II 

116TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION S. 3939 

To establish the Interagency Working Group on Coastal Blue Carbon, and 

for other purposes. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

JUNE 11, 2020 

Ms. MURKOWSKI (for herself and Mr. WHITEHOUSE) introduced the following 

bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Commerce, 

Science, and Transportation 

A BILL 

To establish the Interagency Working Group on Coastal Blue 

Carbon, and for other purposes. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Blue Carbon for Our 

5 Planet Act’’. 

6 SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS. 

7 In this Act: 

8 (1) ADMINISTRATOR.—The term ‘‘Adminis9 trator’’ means the Under Secretary of Commerce for 

10 Oceans and Atmosphere in the Under Secretary’s 


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1 capacity as the Administrator of the National Oce2 anic and Atmospheric Administration. 

3 (2) COASTAL BLUE CARBON ECOSYSTEMS.— 

4 (A) IN GENERAL.—The term ‘‘coastal blue 

5 carbon ecosystems’’ means vegetated coastal 

6 habitats, including mangroves, tidal marshes, 

7 seagrasses, kelp forests, and other tidal or salt8 water wetlands, that have the ability to seques9 ter carbon from the atmosphere, accumulate 

10 carbon in biomass for years to decades, and 

11 store carbon in soils for centuries to millennia. 

12 (B) INCLUSIONS.—The term ‘‘coastal blue 

13 carbon ecosystems’’ includes autochthonous car14 bon and allochthonous carbon. 

15 (3) COASTAL CARBON DATA CLEARINGHOUSE.— 

16 The term ‘‘Coastal Carbon Data Clearinghouse’’ 

17 means the Coastal Carbon Data Clearinghouse oper18 ated by the Smithsonian Environmental Research 

19 Center. 

20 (4) INTERAGENCY WORKING GROUP.—The term 

21 ‘‘Interagency Working Group’’ means the Inter22 agency Working Group on Coastal Blue Carbon es23 tablished under section 3(a). 

24 (5) STATE.—The term ‘‘State’’ means each 

25 State of the United States, the District of Columbia, 


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1 the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, American 

2 Samoa, Guam, the Commonwealth of the Northern 

3 Mariana Islands, the Virgin Islands of the United 

4 States, and any other territory or possession of the 

5 United States. 

6 SEC. 3. INTERAGENCY WORKING GROUP ON COASTAL BLUE 

7 CARBON. 

8 (a) ESTABLISHMENT.—The Subcommittee on Ocean 

9 Science and Technology of the National Science and Tech10 nology Council shall establish an interagency working 

11 group, to be known as the ‘‘Interagency Working Group 

12 on Coastal Blue Carbon’’. 

13 (b) PURPOSES.—The Interagency Working Group 

14 shall— 

15 (1) oversee the development of a national map 

16 of coastal blue carbon ecosystems; 

17 (2) establish national restoration priorities for 

18 coastal blue carbon ecosystems; 

19 (3) assess the biophysical, social, and economic 

20 impediments to restoration of coastal blue carbon 

21 ecosystems; 

22 (4) study the effects of climate change and en23 vironmental and human stressors on sequestration 

24 rates; and 


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1 (5) preserve the continuity of coastal blue car2 bon data. 

3 (c) MEMBERSHIP.—The Interagency Working Group 

4 shall be comprised of senior representatives from— 

5 (1) the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Ad6 ministration; 

7 (2) the Environmental Protection Agency; 

8 (3) the National Science Foundation; 

9 (4) the National Aeronautics and Space Admin10 istration; 

11 (5) the United States Geological Survey; 

12 (6) the United States Fish and Wildlife Service; 

13 (7) the National Park Service; 

14 (8) the Bureau of Indian Affairs; 

15 (9) the Smithsonian Institution; 

16 (10) the Army Corps of Engineers; 

17 (11) the Department of Agriculture; 

18 (12) the Department of Energy; 

19 (13) the Department of Defense; 

20 (14) the Department of Transportation; and 

21 (15) the Federal Emergency Management 

22 Agency. 

23 (d) CHAIRPERSON.—The Interagency Working 

24 Group shall be chaired by the Administrator. 


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1 (e) RESPONSIBILITIES.—The Interagency Working 

2 Group shall— 

3 (1) oversee the development, updates, and 

4 maintenance of a national map and inventory of 

5 coastal blue carbon ecosystems, including habitat 

6 types, with a regional focus in analysis that is usable 

7 for local-level protection, planning, and restoration; 

8 (2) develop a strategic assessment of the bio9 physical, social, statutory, regulatory, and economic 

10 impediments to protection and restoration of coastal 

11 blue carbon ecosystems; 

12 (3) develop a national strategy for foundational 

13 science necessary to study, synthesize, and evaluate 

14 the effects of climate change and environmental and 

15 human stressors on sequestration rates and capabili16 ties of coastal blue carbon ecosystems protection; 

17 (4) establish national protection and restoration 

18 priorities for coastal blue carbon ecosystems, includ19 ing an assessment of Federal funding being used for 

20 restoration efforts; and 

21 (5) ensure the continuity, use, and interoper22 ability of data assets through the Coastal Carbon 

23 Data Clearinghouse. 

24 (f) SUBMISSIONS TO CONGRESS.— 


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1 (1) REPORT.—Not later than 1 year after the 

2 date of the enactment of this Act, the Interagency 

3 Working Group shall submit to the Committee on 

4 Commerce, Science, and Transportation of the Sen5 ate, the Committee on Science, Space, and Tech6 nology of the House of Representatives, and the 

7 Committee on Natural Resources of the House of 

8 Representatives a report containing the following: 

9 (A) A summary of federally funded re10 search, monitoring, preservation, and restora11 tion activities relating to coastal blue carbon 

12 ecosystems, including— 

13 (i) the budget for each such activity; 

14 and 

15 (ii) a description of the progress made 

16 by each such activity in advancing the na17 tional priorities established under section 

18 5(a)(4)(A). 

19 (B) An assessment of biophysical, social, 

20 statutory, regulatory, and economic impedi21 ments to restoration of coastal blue carbon eco22 systems. 

23 (2) STRATEGIC PLAN.— 

24 (A) IN GENERAL.—The Interagency Work25 ing Group shall create a strategic plan for FedVerDate Sep 11 2014 23:50 Jun 25, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00006 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S3939.IS S3939

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1 eral investments in basic research, development, 

2 demonstration, long-term monitoring and stew3 ardship, and deployment of coastal blue carbon 

4 ecosystem projects for the 5-year period begin5 ning on the date on which the first fiscal year 

6 after the date on which the report is submitted 

7 under paragraph (1) begins. 

8 (B) ASSESSMENT.—The plan shall include 

9 an assessment of the use of Federal programs 

10 existing as of the date of the enactment of this 

11 Act to protect and preserve coastal blue carbon 

12 ecosystems. 

13 (C) TIMING.—The Interagency Working 

14 Group shall— 

15 (i) on a date that is not later than 1 

16 year after the enactment of this Act and 

17 not earlier than the date on which the re18 port is submitted under paragraph (1), 

19 submit to the Committee on Commerce, 

20 Science, and Transportation of the Senate, 

21 the Committee on Science, Space, and 

22 Technology of the House of Representa23 tives, and the Committee on Natural Re24 sources of the House of Representatives 


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1 the strategic plan under subparagraph (A); 

2 and 

3 (ii) submit a revised version of such 

4 plan not less frequently than once every 5 

5 years thereafter. 

6 (D) FEDERAL REGISTER.—Not later than 

7 90 days before the date on which the strategic 

8 plan or any revised version of such plan is sub9 mitted under subparagraph (C), the Inter10 agency Working Group shall— 

11 (i) publish such plan in the Federal 

12 Register; and 

13 (ii) provide an opportunity for submis14 sion of public comments for a period of not 

15 less than 60 days. 

16 SEC. 4. NATIONAL MAP AND INVENTORY OF COASTAL BLUE 

17 CARBON ECOSYSTEMS. 

18 (a) IN GENERAL.—The Interagency Working Group 

19 shall produce, update, and maintain a national-level map 

20 and inventory of coastal blue carbon ecosystems, includ21 ing— 

22 (1) the types of habitats and species in such 

23 ecosystems; 


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1 (2) the condition of such habitats, including 

2 whether a habitat is degraded, drained, eutrophic, or 

3 tidally restricted; 

4 (3) the size of such ecosystems; 

5 (4) the salinity boundaries of such ecosystems; 

6 (5) the tidal boundaries of such ecosystems; 

7 (6) an assessment of carbon sequestration po8 tential, methane production, and net greenhouse gas 

9 reductions with respect to such ecosystems; 

10 (7) an assessment of cobenefits of ecosystem 

11 and carbon sequestration; 

12 (8) the potential for landward migration as a 

13 result of sea level rise; 

14 (9) any upstream restrictions detrimental to the 

15 watershed process and conditions such as dams, 

16 dikes, and levees; 

17 (10) the conversion of such ecosystems to other 

18 land uses and the cause of such conversion; and 

19 (11) a depiction of the effects of climate 

20 change, including sea level rise, environmental 

21 stressors, and human stressors on the sequestration 

22 rate, carbon storage, and potential of such eco23 systems. 

24 (b) DATA INCORPORATION; ENGAGEMENT.—In car25 rying out subsection (a), the Administrator shall— 


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1 (1) incorporate, to the extent practicable, exist2 ing data, as determined on the date of enactment of 

3 this Act, collected through federally funded research 

4 by a Federal agency, State agency, Tribe, or local 

5 agency, including data collected from— 

6 (A) the Coastal Change Analysis Program 

7 of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Ad8 ministration; 

9 (B) the National Wetlands Inventory of 

10 the United States Fish and Wildlife Service; 

11 (C) the Landcarbon program of the United 

12 States Geological Survey; and 

13 (D) the National Coastal Blue Carbon As14 sessment of the Department of Agriculture; and 

15 (2) engage regional technical experts in order to 

16 accurately account for regional differences in coastal 

17 blue carbon ecosystems. 

18 (c) USE OF MAP AND INVENTORY.—The Interagency 

19 Working Group shall use the national map and inventory 

20 produced under subsection (a)— 

21 (1) to assess the carbon sequestration potential 

22 of different coastal blue carbon ecosystems and ac23 count for any regional differences; 


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1 (2) to assess and quantify emissions from de2 graded and destroyed coastal blue carbon eco3 systems; 

4 (3) to develop regional assessments and to pro5 vide technical assistance to— 

6 (A) regional, State, Tribal, and local gov7 ernment agencies; and 

8 (B) regional information coordination enti9 ties (as defined in section 12303(6) of the Inte10 grated Coastal and Ocean Observation System 

11 Act of 2009 (33 U.S.C. 3602)); 

12 (4) to assess degraded coastal blue carbon eco13 systems and the potential for restoration of such 

14 ecosystems, including developing scenario modeling 

15 to identify vulnerable land areas where management, 

16 protection, and restoration efforts should be focused; 

17 and 

18 (5) to produce predictions relating to coastal 

19 blue carbon ecosystems and carbon sequestration 

20 rates in the context of climate change, environmental 

21 stressors, and human stressors. 

22 SEC. 5. RESTORATION OF AND PROTECTIONS FOR EXIST23 ING COASTAL BLUE CARBON ECOSYSTEMS. 

24 (a) IN GENERAL.—The Administrator shall— 


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1 (1) lead the Interagency Working Group in im2 plementing the strategic plan under section 3(f)(2); 

3 (2) coordinate monitoring and research efforts 

4 among Federal agencies in cooperation with State, 

5 Tribal, and local governments, international part6 ners, and nongovernmental organizations; 

7 (3) assess the feasibility and potential of— 

8 (A) establishing a national goal of con9 serving at least 30 percent of the ocean and 

10 coastal blue carbon ecosystems within the terri11 tory of the United States by 2030, including 

12 the effects of climate change and sea level rise 

13 on such goal; and 

14 (B) as appropriate, setting targets for res15 toration of degraded coastal blue carbon eco16 systems; 

17 (4) in coordination with the Interagency Work18 ing Group, and as informed by the report under sec19 tion 3(f)(1), identify— 

20 (A) national protection and restoration pri21 orities for coastal blue carbon ecosystems that 

22 would produce the highest rate of carbon se23 questration and greatest ecosystem benefits, 

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1 fication, and nutrient cycling, in the context of 

2 other environmental stressors and climate 

3 change; and 

4 (B) ways to improve coordination and to 

5 prevent unnecessary duplication of effort among 

6 Federal agencies and departments with respect 

7 to research on coastal blue carbon ecosystems 

8 through existing and new coastal management 

9 networks; and 

10 (5) in coordination with State, Tribal, and local 

11 governments and coastal stakeholders, develop inte12 grated pilot programs to restore degraded coastal 

13 blue carbon ecosystems in accordance with sub14 section (b). 

15 (b) INTEGRATED PILOT PROGRAMS TO RESTORE

16 DEGRADED COASTAL BLUE CARBON ECOSYSTEMS.— 

17 (1) IN GENERAL.—In carrying out subsection 

18 (a)(5), the Administrator shall establish one or more 

19 integrated pilot programs that— 

20 (A) develop— 

21 (i) best management practices, includ22 ing design criteria and performance func23 tions for restoration of coastal blue carbon 

24 ecosystems; 


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1 (ii) nature-based adaptation strate2 gies; 

3 (iii) restoration areas that intersect 

4 with built environments as green-gray in5 frastructure projects; and 

6 (iv) management practices for land7 ward progression or migration of coastal 

8 blue carbon ecosystems; and 

9 (B) identify potential barriers to restora10 tion efforts. 

11 (2) LOCATIONS.—The Administrator shall en12 sure that pilot programs under paragraph (1) cover 

13 geographically and ecologically diverse locations 

14 with— 

15 (A) significant ecological, economic, and 

16 social benefits, such as flood protection, soil and 

17 beach retention, erosion reduction, biodiversity, 

18 water purification, and nutrient cycling to re19 duce hypoxic conditions; and 

20 (B) maximum potential for greenhouse gas 

21 emission reduction. 

22 (3) APPLICATION REVIEW.—The Administrator 

23 shall establish a procedure for reviewing applications 

24 for pilot programs under paragraph (1). 


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1 (4) COMMUNICATION.—The Administrator shall 

2 ensure, through consultation with the Interagency 

3 Working Group, that the goals and metrics for pilot 

4 programs under paragraph (1) are communicated to 

5 the appropriate State, Tribal, and local govern6 ments, and to the general public. 

7 (5) COORDINATION.—The Administrator shall 

8 coordinate with relevant Federal agencies and de9 partments specified under section 3(c) to prevent 

10 unnecessary duplication of effort among such agen11 cies and departments with respect to restoration 

12 programs. 

13 SEC. 6. COASTAL CARBON DATA CLEARINGHOUSE. 

14 (a) DEFINITION OF SECRETARY.—In this section, the 

15 term ‘‘Secretary’’ means the Secretary of the Smithsonian 

16 Institution. 

17 (b) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary, in coordination 

18 with the Administrator and members of the Interagency 

19 Working Group, shall provide for the long-term steward20 ship of, and access to, data relating to coastal blue carbon 

21 ecosystems and national mapping, by supporting the 

22 maintenance of the Coastal Carbon Data Clearinghouse. 

23 (c) COASTAL CARBON DATA CLEARINGHOUSE DU24 TIES.—The Secretary, in coordination with the Adminis25 trator and members of the Interagency Working Group, 


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1 shall, through the Coastal Carbon Data Clearinghouse, 

2 process, store, archive, provide access to, and incorporate 

3 (to the extent practicable) all data relating to coastal car4 bon collected through federally funded research by a Fed5 eral agency, State, Tribe, or local agency, an academic in6 stitution, or another relevant entity. 

7 (d) GLOBAL AND NATIONAL DATA ASSETS.—The 

8 Secretary, in coordination with the Administrator and 

9 members of the Interagency Working Group, shall ensure 

10 that existing global and national data assets, as deter11 mined on the date of enactment of this Act, are incor12 porated into the Coastal Carbon Data Clearinghouse, to 

13 the greatest extent practicable. 

14 (e) ESTABLISHMENT OF STANDARDS, PROTOCOLS, 

15 AND PROCEDURE.—The Secretary, in coordination with 

16 the Administrator and members of the Interagency Work17 ing Group, shall establish— 

18 (1) standards, protocols, and procedures for the 

19 processing, storing, and archiving of, and providing 

20 access to, data in the Coastal Carbon Data Clearing21 house; and 

22 (2) best practices for sharing such data with 

23 State, local, and Tribal governments, coastal stake24 holders, non-Federal resource managers, and aca25 demia. 


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1 (f) DISSEMINATION; DIGITAL TOOLS AND RE2 SOURCES.— 

3 (1) DISSEMINATION.—The Administrator shall 

4 work to disseminate the data available through the 

5 Coastal Carbon Data Clearinghouse to the greatest 

6 extent practicable. 

7 (2) DIGITAL TOOLS AND RESOURCES.—The 

8 Secretary, in coordination with the Administrator 

9 and members of the Interagency Working Group, 

10 shall develop digital tools and resources to support 

11 the public use of the Coastal Carbon Data Clearing12 house. 

13 SEC. 7. NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES ASSESSMENTS 

14 OF CARBON DIOXIDE STORAGE IN DEEP 

15 SEAFLOOR ENVIRONMENTS AND OF COASTAL 

16 CARBON MARKETS. 

17 Not later than 90 days after the date of the enact18 ment of this Act, the Administrator shall seek to enter 

19 into an agreement with the National Academy of Sciences 

20 to conduct— 

21 (1) a comprehensive assessment of— 

22 (A) the long-term effects of containment of 

23 carbon dioxide in a deep seafloor environment 

24 on marine ecosystems; and 


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1 (B) the integrity of existing storage tech2 nologies, as determined on the date of enact3 ment of this Act; 

4 (2) a comprehensive assessment of pathways, 

5 methods, and technologies able to directly remove 

6 carbon dioxide from the oceans by the removal of 

7 dissolved carbon dioxide from seawater through engi8 neered or inorganic processes, including filters, 

9 membranes, phase change systems, or other techno10 logical pathways; and 

11 (3) a comprehensive assessment of the viability 

12 of using coastal macroalgae cultivation and sustain13 able coastal wetlands management and restoration 

14 for carbon sequestration, which shall consider— 

15 (A) environmental and economic effects on 

16 coastal communities; 

17 (B) durability and cost per ton of carbon 

18 dioxide sequestered using coastal macroalgae 

19 cultivation and sustainable coastal wetlands 

20 management in a variety of regions of the 

21 United States, including Alaska, the Gulf 

22 Coast, the Mid-Atlantic, and the Pacific North23 west; 

24 (C) research, data, resource management, 

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1 ments necessary to develop a carbon market 

2 around coastal macroalgae cultivation and sus3 tainable coastal wetlands management or res4 toration; and 

5 (D) relevant successes and failures of car6 bon markets in agriculture, forestry, and wet7 lands and how such successes and failures 

8 might apply to a future coastal carbon market. 

9 SEC. 8. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS. 

10 There are authorized to be appropriated to the Ad11 ministrator to carry out this Act $15,000,000 for each of 

12 the fiscal years 2021 through 2025. 

Æ 


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