[Congressional Record Volume 164, Number 107 (Tuesday, June 26, 2018)]
[Senate]
[Page S4415]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

  SA 3089. Mr. WHITEHOUSE (for himself, Ms. Murkowski, and Ms. Collins) 
submitted an amendment intended to be proposed by him to the bill H.R. 
2, to provide for the reform and continuation of agricultural and other 
programs of the Department of Agriculture through fiscal year 2023, and 
for other purposes; which was ordered to lie on the table; as follows:

       At the end of subtitle D of title VII, add the following:

     SEC. 74__. RESEARCH ON OCEAN AGRICULTURE.

       (a) In General.--The Secretary, in coordination with the 
     Administrator of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric 
     Administration, shall establish a working group (referred to 
     in this section as the ``working group'')--
       (1) to study how mangroves, kelp forests, tidal marshes, 
     and seagrass meadows could help deacidify the oceans;
       (2) to study emerging ocean farming practices that use kelp 
     and seagrass to deacidify the oceans while providing 
     feedstock for agriculture and other commercial and industrial 
     inputs; and
       (3) to coordinate and conduct research to develop and 
     enhance pilot-scale research for farming of kelp and seagrass 
     in order--
       (A) to deacidify ocean environments;
       (B) to produce a feedstock for agriculture; and
       (C) to develop other scalable commercial applications for 
     kelp, seagrass, or products derived from kelp or seagrass.
       (b) Membership.--The working group shall include--
       (1) the Secretary;
       (2) the Administrator of the National Oceanic and 
     Atmospheric Administration; and
       (3) representatives of any relevant offices within the 
     National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
       (c) Report.--Not later than 2 years after the date of 
     enactment of this Act, the working group shall submit to 
     Congress a report that includes--
       (1) the findings of the research described in subsection 
     (a);
       (2) the results of the pilot-scale research described in 
     subsection (a)(3); and
       (3) any policy recommendations based on those findings and 
     results.
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