[Congressional Bills 111th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 5344 Introduced in House (IH)]

111th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 5344

To authorize the Secretary of the Interior, through the Coastal Program 
 of the United States Fish and Wildlife Service, to work with willing 
 partners and provide support to efforts to assess, protect, restore, 
  and enhance important coastal areas that provide fish and wildlife 
             habitat on which Federal trust species depend.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                              May 19, 2010

 Mr. Kratovil introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
                     Committee on Natural Resources

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
To authorize the Secretary of the Interior, through the Coastal Program 
 of the United States Fish and Wildlife Service, to work with willing 
 partners and provide support to efforts to assess, protect, restore, 
  and enhance important coastal areas that provide fish and wildlife 
             habitat on which Federal trust species depend.

    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 ``Coastal Habitat Conservation Act''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS AND PURPOSE.

    (a) Findings.--Congress finds that--
            (1) an effective means of conserving and recovering Federal 
        trust species and promoting self-sustaining populations of 
        those species is to protect, conserve, restore, and enhance the 
        habitats of the species;
            (2) coastal ecosystems are highly dynamic areas that 
        provide valuable breeding, nursery, staging, and resting areas 
        for a rich diversity of fish, shellfish, migratory birds, and 
        mammals;
            (3) coastal areas support 40 percent of the refuges within 
        the National Wildlife Refuge System, 40 percent of the 
        endangered and threatened species (including 75 percent of the 
        listed mammals and birds), and 50 percent of the fisheries 
        conservation activities of the Service;
            (4) although coastal counties make up only 17 percent of 
        total contiguous United States land area, coastal areas are 
        home to more than 53 percent of the human population of the 
        United States, which is placing enormous pressure on coastal 
        ecosystems;
            (5) during the 2 decades after the date of enactment of 
        this Act, human populations in coastal areas are projected to 
        increase by approximately 25 percent, along with associated 
        development and activities that threaten the health of coastal 
        ecosystems;
            (6) because coastal deterioration can cause fragmentation 
        and landward migration of coastal ecosystems as well as create 
        new habitats along shorelines, it has become necessary to 
        incorporate adaptation assistance into coastal ecosystem 
        management strategies;
            (7) in addition to value as fish and wildlife habitat, 
        coastal ecosystems--
                    (A) serve as an important source of food;
                    (B) protect coastal communities against floods;
                    (C) filter polluted runoff; and
                    (D) provide valuable commercial and recreational 
                benefits to coastal communities and the United States;
            (8)(A) fish and wildlife conservation is a responsibility 
        shared by citizens and government; and
            (B) public-private partnerships should be supported through 
        technical and financial assistance to conduct assessment, 
        protection, planning, restoration, and enhancement of coastal 
        ecosystems;
            (9) successful fish and wildlife conservation increasingly 
        relies on interdependent partnerships in which priority 
        setting, planning, and conservation delivery are collaborative 
        endeavors;
            (10) since 1985, the Service has administered a coastal 
        program through which the Service has worked with willing 
        partners to assess, protect, plan, restore, and enhance coastal 
        ecosystems, including coastal wetland and watersheds, upland, 
        and riparian and in-stream habitats, that provide significant 
        benefits to Federal trust species;
            (11) through that coastal program, the Service provides 
        strategic conservation planning and design at the regional and 
        landscape scales, and integrates the resources of the Service 
        to address priorities identified by partners; and
            (12) the coastal program of the Service complements and 
        enhances the National Coastal Wetlands Conservation Grant 
        Program under section 305 of the Coastal Wetlands Planning, 
        Protection and Restoration Act (16 U.S.C. 3954), which provides 
        matching grants to coastal States to support long-term 
        conservation of coastal wetland and associated habitats.
    (b) Purpose.--The purpose of this Act is to legislatively authorize 
the coastal program of the Service in effect as of the date of 
enactment of this Act to conduct collaborative, long-term, landscape-
level planning and on-the-ground habitat protection, restoration, and 
enhancement projects in priority coastal areas to conserve and recover 
Federal trust species.

SEC. 3. DEFINITIONS.

    In this Act:
            (1) Coastal area.--The term ``coastal area'' includes--
                    (A) a coastal wetland or watershed;
                    (B) coastal water;
                    (C) a coastline; and
                    (D) an estuary and associated upland.
            (2) Coastal ecosystem.--The term ``coastal ecosystem'' 
        means an ecological community that provides fish and wildlife 
        habitat in coastal areas.
            (3) Coastal habitat assessment.--The term ``coastal habitat 
        assessment'' means the process of evaluating the physical, 
        chemical, and biological function of a coastal site to 
        determine the value of the site to fish and wildlife.
            (4) Coastal habitat enhancement.--The term ``coastal 
        habitat enhancement'' means the manipulation of the physical, 
        chemical, or biological characteristics of a coastal ecosystem 
        to increase or decrease specific biological functions that make 
        the ecosystem valuable to fish and wildlife.
            (5) Coastal habitat planning.--The term ``coastal habitat 
        planning'' means the process of developing a comprehensive plan 
        that--
                    (A) characterizes a coastal ecosystem;
                    (B) sets long-term protection, restoration, or 
                enhancement goals;
                    (C) describes conservation strategies and 
                methodologies;
                    (D) establishes a timetable for implementation of 
                the plan; and
                    (E) identifies roles of sponsors and participants.
            (6) Coastal habitat protection.--
                    (A) In general.--The term ``coastal habitat 
                protection'' means a long-term action to safeguard 
                habitats of importance to fish and wildlife species in 
                a coastal ecosystem.
                    (B) Inclusion.--The term ``coastal habitat 
                protection'' includes activities to support 
                establishment of conservation easements or fee-title 
                acquisition by Federal and non-Federal partners.
            (7) Coastal habitat restoration.--The term ``coastal 
        habitat restoration'' means the manipulation of the physical, 
        chemical, or biological characteristics of a coastal ecosystem 
        with the goal of returning, to the maximum extent practicable, 
        the full natural biological functions to lost or degraded 
        native habitat.
            (8) Federal trust species.--The term ``Federal trust 
        species'' means--
                    (A) a species listed as threatened or endangered 
                under the Endangered Species Act of 1973 (16 U.S.C. 
                1531 et seq.);
                    (B) a species of migratory bird;
                    (C) a species of interjurisdictional fish;
                    (D) any species of marine mammal identified by the 
                Secretary; and
                    (E) any other species of concern, as determined by 
                the Secretary.
            (9) Financial assistance.--The term ``financial 
        assistance'' means Federal funding support provided to eligible 
        recipients through a grant or cooperative agreement.
            (10) Secretary.--The term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary 
        of the Interior.
            (11) Service.--The term ``Service'' means the United States 
        Fish and Wildlife Service.
            (12) Technical assistance.--The term ``technical 
        assistance'' means a collaboration, facilitation, or consulting 
        action relating to a habitat protection, planning, restoration, 
        or enhancement project or initiative in which the Service 
        contributes scientific knowledge, skills, and expertise to a 
        project or program.
            (13) Volunteer.--The term ``volunteer'' means a person that 
        is committed to performing a task without remuneration.

SEC. 4. COASTAL PROGRAM.

    The Secretary shall carry out the Coastal Program within the 
Service--
            (1) to identify the most important natural resource 
        problems and solutions in priority coastal ecosystems in 
        partnership with--
                    (A) Federal, State, local, and tribal governments;
                    (B) nongovernmental institutions;
                    (C) nonprofit organizations; and
                    (D) private individuals or corporate entities;
            (2) to provide technical and financial support through 
        partnerships with Federal, State, local, and tribal 
        governments, nongovernmental institutions, nonprofit 
        organizations, and private individuals for the conduct of 
        voluntary habitat assessment, protection, planning, 
        restoration, and enhancement projects on public or private 
        land;
            (3) to assist in the development and implementation of 
        monitoring protocols and adaptive management procedures to 
        ensure the long-term success of coastal ecosystem conservation 
        and restoration measures; and
            (4) to collaborate and share information with partners and 
        the public regarding methods and models for the conservation, 
        restoration, and enhancement of coastal ecosystems.

SEC. 5. YOUTH INVOLVEMENT.

    In administering the Coastal Program, the Secretary shall, to the 
maximum extent practicable (including consideration of cost-
effectiveness), employ youth volunteers and organizations that provide 
service opportunities to youths to carry out nonhazardous habitat 
restoration and enhancement activities.

SEC. 6. REPORTS.

    (a) In General.--Not later than 1 year after the date of enactment 
of this Act and biennially thereafter, the Secretary shall submit to 
the Committees on Appropriations and Environment and Public Works of 
the Senate, and the Committees on Appropriations and Natural Resources 
of the House of Representatives, and make available to the public, a 
report on the Coastal Program carried out under this Act.
    (b) Requirements.--The report shall assess, as of the date of 
submission of the report, on statewide and nationwide bases--
            (1) the state of coastal ecosystems;
            (2) progress made toward identifying the most important 
        natural resource problems and solutions in priority ecosystems; 
        and
            (3) long-term prospects for and success of protecting, 
        restoring, and enhancing coastal ecosystems.
    (c) Inclusions.--The report shall include--
            (1) quantitative information on areas protected, restored, 
        or enhanced;
            (2) Federal funds expended or leveraged;
            (3) a description of adaptive management practices 
        implemented;
            (4) a description of the number of volunteers and 
        contributions of those volunteers; and
            (5) recommendations of the Secretary, if any, for 
        additional research, management, or legislation needed to 
        fully--
                    (A) address problems and implement solutions in 
                coastal ecosystems; and
                    (B) achieve the objectives of this Act.

SEC. 7. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.

    There are authorized to be appropriated to carry out this Act such 
sums as are necessary for each of fiscal years 2011 through 2015.
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