89–006 

116TH CONGRESS REPORT " ! HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 1st Session 116–86 

COASTAL AND OCEAN ACIDIFICATION STRESSORS AND 

THREATS RESEARCH ACT OF 2019 

MAY 28, 2019.—Committed to the Committee of the Whole House on the State of 

the Union and ordered to be printed 

Ms. EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON of Texas, from the Committee on 

Science, Space, and Technology, submitted the following 

R E P O R T 

[To accompany H.R. 1237] 

[Including cost estimate of the Congressional Budget Office] 

The Committee on Science, Space, and Technology, to whom was 

referred the bill (H.R. Science, Space, and Technology) to amend 

the Federal Ocean Acidification Research and Monitoring Act of 

2009 to establish an Ocean Acidification Advisory Board, to expand 

and improve the research on Ocean Acidification and Coastal Acidification, to establish and maintain a data archive system for Ocean 

Acidification data and Coastal Acidification data, and for other purposes, having considered the same, report favorably thereon with 

an amendment and recommend that the bill as amended do pass. 

CONTENTS 

Page 

I. Amendment ................................................................................................. 2 

II. Purpose of the Bill ...................................................................................... 8 

III. Background and Need for the Legislation ................................................ 9 

IV. Committee Hearings ................................................................................... 10 

V. Committee Consideration and Votes ......................................................... 10 

VI. Summary of Major Provisions of the Bill .................................................. 11 

VII. Section-by-Section Analysis (by Title and Section) .................................. 11 

VIII. Committee Views ........................................................................................ 12 

IX. Cost Estimate .............................................................................................. 14 

X. Congressional Budget Office Cost Estimate ............................................. 14 

XI. Compliance with Public Law 104–4 (Unfunded Mandates) .................... 15 

XII. Committee Oversight Findings and Recommendations ........................... 15 

XIII. Statement on General Performance Goals and Objectives ...................... 15 

XIV. Federal Advisory Committee Statement ................................................... 15 

XV. Duplication of Federal Programs ............................................................... 16 

XVI. Earmark Identification ............................................................................... 16 

XVII. Applicability to the Legislative Branch ..................................................... 16 


dlhill on DSKBBY8HB2PROD with HEARING
2 

XVIII. Statement on Preemption of State, Local, or Tribal Law ........................ 16 

XIX. Changes in Existing Law Made by the Bill, as Reported ........................ 16 

XX. Exchange of Committee Correspondence .................................................. 29 

XXI. Proceedings of Subcommittee Markup ...................................................... 32 

XXII. Proceedings of Full Committee Markup .................................................... 76 

I. AMENDMENT

The amendment is as follows: 

Strike all after the enacting clause and insert the following: 

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Coastal and Ocean Acidification Stressors and 

Threats Research Act of 2019’’ or the ‘‘COAST Research Act of 2019’’. 

SEC. 2. PURPOSES. 

(a) IN GENERAL.—Section 12402(a) of the Federal Ocean Acidification Research 

and Monitoring Act of 2009 (33 U.S.C. 3701(a)) is amended— 

(1) in paragraph (1)— 

(A) in the matter preceding subparagraph (A), by striking ‘‘development 

and coordination’’ and inserting ‘‘coordination and implementation’’; 

(B) in subparagraph (A), by striking ‘‘acidification on marine organisms’’ 

and inserting ‘‘acidification and coastal acidification on marine organisms’’; 

and 

(C) in subparagraph (B), by striking ‘‘establish’’ and all that follows 

through the semicolon and inserting ‘‘maintain and advise an interagency 

research, monitoring, and public outreach program on ocean acidification 

and coastal acidification;’’; 

(2) in paragraph (2), by striking ‘‘establishment’’ and inserting ‘‘maintenance’’; 

(3) in paragraph (3), by inserting ‘‘and coastal acidification’’ after ‘‘ocean acidification’’; and 

(4) in paragraph (4), by inserting ‘‘and coastal acidification that take into account other environmental and anthropogenic stressors’’ after ‘‘ocean acidification’’. 

(b) TECHNICAL AND CONFORMING AMENDMENT.—Section 12402 of the Federal 

Ocean Acidification Research and Monitoring Act of 2009 (33 U.S.C. 3701(a)) is 

amended by striking ‘‘(a) purposes.—’’. 

SEC. 3. DEFINITIONS. 

Section 12403 of the Federal Ocean Acidification Research and Monitoring Act of 

2009 (33 U.S.C. 3702) is amended— 

(1) in paragraph (1), by striking ‘‘of the Earth’s oceans’’ and all that follows 

before the period at the end and inserting ‘‘and changes in the water chemistry 

of the Earth’s oceans, coastal estuaries, and waterways caused by carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and the breakdown of organic matter’’; 

(2) in paragraph (3), by striking ‘‘Joint Subcommittee on Ocean Science and 

Technology of the National Science and Technology Council’’ and inserting ‘‘National Science and Technology Council Subcommittee on Ocean Science and 

Technology’’; 

(3) by redesignating paragraphs (1), (2), and (3) as paragraphs (2), (3), and 

(4), respectively; 

(4) by inserting before paragraph (2), as so redesignated, the following new 

paragraph: 

‘‘(1) COASTAL ACIDIFICATION.—The term ‘coastal acidification’ means the combined decrease in pH and changes in the water chemistry of coastal oceans, estuaries, and other bodies of water from chemical inputs (including carbon dioxide from the atmosphere), freshwater inputs, and excess nutrient run-off from 

land and coastal atmospheric pollution that result in processes that release carbon dioxide, acidic nitrogen, and sulfur compounds as byproducts which end up 

in coastal waters.’’; and 

(5) by adding at the end the following new paragraph: 

‘‘(5) STATE.—The term ‘State’ means each State of the United States, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, American Samoa, Guam, 

the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, the Virgin Islands of the 

United States, and any other territory or possession of the United States.’’. 

SEC. 4. INTERAGENCY WORKING GROUP. 

Section 12404 of the Federal Ocean Acidification Research and Monitoring Act of 

2009 (33 U.S.C. 3703) is amended— 


dlhill on DSKBBY8HB2PROD with HEARING
3 

(1) in the heading, by striking ‘‘SUBCOMMITTEE’’ and inserting ‘‘WORKING

GROUP’’; 

(2) in subsection (a)— 

(A) in paragraph (1), by striking ‘‘Joint Subcommittee on Ocean Science 

and Technology of the National Science and Technology Council shall coordinate Federal activities on ocean acidification and’’ and insert ‘‘Subcommittee shall’’; 

(B) in paragraph (2), by striking ‘‘Wildlife Service,’’ and inserting ‘‘Wildlife Service, the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, the Environmental 

Protection Agency, the Department of Agriculture, the Department of State, 

the Department of Energy, the Department of the Navy, the National Park 

Service, the Bureau of Indian Affairs, the National Institute of Standards 

and Technology, the Smithsonian Institution,’’; and 

(C) in paragraph (3), in the heading, by striking ‘‘CHAIRMAN’’ and inserting ‘‘CHAIR’’; 

(3) in subsection (b)— 

(A) in paragraph (1), by inserting ‘‘, including the efforts of the National 

Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to facilitate such implementation’’ 

after ‘‘of the plan’’; 

(B) in paragraph (2)— 

(i) in subparagraph (A), by inserting ‘‘and coastal acidification’’ after 

‘‘ocean acidification’’; and 

(ii) in subparagraph (B), by inserting ‘‘and coastal acidification’’ after 

‘‘ocean acidification’’; 

(C) in paragraph (4), by striking ‘‘; and’’ and inserting a semicolon; 

(D) in paragraph (5)— 

(i) by striking ‘‘developed’’ and inserting ‘‘and coastal acidification developed’’; and 

(ii) by striking the period at the end and inserting ‘‘and coastal acidification; and’’; and 

(E) by adding at the end the following new paragraph: 

‘‘(6) ensure that each of the Federal agencies represented on the interagency 

working group— 

‘‘(A) participates in the Ocean Acidification Information Exchange established under paragraph (5); and 

‘‘(B) delivers data and information to support the data archive system established under section 12406(d).’’; 

(4) in subsection (c), in paragraph (2)— 

(A) by inserting ‘‘, and to the Office of Management and Budget,’’ after 

‘‘House of Representatives’’; and 

(B) in subparagraph (B), by striking ‘‘the interagency research’’ and inserting ‘‘interagency strategic research’’; 

(5) by redesignating subsection (c) as subsection (d); and 

(6) by inserting after subsection (b) the following: 

‘‘(c) ADVISORY BOARD.— 

‘‘(1) ESTABLISHMENT.—The Chair of the Subcommittee shall establish an 

Ocean Acidification Advisory Board. 

‘‘(2) DUTIES.—The Advisory Board shall— 

‘‘(A) not later than 180 days before the Subcommittee submits the most 

recent report under subsection (d)(2)— 

‘‘(i) review such report; 

‘‘(ii) submit an analysis of such report to the Subcommittee for consideration in the final report submitted under subsection (d)(2); and 

‘‘(iii) concurrently with the Subcommittee’s final submission of the report under subsection (d)(2), the Advisory Board shall submit a copy of 

the analysis provided to the Subcommittee to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation of the Senate, the Committee on 

Science, Space, and Technology of the House of Representatives, and 

the Committee on Natural Resources of the House of Representatives; 

‘‘(B) not later than 180 days before the Subcommittee submits the most 

recent strategic research plan under subsection (d)(3) to Congress— 

‘‘(i) review such plan; 

‘‘(ii) submit an analysis of such plan and the implementation thereof 

to the Subcommittee for consideration in the final strategic research 

plan submitted under subsection (d)(3); and 

‘‘(iii) concurrently with the Subcommittee’s final submission of the 

strategic research plan under subsection (d)(3), the Advisory Board 

shall submit a copy of the analysis provided to the Subcommittee to the 

Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation of the Senate, 


dlhill on DSKBBY8HB2PROD with HEARING
4 

the Committee on Science, Space, and Technology of the House of Representatives, and the Committee on Natural Resources of the House of 

Representatives; 

‘‘(C) provide ongoing advice to the Subcommittee and the interagency 

working group on matters related to Federal activities on ocean acidification and coastal acidification; 

‘‘(D) advise the Subcommittee and the interagency working group on— 

‘‘(i) efforts to coordinate research and monitoring activities related to 

ocean acidification and coastal acidification; and 

‘‘(ii) the best practices for the standards developed for data archiving 

under section 12406(e); 

‘‘(E) publish in the Federal Register a charter; 

‘‘(F) provide the Library of Congress with— 

‘‘(i) the charter described in subparagraph (E); 

‘‘(ii) any schedules and minutes for meetings of the Advisory Board; 

‘‘(iii) any documents that are approved by the Advisory Board; and 

‘‘(iv) any reports and analysis prepared by the Advisory Board; and 

‘‘(G) establish a publicly accessible web page on the website of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, that contains the information described in clauses (i) through (iv) of subparagraph (F). 

‘‘(3) MEMBERSHIP.—The Advisory Board shall consist of 24 members as follows: 

‘‘(A) 2 representatives of the shellfish and crab industry. 

‘‘(B) 1 representative of the finfish industry. 

‘‘(C) 1 representative of seafood processors. 

‘‘(D) 3 representatives from academia, including both natural and social 

sciences. 

‘‘(E) 1 representative of recreational fishing. 

‘‘(F) 1 representative of relevant nongovernmental organizations. 

‘‘(G) 6 representatives from relevant State, local, and Tribal governments. 

‘‘(H) 1 representative from the Alaska Ocean Acidification Network. 

‘‘(I) 1 representative from the California Current Acidification Network. 

‘‘(J) 1 representative from the Northeast Coastal Acidification Network. 

‘‘(K) 1 representative from the Southeast Coastal Acidification Network. 

‘‘(L) 1 representative from the Gulf of Mexico Coastal Acidification Network. 

‘‘(M) 1 representative from the Mid-Atlantic Coastal Acidification Network. 

‘‘(N) 1 representative from the Pacific Islands Ocean Observing System 

or similar entity representing the island territories and possessions of the 

United States in the Pacific Ocean, and the State of Hawaii. 

‘‘(O) 1 representative from the Caribbean Regional Association for Coastal 

Ocean Observing or a similar entity representing Puerto Rico and the U.S. 

Virgin Islands. 

‘‘(P) 1 representative from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration shall serve as an ex-officio member of the Advisory Board without 

a vote. 

‘‘(4) APPOINTMENT OF MEMBERS.—The Chair of the Subcommittee shall— 

‘‘(A) appoint members to the Advisory Board (taking into account the geographical interests of each individual to be appointed as a member of the 

Advisory Board to ensure that an appropriate balance of geographical interests are represented by the members of the Advisory Board) who— 

‘‘(i) represent the interest group for which each seat is designated; 

‘‘(ii) demonstrate expertise on ocean acidification or coastal acidification and its scientific, economic, industry, cultural, and community impacts; and 

‘‘(iii) have a record of distinguished service with respect to ocean 

acidification or coastal acidification, and such impacts; 

‘‘(B) give consideration to nominations and recommendations from the 

members of the interagency working group and the public for such appointments; and 

‘‘(C) ensure that an appropriate balance of scientific, industry, and geographical interests are represented by the members of the Advisory Board. 

‘‘(5) TERM OF MEMBERSHIP.—Each member of the Advisory Board— 

‘‘(A) shall be appointed for a 5-year term; and 

‘‘(B) may be appointed to more than one term. 

‘‘(6) CHAIR.—The Chair of the Subcommittee shall appoint one member of the 

Advisory Board to serve as the Chair of the Advisory Board. 


dlhill on DSKBBY8HB2PROD with HEARING
5 

‘‘(7) MEETINGS.—Not less than once each calendar year, the Advisory Board 

shall meet at such times and places as may be designated by the Chair of the 

Advisory Board, in consultation with the Chair of the Subcommittee and the 

Chair of the interagency working group. 

‘‘(8) BRIEFING.—The Chair of the Advisory Board shall brief the Subcommittee 

and the interagency working group on the progress of the Advisory Board as 

necessary. 

‘‘(9) FEDERAL ADVISORY COMMITTEE ACT.—Section 14 of the Federal Advisory 

Committee Act shall not apply to the Advisory Board.’’. 

SEC. 5. 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 (a)— 

(A) by striking ‘‘acidification’’ each place it appears and inserting ‘‘acidification and coastal acidification’’; 

(B) in the first sentence— 

(i) by inserting ‘‘, and not later than every 5 years thereafter’’ after 

‘‘the date of enactment of this Act’’; 

(ii) by inserting ‘‘address the socioeconomic impacts of ocean acidification and coastal acidification and to’’ after ‘‘mitigation strategies to’’; 

and 

(iii) by striking ‘‘marine ecosystems’’ each place it appears and inserting ‘‘ecosystems’’; and 

(C) in the second sentence, by inserting ‘‘and recommendations made by 

the Advisory Board in the review of the plan required under section 

12404(c)(2)(B)(i)’’ after ‘‘subsection (d)’’; 

(2) in subsection (b)— 

(A) in paragraph (1), by inserting ‘‘and social sciences’’ after ‘‘among the 

ocean sciences’’; 

(B) in paragraph (2)— 

(i) in subparagraph (A), by striking ‘‘impacts’’ and inserting ‘‘impacts, 

including trends of changes in ocean chemistry,’’; 

(ii) in subparagraph (B)— 

(I) by striking ‘‘improve the ability to assess the’’ and inserting 

‘‘assess the short-term and long-term’’; and 

(II) by striking ‘‘; and’’ at the end and inserting a semicolon; 

(iii) by amending subparagraph (C) to read as follows: 

‘‘(C) provide information for the— 

‘‘(i) development of adaptation and mitigation strategies to address 

the socioeconomic impacts of ocean acidification and coastal acidification; 

‘‘(ii) conservation of marine organisms and ecosystems; and 

‘‘(iii) assessment of the effectiveness of such adaptation and mitigation strategies; and’’; and 

(iv) by adding at the end the following new subparagraph: 

‘‘(D) improve research on— 

‘‘(i) ocean acidification and coastal acidification; 

‘‘(ii) the interactions between and effects of multiple combined 

stressors including changes in water chemistry, changes in sediment 

delivery, hypoxia, and harmful algal blooms, on ocean acidification and 

coastal acidification; and 

‘‘(iii) the effect of environmental stressors on marine resources and 

ecosystems;’’; 

(C) in paragraph (3)— 

(i) in subparagraph (F), by striking ‘‘database development’’ and inserting ‘‘data management’’; 

(ii) in subparagraph (H) by striking ‘‘and’’ at the end; and 

(iii) by adding at the end the following new subparagraphs: 

‘‘(J) assessment of adaptation and mitigation strategies; and 

‘‘(K) education and outreach activities;’’; 

(D) in paragraph (4), by striking ‘‘set forth’’ and inserting ‘‘ensure an appropriate balance of contribution in establishing’’; 

(E) in paragraph (5), by striking ‘‘reports’’ and inserting ‘‘the best available peer-reviewed scientific reports’’; 

(F) in paragraph (6)— 

(i) by inserting ‘‘and coastal acidification’’ after ‘‘ocean acidification’’; 

and 


dlhill on DSKBBY8HB2PROD with HEARING
6 

(ii) by striking ‘‘of the United States’’ and inserting ‘‘within the 

United States’’; 

(G) in paragraph (7), by striking ‘‘outline budget requirements’’ and inserting ‘‘estimate costs associated for full implementation of each element 

of the plan by fiscal year’’; 

(H) in paragraph (8)— 

(i) by inserting ‘‘and coastal acidification’’ after ‘‘ocean acidification’’ 

each place it appears; 

(ii) by striking ‘‘its’’ and inserting ‘‘their’’; and 

(iii) by striking ‘‘; and’’ at the end and inserting a semicolon; 

(I) in paragraph (9), by striking the period at the end and inserting ‘‘; 

and’’; and 

(J) by adding at the end the following new paragraph: 

‘‘(10) describe monitoring needs necessary to support potentially affected industry members, coastal stakeholders, fishery management councils and commissions, non-Federal resource managers, and scientific experts on decisionmaking and adaptation related to ocean acidification and coastal acidification.’’; 

(3) in subsection (c)— 

(A) in paragraph (1)(C), by striking ‘‘surface’’; 

(B) in paragraph (2), by inserting ‘‘and coastal acidification’’ after ‘‘ocean 

acidification’’ each place it appears; 

(C) in paragraph (3)— 

(i) by striking ‘‘input, and’’ and inserting ‘‘inputs,’’; 

(ii) by inserting ‘‘, marine food webs,’’ after ‘‘marine ecosystems’’; and 

(iii) by inserting ‘‘, and modeling that supports fisheries management’’ after ‘‘marine organisms’’; 

(D) in paragraph (5), by inserting ‘‘and coastal acidification’’ after ‘‘ocean 

acidification’’; and 

(E) by adding at the end the following new paragraph: 

‘‘(6) Research to understand related and cumulative stressors and other biogeochemical processes occurring in conjunction with ocean acidification and 

coastal acidification.’’; and 

(4) by striking subsection (e) and inserting the following: 

‘‘(e) ADVISORY BOARD EVALUATION.—Not later than 180 days before a plan is submitted to Congress, the Subcommittee shall provide the Advisory Board established 

under section 12404(c) a copy of the plan for purposes of review under paragraph 

(2)(B)(i) of such section. 

‘‘(f) PUBLICATION AND PUBLIC COMMENT.—Not later than 90 days before the strategic research plan, or any revision thereof, is submitted to Congress, the Subcommittee shall publish the plan in the Federal Register and provide an opportunity 

for submission of public comments for a period of not less than 60 days.’’. 

SEC. 6. NOAA OCEAN ACIDIFICATION ACTIVITIES. 

Section 12406 of the Federal Ocean Acidification Research and Monitoring Act of 

2009 (33 U.S.C. 3705) is amended— 

(1) in subsection (a)— 

(A) in the matter preceding paragraph (1), by inserting ‘‘coordination,’’ 

after ‘‘research, monitoring,’’; 

(B) in paragraph (1)— 

(i) in subparagraph (B)— 

(I) by inserting ‘‘including the Integrated Ocean Observing System and the ocean observing assets of other Federal and State 

agencies,’’ after ‘‘ocean observing assets,’’; and 

(II) by inserting ‘‘and agency and department missions, 

prioritizing the location of monitoring instruments, assets, and 

projects to maximize the efficiency of resources and to optimize understanding of socioeconomic impacts and ecosystem health’’ after 

‘‘research program’’; 

(ii) in subparagraph (C)— 

(I) by striking ‘‘adaptation’’ and inserting ‘‘adaptation and mitigation’’; and 

(II) by inserting ‘‘and supporting socioeconomically vulnerable 

communities and industries’’ after ‘‘marine ecosystems’’; 

(iii) in subparagraph (E), by striking ‘‘its impacts’’ and inserting 

‘‘their respective impacts’’; 

(iv) in subparagraph (F), by striking ‘‘monitoring and impacts research’’ and inserting ‘‘research, monitoring, and adaptation and mitigation strategies’’; and 

(v) by adding at the end the following new subparagraph: 


dlhill on DSKBBY8HB2PROD with HEARING
7 

‘‘(G) research to improve understanding of the effect of— 

‘‘(i) other environmental stressors on ocean acidification and coastal 

acidification; 

‘‘(ii) multiple environmental stressors on living marine resources and 

coastal ecosystems; and 

‘‘(iii) adaptation and mitigation strategies to address the socioeconomic impacts of ocean acidification and coastal acidification.’’; 

(C) in paragraph (2), by striking ‘‘critical research projects that explore’’ 

and inserting ‘‘critical research and education projects that explore and 

communicate’’; and 

(D) in paragraphs (1) and (2), by striking ‘‘acidification’’ each place it appears and inserting ‘‘acidification and coastal acidification’’; and 

(2) by adding at the end the following new subsections: 

‘‘(c) RELATIONSHIP TO INTERAGENCY WORKING GROUP.—The National Oceanic and 

Atmospheric Administration shall serve as the lead Federal agency responsible for 

coordinating the Federal response to ocean acidification and coastal acidification, 

by— 

‘‘(1) leading the interagency working group in implementing the strategic research plan under section 12405; 

‘‘(2) coordinating monitoring and research efforts among Federal agencies in 

cooperation with State, local, and Tribal government and international partners; 

‘‘(3) maintaining an Ocean Acidification Information Exchange described 

under section 12404(b)(5) to allow for information to be electronically accessible, 

including information— 

‘‘(A) on ocean acidification developed through or used by the ocean acidification program described under section 12406(a); or 

‘‘(B) that would be useful to State governments, local governments, Tribal 

governments, resource managers, policymakers, researchers, and other 

stakeholders in mitigating or adapting to the impacts of ocean acidification 

and coastal acidification; and 

‘‘(4) establishing and maintaining the data archive system under subsection 

(d). 

‘‘(d) DATA ARCHIVE SYSTEM.— 

‘‘(1) MANAGEMENT.—The Secretary, in coordination with members of the 

interagency working group, shall provide for the long-term stewardship of, and 

access to, data relating to ocean acidification and coastal acidification by establishing and maintaining a data archive system that the National Center for Environmental Information uses to process, store, archive, provide access to, and 

incorporate to the extent possible, such data collected— 

‘‘(A) through relevant federally-funded research; and 

‘‘(B) by a Federal agency, State agency, local agency, Tribe, academic scientist, citizen scientist, or industry organization. 

‘‘(2) EXISTING GLOBAL OR NATIONAL DATA ASSETS.—In establishing and maintaining the data archive system under paragraph (1), the Secretary shall ensure 

that existing global or national data assets (including the data assets maintained by the National Centers for Environmental Information, the Integrated 

Ocean Observing System, and other existing data systems within Federal agencies) are incorporated to the greatest extent possible. 

‘‘(e) STANDARDS, PROTOCOLS, AND PROCEDURES.—With respect to the data described in subsection (d), the Secretary, in coordination with members of the interagency working group, shall establish and revise as necessary the standards, protocols, or procedures for— 

‘‘(1) processing, storing, archiving, and providing access to such data; 

‘‘(2) the interoperability and intercalibration of such data; 

‘‘(3) the collection of any metadata underlying such data; and 

‘‘(4) sharing such data with State, local, and Tribal government programs, potentially affected industry members, coastal stakeholders, fishery management 

councils and commissions, non-Federal resource managers, and academia. 

‘‘(f) DISSEMINATION OF OCEAN ACIDIFICATION DATA AND COASTAL ACIDIFICATION

DATA.—The Secretary, in coordination with members of the interagency working 

group, shall disseminate the data described under subsection (d) to the greatest extent practicable by sharing such data on full and open access exchanges, including 

the Ocean Acidification Information Exchange described in section 12404(b)(5). 

‘‘(g) REQUIREMENT.—Recipients of grants from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration under this subtitle that collect data described under subsection (d) shall— 

‘‘(1) collect such data in accordance with the standards, protocols, or procedures established pursuant to subsection (e); and 


dlhill on DSKBBY8HB2PROD with HEARING
8 

‘‘(2) submit such data to the data archive system under subsection (d), in accordance with any rules promulgated by the Secretary.’’. 

SEC. 7. NSF OCEAN ACIDIFICATION ACTIVITIES. 

Section 12407 of the Federal Ocean Acidification Research and Monitoring Act of 

2009 (33 U.S.C. 3706) is amended— 

(1) by striking ‘‘ocean acidification’’ each place it appears and inserting ‘‘ocean 

acidification and coastal acidification’’; 

(2) in subsection (a)— 

(A) in the matter preceding paragraph (1)— 

(i) by striking ‘‘continue’’ and all that follows through ‘‘which shall’’ 

; 

(ii) by striking ‘‘proposals for research’’ and inserting ‘‘proposals for 

the researching’’; and 

(iii) by striking ‘‘its impacts’’ and inserting ‘‘their respective impacts’’; 

(B) in paragraph (1), by striking ‘‘marine ecosystems’’ and inserting ‘‘ecosystems’’; 

(C) in paragraph (2), by striking ‘‘; and’’ at the end and inserting a semicolon; 

(D) in paragraph (3)— 

(i) by striking ‘‘and its impacts’’ and inserting ‘‘and their respective 

impacts’’; and 

(ii) by striking the period at the end and inserting ‘‘; and’’; and 

(E) by adding at the end the following new paragraph: 

‘‘(4) adaptation and mitigation strategies to address socioeconomic effects of 

ocean acidification and coastal acidification.’’; and 

(3) by adding at the end the following: 

‘‘(d) REQUIREMENT.—Recipients of grants from the National Science Foundation 

under this subtitle that collect data described under section 12406(d) shall— 

‘‘(1) collect data in accordance with the standards, protocols, or procedures established pursuant to section 12406(e); and 

‘‘(2) submit such data to the Director and the Secretary, in accordance with 

any rules promulgated by the Director or the Secretary.’’. 

SEC. 8. NASA OCEAN ACIDIFICATION ACTIVITIES. 

Section 12408 of the Federal Ocean Acidification Research and Monitoring Act of 

2009 (33 U.S.C. 3707) is amended— 

(1) by striking ‘‘ocean acidification’’ each place it appears and inserting ‘‘ocean 

acidification and coastal acidification’’; 

(2) in subsection (a), by striking ‘‘its impacts’’ and inserting ‘‘their respective 

impacts’’; and 

(3) by adding at the end the following new subsection: 

‘‘(d) REQUIREMENT.—Researchers from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration under this subtitle that collect data described under section 12406(d) 

shall— 

‘‘(1) collect such data in accordance with the standards, protocols, or procedures established pursuant to section 12406(e); and 

‘‘(2) submit such data to the Administrator and the Secretary, in accordance 

with any rules promulgated by the Administrator or the Secretary.’’. 

SEC. 9. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS. 

Section 12409 of the Federal Ocean Acidification Research and Monitoring Act of 

2009 (33 U.S.C. 3708) is amended— 

(1) in subsection (a), by striking ‘‘subtitle—’’ and all that follows through 

paragraph (4) and inserting the following: ‘‘subtitle $30,500,000 for each of the 

fiscal years 2020 through 2024.’’; and 

(2) in subsection (b), by striking ‘‘subtitle—’’ and all that follows through 

paragraph (4) and inserting the following: ‘‘subtitle $20,000,000 for each of the 

fiscal years 2020 through 2024.’’. 

II. PURPOSE OF THE BILL

The purpose of the bill is to reauthorize and update the Federal 

Ocean Acidification Research and Monitoring Act of 2009 by expanding the scope of federal ocean acidification and coastal acidification research, establishing an independent Ocean Acidification 

Advisory Board, establishing and maintaining a data archive system for ocean and coastal acidification data, and for other purVerDate Sep 11 2014 05:28 May 30, 2019 Jkt 089006 PO 00000 Frm 00008 Fmt 6659 Sfmt 6602 E:\HR\OC\HR086.XXX HR086

dlhill on DSKBBY8HB2PROD with HEARING
9 

1 IPCC Assessment Report 5 

2 IPCC AR5 

3 National Climate Assessment 4; Volume I; Ch. 13 

4 NCA4; Volume I; Ch. 13 

poses. The bill is cosponsored by Representatives Beyer, Blumenauer, Brownley, Cartwright, Case, Casten, Cox, Crist, DeFazio, 

Fitzpatrick, Gabbard, Gonza ́lez-Colo ́n, Hastings, Kilmer, Larsen, 

Lofgren, Lowenthal, Luria, Malinowski, Mast, McNerney, Moulton, 

Mucarsel-Powell, Pallone, Panetta, Pappas, Peters, Pingree, Posey, 

Rooney, Rouda, Ryan, Sires, Soto, Speier, Thompson, Tonko, Van 

Drew, Vela ́zquez, Waltz, Wasserman Schultz, and Young. 

III. BACKGROUND AND NEED FOR THE LEGISLATION

Ocean acidification is an invisible but growing threat to ocean 

and coastal economies and communities. Ocean acidification is the 

gradual decrease in oceanic pH due primarily to the absorption of 

excess atmospheric carbon dioxide by seawater. When carbon dioxide gas reacts with seawater, it lowers the pH, which raises the 

acidity. Since the Industrial Revolution, the oceans have absorbed 

approximately one-third of the carbon dioxide emissions from the 

atmosphere.1 This has caused ocean surface pH to decrease by 0.1, 

corresponding to a nearly 30 percent increase in acidity.2 Under a 

higher emissions scenario, global mean surface acidity is expected 

to increase by 100–150 percent by the end of the century.3

Acidification is occurring faster in some U.S. coastal regions as 

a result of upwelling of naturally low pH water (Pacific Northwest), 

changes in freshwater inputs (Gulf of Maine), and high nutrient inputs (for example, in agricultural watersheds).4

Ocean acidification impairs the growth of shelled marine organisms, such as oysters, mussels, clams, and corals, and has also 

been shown to negatively impact some fish species. Some scientific 

models predict that acidification will generally reduce fish catch 

and biomass. Overall, acidification is expected to alter marine ecosystems and food webs, which will have consequences for the millions of people who live in coastal communities across the United 

States and its territories. 

Recognizing the growing threat of ocean acidification, Congress 

enacted the Federal Ocean Acidification and Monitoring (FOARAM) 

Act in 2009, to support research and monitoring efforts to better 

understand ocean acidification and its impacts. The bill established 

the Ocean Acidification Program at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), and the Interagency Working 

Group on Ocean Acidification, which provides a coordinated response by federal agencies to understand, monitor, and address 

ocean acidification. 

Since FOARAM was passed into law, our understanding of ocean 

acidification and its impacts has increased substantially. However, 

research gaps remain, including the effects of acidification on many 

marine organisms, and the socioeconomic impacts to coastal communities and industries. FOARAM expired in 2012. The COAST 

Research Act would reauthorize FOARAM and improve research on 

ocean and coastal acidification and direct federal agencies to assess 

adaptation and mitigation strategies. 


dlhill on DSKBBY8HB2PROD with HEARING
10 

IV. COMMITTEE HEARINGS

For the purposes of section 103(i) of H. Res. 6 of the 116th Congress, the following hearings were used to develop the legislation: 

On March 7, 2019, the Honorable Lizzie Fletcher presiding over 

the Environment Subcommittee of the Committee on Science, 

Space, and Technology held a hearing focused on climate change 

impacts on our nation’s oceans and coasts, where ocean acidification was discussed as a major associated impact. There were four 

witnesses: (1) Dr. Sarah Cooley, Director of the Ocean Acidification 

Program at Ocean Conservancy. Dr. Cooley provided testimony on 

the science of ocean warming, acidification, and deoxygenation and 

resulting impacts to marine ecosystems and humans. (2) Dr. 

Radley Horton, Lamont Associate Research Professor at Columbia 

University Earth Institute’s Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory. 

Dr. Horton testified on sea level rise projections and impacts to 

coastal communities. (3) Dr. Thomas K. Frazer, Professor and Director of the School of Natural Resources and Environment at the 

University of Florida. Dr. Frazer testified on the impacts of climate 

change to fisheries and the need for increased federal investment 

in research to promote adaptation and mitigation to those changes. 

(4) Ms. Margaret A. Pilaro, Executive Director of the Pacific Coast 

Shellfish Growers Association. Ms. Pilaro provided testimony on 

the impacts of ocean acidification and deoxygenation to shellfish 

hatcheries and strategies for how their industry has started to 

adapt. 

V. COMMITTEE CONSIDERATION AND VOTES

As summarized in Section IV of this report, the Subcommittee on 

Environment heard testimony in the 116th Congress relevant to 

the activities authorized in H.R. 1237 at a hearing held on February 27, 2019. 

On February 14, 2019, Representative Suzanne Bonamici of the 

Committee on Science, Space, and Technology, for herself and Representatives Young, Pingree, and Posey, introduced H.R. 1237, the 

COAST Research Act of 2019, to amend the Federal Ocean Acidification Research and Monitoring Act of 2009 to establish an Ocean 

Acidification Advisory Board, to expand and improve the research 

on Ocean Acidification and Coastal Acidification data, and for other 

purposes. 

On April 9, 2019, the Subcommittee on Environment met to consider H.R. 1237 and three other ocean acidification bills. There 

were no amendments offered to H.R. 1237. Ms. Fletcher moved that 

the Subcommittee favorably report H.R. 1237 to the Full Committee. The motion was agreed to by a voice vote. 

The Committee on Science, Space, and Technology met to consider H.R. 1237 on Wednesday, May 1, 2019 and considered the following amendments to the bill: 

1. Ms. Bonamici offered an amendment in the nature of a substitute that makes technical changes to the COAST Research Act. 

The amendment was based on feedback from the NOAA Ocean 

Acidification Program and other stakeholders. The feedback was 

gathered after the introduction of the legislation. The amendment 

helps to define NOAA’s role in researching the impacts of ocean 

acidification. The amendment was agreed to by a voice vote. 


dlhill on DSKBBY8HB2PROD with HEARING
11 

Ms. Johnson moved that the Committee favorably report the bill, 

H.R. 1237, as amended, to the House with the recommendation 

that the bill be approved. The motion was agreed to by a voice vote. 

VI. SUMMARY OF MAJOR PROVISIONS OF THE BILL

H.R. 1237 amends the Federal Ocean Acidification Research and 

Monitoring Act of 2009 to establish an Ocean Acidification Advisory 

Board, expands and improves federal research on Ocean Acidification and Coastal Acidification, and establishes and maintains a 

data archive system for Ocean Acidification data and Coastal Acidification data, among other purposes. 

VII. SECTION-BY-SECTION ANALYSIS (BY TITLE AND SECTION) 

Section 1. Short title 

Coastal and Ocean Acidification Stressors and Threats Research 

Act of 2019 or COAST Research Act of 2019 

Section 2. Purpose 

This section integrates the importance of research, monitoring, 

and adaptation strategies for both ocean acidification and coastal 

acidification, taking into account other environmental and anthropogenic stressors. 

Section 3. Definitions 

This section provides definitions for the terms ‘‘coastal acidification,’’ ‘‘ocean acidification’’, ‘‘Secretary’’, ‘‘State’’, and ‘‘Subcommittee’’. 

Section 4. Interagency Working Group 

This section expands the Interagency Working Group on Ocean 

Acidification to include current participating members, including: 

the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, the Environmental Protection Agency, the Department of Agriculture, the Department of 

State, the Department of Energy, the Department of the Navy, the 

National Park Service, the Bureau of Indian Affairs, the National 

Institute of Standards and Technology, and the Smithsonian Institution. 

This section also establishes an Advisory Board comprised of representatives of the shellfish and crab industry, finfish industry, 

seafood processors, recreational fishing, academia, nongovernmental organizations, state, local, and tribal governments, and regional coastal acidification networks. The Advisory Board is 

charged with providing ongoing advice to both the National Science 

and Technology Council’s Subcommittee on Ocean Science and 

Technology and the Interagency Working Group on Ocean Acidification on federal activities relating to ocean and coastal acidification. 

Section 5. Strategic research plan 

This section would expand the strategic plan for federal research 

and monitoring on ocean acidification to include an assessment of 

the effects of coastal acidification, the effectiveness of adaptation 

and mitigation strategies, the effects of other environmental 

stressors, and the socioeconomic effects of both ocean acidification 


dlhill on DSKBBY8HB2PROD with HEARING
12 

and coastal acidification. The strategic research plan should also 

address monitoring needs necessary to support potentially affected 

industry members, coastal stakeholders, fishery management councils and commissions, non-federal resource managers, and scientific 

experts in decision-making and adaptation related to ocean and 

coastal acidification. This section also directs the Advisory Board to 

evaluate the strategic research plan before it is submitted to Congress and published in the Federal Register. 

Section 6. NOAA Ocean Acidification Activities 

This section would designate NOAA as the lead federal agency 

responsible for coordinating the federal response to ocean acidification and coastal acidification, including the implementation of the 

strategic research plan. The section also directs the NOAA Ocean 

Acidification Program to conduct research to improve understanding of ocean and coastal acidification and adaptation and 

mitigation strategies that could support socioeconomically vulnerable communities, establish a long-term monitoring program, and 

enhance public outreach to improve understanding of current scientific knowledge of ocean and coastal acidification. The section 

clarifies that NOAA will be responsible for maintaining the Ocean 

Acidification Information Exchange. NOAA is directed to establish 

a data archive system, coordinating with existing federal systems, 

to process, store, archive, and provide access to any data relating 

to ocean acidification and coastal acidification collected by federal 

funded research, and when feasible, collected by federal, state, and 

local agencies, tribes, academic scientists, citizen scientists, and industry organizations. 

Section 7. National Science Foundation ocean acidification activities 

This section directs the National Science Foundation to support 

competitive, merit-based, peer- reviewed proposals for research proposals for the researching and monitoring of ocean acidification and 

coastal acidification. Recipients of NSF grants are directed to submit collected data to the NOAA data archive system. 

Section 8. National Aeronautics and Space Administration activities 

This section directs NASA to use space-based monitoring assets 

to monitor ocean acidification and coastal acidification. Researchers 

at NASA are directed to submit collected data to the NOAA data 

archive system. 

Section 9. Authorization of appropriations 

This section authorizes $30.5 million for NOAA for fiscal years 

2020 through 2024. The section also authorizes $20 million for the 

NSF for fiscal years 2020 through 2024. 

VIII. COMMITTEE VIEWS

H.R. 1237, the COAST Research Act of 2019, reauthorizes and 

updates the Federal Ocean Acidification Research and Monitoring 

(FOARAM) Act of 2009, which expired in 2012. Since FOARAM 

was passed into law, the federal investment in ocean acidification 

research has significantly improved our understanding of how 

ocean chemistry is changing and how certain marine species are reVerDate Sep 11 2014 05:28 May 30, 2019 Jkt 089006 PO 00000 Frm 00012 Fmt 6659 Sfmt 6602 E:\HR\OC\HR086.XXX HR086

dlhill on DSKBBY8HB2PROD with HEARING
13 

sponding. According to the Fourth National Climate Assessment, 

ocean chemistry is currently changing at a rate that is faster than 

at least the past 66 million years, and ocean acidity levels are projected to increase an additional 100% to 150% by the end of the 

century. Yet the field of ocean acidification is still relatively nascent and the federal funding for ocean acidification research has remained roughly steady for the last decade, since the passage of 

FOARAM. The Committee believes it is important to enhance the 

federal investment in research and monitoring of ocean acidification to reflect the growing scientific needs and to support management, adaptation, and mitigation of impacted marine and coastal 

ecosystems and human communities. It is the Committee’s view 

that the COAST Research Act of 2019 makes important improvements and updates to FOARAM. Among other necessary updates, 

H.R. 1237 expands the definition of ocean acidification to include 

estuaries and adds a formal definition of coastal acidification to 

recognize the specific mechanisms that alter coastal chemistry. The 

bill expands federal research and monitoring to improve our understanding of ocean and coastal acidification and improves our understanding how ocean acidification interacts with other environmental stressors such as harmful algal blooms. 

Ocean acidification threatens the viability of certain coastal and 

ocean industries, such as commercial and recreational fisheries, 

tourism, and recreation. The Committee views ocean acidification 

as a multi-sectoral issue that requires engagement from a diversity 

of experts to advise on solutions. Based on stakeholder feedback, 

H.R. 1237 establishes an independent Ocean Acidification Advisory 

Board comprised of representatives of the shellfish and other fishing industries, academia, local, state, and tribal governments, U.S. 

territories and the regional acidification networks. The Committee 

believes that the regionally balanced Advisory Board will provide 

valuable advice to the interagency working group on federal ocean 

acidification response. 

The COAST Research Act would designate NOAA as the lead 

federal agency responsible for implementing the federal ocean 

acidification response. This was based on a recommendation by a 

2015 Government Accountability Office report that suggested an 

independent national ocean acidification program could help advance our understanding of ocean acidification. The Committee believes NOAA has already been leading the federal response to 

ocean acidification and that this designation reflects the fact that 

NOAA has the right expertise and tools to lead the federal response. H.R. 1237 also directs NOAA to maintain a data archive 

system to process, store, and archive all existing data from federally funded sources, including existing global and national data 

sets and research from state, local, tribal, academic, citizen science, 

and industry data sets. The bill also ensures the data are open 

source and available to the public. The Committee views the data 

archive as an important source of information to strengthen research and inform management, mitigation, and adaptation options 

for communities and industries that are most vulnerable to ocean 

and coastal acidification. 


dlhill on DSKBBY8HB2PROD with HEARING
14 

IX. COST ESTIMATE

Pursuant to clause 3(c)(2) of rule XIII of the Rules of the House 

of Representatives, the Committee adopts as its own the estimate 

of new budget authority, entitlement authority, or tax expenditures 

or revenues contained in the cost estimate prepared by the Director 

of the Congressional Budget Office pursuant to section 402 of the 

Congressional Budget Act of 1974. 

X. CONGRESSIONAL BUDGET OFFICE COST ESTIMATE

U.S. CONGRESS, CONGRESSIONAL BUDGET OFFICE, Washington, DC, May 24, 2019. 

Hon. EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON, 

Chairwoman, Committee on Science, Space, and Technology, 

House of Representatives, Washington, DC. 

DEAR MADAM CHAIRWOMAN: The Congressional Budget Office 

has prepared the enclosed cost estimate for H.R. 1237, the COAST 

Research Act of 2019. 

If you wish further details on this estimate, we will be pleased 

to provide them. The CBO staff contact is Robert Reese. 

Sincerely, 

KEITH HALL, 

Director. 

Enclosure. 


dlhill on DSKBBY8HB2PROD with HEARINGInsert offset folio 18 here HR86.001
15 

H.R. 1237 would amend the Federal Ocean Acidification Research and Monitoring Act of 2009 and would authorize the appropriation of about $51 million annually over the 2020–2024 period 

for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) 

and the National Science Foundation (NSF) to implement authorized activities related to ocean acidification. 

Assuming appropriation of the authorized amounts, CBO esti- mates that implementing H.R. 1237 would cost $202 million over 

the 2020–2024 period and $51 million after 2024. In 2019, NOAA 

allocated $12 million to ocean acidification related activities. The 

costs of the legislation, detailed in Table 1, would fall into budget 

functions 300 (natural resources and environment) and 250 (general science, space, and technology). 

TABLE 1.—ESTIMATED INCREASES IN SPENDING SUBJECT TO APPROPRIATION UNDER H.R. 1237 

By fiscal year, millions of dollars— 

2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024 2019– 

2024 

Authorization .............................................................. 0 51 51 51 51 51 253 

Estimated Outlays ..................................................... 0 21 35 45 51 51 202 

Components may not sum to totals because of rounding. 

The CBO staff contacts for this estimate are Robert Reese and 

Janani Shankaran. The estimate was reviewed by Theresa Gullo, 

Assistant Director for Budget Analysis. 

XI. FEDERAL MANDATES STATEMENT

H.R. 1237 contains no unfunded mandates. 

XII. COMMITTEE OVERSIGHT FINDINGS AND RECOMMENDATIONS

The Committee’s oversight findings and recommendations are reflected in the body of this report. 

XIII. STATEMENT ON GENERAL PERFORMANCE GOALS

AND OBJECTIVES

The goals of H.R. 1237 are to expand the scope of research and 

monitoring on ocean acidification and coastal acidification; direct 

NOAA to maintain a data archive system to process, store, archive, 

all existing data; designate NOAA as the lead federal agency responsible for implementing the federal ocean acidification response; 

and establish an Ocean Acidification Advisory Board to provide ongoing advice to the National Science and Technology Council’s Subcommittee on Ocean Science and Technology and the Interagency 

Working Group on Ocean Acidification on federal activities relating 

to ocean and coastal acidification. 

XIV. FEDERAL ADVISORY COMMITTEE STATEMENT

The Ocean Acidification Advisory Board that H.R. 1237 establishes in Section 4(c)(9) is a federal advisory committee. H.R. 1237 

states that Section 14 of the Federal Advisory Committee Act, 

which would sunset the Advisory Board, shall not apply to the 

Ocean Acidification Advisory Board. 

The functions of the advisory board authorized in H.R. 1237 are 

not currently being nor could they be performed by one or more 


dlhill on DSKBBY8HB2PROD with HEARING
16 

agencies or by enlarging the mandate of another existing advisory 

committee. 

XV. DUPLICATION OF FEDERAL PROGRAMS

Pursuant to clause 3(c)(5) of rule XIII of the Rules of the House 

of Representatives, the Committee finds that no provision of H.R. 

1237 establishes or reauthorizes a program of the federal government known to be duplicative of another federal program, including 

any program that was included in a report to Congress pursuant 

to section 21 of Public Law 111–139 or the most recent Catalog of 

Federal Domestic Assistance. 

XVI. EARMARK IDENTIFICATION

Pursuant to clause 9(e), 9(f), and 9(g) of rule XXI, the Committee 

finds that H.R. 1237 contains no earmarks, limited tax benefits, or 

limited tariff benefits. 

XVII. APPLICABILITY TO THE LEGISLATIVE BRANCH

The Committee finds that H.R. 1237 does not relate to the terms 

and conditions of employment or access to public services or accommodations within the meaning of section 102(b)(3) of the Congressional Accountability Act (Public Law 104–1). 

XVIII. STATEMENT ON PREEMPTION OF STATE, LOCAL, 

OR TRIBAL LAW

This bill is not intended to preempt any state, local, or tribal law. 

XIX. CHANGES IN EXISTING LAW MADE BY THE BILL, AS REPORTED

In compliance with clause 3(e) of rule XIII of the Rules of the 

House of Representatives, changes in existing law made by the bill, 

as reported, are shown as follows (existing law proposed to be omitted is enclosed in black brackets, new matter is printed in italic, 

and existing law in which no change is proposed is shown in 

roman): 

FEDERAL OCEAN ACIDIFICATION RESEARCH AND 

MONITORING ACT OF 2009 

* * * * * * * 

TITLE XII—NOAA UNDERSEA RESEARCH 

PROGRAM ACT OF 2009 

* * * * * * * 

Subtitle D—Federal Ocean Acidification 

Research and Monitoring Act of 2009 

* * * * * * * 


dlhill on DSKBBY8HB2PROD with HEARING
17 

SEC. 12402. PURPOSES. 

ø(a) PURPOSES.—¿The purposes of this subtitle are to provide 

for— 

(1) ødevelopment and coordination¿ coordination and implementation of a comprehensive interagency plan to— 

(A) monitor and conduct research on the processes and 

consequences of ocean øacidification on marine organisms¿ 

acidification and coastal acidification on marine organisms 

and ecosystems; and 

(B) øestablish an interagency research and monitoring 

program on ocean acidification;¿ maintain and advise an 

interagency research, monitoring, and public outreach program on ocean acidification and coastal acidification; 

(2) øestablishment¿ maintenance of an ocean acidification 

program within the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration; 

(3) assessment and consideration of regional and national 

ecosystem and socioeconomic impacts of increased ocean acidification and coastal acidification; and 

(4) research adaptation strategies and techniques for effectively conserving marine ecosystems as they cope with increased ocean acidification and coastal acidification that take 

into account other environmental and anthropogenic stressors. 

SEC. 12403. DEFINITIONS. 

In this subtitle: 

(1) COASTAL ACIDIFICATION.—The term ‘‘coastal acidification’’ 

means the combined decrease in pH and changes in the water 

chemistry of coastal oceans, estuaries, and other bodies of water 

from chemical inputs (including carbon dioxide from the atmosphere), freshwater inputs, and excess nutrient run-off from land 

and coastal atmospheric pollution that result in processes that 

release carbon dioxide, acidic nitrogen, and sulfur compounds 

as byproducts which end up in coastal waters. 

ø(1)¿ (2) OCEAN ACIDIFICATION.—The term ‘‘ocean acidification’’ means the decrease in pH øof the Earth’s oceans and 

changes in ocean chemistry caused by chemical inputs from the 

atmosphere, including carbon dioxide¿ and changes in the 

water chemistry of the Earth’s oceans, coastal estuaries, and 

waterways caused by carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and 

the breakdown of organic matter. 

ø(2)¿ (3) SECRETARY.—The term ‘‘Secretary’’ means the Secretary of Commerce, acting through the Administrator of the 

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. 

ø(3)¿ (4) SUBCOMMITTEE.—The term ‘‘Subcommittee’’ means 

the øJoint Subcommittee on Ocean Science and Technology of 

the National Science and Technology Council¿ National 

Science and Technology Council Subcommittee on Ocean 

Science and Technology. 

(5) STATE.—The term ‘‘State’’ means each State of the United 

States, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto 

Rico, American Samoa, Guam, the Commonwealth of the 

Northern Mariana Islands, the Virgin Islands of the United 

States, and any other territory or possession of the United 

States. 


dlhill on DSKBBY8HB2PROD with HEARING
18 

SEC. 12404. INTERAGENCY øSUBCOMMITTEE¿ WORKING GROUP. 

(a) DESIGNATION.— 

(1) IN GENERAL.—The øJoint Subcommittee on Ocean Science 

and Technology of the National Science and Technology Council shall coordinate Federal activities on ocean acidification 

and¿ Subcommittee shall establish an interagency working 

group. 

(2) MEMBERSHIP.—The interagency working group on ocean 

acidification 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 øWildlife Service,¿ Wildlife Service, the 

Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, the Environmental Protection Agency, the Department of Agriculture, the Department 

of State, the Department of Energy, the Department of the 

Navy, the National Park Service, the Bureau of Indian Affairs, 

the National Institute of Standards and Technology, the Smithsonian Institution, and such other Federal agencies as appropriate. 

(3) øCHAIRMAN¿ CHAIR.—The interagency working group 

shall be chaired by the representative from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. 

(b) DUTIES.—The Subcommittee shall— 

(1) develop the strategic research and monitoring plan to 

guide Federal research on ocean acidification required under 

section 12405 of this subtitle and oversee the implementation 

of the plan, including the efforts of the National Oceanic and 

Atmospheric Administration to facilitate such implementation; 

(2) oversee the development of— 

(A) an assessment of the potential impacts of ocean 

acidification and coastal acidification on marine organisms 

and marine ecosystems; and 

(B) adaptation and mitigation strategies to conserve marine organisms and ecosystems exposed to ocean acidification and coastal acidification; 

(3) facilitate communication and outreach opportunities with 

nongovernmental organizations and members of the stakeholder community with interests in marine resources; 

(4) coordinate the United States Federal research and monitoring program with research and monitoring programs and 

scientists from other nationsø; and¿; 

(5) establish or designate an Ocean Acidification Information 

Exchange to make information on ocean acidification ødeveloped¿ and coastal acidification developed through or utilized 

by the interagency ocean acidification program accessible 

through electronic means, including information which would 

be useful to policymakers, researchers, and other stakeholders 

in mitigating or adapting to the impacts of ocean 

acidificationø.¿ and coastal acidification; and 

(6) ensure that each of the Federal agencies represented on 

the interagency working group— 

(A) participates in the Ocean Acidification Information 

Exchange established under paragraph (5); and 


dlhill on DSKBBY8HB2PROD with HEARING
19 

(B) delivers data and information to support the data archive system established under section 12406(d). 

(c) ADVISORY BOARD.— 

(1) ESTABLISHMENT.—The Chair of the Subcommittee shall 

establish an Ocean Acidification Advisory Board. 

(2) DUTIES.—The Advisory Board shall— 

(A) not later than 180 days before the Subcommittee submits the most recent report under subsection (d)(2)— 

(i) review such report; 

(ii) submit an analysis of such report to the Subcommittee for consideration in the final report submitted under subsection (d)(2); and 

(iii) concurrently with the Subcommittee’s final submission of the report under subsection (d)(2), the Advisory Board shall submit a copy of the analysis provided to the Subcommittee to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation of the Senate, the 

Committee on Science, Space, and Technology of the 

House of Representatives, and the Committee on Natural Resources of the House of Representatives; 

(B) not later than 180 days before the Subcommittee submits the most recent strategic research plan under subsection (d)(3) to Congress— 

(i) review such plan; 

(ii) submit an analysis of such plan and the implementation thereof to the Subcommittee for consideration in the final strategic research plan submitted 

under subsection (d)(3); and 

(iii) concurrently with the Subcommittee’s final submission of the strategic research plan under subsection 

(d)(3), the Advisory Board shall submit a copy of the 

analysis provided to the Subcommittee to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation of 

the Senate, the Committee on Science, Space, and 

Technology of the House of Representatives, and the 

Committee on Natural Resources of the House of Representatives; 

(C) provide ongoing advice to the Subcommittee and the 

interagency working group on matters related to Federal 

activities on ocean acidification and coastal acidification; 

(D) advise the Subcommittee and the interagency working group on— 

(i) efforts to coordinate research and monitoring activities related to ocean acidification and coastal acidification; and 

(ii) the best practices for the standards developed for 

data archiving under section 12406(e); 

(E) publish in the Federal Register a charter; 

(F) provide the Library of Congress with— 

(i) the charter described in subparagraph (E); 

(ii) any schedules and minutes for meetings of the 

Advisory Board; 

(iii) any documents that are approved by the Advisory Board; and 


dlhill on DSKBBY8HB2PROD with HEARING
20 

(iv) any reports and analysis prepared by the Advisory Board; and 

(G) establish a publicly accessible web page on the 

website of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, that contains the information described in clauses 

(i) through (iv) of subparagraph (F). 

(3) MEMBERSHIP.—The Advisory Board shall consist of 24 

members as follows: 

(A) 2 representatives of the shellfish and crab industry. 

(B) 1 representative of the finfish industry. 

(C) 1 representative of seafood processors. 

(D) 3 representatives from academia, including both natural and social sciences. 

(E) 1 representative of recreational fishing. 

(F) 1 representative of relevant nongovernmental organizations. 

(G) 6 representatives from relevant State, local, and Tribal governments. 

(H) 1 representative from the Alaska Ocean Acidification 

Network. 

(I) 1 representative from the California Current Acidification Network. 

(J) 1 representative from the Northeast Coastal Acidification Network. 

(K) 1 representative from the Southeast Coastal Acidification Network. 

(L) 1 representative from the Gulf of Mexico Coastal 

Acidification Network. 

(M) 1 representative from the Mid-Atlantic Coastal Acidification Network. 

(N) 1 representative from the Pacific Islands Ocean Observing System or similar entity representing the island territories and possessions of the United States in the Pacific 

Ocean, and the State of Hawaii. 

(O) 1 representative from the Caribbean Regional Association for Coastal Ocean Observing or a similar entity representing Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. 

(P) 1 representative from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration shall serve as an ex-officio member of the Advisory Board without a vote. 

(4) APPOINTMENT OF MEMBERS.—The Chair of the Subcommittee shall— 

(A) appoint members to the Advisory Board (taking into 

account the geographical interests of each individual to be 

appointed as a member of the Advisory Board to ensure 

that an appropriate balance of geographical interests are 

represented by the members of the Advisory Board) who— 

(i) represent the interest group for which each seat is 

designated; 

(ii) demonstrate expertise on ocean acidification or 

coastal acidification and its scientific, economic, industry, cultural, and community impacts; and 

(iii) have a record of distinguished service with respect to ocean acidification or coastal acidification, and 

such impacts; 


dlhill on DSKBBY8HB2PROD with HEARING
21 

(B) give consideration to nominations and recommendations from the members of the interagency working group 

and the public for such appointments; and 

(C) ensure that an appropriate balance of scientific, industry, and geographical interests are represented by the 

members of the Advisory Board. 

(5) TERM OF MEMBERSHIP.—Each member of the Advisory 

Board— 

(A) shall be appointed for a 5-year term; and 

(B) may be appointed to more than one term. 

(6) CHAIR.—The Chair of the Subcommittee shall appoint one 

member of the Advisory Board to serve as the Chair of the Advisory Board. 

(7) MEETINGS.—Not less than once each calendar year, the 

Advisory Board shall meet at such times and places as may be 

designated by the Chair of the Advisory Board, in consultation 

with the Chair of the Subcommittee and the Chair of the interagency working group. 

(8) BRIEFING.—The Chair of the Advisory Board shall brief 

the Subcommittee and the interagency working group on the 

progress of the Advisory Board as necessary. 

(9) FEDERAL ADVISORY COMMITTEE ACT.—Section 14 of the 

Federal Advisory Committee Act shall not apply to the Advisory 

Board. 

ø(c)¿ (d) REPORTS TO CONGRESS.— (1) INITIAL REPORT.—Not later than 1 year after the date of 

enactment of this Act, the Subcommittee shall transmit a report to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation of the Senate and the Committee on Science and Technology and the Committee on Natural Resources of the House 

of Representatives that— 

(A) includes a summary of federally funded ocean acidification research and monitoring activities, including the 

budget for each of these activities; and 

(B) describes the progress in developing the plan required under section 12405 of this subtitle. 

(2) BIENNIAL REPORT.—Not later than 2 years after the delivery of the initial report under paragraph (1) and every 2 

years thereafter, the Subcommittee shall transmit a report to 

the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation of 

the Senate and the Committee on Science and Technology and 

the Committee on Natural Resources of the House of Representatives, and to the Office of Management and Budget, 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 øthe interagency research¿ 

interagency strategic research plan developed by the Subcommittee under section 12405. 

(3) STRATEGIC RESEARCH PLAN.—Not later than 2 years after 

the date of enactment of this Act, the Subcommittee shall 

transmit the strategic research plan developed under section 

12405 to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and TransporVerDate Sep 11 2014 05:28 May 30, 2019 Jkt 089006 PO 00000 Frm 00021 Fmt 6659 Sfmt 6601 E:\HR\OC\HR086.XXX HR086

dlhill on DSKBBY8HB2PROD with HEARING
22 

tation of the Senate and the Committee on Science and Technology and the Committee on Natural Resources of the House 

of Representatives. A revised plan shall be submitted at least 

once every 5 years thereafter. 

SEC. 12405. STRATEGIC RESEARCH PLAN. 

(a) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 2 years after the date of enactment of this Act, and not later than every 5 years thereafter, the 

Subcommittee shall develop a strategic plan for Federal research 

and monitoring on ocean øacidification¿ acidification and coastal 

acidification that will provide for an assessment of the impacts of 

ocean øacidification¿ acidification and coastal acidification on marine organisms and ømarine ecosystems¿ ecosystems and the development of adaptation and mitigation strategies to address the socioeconomic impacts of ocean acidification and coastal acidification 

and coastal acidification and coastal acidification and to conserve 

marine organisms and ømarine ecosystems¿ ecosystems. In developing the plan, the Subcommittee shall consider and use information, reports, and studies of ocean øacidification¿ acidification and 

coastal acidification that have identified research and monitoring 

needed to better understand ocean øacidification¿ acidification and 

coastal acidification and its potential impacts, and recommendations made by the National Academy of Sciences in the review of 

the plan required under subsection (d) and recommendations made 

by the Advisory Board in the review of the plan required under section 12404(c)(2)(B)(i). (b) CONTENTS OF THE PLAN.—The plan shall— 

(1) provide for interdisciplinary research among the ocean 

sciences and social sciences, and coordinated research and activities to improve the understanding of ocean chemistry that 

will affect marine ecosystems; 

(2) establish, for the 10-year period beginning in the year the 

plan is submitted, the goals and priorities for Federal research 

and monitoring which will— 

(A) advance understanding of ocean acidification and its 

physical, chemical, and biological øimpacts¿ impacts, including trends of changes in ocean chemistry, on marine 

organisms and marine ecosystems; 

(B) øimprove the ability to assess the¿ assess the shortterm and long-term socioeconomic impacts of ocean 

acidificationø; and¿; 

ø(C) provide information for the development of adaptation and mitigation strategies to conserve marine organisms and marine ecosystems;¿ 

(C) provide information for the— 

(i) development of adaptation and mitigation strategies to address the socioeconomic impacts of ocean 

acidification and coastal acidification; 

(ii) conservation of marine organisms and ecosystems; and 

(iii) assessment of the effectiveness of such adaptation and mitigation strategies; and 

(D) improve research on— 

(i) ocean acidification and coastal acidification; 

(ii) the interactions between and effects of multiple 

combined stressors including changes in water chemVerDate Sep 11 2014 05:28 May 30, 2019 Jkt 089006 PO 00000 Frm 00022 Fmt 6659 Sfmt 6603 E:\HR\OC\HR086.XXX HR086

dlhill on DSKBBY8HB2PROD with HEARING
23 

istry, changes in sediment delivery, hypoxia, and 

harmful algal blooms, on ocean acidification and 

coastal acidification; and 

(iii) the effect of environmental stressors on marine 

resources and ecosystems; 

(3) describe specific activities, including— 

(A) efforts to determine user needs; 

(B) research activities; 

(C) monitoring activities; 

(D) technology and methods development; 

(E) data collection; 

(F) ødatabase development¿ data management; 

(G) modeling activities; 

(H) assessment of ocean acidification impacts; øand¿ 

(I) participation in international research efforts; 

(J) assessment of adaptation and mitigation strategies; 

and 

(K) education and outreach activities; 

(4) identify relevant programs and activities of the Federal 

agencies that contribute to the interagency program directly 

and indirectly and øset forth¿ ensure an appropriate balance of 

contribution in establishing the role of each Federal agency in 

implementing the plan; 

(5) consider and utilize, as appropriate, øreports¿ the best 

available peer-reviewed scientific reports and studies conducted 

by Federal agencies, the National Research Council, or other 

entities; 

(6) make recommendations for the coordination of the ocean 

acidification and coastal acidification research and monitoring 

activities øof the United States¿ within the United States with 

such activities of other nations and international organizations; 

(7) øoutline budget requirements¿ estimate costs associated 

for full implementation of each element of the plan by fiscal 

year for Federal ocean acidification research and monitoring 

and assessment activities to be conducted by each agency 

under the plan; 

(8) identify the monitoring systems and sampling programs 

currently employed in collecting data relevant to ocean acidification and coastal acidification and prioritize additional monitoring systems that may be needed to ensure adequate data 

collection and monitoring of ocean acidification and coastal 

acidification and øits¿ their impactsø; and¿; 

(9) describe specific activities designed to facilitate outreach 

and data and information exchange with stakeholder 

communitiesø.¿; and 

(10) describe monitoring needs necessary to support potentially affected industry members, coastal stakeholders, fishery 

management councils and commissions, non-Federal resource 

managers, and scientific experts on decision-making and adaptation related to ocean acidification and coastal acidification. 

(c) PROGRAM ELEMENTS.—The plan shall include at a minimum 

the following program elements: 

(1) Monitoring of ocean chemistry and biological impacts associated with ocean acidification at selected coastal and openVerDate Sep 11 2014 05:28 May 30, 2019 Jkt 089006 PO 00000 Frm 00023 Fmt 6659 Sfmt 6601 E:\HR\OC\HR086.XXX HR086

dlhill on DSKBBY8HB2PROD with HEARING
24 

ocean monitoring stations, including satellite-based monitoring 

to characterize— 

(A) marine ecosystems; 

(B) changes in marine productivity; and 

(C) changes in øsurface¿ ocean chemistry. 

(2) Research to understand the species specific physiological 

responses of marine organisms to ocean acidification and coastal acidification, impacts on marine food webs of ocean acidification and coastal acidification, and to develop environmental 

and ecological indices that track marine ecosystem responses 

to ocean acidification and coastal acidification. 

(3) Modeling to predict changes in the ocean carbon cycle as 

a function of carbon dioxide and atmosphere-induced changes 

in temperature, ocean circulation, biogeochemistry, ecosystem 

and terrestrial øinput, and¿ inputs, modeling to determine impacts on marine ecosystems, marine food webs, and individual 

marine organisms, and modeling that supports fisheries management. 

(4) Technology development and standardization of carbonate 

chemistry measurements on moorings and autonomous floats. 

(5) Assessment of socioeconomic impacts of ocean acidification and coastal acidification and development of adaptation 

and mitigation strategies to conserve marine organisms and 

marine ecosystems. 

(6) Research to understand related and cumulative stressors 

and other biogeochemical processes occurring in conjunction 

with ocean acidification and coastal acidification. 

(d) NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES EVALUATION.—The Secretary shall enter into an agreement with the National Academy of 

Sciences to review the plan. 

ø(e) PUBLIC PARTICIPATION.—In developing the plan, the Subcommittee shall consult with representatives of academic, State, industry and environmental groups. Not later than 90 days before 

the plan, or any revision thereof, is submitted to the Congress, the 

plan shall be published in the Federal Register for a public comment period of not less than 60 days.¿ 

(e) ADVISORY BOARD EVALUATION.—Not later than 180 days before a plan is submitted to Congress, the Subcommittee shall provide the Advisory Board established under section 12404(c) a copy 

of the plan for purposes of review under paragraph (2)(B)(i) of such 

section. 

(f) PUBLICATION AND PUBLIC COMMENT.—Not later than 90 days 

before the strategic research plan, or any revision thereof, is submitted to Congress, the Subcommittee shall publish the plan in the 

Federal Register and provide an opportunity for submission of public comments for a period of not less than 60 days. 

SEC. 12406. NOAA OCEAN ACIDIFICATION ACTIVITIES. 

(a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall establish and maintain an 

ocean acidification program within the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to conduct research, monitoring, coordination, and other activities consistent with the strategic research 

and implementation plan developed by the Subcommittee under 

section 12405 that— 

(1) includes— 


dlhill on DSKBBY8HB2PROD with HEARING
25 

(A) interdisciplinary research among the ocean and atmospheric sciences, and coordinated research and activities to improve understanding of ocean øacidification¿ 

acidification and coastal acidification; 

(B) the establishment of a long-term monitoring program 

of ocean øacidification¿ acidification and coastal acidification utilizing existing global and national ocean observing 

assets, including the Integrated Ocean Observing System 

and the ocean observing assets of other Federal and State 

agencies, and adding instrumentation and sampling stations as appropriate to the aims of the research program 

and agency and department missions, prioritizing the location of monitoring instruments, assets, and projects to 

maximize the efficiency of resources and to optimize understanding of socioeconomic impacts and ecosystem health; 

(C) research to identify and develop øadaptation¿ adaptation and mitigation strategies and techniques for effectively conserving marine ecosystems and supporting 

socioeconomically vulnerable communities and industries 

as they cope with increased ocean øacidification¿ acidification and coastal acidification; 

(D) as an integral part of the research programs described in this subtitle, educational opportunities that encourage an interdisciplinary and international approach to 

exploring the impacts of ocean øacidification¿ acidification 

and coastal acidification; 

(E) as an integral part of the research programs described in this subtitle, national public outreach activities 

to improve the understanding of current scientific knowledge of ocean øacidification¿ acidification and coastal 

acidification and øits impacts¿ their respective impacts on 

marine resources; and 

(F) coordination of ocean øacidification¿ acidification 

and coastal acidification ømonitoring and impacts research¿ research, monitoring, and adaptation and mitigation strategies 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; 

(G) research to improve understanding of the effect of— 

(i) other environmental stressors on ocean acidification and coastal acidification; 

(ii) multiple environmental stressors on living marine resources and coastal ecosystems; and 

(iii) adaptation and mitigation strategies to address 

the socioeconomic impacts of ocean acidification and 

coastal acidification. 

(2) provides grants for øcritical research projects that explore¿ critical research and education projects that explore and 

communicate the effects of ocean øacidification¿ acidification 

and coastal acidification on ecosystems and the socioeconomic 

impacts of increased ocean øacidification¿ acidification and 

coastal acidification that are relevant to the goals and priorities of the strategic research plan; and 


dlhill on DSKBBY8HB2PROD with HEARING
26 

(3) incorporates a competitive merit-based process for awarding grants that may be conducted jointly with other participating agencies or under the National Oceanographic Partnership Program under section 8931 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 subtitle on such terms as the Secretary considers appropriate. 

(c) RELATIONSHIP TO INTERAGENCY WORKING GROUP.—The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration shall serve as the 

lead Federal agency responsible for coordinating the Federal response to ocean acidification and coastal acidification, by— 

(1) leading the interagency working group in implementing 

the strategic research plan under section 12405; 

(2) coordinating monitoring and research efforts among Federal agencies in cooperation with State, local, and Tribal government and international partners; 

(3) maintaining an Ocean Acidification Information Exchange described under section 12404(b)(5) to allow for information to be electronically accessible, including information— 

(A) on ocean acidification developed through or used by 

the ocean acidification program described under section 

12406(a); or 

(B) that would be useful to State governments, local governments, Tribal governments, resource managers, policymakers, researchers, and other stakeholders in mitigating 

or adapting to the impacts of ocean acidification and coastal acidification; and 

(4) establishing and maintaining the data archive system 

under subsection (d). 

(d) DATA ARCHIVE SYSTEM.— (1) MANAGEMENT.—The Secretary, in coordination with members of the interagency working group, shall provide for the 

long-term stewardship of, and access to, data relating to ocean 

acidification and coastal acidification by establishing and 

maintaining a data archive system that the National Center for 

Environmental Information uses to process, store, archive, provide access to, and incorporate to the extent possible, such data 

collected— 

(A) through relevant federally-funded research; and 

(B) by a Federal agency, State agency, local agency, 

Tribe, academic scientist, citizen scientist, or industry organization. 

(2) EXISTING GLOBAL OR NATIONAL DATA ASSETS.—In establishing and maintaining the data archive system under paragraph (1), the Secretary shall ensure that existing global or national data assets (including the data assets maintained by the 

National Centers for Environmental Information, the Integrated 

Ocean Observing System, and other existing data systems within Federal agencies) are incorporated to the greatest extent possible. 

(e) STANDARDS, PROTOCOLS, AND PROCEDURES.—With respect to 

the data described in subsection (d), the Secretary, in coordination 


dlhill on DSKBBY8HB2PROD with HEARING
27 

with members of the interagency working group, shall establish and 

revise as necessary the standards, protocols, or procedures for— 

(1) processing, storing, archiving, and providing access to 

such data; 

(2) the interoperability and intercalibration of such data; 

(3) the collection of any metadata underlying such data; and 

(4) sharing such data with State, local, and Tribal government programs, potentially affected industry members, coastal 

stakeholders, fishery management councils and commissions, 

non-Federal resource managers, and academia. 

(f) DISSEMINATION OF OCEAN ACIDIFICATION DATA AND COASTAL

ACIDIFICATION DATA.—The Secretary, in coordination with members 

of the interagency working group, shall disseminate the data described under subsection (d) to the greatest extent practicable by 

sharing such data on full and open access exchanges, including the 

Ocean Acidification Information Exchange described in section 

12404(b)(5). 

(g) REQUIREMENT.—Recipients of grants from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration under this subtitle that collect data described under subsection (d) shall— 

(1) collect such data in accordance with the standards, protocols, or procedures established pursuant to subsection (e); and 

(2) submit such data to the data archive system under subsection (d), in accordance with any rules promulgated by the 

Secretary. 

SEC. 12407. NSF OCEAN ACIDIFICATION ACTIVITIES. 

(a) RESEARCH ACTIVITIES.—The Director of the National Science 

Foundation shall øcontinue to carry out research activities on 

ocean acidification which shall¿ support competitive, merit-based, 

peer-reviewed øproposals for research¿ proposals for the researching and monitoring of øocean acidification¿ ocean acidification and 

coastal acidification and øits impacts¿ their respective impacts, including— 

(1) impacts on marine organisms and ømarine ecosystems¿ 

ecosystems; 

(2) impacts on ocean, coastal, and estuarine 

biogeochemistryø; and¿; 

(3) the development of methodologies and technologies to 

evaluate øocean acidification¿ ocean acidification and coastal 

acidification øand its impacts¿ and their respective impacts ø.¿; 

and 

(4) adaptation and mitigation strategies to address socioeconomic effects of ocean acidification and coastal acidification. 

(b) CONSISTENCY.—The research activities shall be consistent 

with the strategic research plan developed by the Subcommittee 

under section 12405. 

(c) COORDINATION.—The Director shall encourage coordination of 

the Foundation’s øocean acidification¿ ocean acidification and 

coastal acidification activities with such activities of other nations 

and international organizations. 

(d) REQUIREMENT.—Recipients of grants from the National 

Science Foundation under this subtitle that collect data described 

under section 12406(d) shall— 

(1) collect data in accordance with the standards, protocols, 

or procedures established pursuant to section 12406(e); and 


dlhill on DSKBBY8HB2PROD with HEARING
28 

(2) submit such data to the Director and the Secretary, in accordance with any rules promulgated by the Director or the Secretary. 

SEC. 12408. NASA OCEAN ACIDIFICATION ACTIVITIES. 

(a) OCEAN ACIDIFICATION ACTIVITIES.—The Administrator of the 

National Aeronautics and Space Administration, in coordination 

with other relevant agencies, shall ensure that space-based monitoring assets are used in as productive a manner as possible for 

monitoring of øocean acidification¿ ocean acidification and coastal 

acidification and øits impacts¿ their respective impacts. 

(b) PROGRAM CONSISTENCY.—The Administrator shall ensure 

that the Agency’s research and monitoring activities on øocean 

acidification¿ ocean acidification and coastal acidification are carried out in a manner consistent with the strategic research plan developed by the Subcommittee under section 12405. 

(c) COORDINATION.—The Administrator shall encourage coordination of the Agency’s øocean acidification¿ ocean acidification and 

coastal acidification activities with such activities of other nations 

and international organizations. 

(d) REQUIREMENT.—Researchers from the National Aeronautics 

and Space Administration under this subtitle that collect data described under section 12406(d) shall— 

(1) collect such data in accordance with the standards, protocols, or procedures established pursuant to section 12406(e); 

and 

(2) submit such data to the Administrator and the Secretary, 

in accordance with any rules promulgated by the Administrator 

or the Secretary. 

SEC. 12409. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS. 

(a) NOAA.—There are authorized to be appropriated to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to carry out the 

purposes of this øsubtitle— 

ø(1) $8,000,000 for fiscal year 2009; 

ø(2) $12,000,000 for fiscal year 2010; 

ø(3) $15,000,000 for fiscal year 2011; and 

ø(4) $20,000,000 for fiscal year 2012.¿ subtitle $30,500,000 

for each of the fiscal years 2020 through 2024. 

(b) NSF.—There are authorized to be appropriated to the National Science Foundation to carry out the purposes of this øsubtitle— 

ø(1) $6,000,000 for fiscal year 2009; 

ø(2) $8,000,000 for fiscal year 2010; 

ø(3) $12,000,000 for fiscal year 2011; and 

ø(4) $15,000,000 for fiscal year 2012.¿ subtitle $20,000,000 

for each of the fiscal years 2020 through 2024. 

* * * * * * * 


dlhill on DSKBBY8HB2PROD with HEARING
29 


dlhill on DSKBBY8HB2PROD with HEARINGInsert offset folio 35 here HR86.002
30 


dlhill on DSKBBY8HB2PROD with HEARINGInsert offset folio 36 here HR86.003
31 


dlhill on DSKBBY8HB2PROD with HEARINGInsert offset folio 37 here HR86.004
32 


dlhill on DSKBBY8HB2PROD with HEARINGInsert offset folio 38 here HR86.005
33 


dlhill on DSKBBY8HB2PROD with HEARINGInsert offset folio 39 here HR86.006
34 


dlhill on DSKBBY8HB2PROD with HEARINGInsert offset folio 40 here HR86.007
35 


dlhill on DSKBBY8HB2PROD with HEARINGInsert offset folio 41 here HR86.008
36 


dlhill on DSKBBY8HB2PROD with HEARINGInsert offset folio 42 here HR86.009
37 


dlhill on DSKBBY8HB2PROD with HEARINGInsert offset folio 43 here HR86.010
38 


dlhill on DSKBBY8HB2PROD with HEARINGInsert offset folio 44 here HR86.011
39 


dlhill on DSKBBY8HB2PROD with HEARINGInsert offset folio 45 here HR86.012
40 


dlhill on DSKBBY8HB2PROD with HEARINGInsert offset folio 46 here HR86.013
41 


dlhill on DSKBBY8HB2PROD with HEARINGInsert offset folio 47 here HR86.014
42 


dlhill on DSKBBY8HB2PROD with HEARINGInsert offset folio 48 here HR86.015
43 


dlhill on DSKBBY8HB2PROD with HEARINGInsert offset folio 49 here HR86.016
44 


dlhill on DSKBBY8HB2PROD with HEARINGInsert offset folio 50 here HR86.017
45 


dlhill on DSKBBY8HB2PROD with HEARINGInsert offset folio 51 here HR86.018
46 


dlhill on DSKBBY8HB2PROD with HEARINGInsert offset folio 52 here HR86.019
47 


dlhill on DSKBBY8HB2PROD with HEARINGInsert offset folio 53 here HR86.020
48 


dlhill on DSKBBY8HB2PROD with HEARINGInsert offset folio 54 here HR86.021
49 


dlhill on DSKBBY8HB2PROD with HEARINGInsert offset folio 55 here HR86.022
50 


dlhill on DSKBBY8HB2PROD with HEARINGInsert offset folio 56 here HR86.023
51 


dlhill on DSKBBY8HB2PROD with HEARINGInsert offset folio 57 here HR86.024
52 


dlhill on DSKBBY8HB2PROD with HEARINGInsert offset folio 58 here HR86.025
53 


dlhill on DSKBBY8HB2PROD with HEARINGInsert offset folio 59 here HR86.026
54 


dlhill on DSKBBY8HB2PROD with HEARINGInsert offset folio 60 here HR86.027
55 


dlhill on DSKBBY8HB2PROD with HEARINGInsert offset folio 61 here HR86.028
56 


dlhill on DSKBBY8HB2PROD with HEARINGInsert offset folio 62 here HR86.029
57 


dlhill on DSKBBY8HB2PROD with HEARINGInsert offset folio 63 here HR86.030
58 


dlhill on DSKBBY8HB2PROD with HEARINGInsert offset folio 64 here HR86.031
59 


dlhill on DSKBBY8HB2PROD with HEARINGInsert offset folio 65 here HR86.032
60 


dlhill on DSKBBY8HB2PROD with HEARINGInsert offset folio 66 here HR86.033
61 


dlhill on DSKBBY8HB2PROD with HEARINGInsert offset folio 67 here HR86.034
62 


dlhill on DSKBBY8HB2PROD with HEARINGInsert offset folio 68 here HR86.035
63 


dlhill on DSKBBY8HB2PROD with HEARINGInsert offset folio 69 here HR86.036
64 


dlhill on DSKBBY8HB2PROD with HEARINGInsert offset folio 70 here HR86.037
65 


dlhill on DSKBBY8HB2PROD with HEARINGInsert offset folio 71 here HR86.038
66 


dlhill on DSKBBY8HB2PROD with HEARINGInsert offset folio 72 here HR86.039
67 


dlhill on DSKBBY8HB2PROD with HEARINGInsert offset folio 73 here HR86.040
68 


dlhill on DSKBBY8HB2PROD with HEARINGInsert offset folio 74 here HR86.041
69 


dlhill on DSKBBY8HB2PROD with HEARINGInsert offset folio 75 here HR86.042
70 


dlhill on DSKBBY8HB2PROD with HEARINGInsert offset folio 76 here HR86.043
71 


dlhill on DSKBBY8HB2PROD with HEARINGInsert offset folio 77 here HR86.044
72 


dlhill on DSKBBY8HB2PROD with HEARINGInsert offset folio 78 here HR86.045
73 


dlhill on DSKBBY8HB2PROD with HEARINGInsert offset folio 79 here HR86.046
74 


dlhill on DSKBBY8HB2PROD with HEARINGInsert offset folio 80 here HR86.047
75 


dlhill on DSKBBY8HB2PROD with HEARINGInsert offset folio 81 here HR86.048
76 


dlhill on DSKBBY8HB2PROD with HEARINGInsert offset folio 82 here HR86.049
77 


dlhill on DSKBBY8HB2PROD with HEARINGInsert offset folio 83 here HR86.050
78 


dlhill on DSKBBY8HB2PROD with HEARINGInsert offset folio 84 here HR86.051
79 


dlhill on DSKBBY8HB2PROD with HEARINGInsert offset folio 85 here HR86.052
80 


dlhill on DSKBBY8HB2PROD with HEARINGInsert offset folio 86 here HR86.053
81 


dlhill on DSKBBY8HB2PROD with HEARINGInsert offset folio 87 here HR86.054
82 


dlhill on DSKBBY8HB2PROD with HEARINGInsert offset folio 88 here HR86.055
83 


dlhill on DSKBBY8HB2PROD with HEARINGInsert offset folio 89 here HR86.056
84 


dlhill on DSKBBY8HB2PROD with HEARINGInsert offset folio 90 here HR86.057
85 


dlhill on DSKBBY8HB2PROD with HEARINGInsert offset folio 91 here HR86.058
86 


dlhill on DSKBBY8HB2PROD with HEARINGInsert offset folio 92 here HR86.059
87 


dlhill on DSKBBY8HB2PROD with HEARINGInsert offset folio 93 here HR86.060
88 


dlhill on DSKBBY8HB2PROD with HEARINGInsert offset folio 94 here HR86.061
89 


dlhill on DSKBBY8HB2PROD with HEARINGInsert offset folio 95 here HR86.062
90 


dlhill on DSKBBY8HB2PROD with HEARINGInsert offset folio 96 here HR86.063
91 


dlhill on DSKBBY8HB2PROD with HEARINGInsert offset folio 97 here HR86.064
92 


dlhill on DSKBBY8HB2PROD with HEARINGInsert offset folio 98 here HR86.065
93 


dlhill on DSKBBY8HB2PROD with HEARINGInsert offset folio 99 here HR86.066
94 


dlhill on DSKBBY8HB2PROD with HEARINGInsert offset folio 100 here HR86.067
95 


dlhill on DSKBBY8HB2PROD with HEARINGInsert offset folio 101 here HR86.068
96 


dlhill on DSKBBY8HB2PROD with HEARINGInsert offset folio 102 here HR86.069
97 


dlhill on DSKBBY8HB2PROD with HEARINGInsert offset folio 103 here HR86.070
98 


dlhill on DSKBBY8HB2PROD with HEARINGInsert offset folio 104 here HR86.071
99 


dlhill on DSKBBY8HB2PROD with HEARINGInsert offset folio 105 here HR86.072
100 


dlhill on DSKBBY8HB2PROD with HEARINGInsert offset folio 106 here HR86.073
101 


dlhill on DSKBBY8HB2PROD with HEARINGInsert offset folio 107 here HR86.074
102 


dlhill on DSKBBY8HB2PROD with HEARINGInsert offset folio 108 here HR86.075
103 


dlhill on DSKBBY8HB2PROD with HEARINGInsert offset folio 109 here HR86.076
104 


dlhill on DSKBBY8HB2PROD with HEARINGInsert offset folio 110 here HR86.077
105 


dlhill on DSKBBY8HB2PROD with HEARINGInsert offset folio 111 here HR86.078
106 


dlhill on DSKBBY8HB2PROD with HEARINGInsert offset folio 112 here HR86.079
107 


dlhill on DSKBBY8HB2PROD with HEARINGInsert offset folio 113 here HR86.080
108 


dlhill on DSKBBY8HB2PROD with HEARINGInsert offset folio 114 here HR86.081
109 


dlhill on DSKBBY8HB2PROD with HEARINGInsert offset folio 115 here HR86.082
110 


dlhill on DSKBBY8HB2PROD with HEARINGInsert offset folio 116 here HR86.083
111 


dlhill on DSKBBY8HB2PROD with HEARINGInsert offset folio 117 here HR86.084
112 


dlhill on DSKBBY8HB2PROD with HEARINGInsert offset folio 118 here HR86.085
113 


dlhill on DSKBBY8HB2PROD with HEARINGInsert offset folio 119 here HR86.086
114 


dlhill on DSKBBY8HB2PROD with HEARINGInsert offset folio 120 here HR86.087
115 


dlhill on DSKBBY8HB2PROD with HEARINGInsert offset folio 121 here HR86.088
116 


dlhill on DSKBBY8HB2PROD with HEARINGInsert offset folio 122 here HR86.089
117 


dlhill on DSKBBY8HB2PROD with HEARINGInsert offset folio 123 here HR86.090
118 


dlhill on DSKBBY8HB2PROD with HEARINGInsert offset folio 124 here HR86.091
119 


dlhill on DSKBBY8HB2PROD with HEARINGInsert offset folio 125 here HR86.092
120 


dlhill on DSKBBY8HB2PROD with HEARINGInsert offset folio 126 here HR86.093
121 


dlhill on DSKBBY8HB2PROD with HEARINGInsert offset folio 127 here HR86.094
122 


dlhill on DSKBBY8HB2PROD with HEARINGInsert offset folio 128 here HR86.095
123 


dlhill on DSKBBY8HB2PROD with HEARINGInsert offset folio 129 here HR86.096
124 


dlhill on DSKBBY8HB2PROD with HEARINGInsert offset folio 130 here HR86.097
125 


dlhill on DSKBBY8HB2PROD with HEARINGInsert offset folio 131 here HR86.098
126 


dlhill on DSKBBY8HB2PROD with HEARINGInsert offset folio 132 here HR86.099
127 


dlhill on DSKBBY8HB2PROD with HEARINGInsert offset folio 133 here HR86.100
128 


dlhill on DSKBBY8HB2PROD with HEARINGInsert offset folio 134 here HR86.101
129 


dlhill on DSKBBY8HB2PROD with HEARINGInsert offset folio 135 here HR86.102
130 


dlhill on DSKBBY8HB2PROD with HEARINGInsert offset folio 136 here HR86.103
131 


dlhill on DSKBBY8HB2PROD with HEARINGInsert offset folio 137 here HR86.104
132 


dlhill on DSKBBY8HB2PROD with HEARINGInsert offset folio 138 here HR86.105
133 


dlhill on DSKBBY8HB2PROD with HEARINGInsert offset folio 139 here HR86.106
134 


dlhill on DSKBBY8HB2PROD with HEARINGInsert offset folio 140 here HR86.107
135 


dlhill on DSKBBY8HB2PROD with HEARINGInsert offset folio 141 here HR86.108
136 


dlhill on DSKBBY8HB2PROD with HEARINGInsert offset folio 142 here HR86.109
137 


dlhill on DSKBBY8HB2PROD with HEARINGInsert offset folio 143 here HR86.110
138 


dlhill on DSKBBY8HB2PROD with HEARINGInsert offset folio 144 here HR86.111
139 


dlhill on DSKBBY8HB2PROD with HEARINGInsert offset folio 145 here HR86.112