources of other agencies.''.

SEC. 4. NATIONAL PROGRAM.

    Section 207(b) of the Coral Reef Conservation Act of 2000 (16 
U.S.C. 6406) is amended--
            (1) by striking ``and'' after the semicolon in paragraph 
        (3);
            (2) by striking ``partners.'' in paragraph (4) and 
        inserting ``partners; and''; and
            (3) by adding at the end the following:
            ``(5) activities designed to minimize the likelihood of 
        vessel impacts or other physical damage to coral reefs, 
        including those activities identified in section 210(b).''.

SEC. 5. REPORT TO CONGRESS.

    (a) In General.--Section 208 of the Coral Reef Conservation Act of 
2000 (16 U.S.C. 6407) is amended to read as follows:

``SEC. 208. REPORT TO CONGRESS.

    ``Not later than March 1, 2009, and every 3 years thereafter, the 
Administrator shall submit to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and 
Transportation of the Senate and the Committee on Natural Resources of 
the House of Representatives a report describing all activities 
undertaken to implement the strategy, including--
            ``(1) a description of the funds obligated by each 
        participating Federal agency to advance coral reef conservation 
        during each of the 3 fiscal years next preceding the fiscal 
        year in which the report is submitted;
            ``(2) a description of Federal interagency and cooperative 
        efforts with States and United States territories to prevent or 
        address overharvesting, coastal runoff, or other anthropogenic 
        impacts on coral reefs, including projects undertaken with the 
        Department of the Interior, the Department of Agriculture, the 
        Environmental Protection Agency, and the United States Army 
        Corps of Engineers;
            ``(3) a summary of the information contained in the vessel 
        grounding inventory established under section 210, including 
        additional authorization or funding, needed for response and 
        removal of such vessels;
            ``(4) a description of Federal disaster response actions 
        taken pursuant to the National Response Plan to address damage 
        to coral reefs and coral reef ecosystems; and
            ``(5) an assessment of the condition of United States coral 
        reefs, accomplishments under this Act, and the effectiveness of 
        management actions to address threats to coral reefs.''.
    (b) Clerical Amendment.--The table of contents for the Coral Reef 
Conservation Act of 2000 (16 U.S.C. 6401 et seq.) is amended by 
striking the item relating to section 208 and inserting the following:

``Sec. 208. Report to Congress.''.

SEC. 6. FUND; GRANTS; GROUNDING INVENTORY; COORDINATION.

    (a) In General.--The Coral Reef Conservation Act of 2000 (16 U.S.C. 
6401 et seq.) is amended--
            (1) by striking ``organization solely'' and all that 
        follows in section 205(a) (16 U.S.C. 6404(a)) and inserting 
        ``organization--
            ``(1) to support partnerships between the public and 
        private sectors that further the purposes of this Act and are 
        consistent with the national coral reef strategy under section 
        203; and
            ``(2) to address emergency response actions under section 
        206.'';
            (2) by adding at the end of section 205(b) 16 U.S.C. 
        6404(b)) ``The organization is encouraged to solicit funding 
        and in-kind services from the private sector, including 
        nongovernmental organizations, for emergency response actions 
        under section 206 and for activities to prevent damage to coral 
        reefs, including activities described in section 210(b)(2).'';
            (3) by striking ``the grant program'' in section 205(c) (16 
        U.S.C. 6404(c)) and inserting ``any grant program or emergency 
        response action'';
            (4) by redesignating sections 209 and 210 as sections 213 
        and 214, respectively; and
            (5) by inserting after section 208 the following:

``SEC. 209. COMMUNITY-BASED PLANNING GRANTS.

    ``(a) In General.--The Administrator may make grants to entities 
who have received grants under section 204(c) to provide additional 
funds to such entities to work with local communities and through 
appropriate Federal and State entities to prepare and implement plans 
for the increased protection of coral reef areas identified by the 
community and scientific experts as high priorities for focused 
attention. The plans shall--
            ``(1) support attainment of 1 or more of the criteria 
        described in section 204(g);
            ``(2) be developed at the community level;
            ``(3) utilize watershed-based approaches;
            ``(4) provide for coordination with Federal and State 
        experts and managers; and
            ``(5) build upon local approaches or models, including 
        traditional or island-based resource management concepts.
    ``(b) Terms and Conditions.--The provisions of subsections (b), 
(d), (f), and (h) of section 204 apply to grants under subsection (a), 
except that, for the purpose of applying section 204(b)(1) to grants 
under this section, `75 percent' shall be substituted for `50 percent'.

``SEC. 210. VESSEL GROUNDING INVENTORY.

    ``(a) In General.--The Administrator may maintain an inventory of 
all vessel grounding incidents involving coral reef resources, 
including a description of--
            ``(1) the impacts to such resources;
            ``(2) vessel and ownership information, if available;
            ``(3) the estimated cost of removal, mitigation, or 
        restoration;
            ``(4) the response action taken by the owner, the 
        Administrator, the Commandant of the Coast Guard, or other 
        Federal or State agency representatives;
            ``(5) the status of the response action, including the 
        dates of vessel removal and mitigation or restoration and any 
        actions taken to prevent future grounding incidents; and
            ``(6) recommendations for additional navigational aids or 
        other mechanisms for preventing future grounding incidents.
    ``(b) Identification of At-Risk Reefs.--The Administrator may--
            ``(1) use information from any inventory maintained under 
        subsection (a) or any other available information source to 
        identify coral reef areas outside designated National Marine 
        Sanctuaries that have a high incidence of vessel impacts, 
        including groundings and anchor damage; and
            ``(2) identify appropriate measures, including action by 
        other agencies, to reduce the likelihood of such impacts.

``SEC. 211. REGIONAL COORDINATION.

    ``(a) In General.--The Administrator shall work in coordination and 
collaboration with other Federal agencies, States, and United States 
territorial governments to implement the national coral reef action 
strategy developed under section 203, including regional and local 
strategies, to address multiple threats to coral reefs and coral reef 
ecosystems such as coastal runoff, vessel impacts, and overharvesting.
    ``(b) Multiyear Cooperative Agreements.--The Administrator may 
enter into multiyear cooperative agreements with other Federal 
agencies, States and local governments, academic institutions, and 
nongovernmental organizations to carry out the activities of the 
national coral reef action strategy.

``SEC. 212. UNITED STATES CORAL REEF TASK FORCE.

    ``(a) Establishment.--There is hereby established the United States 
Coral Reef Task Force.
    ``(b) Goal.--The goal of the Task Force shall be to lead, 
coordinate, and strengthen Federal Government actions to better 
preserve and protect coral reef ecosystems.
    ``(c) Duties.--The duties of the Task Force shall be--
            ``(1) to coordinate, in cooperation with State, territory, 
        commonwealth, and local government partners, and 
        nongovernmental partners if appropriate, activities regarding 
        the mapping, monitoring, research, conservation, mitigation, 
        restoration of coral reefs and coral reef ecosystems;
            ``(2) work with the Secretary of State and the 
        Administrator of the Agency for International Development, and 
        in coordination with the other members of the Task Force, to--
                    ``(A) assess the United States role in 
                international trade and protection of coral reef 
                species; and
                    ``(B) implement appropriate strategies and actions 
                to promote conservation and sustainable use of coral 
                reef resources worldwide.
    ``(d) Membership, Generally.--The Task Force shall be comprised 
of--
            ``(1) the Secretary of Commerce, acting through the 
        Administrator of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric 
        Administration, and the Secretary of the Interior, who shall be 
        co-chairs of the Task Force;
            ``(2) the Administrator of the Agency of International 
        Development;
            ``(3) the Secretary of Agriculture;
            ``(4) the Secretary of Defense;
            ``(5) the Secretary of the Army, acting through the Corps 
        of Engineers;
            ``(6) the Secretary of Homeland Security;
            ``(7) the Attorney General;
            ``(8) the Secretary of State;
            ``(9) the Secretary of Transportation;
            ``(10) the Administrator of the Environmental Protection 
        Agency;
            ``(11) the Administrator of the National Aeronautics and 
        Space Administration;
            ``(12) the Director of the National Science Foundation;
            ``(13) the Governor, or a representative of the Governor, 
        of the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands;
            ``(14) the Governor, or a representative of the Governor, 
        of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico;
            ``(15) the Governor, or a representative of the Governor, 
        of the State of Florida;
            ``(16) the Governor, or a representative of the Governor, 
        of the State of Hawaii;
            ``(17) the Governor, or a representative of the Governor, 
        of the Territory of Guam;
            ``(18) the Governor, or a representative of the Governor, 
        of the Territory of American Samoa; and
            ``(19) the Governor, or a representative of the Governor, 
        of the Virgin Islands.
    ``(e) Nonvoting Members.--The President, or a representative of the 
President, of each of the Freely Associated States of the Federated 
States of Micronesia, the Republic of the Marshall Islands, and the 
Republic of Palau may appoint a nonvoting member of the Task Force.
    ``(f) Working Groups.--
            ``(1) In general.--The co-chairs of the Task Force may 
        establish working groups as necessary to meet the goals and 
        duties of this Act. The Task Force may request the co-chairs to 
        establish such a working group.
            ``(2) Participation by nongovernmental organizations.--The 
        co-chairs may allow a nongovernmental organization to 
        participate in such a working group.
    ``(g) FACA.--The Federal Advisory Committee Act (5 U.S.C. App.) 
shall not apply to the Task Force.''.
    (b) Clerical Amendment.--The table of contents for the Coral Reef 
Conservation Act of 2000 (16 U.S.C. 6401 et seq.) is amended--
            (1) by redesignating the items relating to sections 209 
        through 211 as relating to sections 213 through 215; and
            (2) by inserting the following after the item relating to 
        section 207:

``Sec. 209. Community-based planning grants.
``Sec. 210. Vessel grounding inventory.
``Sec. 211. Regional coordination.
``Sec. 212. United States Coral Reef Task Force.''.

SEC. 7. FUNDING FOR MARINE SCIENCE FACILITY, CORAL REEF RESEARCH, AND 
              COASTAL ECOLOGY AND DEVELOPMENT.

    (a) American Samoa Community College.--There is authorized to be 
appropriated $1,000,000 to the Secretary of Commerce, acting through 
the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, to provide funds 
to the University of Hawaii Sea Grant College program to administer a 
marine science facility for coral reef research and protection, and 
coastal ecology and development, at the American Samoa Community 
College.
    (b) University of Guam.--There is authorized to be appropriated 
$1,000,000 to the Secretary of Commerce, acting through the National 
Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, to provide funds to the 
University of Guam for coral reef research and protection.

SEC. 8. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.

    Section 213 of the Coral Reef Conservation Act of 2000 (formerly 16 
U.S.C. 6408), as redesignated by section 4, is amended--
            (1) by amending subsection (a) to read as follows:
    ``(a) In General.--
            ``(1) Authorization.--There are authorized to be 
        appropriated to the Secretary of Commerce to carry out this 
        title $30,000,000 for fiscal year 2008, $32,000,000 for fiscal 
        year 2009, $34,000,000 for fiscal year 2010 and $35,000,000 for 
        fiscal years 2011 and 2012.
            ``(2) Allocation.--Of the amount authorized by this 
        subsection for each of fiscal years 2008 through 2012--
                    ``(A) no less than 30 percent shall be used for the 
                grant program under section 204;
                    ``(B) up to 10 percent shall be used for the Fund 
                established under section 205;
                    ``(C) $500,000 may be used by the Secretary of the 
                Interior to support operations of the United States 
                Coral Reef Task Force; and
                    ``(D) $250,000 may be used by the Secretary of 
                Commerce to support such operations.'';
            (2) in subsection (b) by striking ``$1,000,000'' and 
        inserting ``$2,000,000'';
            (3) by striking subsection (c) and inserting the following:
    ``(c) Community-Based Planning Grants.--There is authorized to be 
appropriated--
            ``(1) to the Administrator to carry out section 209, 
        $8,000,000 for fiscal years 2008 through 2012, to remain 
        available until expended; and
            ``(2) to the Secretary of the Interior, acting through the 
        Office of Insular Affairs, for the grant program under section 
        209, $4,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2008 through 2012.''; 
        and
            (4) by striking subsection (d).
                                 <all>