[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 1716 Introduced in House (IH)]
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116th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. R. 1716
To direct the Secretary of Commerce, acting through the Administrator
of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, to conduct
coastal community vulnerability assessments related to ocean
acidification, and for other purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
March 13, 2019
Ms. Pingree (for herself, Mr. Rooney of Florida, Mr. Huffman, Ms.
Bonamici, Mr. King of New York, Mr. Young, and Mr. Thompson of
California) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the
Committee on Science, Space, and Technology
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To direct the Secretary of Commerce, acting through the Administrator
of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, to conduct
coastal community vulnerability assessments related to ocean
acidification, 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 ``Coastal Communities Ocean
Acidification Act of 2019''.
SEC. 2. COASTAL COMMUNITY VULNERABILITY ASSESSMENT.
(a) In General.--Section 12406 of the Federal Ocean Acidification
Research And Monitoring Act of 2009 (33 U.S.C. 3705) is amended--
(1) by redesignating subsection (b) as subsection (d); and
(2) by inserting after subsection (a) the following:
``(b) Community Vulnerability Assessment.--
``(1) In general.--The Secretary, through the program
established under subsection (a), shall conduct an ocean
acidification coastal community vulnerability assessment, and
issue a corresponding public report, that shall be updated at
least once every 7 years.
``(2) Requirements.--The assessment conducted under
paragraph (1) shall--
``(A) identify the United States coastal
communities, including island communities, low-
population rural communities, and subsistence
communities, that are most dependent on coastal and
ocean resources that may be impacted by ocean
acidification;
``(B) assess the nature of those communities'
social and economic vulnerabilities;
``(C) identify the ocean acidification impacts that
might harm those communities, including impacts from
changes in ocean and coastal marine resources that are
not managed by the Federal Government;
``(D) identify key knowledge gaps where research
could be devoted to better understand the possible
impacts of ocean acidification on these vulnerable
communities, the risks and threats facing these
communities, and possible adaptation strategies for
these communities; and
``(E) be conducted in collaboration with experts
who are familiar with the unique economic, social,
ecological, geographic, and resource concerns of the
Nation's coastal communities, including representatives
from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration's National Marine Fisheries Service and
the Office for Coastal Management.
``(c) Support for State and Local Vulnerability Assessments and
Strategic Research Planning.--In carrying out the program established
under subsection (a), the Secretary shall collaborate with State and
local government entities that are conducting or have completed
vulnerability assessments, strategic research planning, or other
similar activities related to ocean acidification and its impacts on
coastal communities, for the purpose of--
``(1) determining whether such activities can be used as a
model for other communities; and
``(2) identifying opportunities for the National Oceanic
and Atmospheric Administration to support such activities.''.
(b) Ongoing Input Mechanism.--Section 12404(b)(5) of the Federal
Ocean Acidification Research And Monitoring Act of 2009 (33 U.S.C.
3703(b)(5)) is amended by adding at the end before the period the
following: ``, also including an ongoing mechanism that allows affected
industry members, coastal stakeholders, non-Federal resource managers,
coastal acidification networks, and scientific experts not employed by
the Federal Government to provide input on research, data, and
monitoring that is necessary to support on-the-ground management,
decisionmaking, and adaptation related to ocean acidification and its
impacts''.
(c) Strategic Research Plan.--Section 12405(b) of the Federal Ocean
Acidification Research And Monitoring Act of 2009 (33 U.S.C. 3704(b))
is amended--
(1) in paragraph (8), by striking ``and'' after the
semicolon;
(2) in paragraph (9), by striking the period at the end and
inserting ``; and''; and
(3) by adding at the end the following:
``(10) make recommendations for research that should be
conducted, including in the social sciences and economics, to
address the key knowledge gaps identified in the community
vulnerability assessment report conducted under subsection (b)
of section 12406.''.
(d) Report on Support for State and Local Vulnerability Assessments
and Strategic Research Planning.--Not later than 180 days after the
date of the enactment of this Act, the Administrator of the National
Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration shall submit to Congress a
report on the efforts of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration to support State and local community vulnerability
assessments and strategic research planning, pursuant to section
12406(c) of the Federal Ocean Acidification Research And Monitoring Act
of 2009 (as added by subsection (a) of this section).
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