[Congressional Bills 111th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 1562 Reported in Senate (RS)]

                                                       Calendar No. 401
111th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                S. 1562

                          [Report No. 111-193]

  To provide for a study and report on research on the United States 
                  Arctic Ocean and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                             August 3, 2009

  Mr. Begich introduced the following bill; which was read twice and 
   referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation

                              May 24, 2010

             Reported by Mr. Rockefeller, with an amendment
 [Strike all after the enacting clause and insert the part printed in 
                                italic]

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
  To provide for a study and report on research on the United States 
                  Arctic Ocean and for other purposes.

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

<DELETED>SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.</DELETED>

<DELETED>    This Act may be cited as the ``Arctic Ocean Research and 
Science Policy Review Act of 2009''.</DELETED>

<DELETED>SEC. 2. FINDINGS.</DELETED>

<DELETED>    Congress finds the following:</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (1) The United States is an Arctic nation with--
        </DELETED>
                <DELETED>    (A) an approximately 700-mile border with 
                the Arctic Ocean;</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    (B) more than 100,000,000 acres of land 
                above the Arctic Circle; and</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    (C) an even broader area defined as Arctic 
                by temperature which includes the Bering Sea and 
                Aleutian Islands.</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (2) The Arctic region of the United States--
        </DELETED>
                <DELETED>    (A) is home to an indigenous population 
                which has subsisted for millennia on the abundance in 
                marine mammals, fish, and wildlife, many of which are 
                unique to the region;</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    (B) is known to the indigenous population 
                as Inuvikput or the ``place where we live''; 
                and</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    (C) has produced more than 16,000,000,000 
                barrels of oil and, according to the United States 
                Geological Survey, may hold an additional 
                30,000,000,000 barrels of oil and 220,000,000,000,000 
                cubic feet of natural gas, making the region of 
                fundamental importance to the national interest of the 
                United States.</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (3) Temperatures in the United States Arctic 
        region have warmed by 3 to 4 degrees Celsius over the past 
        half-century, a rate of increase that is twice the global 
        average.</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (4) The Arctic ice pack is rapidly diminishing and 
        thinning, and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric 
        Administration estimates the Arctic Ocean may be ice free 
        during summer months in as few as 30 years.</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (5) Such changes to the Arctic region are having a 
        significant impact on the indigenous people of the Arctic, 
        their communities and ecosystems, as well as the marine 
        mammals, fish, and wildlife upon which they depend.</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (6) Such changes are opening new portions of the 
        United States Arctic continental shelf to possible development 
        for offshore oil and gas, commercial fishing, marine shipping, 
        and tourism.</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (7) Existing Federal research and science advisory 
        programs focused on the environmental and socioeconomic impacts 
        of a changing Arctic Ocean lack a cohesive, coordinated, and 
        integrated approach and are not adequately coordinated with 
        State, local, and private sector Arctic Ocean research 
        programs.</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (8) The lack of research integration and synthesis 
        of findings of Arctic Ocean research has impeded the progress 
        of the United States and international community in 
        understanding climate change impacts and feedback mechanisms in 
        the Arctic Ocean.</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (9) An improved scientific understanding of the 
        changing Arctic Ocean is critical to the development of 
        appropriate and effective regional, national, and global 
        climate change adaptation strategies.</DELETED>

<DELETED>SEC. 3. UNITED STATES ARCTIC OCEAN DEFINED.</DELETED>

<DELETED>    In this Act, the term ``United States Arctic Ocean'' means 
the United States zone of the Chukchi and Beaufort seas north of Cape 
Prince of Wales, Alaska.</DELETED>

<DELETED>SEC. 4. STUDY OF THE UNITED STATES ARCTIC OCEAN.</DELETED>

<DELETED>    (a) Study.--Not later than 120 days after the date of the 
enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Commerce shall request that the 
National Research Council conduct a study on the existing research and 
research advisory entities of the United States Arctic Ocean. Such 
study shall--</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (1) include a review of the breadth, relationship, 
        and overlap of existing research programs and research advisory 
        entities engaged in or advising on United States Arctic Ocean 
        research, including research related to any coastal or 
        atmospheric research of United States Arctic Ocean, including 
        the operating budgets of such entities;</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (2) assess the gaps in the research and research 
        programs referred to in paragraph (1) and in the coordination, 
        integration, and synthesis of research activities and research 
        data;</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (3) assess existing scientific information and 
        identify additional information necessary, including local and 
        traditional knowledge, to ensure adequate Federal agency 
        environmental reviews;</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (4) recommend a comprehensive strategy--</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    (A) to develop priorities for, and 
                coordination, integration, and synthesis of, research 
                and monitoring carried out on United States Arctic 
                Ocean; and</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    (B) to coordinate and integrate such 
                research with pan-Arctic research; and</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (5) provide a comprehensive, 10- to 20-year long-
        range United States Arctic Ocean research and monitoring plan 
        with applied emphasis on climate impacts, adaption, including 
        response to coastal inundation issues, resource management, 
        ecosystem function, marine transportation, pollution, ocean 
        acidification, and coastal and offshore oil and gas 
        development, including cold water oil spill response and marine 
        mammal noise issues.</DELETED>
<DELETED>    (b) Coordination.--The Secretary of Commerce shall consult 
with the heads of other agencies and departments of the United States 
with appropriate Arctic science expertise or regulatory 
responsibilities in preparing the specifications for the study 
requested under subsection (a).</DELETED>

<DELETED>SEC. 5. REPORTS TO CONGRESS.</DELETED>

<DELETED>    (a) Requirement for Report.--Not later than 18 months 
after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Commerce 
shall submit to Congress a report on the study described in section 
4(a). Such report shall include--</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (1) a description of the findings of such 
        study;</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (2) the recommendations of the National Research 
        Council to improve the coordination, integration, and synthesis 
        of current Arctic research activities and research data; 
        and</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (3) a prioritized and scalable research plan for 
        the United States Arctic Ocean that is arranged thematically 
        and includes budget estimates for research under such 
        plan.</DELETED>
<DELETED>    (b) Interim Reports.--Not less frequently than once every 
180-day period until the report described in subsection (a) is 
submitted, the Secretary of Commerce shall submit to Congress a report 
on the progress made to carry out the study described in section 
4(a).</DELETED>

<DELETED>SEC. 6. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.</DELETED>

<DELETED>    There is authorized to be appropriated to the 
Administrator of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration 
$2,000,000 for fiscal year 2010 to carry out this Act.</DELETED>

                     TITLE I--ARCTIC OCEAN RESEARCH

SEC. 101. SHORT TITLE.

    This title may be cited as the ``Arctic Ocean Research and Science 
Policy Review Act of 2009''.

SEC. 102. FINDINGS.

    Congress finds the following:
            (1) The United States is an Arctic nation with--
                    (A) an approximately 700-mile border with the 
                Arctic Ocean;
                    (B) more than 100,000,000 acres of land above the 
                Arctic Circle; and
                    (C) an even broader area defined as Arctic by 
                temperature which includes the Bering Sea and Aleutian 
                Islands.
            (2) The Arctic region of the United States--
                    (A) is home to an indigenous population which has 
                subsisted for millennia on the abundance in marine 
                mammals, fish, and wildlife, many of which are unique 
                to the region;
                    (B) is known to the indigenous population as 
                Inuvikput or the `place where we live'; and
                    (C) has produced more than 16,000,000,000 barrels 
                of oil and, according to the United States Geological 
                Survey, may hold an additional 30,000,000,000 barrels 
                of oil and 220,000,000,000,000 cubic feet of natural 
                gas, making the region of fundamental importance to the 
                national interest of the United States.
            (3) The Arctic Sea ice cover is rapidly diminishing and 
        thinning, and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric 
        Administration estimates the Arctic Ocean may be ice free 
        during summer months in as few as 30 years.
            (4) Such changes to the Arctic region are having a 
        significant impact on the indigenous people of the Arctic, 
        their communities and ecosystems, as well as the marine 
        mammals, fish, and wildlife upon which they depend.
            (5) Such changes are opening new portions of the United 
        States Arctic continental shelf to possible development for 
        offshore oil and gas, commercial fishing, marine shipping, and 
        tourism.
            (6) Existing Federal research and science advisory programs 
        focused on the environmental and socioeconomic impacts of a 
        changing Arctic Ocean lack a cohesive, coordinated, and 
        integrated approach and are not adequately coordinated with 
        State, local, and private sector Arctic Ocean research 
        programs.
            (7) The lack of research integration and synthesis of 
        findings of Arctic Ocean research has impeded the progress of 
        the United States and international community in understanding 
        climate change impacts and feedback mechanisms in the Arctic 
        Ocean.
            (8) An improved scientific understanding of the changing 
        Arctic Ocean and its influence on, and feedbacks with, the 
        atmosphere and coasts is critical to the development of 
        appropriate and effective regional, national, and global 
        climate change adaptation strategies.

SEC. 103. UNITED STATES ARCTIC OCEAN DEFINED.

    In this title, the term ``United States Arctic Ocean'' means the 
United States zone of the Chukchi and Beaufort seas north of Cape 
Prince of Wales, Alaska, and adjacent marine environments.

SEC. 104. STUDY OF THE UNITED STATES ARCTIC OCEAN.

    (a) Study.-- Not later than 120 days after the date of the 
enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Commerce shall request that the 
National Research Council conduct a study on the existing research and 
research advisory entities of the United States Arctic Ocean. Such 
study shall--
            (1) include a review of the breadth, relationship, and 
        overlap of existing research programs and research advisory 
        entities engaged in or advising on United States Arctic Ocean 
        research, including research related to any coastal or 
        atmospheric research of United States Arctic Ocean, including 
        the operating budgets of such entities;
            (2) assess the gaps in the research and research programs 
        referred to in paragraph (1) and in the coordination, 
        integration, and synthesis of research activities and research 
        data, including gaps in infrastructure and a common Arctic 
        scientific database;
            (3) assess existing scientific information and identify 
        additional information necessary, including local and 
        traditional knowledge, to improve the scientific basis for 
        Federal agency environmental reviews; and
            (4) provide a comprehensive plan--
                    (A) for 10- to 20-year long-range U.S. Arctic Ocean 
                research and monitoring with applied emphasis on 
                climate impacts, including potentially enhanced 
                emissions of methane and other greenhouse gases, 
                adaptation, including response to coastal inundation 
                and erosion issues, resource management, ecosystem 
                function, marine transportation, pollution, ocean 
                acidification, and coastal and offshore oil and gas 
                development, including oil spill response in cold water 
                and waters that contain sea ice, and the potential 
                impacts of anthropogenic sound on marine mammals and on 
                the peoples that rely on them for subsistence, and any 
                other information identified as necessary under 
                subsection (a)(3);
                    (B) for coordination, integration, and synthesis of 
                research and monitoring carried out on U.S. Arctic 
                Ocean and coastal areas, along with priorities for 
                research and monitoring; and
                    (C) for coordination and integration of such 
                research with pan-Arctic research, particularly that 
                pertaining to atmosphere and coasts.
    (b) Coordination.--The Secretary of Commerce shall consult with the 
heads of other agencies and departments of the United States with 
appropriate Arctic science expertise or regulatory responsibilities in 
preparing the specifications for the study requested under subsection 
(a).
    (c) Evaluation.--The Secretary of Commerce shall evaluate the 
National Research Council study and develop a long-term strategy to 
implement, as appropriate, its recommendations, including necessary 
funding. The strategy should be designed to ensure the study's 
recommendations are integrated into existing agency research and 
science advisory programs to the extent practicable.

SEC. 105. REPORTS TO CONGRESS.

    (a) Requirement for Report.--Not later than 18 months after the 
date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Commerce shall 
submit to Congress a report on the study described in section 104(a). 
the report shall include--
            (1) a description of the findings of such study;
            (2) the recommendations of the National Research Council to 
        improve the coordination, integration, and synthesis of current 
        Arctic ocean and coastal research activities and research data; 
        and
            (3) a prioritized and scalable research plan for the United 
        States Arctic Ocean that is arranged thematically and includes 
        budget estimates for research under such plan.
    (b) Interim Reports.--Not less frequently than once every 180-day 
period until the report described in subsection (a) is submitted, the 
Secretary of Commerce shall submit to Congress a report on the progress 
made to carry out the study described in section 104(a).

SEC. 106. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.

    There are authorized to be appropriated to the Administrator of the 
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration $2,000,000 for fiscal 
year 2010 to carry out this title.

                         TITLE II--BLACK CARBON

SEC. 201. SHORT TITLE.

    This title may be cited as the ``Black Carbon and Other Aerosols 
Research Act of 2009''.

SEC. 202. PURPOSES.

    The purposes of this title are--
            (1) to develop a monitoring and research plan--
                    (A) to identify natural and anthropogenic sources 
                of black carbon and other aerosols and to monitor their 
                atmospheric and deposited concentrations on both a 
                temporal and a spatial scale;
                    (B) to measure, monitor, model, and assess black 
                carbon and other aerosols in regard to their 
                atmospheric concentrations and deposited forms--
                            (i) to establish how these substances 
                        impact regional- and global-scale climate and 
                        air quality;
                            (ii) to determine their regional impacts, 
                        with a focus on the polar regions and other 
                        snow and ice covered areas; and
                            (iii) to estimate, in the United States and 
                        globally, spatial and temporal black carbon and 
                        other aerosol concentrations, and deposition 
                        trends in collaboration with the National 
                        Institute of Standards and Technology and other 
                        appropriate partners; and
                    (C) to develop models to assist policy makers and 
                to increase understanding of--
                            (i) the transport and transformation of 
                        black carbon and other aerosols to improve 
                        knowledge of their distributions and climate-
                        forcing properties; and
                            (ii) the individual and combined roles of 
                        black carbon and other aerosols on regional and 
                        global climate on both a temporal and a spatial 
                        scale; and
            (2) to establish a black carbon and other aerosols 
        monitoring and research program within the National Oceanic and 
        Atmospheric Administration.

SEC. 203. DEFINITIONS.

    In this title:
            (1) Administrator.--The term ``Administrator'' means the 
        Administrator of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric 
        Administration.
            (2) Black carbon.--The term ``black carbon'' means the 
        strongly light absorbing aerosol that--
                    (A) is composed of fine particles containing carbon 
                produced by the incomplete combustion of fossil fuels, 
                biofuel, and biomass and other activities; and
                    (B) exists in both atmospheric and deposited forms.
            (3) Other aerosols.--The term ``other aerosols'' means the 
        components of atmospheric aerosols, fine particles suspended in 
        air, including inorganic, organic, dust, and carbonaceous 
        substances, either separately or in combination.

SEC. 204. BLACK CARBON AND OTHER AEROSOLS MONITORING AND RESEARCH PLAN.

    (a) In General.--The Administrator shall develop an observation, 
monitoring, modeling, and research plan for black carbon and other 
aerosols in support of the United States Global Change Research Program 
that includes--
            (1) analysis of gaps in scientific methods and research 
        on--
                    (A) black carbon and other aerosols; and
                    (B) the effect of black carbon, both singly and in 
                combination with other factors, on climate and air 
                quality on both a regional and a global scale; and
            (2) identification of priorities for Federal research on 
        black carbon and other aerosols necessary to understand their 
        role on climate and air quality on both a regional and a global 
        scale;
            (3) a framework for--
                    (A) the temporal and spatial effects of black 
                carbon and other aerosols on climate, both singly and 
                in combination, on regional and global scales and 
                processes;
                    (B) the transportation and transformation of black 
                carbon and other aerosols to gain insight into their 
                distribution and climate-forcing properties; and
                    (C) the influence of black carbon on clouds and 
                cloud particles to understand and quantify their role 
                in large-scale circulation and the hydrologic cycle;
            (4) appropriate methods that--
                    (A) identify sources of black carbon and other 
                aerosols, both anthropogenic and naturally occurring, 
                and
                    (B) measure, monitor, and increase understanding of 
                the atmospheric concentrations and properties as well 
                as the deposited forms,
        on both a temporal and a spatial scale;
            (5) a comparative evaluation of the global and regional 
        climate-forcing properties of black carbon and other aerosols 
        and their effect on regional and global climate and the loss of 
        Arctic sea ice; and
            (6) observation systems, needs, and assets necessary to 
        develop and implement a black carbon and other aerosols 
        monitoring and research program within the National Oceanic and 
        Atmospheric Administration.
    (b) Advisory Panel.--The Administrator shall establish a Black 
Carbon and Other Aerosols Advisory Panel to assist in the development 
and implementation of the plan.
    (c) Report.--No later than 270 days after the date of enactment of 
this Act, the Administrator shall submit a report to the Senate 
Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation and the House of 
Representatives Committee on Science and Technology describing the plan 
required by subsection (a).

SEC. 205. BLACK CARBON AND OTHER AEROSOLS RESEARCH AND MONITORING 
              PROGRAM.

    (a) In General.--The Administrator shall establish and maintain a 
black carbon and other aerosols monitoring and research program that 
combines observations, research, monitoring, modeling, and other 
activities within the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, 
consistent with the plan required by section 204(a), and in support of 
the United States Global Change Research Program, that includes--
            (1) coordinated monitoring and research activities to 
        improve understanding of the sources, atmospheric 
        concentrations, deposited forms, and interactions among black 
        carbon and other aerosols that influence their contribution to 
        climate processes on both a regional and a global scale;
            (2) strategic modeling activities that improve 
        understanding of--
                    (A) the transportation and transformation of 
                aerosols, to improve knowledge of their distributions 
                and climate-forcing properties; and
                    (B) the separate and combined roles of black carbon 
                and other aerosols in regional and global climate and 
                air quality, on regional, global and temporal scales, 
                to improve understanding of these substances and their 
                roles on climate;
            (3) educational opportunities that--
                    (A) encourage an interdisciplinary and 
                international approach to exploring the associated 
                sources and impacts of black carbon and other aerosols; 
                and
                    (B) increase interactions between the measurement 
                and modeling communities in order to optimize use of 
                available data;
            (4) public outreach activities that improve understanding 
        of the current scientific knowledge of black carbon and other 
        aerosols and their impact on climate;
            (5) coordination of black carbon and other aerosols 
        monitoring research with the National Institute of Standards 
        and Technology and other appropriate international and national 
        government agencies, private entities, and others; and
            (6) an assessment of the role black carbon and other 
        aerosols have in regional and global climate and air quality.
    (b) Grant Program.--
            (1) In general.--The Administrator shall establish a grant 
        program to provide grants for critical research and projects 
        that improve the ability to measure, monitor, and assess black 
        carbon and other aerosols with respect to their atmospheric 
        concentrations and deposited forms, including research that 
        supports means of reducing the impacts of black carbon and 
        other aerosols on climate.
            (2) Consultation with panel.--The Administrator shall 
        consult with the Black Carbon and Other Aerosols Advisory 
        Panel, and shall work cooperatively with the National Institute 
        of Standards and Technology and other Federal agencies, to 
        establish criteria for such research and projects.
            (3) Participation by federal agencies.--Federal agencies 
        may collaborate with, and participate in, such research and 
        projects to the extent requested by the grant recipient.
            (4) Award process.--Grants under this subsection shall be 
        awarded extramurally through a competitive peer-reviewed, 
        merit-based process that may be conducted jointly with other 
        Federal agencies working on black carbon and aerosols and their 
        role in and relationship to climate.
    (c) Coordination with Other Agencies.--The Administrator shall 
coordinate development of the plan under section 204 and the monitoring 
and research program under subsection (a) of this section with the 
Office of Science and Technology Policy, the National Aeronautics and 
Space Administration, the National Institute of Standards and 
Technology, and other relevant Federal agencies.
    (d) Additional Authority.--In conducting the program, the 
Administrator may execute and perform such contracts, leases, grants, 
or cooperative agreements as may be necessary to carry out the purposes 
of this title on such terms as the Administrator considers appropriate.

SEC. 206. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.

    There are authorized to be appropriated to the Administrator for 
each of fiscal years 2010 through 2015--
            (1) $10,000,000 for grants under section 205(b); and
            (2) $10,000,000 for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric 
        Administration to carry out the other provisions of this title.
                                                       Calendar No. 401

111th CONGRESS

  2d Session

                                S. 1562

                          [Report No. 111-193]

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL

  To provide for a study and report on research on the United States 
                  Arctic Ocean and for other purposes.

_______________________________________________________________________

                              May 24, 2009

                       Reported with an amendment