[Congressional Bills 110th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 4174 Introduced in House (IH)]







110th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 4174

To establish an interagency committee to develop an ocean acidification 
 research and monitoring plan and to establish an ocean acidification 
  program within the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                           November 14, 2007

   Mr. Allen (for himself, Mr. Inslee, Mr. Gilchrest, Mr. Baird, Mr. 
 Ehlers, Ms. Bordallo, Mr. Holt, Mr. Olver, Mr. Delahunt, Mr. Klein of 
   Florida, Mr. Ruppersberger, and Mrs. Christensen) introduced the 
  following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Science and 
                               Technology

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
To establish an interagency committee to develop an ocean acidification 
 research and monitoring plan and to establish an ocean acidification 
  program within the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

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

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE; TABLE OF CONTENTS.

    (a) Short Title.--This Act may be cited as the ``Federal Ocean 
Acidification Research And Monitoring Act of 2007'' or the ``FOARAM 
Act''.
    (b) Table of Contents.--The table of contents for this Act is as 
follows:

Sec. 1. Short title; table of contents.
Sec. 2. Findings and purposes.
Sec. 3. Interagency Committee on Ocean Acidification.
Sec. 4. Strategic research and implementation plan.
Sec. 5. NOAA ocean acidification program.
Sec. 6. Definitions.
Sec. 7. Authorization of appropriations.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS AND PURPOSES.

    (a) Findings.--The Congress finds the following:
            (1) The oceans help mitigate the effects of global warming 
        by absorbing atmospheric carbon dioxide. About a third of 
        anthropogenic carbon dioxide is currently absorbed by the 
        ocean.
            (2) The rapid increase in atmospheric carbon dioxide due to 
        human induced carbon dioxide emissions is overwhelming the 
        natural ability of the oceans to cope with this increase.
            (3) The emission of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere is 
        changing surface ocean carbon chemistry and lowering the pH. 
        These changes in ocean chemistry are detrimental to organisms 
        including corals, which support one of the richest habitats on 
        Earth, marine shells, and many other organisms that form the 
        base of the food chain for many fish and marine mammals.
            (4) The rich biodiversity of marine organisms is an 
        important contribution to the national economy and the change 
        in ocean chemistry threatens tourism, our fisheries, and marine 
        environmental quality, and could result in significant social 
        and economic costs.
            (5) Existing Federal programs support research in related 
        ocean chemistry, but gaps in funding, coordination, and 
        outreach have impeded national progress in addressing ocean 
        acidification.
            (6) National investment in a coordinated program of 
        research and monitoring would improve the understanding of 
        ocean acidification effects on whole ecosystems, advance our 
        knowledge of the socioeconomic impacts of increased ocean 
        acidification, and strengthen the ability of marine resource 
        managers to assess and prepare for the harmful impacts of ocean 
        acidification on our marine resources.
    (b) Purposes.--The purposes of this Act are to provide for--
            (1) development and coordination of a comprehensive 
        interagency plan to monitor and conduct research on the 
        processes and consequences of ocean acidification on marine 
        organisms and ecosystems and to establish an ocean 
        acidification program within the National Oceanic and 
        Atmospheric Administration;
            (2) assessment and consideration of regional and national 
        ecosystem and socioeconomic impacts of increased ocean 
        acidification, and integration into marine resource decisions; 
        and
            (3) research on adaptation strategies and techniques for 
        effectively conserving marine ecosystems as they cope with 
        increased ocean acidification.

SEC. 3. INTERAGENCY COMMITTEE ON OCEAN ACIDIFICATION.

    (a) Establishment.--
            (1) In general.--There is hereby established an Interagency 
        Committee on Ocean Acidification.
            (2) Membership.--The Committee shall be comprised of senior 
        representatives from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric 
        Administration, the National Science Foundation, the National 
        Aeronautics and Space Administration, the United States 
        Geological Survey, the United States Fish and Wildlife Service, 
        the Environmental Protection Agency, the Department of Energy, 
        and such other Federal agencies as the Secretary considers 
        appropriate.
            (3) Chairman.--The Committee shall be chaired by the 
        representative from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric 
        Administration. The chairman may create subcommittees chaired 
        by any member agency of the committee. Working groups may be 
        formed by the full Committee to address issues that may require 
        more specialized expertise than is provided by existing 
        subcommittees, or to receive advice, input, or comments from 
        the academic community and other relevant stakeholders.
    (b) Purpose.--The Committee shall oversee the planning, 
establishment, and coordination of a plan designed to improve the 
understanding of the role of increased ocean acidification on marine 
ecosystems and to identify and develop through research adaptation 
strategies and techniques to effectively conserve marine ecosystems as 
they cope with increased ocean acidification.
    (c) Reports to Congress.--
            (1) Strategic research and implementation plan.--The 
        Committee shall submit the strategic research and 
        implementation plan established under section 4 to the 
        Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation of the 
        Senate and the Committee on Science and Technology of the House 
        of Representatives not later than 18 months after the date of 
        enactment of this Act.
            (2) Triennial report.--Not later than 2 years after the 
        date of the enactment of this Act and every 3 years thereafter, 
        the Committee shall transmit a report to the Committee on 
        Commerce, Science, and Transportation of the Senate and the 
        Committee on Science and Technology of the House of 
        Representatives that includes--
                    (A) a summary of federally funded ocean 
                acidification research and monitoring activities, 
                including the budget for each of these activities; and
                    (B) an analysis of the progress made toward 
                achieving the goals and priorities for the interagency 
                research plan developed by the Committee under section 
                4 and recommendations for future activities, including 
                policy recommendations developed as part of this 
                research.

SEC. 4. STRATEGIC RESEARCH AND IMPLEMENTATION PLAN.

    (a) In General.--Within 18 months after the date of enactment of 
this Act, the Committee shall develop a strategic research and 
implementation plan for coordinated Federal activities. In developing 
the plan, the Committee shall consider and use reports and studies 
conducted by Federal agencies and departments, the National Research 
Council, the Ocean Research and Resources Advisory Panel, the Joint 
Subcommittee on Ocean, Science, and Technology and the Climate Change 
Science Program of the National Science and Technology Council, the 
Joint Ocean Commission Initiative, and other expert scientific bodies.
    (b) Scope.--The plan shall--
            (1) provide for interdisciplinary research among the ocean 
        sciences, and coordinated research and activities to improve 
        understanding of ocean acidification that will affect marine 
        ecosystems and to assess the potential and realized 
        socioeconomic impact of ocean acidification, including--
                    (A) effects of atmospheric carbon dioxide on ocean 
                chemistry;
                    (B) biological impacts of ocean acidification, 
                including research on--
                            (i) commercially and recreationally 
                        important species;
                            (ii) protected or endangered or threatened 
                        species;
                            (iii) ecologically important calcifiers 
                        that lie at the base of the food chain; and
                            (iv) physiological consequences of ocean 
                        acidification for ocean-dwelling organisms;
                    (C) identification and assessment of ecosystems 
                most at risk from projected changes in ocean chemistry 
                including--
                            (i) coastal ecosystems, including coral 
                        reef ecosystems;
                            (ii) deep sea coral ecosystems; and
                            (iii) polar and subpolar ecosystems;
                    (D) modeling the effects of changing carbon system 
                chemistry, including ecosystem forecasting;
                    (E) identifying feedback mechanisms resulting from 
                ocean chemistry changes and decreases in calcification 
                rates of organisms;
                    (F) socioeconomic impacts of ocean acidification; 
                and
                    (G) identifying interactions between ocean 
                acidification and other oceanic changes associated with 
                climate change, including changes in sea temperature, 
                ocean circulation, terrestrial runoff, and other 
                changes;
            (2) establish, for the 10-year period beginning in the year 
        it is submitted, goals, priorities, and guidelines for 
        coordinated research activities that will--
                    (A) most effectively advance scientific 
                understanding of the characteristics and impacts of 
                ocean acidification;
                    (B) provide forecasts of ocean acidification and 
                the consequent impacts on marine ecosystems; and
                    (C) provide research that could serve as a basis 
                for policy decisions to reduce and manage ocean 
                acidification and its environmental impacts;
            (3) provide an estimate of Federal funding requirements for 
        research and monitoring activities; and
            (4) identify and strengthen relevant programs and 
        activities of the Federal agencies and departments that would 
        contribute to accomplishing the goals of the plan and prevent 
        unnecessary duplication of efforts, including making 
        recommendations for the use of observing systems and 
        technological research and development.

SEC. 5. NOAA OCEAN ACIDIFICATION PROGRAM.

    (a) In General.--The Secretary shall establish and maintain an 
ocean acidification program within the National Oceanic and Atmospheric 
Administration to implement activities consistent with the strategic 
research and implementation plan developed by the Committee under 
section 4 that--
            (1) includes--
                    (A) interdisciplinary research among the ocean and 
                atmospheric sciences, and coordinated research and 
                activities to improve understanding of ocean 
                acidification;
                    (B) the establishment of a long-term monitoring 
                program of ocean acidification utilizing existing 
                global and national ocean observing assets, and adding 
                instrumentation and sampling stations as appropriate to 
                the aims of the research program;
                    (C) research to identify and develop adaptation 
                strategies and techniques for effectively conserving 
                marine ecosystems as they cope with increased ocean 
                acidification;
                    (D) as an integral part of the research programs 
                described in this Act, educational opportunities that 
                encourage an interdisciplinary and international 
                approach to exploring the impacts of ocean 
                acidification;
                    (E) as an integral part of the research programs 
                described in this Act, national public outreach 
                activities to improve the understanding of current 
                scientific knowledge of ocean acidification and its 
                impacts on marine resources; and
                    (F) coordination of ocean acidification monitoring 
                and impacts research with other appropriate 
                international ocean science bodies such as the 
                International Oceanographic Commission, the 
                International Council for the Exploration of the Sea, 
                the North Pacific Marine Science Organization, and 
                others;
            (2) provides grants for critical research projects that 
        explore the effects of ocean acidification on ecosystems and 
        the socioeconomic impacts of increased ocean acidification that 
        are relevant to the goals and priorities of the strategic 
        research plan; and
            (3) incorporates a competitive merit-based grant process 
        that may be conducted jointly with other participating agencies 
        or under the National Oceanographic Partnership Program under 
        section 7901 of title 10, United States Code.
    (b) Additional Authority.--In conducting the Program, the Secretary 
may enter into and perform such contracts, leases, grants, or 
cooperative agreements as may be necessary to carry out the purposes of 
this Act on such terms as the Secretary deems appropriate.

SEC. 6. DEFINITIONS.

    In this Act:
            (1) Committee.--The term ``Committee'' means the 
        Interagency Committee on Ocean Acidification established by 
        section 3(a).
            (2) Ocean acidification.--The term ``ocean acidification'' 
        means the decrease in pH of the Earth's oceans caused by 
        chemical inputs from the atmosphere, including anthropogenic 
        carbon dioxide.
            (3) Program.--The term ``Program'' means the National 
        Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Ocean Acidification 
        Program established under section 5.
            (4) Secretary.--The term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary 
        of Commerce, acting through the Administrator of the National 
        Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

SEC. 7. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.

    (a) In General.--There are authorized to be appropriated to the 
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to carry out the 
purposes of this Act--
            (1) $6,000,000 for fiscal year 2009;
            (2) $8,000,000 for fiscal year 2010;
            (3) $11,000,000 for fiscal year 2011; and
            (4) $30,000,000 for fiscal year 2012 and each fiscal year 
        thereafter.
    (b) Allocation.--
            (1) Of the amounts made available to carry out this Act for 
        a fiscal year, the Secretary shall allocate at least 60 percent 
        to other departments and agencies to carry out the priorities 
        of the plan developed by the Committee.
            (2) Of the amounts made available to carry out this Act for 
        any fiscal year, the Secretary, and other departments and 
        agencies to which amounts are allocated under paragraph (1), 
        shall allocate at least 50 percent for competitive grants.
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