[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 3939 Introduced in Senate (IS)]
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119th CONGRESS
2d Session
S. 3939
To reauthorize the Chesapeake Bay Office of the National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration, and for other purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
February 26, 2026
Mr. Warner (for himself, Mr. Kaine, Mr. Van Hollen, and Ms. Alsobrooks)
introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the
Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To reauthorize the Chesapeake Bay Office of the National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration, 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 ``Chesapeake Watershed Advancement for
Training, Education, Restoration, and Science Act'' or the ``Chesapeake
WATERS Act''.
SEC. 2. SENSE OF CONGRESS.
It is the sense of Congress that the Chesapeake Bay Office of the
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration should be the primary
representative of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
in the Chesapeake Bay watershed.
SEC. 3. REAUTHORIZATION OF THE NATIONAL OCEANIC AND ATMOSPHERIC
ADMINISTRATION CHESAPEAKE BAY OFFICE.
Section 307 of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
Authorization Act of 1992 (15 U.S.C. 1511d) is amended--
(1) in subsection (a)--
(A) in paragraph (1), by striking ``(in this
section referred to as the `Office')'';
(B) by amending paragraph (2) to read as follows:
``(2) The Office shall be headed by a Director, who--
``(A) shall have knowledge and experience in research or
resource management efforts in the Chesapeake Bay; and
``(B) shall be responsible for the administration and
operation of the Office and the implementation of this
section.''; and
(C) by striking paragraph (3);
(2) in subsection (b)--
(A) in paragraph (2), by striking ``Secretary of
Commerce'' and inserting ``Administrator'';
(B) in paragraph (3)--
(i) by inserting ``with and represent''
after ``coordinate'';
(ii) by striking ``, the Chesapeake Bay
Regional Sea Grant Programs, and the Chesapeake
Bay units of the National Estuarine Research
Reserve System,'' and inserting ``for the
Chesapeake Bay Program and that relate to the
Chesapeake Bay watershed in furtherance of such
Administration's coastal resource stewardship
mission,'';
(iii) in subparagraph (A)--
(I) in clauses (vi) and (vii), by
striking ``and'' at the end; and
(II) by adding at the end the
following:
``(viii) coastal hazards and climate
change; and
``(ix) education; and''; and
(iv) in subparagraph (B)--
(I) in clause (iii), by striking
``and'' at the end;
(II) in clause (iv), by inserting
``and'' after the semicolon; and
(III) by adding at the end the
following:
``(v) integrated ecosystem assessments;'';
(C) in paragraph (4)--
(i) by striking ``Environmental Protection
Agency'' and inserting ``Chesapeake Executive
Council''; and
(ii) by inserting ``as appropriate to
further the purposes of this section'' after
``agencies'';
(D) by striking paragraphs (5) and (7);
(E) by redesignating paragraph (6) as paragraph
(5); and
(F) by adding at the end the following:
``(6) perform any functions necessary to support the
programs and activities referred to in paragraph (3).'';
(3) by striking subsections (c), (d), and (e); and
(4) by adding at the end the following:
``(c) Programs and Activities.--
``(1) In general.--The Administrator, through the Director,
shall implement the programs and activities authorized by this
section to support the activity of the Chesapeake Executive
Council and to further the purposes of this section.
``(2) Ensuring scientific and technical merit.--The
Director shall--
``(A) establish and use an effective and
transparent mechanism to ensure that projects carried
out under this section have undergone appropriate peer
review; and
``(B) provide other appropriate means to determine
that such projects have acceptable scientific and
technical merit for the purpose of achieving maximum
use of available funds and resources to benefit the
Chesapeake Bay area.
``(3) Consultation with chesapeake executive council.--The
Director shall, in the implementation of the programs and
activities authorized by this section, consult with the
Chesapeake Executive Council to ensure that the activities of
the Office are consistent with the purposes and priorities of
the Chesapeake Bay Agreement and plans developed pursuant to
that agreement.
``(4) Integrated coastal observations.--
``(A) In general.--The Administrator, through the
Director, may collaborate with scientific and academic
institutions, State and Federal agencies,
nongovernmental organizations, and other constituents
in the Chesapeake Bay watershed to support a regional
coastal observing system for the Chesapeake Bay
consistent with the purposes of the Integrated Coastal
and Ocean Observation System Act of 2009 (33 U.S.C.
3601 et seq.).
``(B) Specific requirements.--To support the system
referred to in subparagraph (A) and provide a complete
set of environmental information for the Chesapeake
Bay, the Director shall--
``(i) coordinate monitoring with Federal
and State agencies in the tidal portions of the
Chesapeake Bay to understand impacts of water
quality on living marine resources;
``(ii) identify new data collection needs
and deploy new technologies, as appropriate;
``(iii) collect and analyze the scientific
information necessary for the management of
living marine resources and the marine habitat
associated with those resources; and
``(iv) organize the information described
in clause (iii) into products that are useful
to policymakers, resource managers, scientists,
and the public.
``(C) Chesapeake bay interpretive buoy system.--To
further the development and implementation of the
Chesapeake Bay Interpretive Buoy System and associated
monitoring assets to improve weather and ecological
forecasts and monitor habitat conditions for living
marine resources, the Director may--
``(i) support the establishment and
implementation of the Captain John Smith
Chesapeake National Historic Trail;
``(ii) delineate key waypoints along the
trail and provide appropriate real-time data
and information for trail users;
``(iii) interpret data and information for
use by educators and students to inspire
stewardship of the Chesapeake Bay; and
``(iv) incorporate the observational data
from the Chesapeake Bay Interpretive Buoy
System into the Integrated Ocean Observing
System network of regional coastal observing
systems.
``(5) Chesapeake bay watershed education and training
program.--
``(A) In general.--The Administrator, through the
Director, may establish a Chesapeake Bay watershed
education and training program. The program shall--
``(i) continue and expand the Chesapeake
Bay watershed education programs offered by the
Office immediately before the enactment of the
Chesapeake Watershed Advancement for Training,
Education, Restoration, and Science Act;
``(ii) improve the understanding of
elementary and secondary school students and
teachers of the living resources of the
Chesapeake Bay ecosystem;
``(iii) provide education and career
pathway internships; and
``(iv) meet the educational goals of the
Chesapeake Bay Watershed Agreement.
``(B) Grant program.--The Director may award grants
for the purposes of this paragraph. Grants awarded
under this subparagraph may be used to support
education and training projects that enhance
understanding and assessment of a specific
environmental problem in the Chesapeake Bay watershed
or a goal of the Chesapeake Bay Program, or protect or
restore living resources of the Chesapeake Bay
watershed, including projects that--
``(i) provide classroom education,
including the development and use of distance
learning and other innovative technologies,
related to the Chesapeake Bay watershed;
``(ii) provide meaningful watershed
educational experiences in the Chesapeake Bay
watershed;
``(iii) provide professional development
for teachers related to the Chesapeake Bay
watershed and the dissemination of pertinent
education materials oriented to varying grade
levels;
``(iv) demonstrate or disseminate
environmental educational tools and materials
related to the Chesapeake Bay watershed;
``(v) demonstrate field methods, practices,
and techniques, including assessment of
environmental and ecological conditions and
analysis of environmental problems; and
``(vi) build the capacity of school
districts and their partners to deliver high-
quality environmental education programs.
``(C) Coordination.--The Director shall implement
the education and training program in coordination with
the heads of other Federal agencies, as the Director
determines appropriate.
``(6) Coastal living resources management and habitat
program.--
``(A) In general.--The Administrator, through the
Director, may establish a Chesapeake Bay Coastal Living
Resources Management and Habitat Program to support
coordinated management, protection, characterization,
and restoration of priority Chesapeake Bay habitats and
living resources, including oysters, blue crabs,
submerged aquatic vegetation, and economically and
ecologically important fish species such as striped
bass and menhaden.
``(B) Activities.--Under the Chesapeake Bay Coastal
Living Resources Management and Habitat Program, the
Director may carry out or enter into grants, contracts,
and cooperative agreements and provide technical
assistance to support--
``(i) native oyster research and
restoration;
``(ii) fish and shellfish aquaculture that
is carried out in accordance with a valid
Federal or State permit;
``(iii) the establishment of submerged
aquatic vegetation restoration programs;
``(iv) the development of programs that
restore, protect, and build the resilience of
critical coastal habitats and communities;
``(v) habitat mapping, characterization,
and assessment techniques necessary to
identify, assess, and monitor Chesapeake Bay
conditions and restoration actions;
``(vi) the application and transfer of
applied scientific research and ecosystem
management tools to fisheries and habitat
managers;
``(vii) the collection, synthesis, and
sharing of information to inform and influence
coastal and living resource management issues;
``(viii) ecologically and economically
important fish and shellfish research; and
``(ix) other activities that the Director
determines are appropriate to carry out the
purposes of the program.
``(d) Delegation.--
``(1) Authority.--The Administrator shall delegate to the
Director such authority as may be necessary to carry out this
section.
``(2) Staff.--The Administrator shall delegate to the
Director appropriate staff representing expertise that covers
the breadth of the functions of the Office.
``(e) Reports.--
``(1) In general.--The Administrator, through the Director,
shall biennially submit to Congress and the Secretary of
Commerce a report on the activities of the Office and progress
made in protecting and restoring the living resources and
habitat of the Chesapeake Bay.
``(2) Action plan.--Each report required by paragraph (1)
shall include an action plan for the 2-year period following
submission of the report, consisting of--
``(A) a list of recommended research, monitoring,
and data collection activities necessary to continue
implementation of the strategy under subsection (b)(2);
and
``(B) recommendations to integrate activities of
the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
with the activities of the partners in the Chesapeake
Bay Program to meet the commitments of the Chesapeake
Bay Agreement and subsequent agreements.
``(f) Agreements.--
``(1) In general.--The Administrator, through the Director,
may enter into and perform such contracts, leases, grants, or
cooperative agreements as may be necessary to carry out the
purposes of this Act.
``(2) Use of other resources.--For purposes related to the
understanding, protection, and restoration of the Chesapeake
Bay, the Director may use, with consent and with or without
reimbursement, the land, services, equipment, personnel, and
facilities of--
``(A) any Department, agency, or instrumentality of
the United States; or
``(B) any State, local government, or Indian Tribe,
or any political subdivision thereof.
``(g) Definitions.--In this section:
``(1) Administrator.--The term `Administrator' means the
Administrator of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration.
``(2) Chesapeake bay agreement; chesapeake bay ecosystem;
chesapeake bay program; chesapeake executive council.--The
terms `Chesapeake Bay Agreement', `Chesapeake Bay ecosystem',
`Chesapeake Bay Program', and `Chesapeake Executive Council'
have the meanings given those terms in section 117(a) of the
Federal Water Pollution Control Act (33 U.S.C. 1267(a)).
``(3) Director.--The term `Director' means the Director of
the Office.
``(4) Office.--The term `Office' means the Chesapeake Bay
Office established under this section.''.
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