[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 91 (Thursday, June 7, 2007)]
[Senate]
[Pages S7377-S7378]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

      By Mr. LAUTENBERG (for himself and Ms. Cantwell):
  S. 1581. 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; to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and 
Transportation.
  Mr. LAUTENBERG. Mr. President, I rise today to introduce legislation 
that would establish a comprehensive Federal research plan and program 
to address ocean acidification, which poses a growing threat to the 
health of our oceans.
  Our oceans help reduce global warming by absorbing carbon dioxide 
from the atmosphere. To date, about one-third of all human-generated 
carbon emissions have dissolved into the ocean. However, the increase 
in carbon dioxide lowers ocean pH, and causes the oceans to become more 
acidic. This increase in acidity is corrosive to marine shells and 
organisms that form the base of the food chain for many fish and marine 
mammals. These changes in ocean chemistry also threaten coral reef 
ecosystems, habitats so rich in biodiversity they are called he rain 
forests of the sea. Even a mild increase in ocean acidity could make 
these organisms more vulnerable to disease, pollution and other 
environmental stresses. If the acidic conditions increase 
significantly, marine shells could actually begin to dissolve.
  Ocean acidification demands our immediate attention. Current 
projections of carbon dioxide emissions suggest that the acidity of our 
oceans is likely to accelerate significantly in the coming years. NOAA 
scientists have said that ocean acidity has increased 30 percent since 
the industrial revolution and they estimate by the end of this century 
the acidity of the oceans may increase 150 percent. They also project 
that current trends could result in a decrease in ocean pH to the 
lowest levels in 20 million years.
  Ocean acidification threatens our marine ecosystems and could result 
in significant social and economic costs. The rich biodiversity of 
marine organisms is an important contribution to the national economy 
providing food, tourism, and aesthetic benefits, but they are 
vulnerable to human activity. Ocean acidification threatens fish and 
all calcifying organisms including corals, scallops, clams, crabs, 
lobsters, and plankton.
  It is important to note the potential economic impacts of ocean 
acidification. Coastal and marine commercial fishing generates upwards 
of $30 billion per year and employs nearly 70,000 people. Many of these 
fisheries also rely upon healthy coral habitats. Increased ocean 
acidification reduces the ability of corals and shellfish to produce 
their skeletons. Globally, coral reefs are home to more than 4,000 
kinds of fish, and generate $30 billion per year in fishing, tourism, 
and protection to coasts from storms. Scientists have estimated that, 
due to excess carbon dioxide in the oceans, corals may be unable to 
form their skeletons by mid-century, and could begin to dissolve by the 
end of this century. Destroying these ecosystems will have staggering 
environmental, social and economic consequences.
  In addition, ocean acidification directly threatens numerous 
commercially and recreationally important fish and shellfish species 
from coast to coast. Carbon dioxide-rich waters have been shown to 
decrease the body weight of Pacific salmon and increase the mortality 
rate of Alaskan blue king crab. Over 50 percent of our commercial catch 
in the United States is shellfish. In New Jersey, sea scallops and 
clams are some of the State's most valuable fisheries, valued at $121 
million. These and other important shellfish species are threatened by 
growing acidification.
  Research on the processes and consequences of ocean acidification is 
still in its infancy. The urgency of developing interagency 
collaboration to address this far-reaching environmental problem is 
widely recognized in the scientific community. In January, the 
Administration Ocean Research Priorities Plan, ORPP, identified ocean 
acidification as a research priority. Consistent with the ORPP, my 
legislation will establish a comprehensive research and monitoring 
program within the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, 
NOAA. This is critical for ocean management in the long-term because 
many questions on the effect of increasing atmospheric carbon dioxide 
on ocean chemistry and marine life remain unanswered.
  My legislation also establishes an interagency committee to develop a 
comprehensive ocean acidification research and monitoring plan designed 
to improve the understanding of the environmental and economic impacts 
of increased ocean acidification. The plan will identify priority 
research areas and strengthen relevant programs within our federal 
agencies. The plan will also address commercially and recreationally 
important species, as well as vulnerable ecosystems including coral 
reefs and coastal and polar oceans threatened by acidification.
  The rise of carbon dioxide in our atmosphere has been measured 
continuously since 1958. Known as the ``Keeling Curve'', these 
measurements are a cornerstone of our understanding of man-made 
increases in carbon dioxide causing global warming and ocean 
acidification. It is vital that we establish a program for long-term 
global measurements of ocean pH to understand the processes and 
consequences of ocean acidification. A key component in our bill 
directs federal agencies to establish a long-term monitoring program of 
pH levels in the ocean utilizing existing global ocean observing 
assets.
  Congress has been hearing from our Nation experts on ocean 
acidification since 2004. Now is the time for national investment in a 
coordinated program of research and monitoring to improve understanding 
of 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.
  I would like to thank Senator Cantwell for her cosponsorship and 
support on this important issue. I look forward to working with my 
colleagues in the Senate to ensure passage of this legislation so that 
we can fill this vital research need and protect our valuable marine 
resources.
  I ask unanimous consent that the text of the bill be printed in the 
Record.
  There being no objection, the text of the bill was ordered to be 
printed in the Record, as follows:

                                S. 1581

       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 is 
     overwhelming the natural ability of the oceans to cope with 
     human-induced carbon dioxide emissions.
       (3) The emission of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere is 
     causing the oceans to become more acidic. The increase in 
     acidity and changes in ocean chemistry are corrosive to 
     marine shells and organisms that form the base of the food 
     chain for many fish and marine mammals including the 
     skeletons of corals which provide one of the richest habitats 
     on earth.
       (4) The rich biodiversity of marine organisms is an 
     important contribution to the national economy and the change 
     in ocean chemistry threatens 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 socio-economic 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.

[[Page S7378]]

       (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; and
       (2) assessment and consideration of regional and national 
     ecosystem and socio-economic impacts of increased ocean 
     acidification, and integration into marine resource 
     decisions.

     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.
       (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.
       (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 Senate 
     Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation and the 
     House of Representatives Committee on Natural Resources.
       (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 
     Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation and 
     the House of Representatives Committee on Natural Resources 
     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.

     SEC. 4. STRATEGIC RESEARCH AND IMPLEMENTATION PLAN.

       (a) In General.--Within 1 year 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 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 socio-
     economic 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 and 
     ecologically important calcifiers that lie at the base of the 
     food chain; and
       (ii) physiological changes in response to ocean 
     acidification;
       (C) identification and assessment of ecosystems most at 
     risk from projected changes in ocean chemistry including--
       (i) coral reef ecosystems;
       (ii) polar ecosystems; and
       (iii) coastal ocean ecosystems;
       (D) modeling the effects of pH including ecosystem 
     forecasting;
       (E) identifying feedback mechanisms resulting from the 
     ocean chemistry changes and the subsequent decrease in 
     calcification rates in organisms;
       (F) socio-economic impacts of ocean acidification, 
     including commercially and recreationally important 
     fisheries;
       (2) establish, for the 10-year period beginning in the year 
     it is submitted, goals, priorities, and guidelines for 
     coordinated activities that will--
       (A) most effectively advance scientific understanding of 
     the characteristics and impacts of ocean acidification;
       (B) provide forecasts of changes in ocean acidification and 
     the consequent impacts on marine ecosystems; and
       (C) provide 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 sciences, 
     and coordinated research and activities to improve 
     understanding of ocean acidification;
       (B) the establishment of a long-term monitoring program of 
     pH levels in the ocean utilizing existing global ocean 
     observing assets and adding instrumentation and sampling 
     stations as appropriate to the aims of the research program;
       (C) educational opportunities that encourage an 
     interdisciplinary and international approach to exploring the 
     impacts of ocean acidification;
       (D) national public outreach activities to improve the 
     understanding of ocean acidification and its impacts on 
     marine resources; and
       (E) 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 socio-economic 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 the pH of the Earth's oceans caused by 
     the uptake of anthropogenic carbon dioxide from the 
     atmosphere.
       (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 
     $30,000,000 to carry out the purposes of this Act for each of 
     fiscal years 2008 through 2012, and such sums as may be 
     necessary for fiscal years after fiscal year 2012.
       (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.
                                 ______