Coastal Communities Ocean Acidification Act of 2017

Summary: Coastal Communities Ocean Acidification Act of 2017  This bill amends the Federal Ocean Acidification Research and Monitoring Act of 2009 to require the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to conduct and update at least once every seven years an ocean acidification coastal community vulnerability assessment with a corresponding public report. The assessment must identify: (1) U.S. coastal communities that are most dependent on coastal and ocean resources that may be impacted by ocean acidification; (2) the nature of those communities' social and economic vulnerabilities; (3) impacts from changes in ocean and coastal marine resources that are not managed by the federal government; and (4) key knowledge gaps where research could be devoted to better understand the possible ocean acidification impacts, risks, threats, and possible adaptation strategies for the communities. In carrying out the ocean acidification coastal community vulnerability assessment, NOAA must collaborate with state, local, and tribal 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. NOAA's ocean acidification program is expanded to include an ongoing mechanism that allows affected industry members, coastal stakeholders, non-federal resource managers, regional environmental monitoring programs, indigenous knowledge groups, and outside scientific experts not employed by the federal government to provide input on research, data, and monitoring necessary to support on-the-ground management, decision making, and adaptation related to ocean acidification and its impacts. The strategic plan for ocean acidification research and monitoring developed by the Joint Subcommittee on Ocean Science and Technology of the National Science and Technology Council must make recommendations for research to address the key knowledge gaps identified in the community vulnerability assessment report.

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Coastal Communities Ocean 
Acidification Act of 2017''.

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 the social and economic 
                vulnerabilities of those communities;
                    ``(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 those communities, 
                the risks and threats facing those communities, and 
                possible adaptation strategies for those communities; 
                and
                    ``(E) be conducted in collaboration with experts, 
                indigenous knowledge groups, and stakeholders who are 
                familiar with the unique economic, social, ecological, 
                geographic, and resource concerns of coastal 
                communities in the United States, including 
                representatives of--
                            ``(i) the National Marine Fisheries Service 
                        and the Office for Coastal Management of the 
                        National Oceanic and Atmospheric 
                        Administration;
                            ``(ii) Integrated Coastal and Ocean 
                        Observing System regional information 
                        coordination entities established under section 
                        12304(c)(4) of the Integrated Coastal and Ocean 
                        Observation System Act of 2009 (33 U.S.C. 
                        3603(c)(4));
                            ``(iii) regional ocean acidification 
                        networks; and
                            ``(iv) State sea grant programs (as defined 
                        in section 203 of the National Sea Grant 
                        College Program Act (33 U.S.C. 1122)).
    ``(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, 
local, and tribal 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 and other relevant Federal 
        agencies 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, 
regional environmental monitoring programs, indigenous knowledge 
groups, 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 of the Federal Ocean 
Acidification Research And Monitoring Act of 2009 (33 U.S.C. 3704) is 
amended--
            (1) in subsection (b)--
                    (A) in paragraph (8), by striking ``and'' after the 
                semicolon;
                    (B) in paragraph (9), by striking the period at the 
                end and inserting ``; and''; and
                    (C) 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 section 
        12406(b).''; and
            (2) in subsection (e), by inserting ``, tribal governments, 
        indigenous knowledge groups,'' after ``industry''.
    (d) Report on Support for State and Local Vulnerability Assessments 
and Strategic Research Planning.--Not later than 90 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, local, and tribal community vulnerability assessments, 
strategic research and planning, and monitoring needs, pursuant to 
section 12406(c) of the Federal Ocean Acidification Research And 
Monitoring Act of 2009 (as added by subsection (a) of this section).