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[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 10292 Introduced in House (IH)]

<DOC>

118th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                               H. R. 10292

 To require the Secretary of Commerce to produce distribution maps for 
           certain species of whales, and for other purposes.

_______________________________________________________________________

                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                            December 4, 2024

    Ms. Matsui (for herself, Ms. Malliotakis, Mr. Huffman, and Mr. 
  Buchanan) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
                     Committee on Natural Resources

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL

 
 To require the Secretary of Commerce to produce distribution maps for 
           certain species of whales, 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 ``Whale Conservation Habitat Analysis, 
Research, and Technical Strategies Act of 2024'' or ``Whale CHARTS Act 
of 2024''.

SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS.

    In this Act:
            (1) Baleen whale.--The term ``baleen whale'' means each 
        species within the suborder Mysticeti.
            (2) Marine mammal commission.--The term ``Marine Mammal 
        Commission'' means the Marine Mammal Commission established by 
        section 201(a) of the Marine Mammal Protection Act of 1972 (16 
        U.S.C. 1401(a)).
            (3) Secretary.--The term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary 
        of Commerce, acting through the Administrator of the National 
        Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
            (4) Sperm whale.--The term ``sperm whale'' means the 
        species Physeter macrocephalus.
            (5) Waters under the jurisdiction of the united states.--
        The term ``waters under the jurisdiction of the United States'' 
        has the meaning given the term in section 3 of the Marine 
        Mammal Protection Act of 1972 (16 U.S.C. 1362).

SEC. 3. DISTRIBUTION MAPPING OF CERTAIN SPECIES OF WHALES.

    (a) In General.--The Secretary, in consultation with the Marine 
Mammal Commission, shall produce for stocks, populations, or species, 
as the Secretary determines appropriate, of baleen whale and sperm 
whale within waters under the jurisdiction of the United States--
            (1) distribution maps of high accuracy and spatial and 
        temporal resolution; and
            (2) predictive distribution maps of high accuracy and 
        spatial and temporal resolution that take into account expected 
        future environmental conditions.
    (b) Duties.--In carrying out subsection (a), the Secretary--
            (1) shall--
                    (A) use the best scientific information available;
                    (B) conduct or support, including through grants or 
                other financial assistance, research to fill knowledge 
                gaps, which may include--
                            (i) developing novel sources of data, such 
                        as passive acoustic monitoring or detection 
                        through satellite and drone imagery; and
                            (ii) developing innovative methodologies to 
                        combine different sources of whale detection 
                        data and to improve marine mammal distribution 
                        and habitat modeling;
                    (C) include in each map produced under such 
                subsection, as applicable--
                            (i) calving grounds;
                            (ii) feeding grounds;
                            (iii) migration routes; and
                            (iv) other habitat uses;
                    (D) as needed, use current and novel sources of 
                data, such as passive acoustic monitoring and detection 
                through satellite or drone imagery;
                    (E) make each map produced under such subsection 
                available--
                            (i) through--
                                    (I) electronic and machine readable 
                                formats that can be integrated into on-
                                board vessel navigation systems, 
                                including--
                                            (aa) electronic 
                                        navigational products of the 
                                        National Oceanic and 
                                        Atmospheric Administration, as 
                                        appropriate;
                                            (bb) an online platform for 
                                        the general public; and
                                            (cc) in coordination with 
                                        the Commandant of the Coast 
                                        Guard, carriage requirements 
                                        set by the Commandant of the 
                                        Coast Guard for commercial or 
                                        recreational vessels;
                                    (II) in coordination with the 
                                Commandant of the Coast Guard, other 
                                formats not specified under subclause 
                                (I) that may be required in carriage 
                                requirements set by the Commandant of 
                                the Coast Guard for commercial or 
                                recreational vessels, as appropriate; 
                                and
                                    (III) other formats the Secretary 
                                determines appropriate; and
                            (ii) to other entities that produce 
                        products or publications included in the 
                        carriage requirements set by the Commandant of 
                        the Coast Guard for commercial or recreational 
                        vessels, as appropriate; and
                    (F) require the heads of the National Oceanic and 
                Atmospheric Administration line offices to coordinate 
                the work of such offices, as needed; and
            (2) may, in making use of amounts appropriated to carry out 
        this section pursuant to section 7 and in consultation with the 
        Marine Mammal Commission, determine--
                    (A) which stocks, populations, or species of baleen 
                whale and sperm whale to prioritize; and
                    (B) whether to prioritize the collection and 
                aggregation of new data or the processing, analysis, 
                aggregation and modeling of existing data.

SEC. 4. UNDERSTUDIED SPECIES SURVEYS.

    (a) In General.--The Secretary, in consultation with the Marine 
Mammal Commission, shall conduct surveys specific to understudied 
stocks, populations, or species, as the Secretary determines 
appropriate, of baleen whale within waters under the jurisdiction of 
the United States to estimate the abundance and distribution of each 
such stock, population, or species.
    (b) Duties.--In carrying out subsection (a), the Secretary--
            (1) shall--
                    (A) include in each map produced under such 
                subsection, as applicable, potential--
                            (i) calving grounds;
                            (ii) feeding grounds;
                            (iii) migration routes; and
                            (iv) other habitat uses; and
                    (B) as needed, use current and novel sources of 
                data; and
            (2) may--
                    (A) as the Secretary determines appropriate, 
                collect opportunistic data on other marine species; and
                    (B) in making use of amounts appropriated to carry 
                out this section pursuant to section 7 and in 
                consultation with the Marine Mammal Commission, 
                determine which stocks, populations, or species of 
                baleen whale to prioritize.

SEC. 5. REPORT.

    Not later than 2 years after the date of the enactment of this Act, 
and every 3 years thereafter, the Secretary, in consultation with the 
Marine Mammal Commission, shall submit to Congress and make available 
to the public a report regarding--
            (1) activities carried out under sections 3 and 4;
            (2) knowledge gaps identified in carrying out section 3; 
        and
            (3) progress made in filling knowledge gaps identified in 
        carrying out section 3.

SEC. 6. EFFECT ON AND OF OTHER ACTIONS.

    The Secretary--
            (1) shall carry out sections 3, 4, and 5 notwithstanding 
        any ongoing rulemakings; and
            (2) may not delay any action, order, or rulemaking because 
        of the requirements of this Act.

SEC. 7. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.

    (a) In General.--There are authorized to be appropriated to the 
Secretary for each of fiscal years 2025 through 2029--
            (1) to carry out section 3, $2,000,000; and
            (2) to carry out section 4, $1,000,000.
    (b) Additional Sources of Funding.--Subject to the availability of 
appropriations, the Secretary may coordinate with the Secretary of 
Defense, the Secretary of the Interior, and the head of any other 
Federal agency for any additional sources of funding to carry out 
sections 3 and 4.
                                 <all>
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