II 

118TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION S. 3785 

To support rural coastal and maritime economic development, and for other 

purposes. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

FEBRUARY 8 (legislative day, FEBRUARY 7), 2024 

Ms. MURKOWSKI introduced the following bill; which was read twice and 

referred to the Committee on Finance 

A BILL 

To support rural coastal and maritime economic 

development, 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; TABLE OF CONTENTS. 

4 (a) SHORT TITLE.—This Act may be cited as the 

5 ‘‘Working Waterfronts Act of 2024’’. 

6 (b) TABLE OF CONTENTS.—The table of contents for 

7 this Act is as follows: 

Sec. 1. Short title; table of contents. 

TITLE I—COASTAL ENERGY 

Sec. 101. Credit for maintaining and enhancing hydroelectric facilities. 

Sec. 102. Transition to alternative fuel commercial fishing vessels. 

TITLE II—FISHERIES AND SEAFOOD 


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Sec. 201. Department of Agriculture loans and grants for fishing and 

mariculture businesses. 

Sec. 202. Extension of credit to businesses providing services to producers or 

harvesters of aquatic products. 

Sec. 203. Shellfish mariculture under the national harmful algal bloom and hypoxia program. 

Sec. 204. Allocation of funds under Saltonstall-Kennedy Act. 

Sec. 205. Electronic Monitoring Innovation Prize. 

TITLE III—SHORESIDE INFRASTRUCTURE 

Subtitle A—Rural Coastal Community Processing Grants 

Sec. 301. Definitions. 

Sec. 302. Action plan and identification of coastal communities. 

Sec. 303. Grants and cooperative agreements to support rural seafood processing and cold storage. 

Sec. 304. Authorization of appropriations. 

Subtitle B—Working Waterfronts Preservation 

Sec. 311. Working waterfront access protection grant program. 

TITLE IV—WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT 

Sec. 401. Maritime workforce grant program. 

Sec. 402. Safety standards for certain fishing vessels. 

TITLE V—MISCELLANEOUS 

Subtitle A—Ocean Innovation 

Sec. 501. Definitions. 

Sec. 502. Ocean Innovation Clusters. 

Sec. 503. Grants for Ocean Innovation Clusters. 

Subtitle B—Vegetated Coastal Ecosystems and Great Lakes Ecosystems 

Sec. 511. Definitions. 

Sec. 512. Interagency Working Group on Vegetated Coastal Ecosystems and 

Great Lakes ecosystems. 

Sec. 513. National-level map and inventory of vegetated coastal ecosystems and 

Great Lakes ecosystems. 

Sec. 514. Grants for pilot projects and research on coastal natural infrastructure in cold climates. 

Subtitle C—Ocean Acidification 

Sec. 521. Definitions in Federal Ocean Acidification Research And Monitoring 

Act of 2009. 

Sec. 522. Improvement of collaboration on ocean acidification. 

Sec. 523. Technical corrections. 

Subtitle D—Other Matters 

Sec. 531. Transfer of, and amendments to, the Coastal Aquatic Invasive Species Mitigation Grant Program and mitigation fund. 


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1 TITLE I—COASTAL ENERGY 

2 SEC. 101. CREDIT FOR MAINTAINING AND ENHANCING HY3 DROELECTRIC FACILITIES. 

4 (a) IN GENERAL.—Subpart E of part IV of sub5 chapter A of chapter 1 of the Internal Revenue Code of 

6 1986 is amended by inserting after section 48E the fol7 lowing new section: 

8 ‘‘SEC. 48F. CREDIT FOR MAINTAINING AND ENHANCING HY9 DROELECTRIC FACILITIES. 

10 ‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—For purposes of section 46, the 

11 credit for maintaining and enhancing hydroelectric facili12 ties for any taxable year is an amount equal to 30 percent 

13 of the basis of any hydropower improvement property 

14 placed in service during such taxable year. 

15 ‘‘(b) CERTAIN PROGRESS EXPENDITURE RULES

16 MADE APPLICABLE.—Rules similar to the rules of sub17 sections (c)(4) and (d) of section 46 (as in effect on the 

18 day before the date of the enactment of the Revenue Rec19 onciliation Act of 1990) shall apply for purposes of sub20 section (a). 

21 ‘‘(c) HYDROPOWER IMPROVEMENT PROPERTY.—In 

22 this section, the term ‘hydropower improvement property’ 

23 means property which— 

24 ‘‘(1) adds or improves fish passage at a quali25 fied dam, 


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1 ‘‘(2) maintains or improves the quality of the 

2 water retained or released by a qualified dam, 

3 ‘‘(3) promotes downstream sediment transport 

4 processes and habitat maintenance with respect to a 

5 qualified dam, 

6 ‘‘(4) is part of a marine energy technology 

7 project or a marine energy project, or 

8 ‘‘(5) places into service an approved remote 

9 dam. 

10 ‘‘(d) OTHER DEFINITIONS.—In this section— 

11 ‘‘(1) APPROVED REMOTE DAM.—The term ‘ap12 proved remote dam’ means— 

13 ‘‘(A) a hydroelectric dam which— 

14 ‘‘(i) exclusively services communities 

15 not interconnected to the Electric Reli16 ability Council of Texas, the Eastern Inter17 connection, or the Western Interconnec18 tion, 

19 ‘‘(ii) does not contribute to atmos20 phere pollution, and 

21 ‘‘(iii) has a maximum net output of 

22 not greater than 40 megawatts, and 

23 ‘‘(B) any interconnection property associ24 ated with a dam described in subparagraph (A). 


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1 ‘‘(2) COMMISSION.—The term ‘Commission’ 

2 means the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission. 

3 ‘‘(3) FISH PASSAGE.—The term ‘fish passage’ 

4 means, with respect to any qualified dam, any new 

5 or upgraded turbine, fishway, or other fish passage 

6 technology which improves fish migration and sur7 vival rates. 

8 ‘‘(4) INTERCONNECTION PROPERTY.—The term 

9 ‘interconnection property’ means any tangible prop10 erty— 

11 ‘‘(A)(i) with respect to any dam described 

12 in paragraph (1)(A), to enable the delivery of 

13 electricity from such dam to any customer, or 

14 ‘‘(ii) with respect to any project described 

15 paragraph (5)(A) or (6)(A), to enable the deliv16 ery of electricity from such project to any cus17 tomer, and 

18 ‘‘(B) which satisfies the requirements 

19 under clauses (ii) and (iii) of section 

20 48(a)(8)(B). 

21 ‘‘(5) MARINE ENERGY PROJECT.—The term 

22 ‘marine energy project’ means— 

23 ‘‘(A) a project which produces electricity 

24 from— 


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1 ‘‘(i) waves, tides, and currents in 

2 oceans, estuaries, and tidal areas, 

3 ‘‘(ii) free flowing water in rivers, 

4 lakes, streams, and man-made channels, 

5 ‘‘(iii) differentials in salinity and pres6 sure gradients, or 

7 ‘‘(iv) differentials in water tempera8 ture, including ocean thermal energy con9 version, and 

10 ‘‘(B) any interconnection property associ11 ated with a project described in subparagraph 

12 (A). 

13 ‘‘(6) MARINE ENERGY TECHNOLOGY

14 PROJECT.—The term ‘marine energy technology 

15 project’ means— 

16 ‘‘(A) a project which the Commission de17 termines— 

18 ‘‘(i) will produce electricity from a 

19 generator that converts the potential en20 ergy of flowing water, 

21 ‘‘(ii) will utilize a generating tech22 nology that is not in widespread, utility 

23 scale use in the United States as of the 

24 date of enactment of this section, 


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1 ‘‘(iii) will not be, based on information 

2 available to the Commission, likely to jeop3 ardize the continued existence of any spe4 cies listed as a threatened species or an en5 dangered species under the Endangered 

6 Species Act of 1973, and 

7 ‘‘(iv) will not be, based on information 

8 available to the Commission, likely to re9 sult in the destruction or adverse modifica10 tion of an area designated as critical habi11 tat for any species listed as a threatened 

12 species or an endangered species under 

13 such Act, and 

14 ‘‘(B) any interconnection property associ15 ated with a project described in subparagraph 

16 (A). 

17 ‘‘(7) QUALIFIED DAM.—The term ‘qualified 

18 dam’ means a hydroelectric dam that is licensed by 

19 the Commission or legally operating without such a 

20 license before the date of enactment of this sec21 tion.’’. 

22 (b) ELECTIVE PAYMENT AND TRANSFER OF CRED23 IT.— 

24 (1) ELECTIVE PAYMENT.—Section 6417 of the 

25 Internal Revenue Code of 1986 is amended— 


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1 (A) in subsection (b), by adding at the end 

2 the following: 

3 ‘‘(13) The credit for maintaining and enhancing 

4 hydroelectric facilities under section 48F.’’, and 

5 (B) in subsection (d)(1)— 

6 (i) in subparagraph (E), by striking 

7 ‘‘(C), or (D)’’ each place it appears and in8 serting ‘‘(C), (D), or (E)’’, 

9 (ii) by redesignating subparagraph 

10 (E) (as amended by clause (i)) as subpara11 graph (F), and 

12 (iii) by inserting after subparagraph 

13 (D) the following: 

14 ‘‘(E) ELECTION WITH RESPECT TO CREDIT

15 FOR MAINTAINING AND ENHANCING HYDRO16 ELECTRIC FACILITIES.—If a taxpayer other 

17 than an entity described in subparagraph (A) 

18 makes an election under this subparagraph with 

19 respect to any taxable year in which such tax20 payer has, after December 31, 2022, placed in 

21 service hydropower improvement property (as 

22 defined in section 48F(c)), such taxpayer shall 

23 be treated as an applicable entity for purposes 

24 of this section for such taxable year, but only 


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1 with respect to the credit described in sub2 section (b)(13).’’. 

3 (2) TRANSFER.—Section 6418(f)(1)(A) of the 

4 Internal Revenue Code of 1986 is amended by add5 ing at the end the following: 

6 ‘‘(xii) The credit for maintaining and 

7 enhancing hydroelectric facilities under 

8 section 48F.’’. 

9 (c) CONFORMING AMENDMENTS.— 

10 (1) Section 46 of the Internal Revenue Code of 

11 1986 is amended— 

12 (A) in paragraph (6), by striking ‘‘and’’ at 

13 the end, 

14 (B) in paragraph (7), by striking the pe15 riod at the end and inserting ‘‘, and’’, and 

16 (C) by adding at the end the following: 

17 ‘‘(8) the credit for maintaining and enhancing 

18 hydroelectric facilities.’’. 

19 (2) Section 49(a)(1)(C) of such Code is amend20 ed— 

21 (A) in clause (vii), by striking ‘‘and’’ at the 

22 end, 

23 (B) in clause (viii), by striking the period 

24 at the end and inserting ‘‘, and’’, and 

25 (C) by adding at the end the following: 


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1 ‘‘(ix) the basis of any hydropower im2 provement property under section 48F.’’. 

3 (3) Section 50 of such Code is amended— 

4 (A) in subsection (a)(2)(E), as amended by 

5 section 13702(b) of Public Law 117–169, by 

6 striking ‘‘or 48E(e)’’ and inserting ‘‘48E(e), or 

7 48F(b)’’, and 

8 (B) in subsection (d)(2)— 

9 (i) in the matter preceding subpara10 graph (A), by inserting ‘‘or any hydro11 power improvement property (as defined in 

12 section 48F(c))’’ after ‘‘any energy storage 

13 technology (as defined in section 

14 48(c)(6))’’, and 

15 (ii) in subparagraph (B), by striking 

16 ‘‘energy storage technology’’ each place it 

17 appears and inserting ‘‘energy storage 

18 technology or hydropower improvement 

19 property’’. 

20 (4) The table of sections for subpart E of part 

21 IV of subchapter A of chapter 1 of such Code is 

22 amended by inserting after the item relating to sec23 tion 48E the following new item: 

‘‘Sec. 48F. Credit for maintaining and enhancing hydroelectric facilities.’’. 


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1 (d) EFFECTIVE DATE.—The amendments made by 

2 this section shall apply to property placed in service after 

3 December 31, 2022. 

4 SEC. 102. TRANSITION TO ALTERNATIVE FUEL COMMER5 CIAL FISHING VESSELS. 

6 (a) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 

7 (1) ADMINISTRATOR.—The term ‘‘Adminis8 trator’’ means the Administrator of the National 

9 Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. 

10 (2) ALTERNATIVE FUEL COMMERCIAL FISHING

11 VESSEL.—The term ‘‘alternative fuel commercial 

12 fishing vessel’’ means a commercial fishing vessel 

13 that runs on an energy source other than an energy 

14 source that is exclusively derived from petroleum, 

15 which may include a hybrid energy source. 

16 (3) COMMERCIAL FISHING VESSEL.—The term 

17 ‘‘commercial fishing vessel’’ has the meaning given 

18 that term in section 2101 of title 46, United States 

19 Code. 

20 (4) NECESSARY SHORESIDE INFRASTRUC21 TURE.—The term ‘‘necessary shoreside infrastruc22 ture’’ means shoreside infrastructure necessary to 

23 facilitate the transition of commercial fishing vessels 

24 to alternative fuel commercial fishing vessels, which 

25 may include charging stations for electric alternative 


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1 fuel commercial fishing vessels and refueling stations 

2 for alternative fuel commercial fishing vessels. 

3 (5) PILOT PROGRAM.—The term ‘‘pilot pro4 gram’’ means the pilot program established under 

5 subsection (b)(1). 

6 (b) PILOT PROGRAM.— 

7 (1) ESTABLISHMENT.—Not later than 1 year 

8 after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Ad9 ministrator, in consultation with the Commandant of 

10 the Coast Guard, shall establish a pilot program to 

11 facilitate the transition of United States-flagged 

12 commercial fishing vessels to alternative fuel com13 mercial fishing vessels. 

14 (2) USE OF FUNDS.—In carrying out the pilot 

15 program, the Administrator may make loans— 

16 (A) to facilitate the transition from com17 mercial fishing vessels using energy sources ex18 clusively derived from petroleum to alternative 

19 fuel commercial fishing vessels, which may in20 clude loans for the building of new alternative 

21 fuel commercial fishing vessels or retrofitting 

22 existing commercial fishing vessels into alter23 native fuel commercial fishing vessels; and 


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1 (B) for research and development of alter2 native fuel technologies for commercial fishing 

3 vessels and necessary shoreside infrastructure. 

4 (3) REGULATIONS.—Not later than 180 days 

5 after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Ad6 ministrator and the Commandant of the Coast 

7 Guard shall each promulgate regulations necessary 

8 for the implementation of the pilot program. 

9 (c) STUDY.—Not later than 2 years after the date 

10 of the enactment of this Act, the Administrator, jointly 

11 with the Commandant of the Coast Guard, shall carry out, 

12 and submit to Congress a report describing the results of, 

13 a study on— 

14 (1) methods to further develop alternative fuels 

15 for use with commercial fishing vessels; 

16 (2) how to improve existing alternative fuel 

17 technologies in commercial fishing vessels; 

18 (3) the fuel sources available for commercial 

19 fishing vessels, and the limitations of those fuel 

20 sources; and 

21 (4) opportunities for the use of hybrid tech22 nologies in commercial fishing vessels. 

23 (d) AUTHORIZATIONS OF APPROPRIATIONS.— 

24 (1) IN GENERAL.—There is authorized to be 

25 appropriated to the Administrator $20,000,000 for 


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1 each of fiscal years 2025 through 2029 to carry out 

2 subsection (b). 

3 (2) ALLOCATION OF FUNDING.—Of the 

4 amounts made available under paragraph (1) for 

5 each fiscal year— 

6 (A) not less than $10,000,000 shall be 

7 used to make loans described in subsection 

8 (b)(2)(A); and 

9 (B) not less than $10,000,000 shall be 

10 used to make loans described in subsection 

11 (b)(2)(B). 

12 TITLE II—FISHERIES AND 

13 SEAFOOD 

14 SEC. 201. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE LOANS AND 

15 GRANTS FOR FISHING AND MARICULTURE 

16 BUSINESSES. 

17 (a) DEFINITIONS OF FARMER AND FARMING.—Sec18 tion 343(a) of the Consolidated Farm and Rural Develop19 ment Act (7 U.S.C. 1991(a)) is amended— 

20 (1) in paragraph (1), by striking ‘‘farming.’’ 

21 and inserting ‘‘farming, commercial fishing, or fish 

22 processing.’’; 

23 (2) in paragraph (2), by striking ‘‘farming.’’ 

24 and inserting ‘‘farming, commercial fishing, and fish 

25 processing.’’; and 


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1 (3) by adding at the end the following: 

2 ‘‘(14) COMMERCIAL FISHING.—The term ‘com3 mercial fishing’ means fishing (as defined in section 

4 3 of the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation 

5 and Management Act (16 U.S.C. 1802)) in which 

6 the fish harvested, either in whole or in part, are in7 tended to enter commerce or enter commerce 

8 through sale, barter, or trade. 

9 ‘‘(15) COMMERCIAL FISHING VESSEL.—The 

10 term ‘commercial fishing vessel’ means a fishing ves11 sel and a fish processing vessel (as those terms are 

12 defined in section 2101 of title 46, United States 

13 Code). 

14 ‘‘(16) FISH.—The term ‘fish’ has the meaning 

15 given the term in section 2101 of title 46, United 

16 States Code. 

17 ‘‘(17) FISH PROCESSING.—The term ‘fish proc18 essing’ means the processing of fish for commercial 

19 use or consumption. 

20 ‘‘(18) FISH PROCESSING FACILITY.—The term 

21 ‘fish processing facility’ means a facility or vessel, 

22 boat, ship, or other craft used or equipped for fish 

23 processing.’’. 

24 (b) FARM OWNERSHIP LOANS.— 


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1 (1) ELIGIBILITY.—Section 302(a) of the Con2 solidated Farm and Rural Development Act (7 

3 U.S.C. 1922(a)) is amended by adding at the end 

4 the following: 

5 ‘‘(3) ELIGIBILITY OF WILD-CAUGHT FISH AND

6 SHELLFISH.—For purposes of direct and guaranteed 

7 farm loans under this subtitle— 

8 ‘‘(A) the terms ‘farmer’ and ‘rancher’ shall 

9 include an individual or entity engaged in com10 mercial fishing or fish processing; and 

11 ‘‘(B) the terms ‘farm’ and ‘ranch’ shall in12 clude— 

13 ‘‘(i) a commercial fishing vessel; and 

14 ‘‘(ii) a fish processing facility.’’. 

15 (2) PURPOSES.—Section 303(a) of the Consoli16 dated Farm and Rural Development Act (7 U.S.C. 

17 1923(a)) is amended by adding at the end the fol18 lowing: 

19 ‘‘(3) COMMERCIAL FISHERY PARTICIPANTS; 

20 FISH PROCESSORS.— 

21 ‘‘(A) COMMERCIAL FISHERY PARTICI22 PANTS.—An individual or entity engaged in 

23 commercial fishing may use a direct or guaran24 teed loan under this subtitle for— 


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1 ‘‘(i) acquiring a commercial fishing 

2 permit; and 

3 ‘‘(ii) acquiring, operating, and main4 taining a commercial fishing vessel. 

5 ‘‘(B) FISH PROCESSORS.—An individual or 

6 entity engaged in fish processing may use a di7 rect or guaranteed loan under this subtitle for 

8 acquiring, operating, and maintaining a fish 

9 processing facility.’’. 

10 (c) FARM OPERATING LOANS.— 

11 (1) ELIGIBILITY.—Section 311(a) of the Con12 solidated Farm and Rural Development Act (7 

13 U.S.C. 1941(a)) is amended by adding at the end 

14 the following: 

15 ‘‘(3) ELIGIBILITY OF WILD-CAUGHT FISH AND

16 SHELLFISH.—For purposes of direct and guaranteed 

17 farm loans under this subtitle— 

18 ‘‘(A) the terms ‘farmer’ and ‘rancher’ shall 

19 include an individual or entity engaged in com20 mercial fishing or fish processing; and 

21 ‘‘(B) the terms ‘farm’ and ‘ranch’ shall in22 clude— 

23 ‘‘(i) a commercial fishing vessel; and 

24 ‘‘(ii) a fish processing facility.’’. 


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1 (2) PURPOSES.—Section 312 of the Consoli2 dated Farm and Rural Development Act (7 U.S.C. 

3 1942) is amended by adding at the end the fol4 lowing: 

5 ‘‘(f) COMMERCIAL FISHERY PARTICIPANTS; FISH

6 PROCESSORS.— 

7 ‘‘(1) COMMERCIAL FISHERY PARTICIPANTS.— 

8 An individual or entity engaged in commercial fish9 ing may use a direct or guaranteed loan under this 

10 subtitle for acquiring, operating, and maintaining a 

11 commercial fishing vessel. 

12 ‘‘(2) FISH PROCESSORS.—An individual or enti13 ty engaged in fish processing may use a direct or 

14 guaranteed loan under this subtitle for acquiring, 

15 operating, and maintaining a fish processing facil16 ity.’’. 

17 (d) FARMERS’ MARKETS AND LOCAL FOOD PRO18 MOTION PROGRAM.—Section 210A(d)(6) of the Agricul19 tural Marketing Act of 1946 (7 U.S.C. 1627c(d)(6)) is 

20 amended by adding at the end the following: 

21 ‘‘(F) ELIGIBILITY OF WILD-CAUGHT FISH

22 AND SHELLFISH.—For purposes of this para23 graph— 

24 ‘‘(i) an agricultural commodity or 

25 product described in subsection (a)(12) 


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1 shall include fish (as defined in section 

2 2101 of title 46, United States Code) that 

3 is caught, taken, or harvested from the 

4 wild; and 

5 ‘‘(ii) the eligible activities described in 

6 paragraph (2) shall include domestic sea7 food marketing.’’. 

8 SEC. 202. EXTENSION OF CREDIT TO BUSINESSES PRO9 VIDING SERVICES TO PRODUCERS OR HAR10 VESTERS OF AQUATIC PRODUCTS. 

11 (a) FARM CREDIT BANKS.— 

12 (1) ELIGIBILITY FOR CREDIT AND FINANCIAL

13 SERVICES.—Section 1.9 of the Farm Credit Act of 

14 1971 (12 U.S.C. 2017) is amended— 

15 (A) in paragraph (2), by striking ‘‘or’’ at 

16 the end; 

17 (B) by redesignating paragraph (3) as 

18 paragraph (4); and 

19 (C) by inserting after paragraph (2) the 

20 following: 

21 ‘‘(3) persons furnishing to producers or har22 vesters of aquatic products services directly related 

23 to their operating needs; or’’. 

24 (2) PURPOSES FOR EXTENSIONS OF CREDIT.— 

25 Section 1.11(c)(1) of the Farm Credit Act of 1971 


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1 (12 U.S.C. 2019(c)(1)) is amended by inserting 

2 ‘‘and to persons furnishing services directly related 

3 to the operating needs of producers or harvesters of 

4 aquatic products’’ after ‘‘needs’’. 

5 (b) PRODUCTION CREDIT ASSOCIATIONS.—Section 

6 2.4(a) of the Farm Credit Act of 1971 (12 U.S.C. 

7 2075(a)) is amended— 

8 (1) in paragraph (2), by striking ‘‘and’’ at the 

9 end; 

10 (2) in paragraph (3), by striking the period at 

11 the end and inserting ‘‘; and’’; and 

12 (3) by adding at the end the following: 

13 ‘‘(4) persons furnishing to producers or har14 vesters of aquatic products services directly related 

15 to their operating needs.’’. 

16 SEC. 203. SHELLFISH MARICULTURE UNDER THE NA17 TIONAL HARMFUL ALGAL BLOOM AND HY18 POXIA PROGRAM. 

19 Section 603A of the Harmful Algal Bloom and Hy20 poxia Research and Control Act of 1998 (33 U.S.C. 4002) 

21 is amended— 

22 (1) in subsection (e)— 

23 (A) by redesignating paragraphs (10) and 

24 (11) as paragraphs (11) and (12), respectively; 

25 and 


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1 (B) by inserting after paragraph (9) the 

2 following: 

3 ‘‘(10) enhance competitive grant programs to 

4 support shellfish mariculture and expand access to 

5 testing for harmful algal bloom toxins for subsist6 ence and recreational shellfish harvesters through in7 novative methods that increase the efficiency and ef8 fectiveness of such testing in rural and remote 

9 areas;’’; and 

10 (2) by adding at the end the following: 

11 ‘‘(j) DEFINITION OF SHELLFISH MARICULTURE.—In 

12 this section, the term ‘shellfish mariculture’ means the cul13 tivation of shellfish in their natural habitat for human 

14 consumption.’’. 

15 SEC. 204. ALLOCATION OF FUNDS UNDER SALTONSTALL16 KENNEDY ACT. 

17 Section 2(f) of the Act of August 11, 1939 (com18 monly known as the ‘‘Saltonstall-Kennedy Act’’) (15 

19 U.S.C. 713c–3(f)), is amended— 

20 (1) in paragraph (1)— 

21 (A) in the matter preceding subparagraph 

22 (A)— 

23 (i) in the first sentence, by striking 

24 ‘‘all moneys in the fund shall’’ and insert25 ing ‘‘25 percent of all moneys transferred 


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1 to the Secretary under subsection (b)(1) 

2 shall’’; and 

3 (ii) in the second sentence, by striking 

4 ‘‘all moneys in the fund,’’ and all that fol5 lows through ‘‘with respect to that fiscal 

6 year,’’ and inserting ‘‘such moneys’’; 

7 (B) in subparagraph (A)— 

8 (i) by striking ‘‘use no less than 60 

9 per centum of such moneys’’ and inserting 

10 ‘‘make available not less than 75 percent 

11 of such moneys, equal to 18.75 percent of 

12 all moneys transferred to the Secretary 

13 under subsection (b)(1),’’; 

14 (ii) by inserting ‘‘under the 

15 Saltonstall-Kennedy competitive grant pro16 gram of the National Oceanic and Atmos17 pheric Administration’’ after ‘‘grants’’; and 

18 (iii) by striking ‘‘; and’’ and inserting 

19 a semicolon; 

20 (C) by redesignating subparagraph (B) as 

21 subparagraph (C); and 

22 (D) by inserting after subparagraph (A) 

23 the following: 

24 ‘‘(B) the Secretary shall make available 

25 not less than 20 percent of such moneys, equal 


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1 to 5 percent of all moneys transferred to the 

2 Secretary under subsection (b)(1), to carry out 

3 the Young Fishermen’s Development Act (33 

4 U.S.C. 1141 et seq.); and’’; and 

5 (2) in paragraph (2), by striking ‘‘$3,000,000’’ 

6 and inserting ‘‘$10,000,000’’. 

7 SEC. 205. ELECTRONIC MONITORING INNOVATION PRIZE. 

8 Not later than 2 years after the date of the enact9 ment of this Act, and under the authority provided by sec10 tion 24 of the Stevenson-Wydler Technology Innovation 

11 Act of 1980 (15 U.S.C. 3719), the Administrator of the 

12 National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, in con13 sultation with the heads of relevant Federal agencies and 

14 nongovernmental partners, as appropriate, shall establish 

15 an Electronic Monitoring Innovation Prize, which may be 

16 awarded for the development of advanced electronic fish17 eries monitoring equipment and data analysis tools, in18 cluding improved fish species recognition software. 

19 TITLE III—SHORESIDE 

20 INFRASTRUCTURE 

21 Subtitle A—Rural Coastal 

22 Community Processing Grants 

23 SEC. 301. DEFINITIONS. 

24 In this subtitle: 


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1 (1) MARICULTURE.—The term ‘‘mariculture’’ 

2 means shellfish and aquatic plants grown under con3 trolled conditions. 

4 (2) RURAL COASTAL COMMUNITY.—The term 

5 ‘‘rural coastal community’’ means a coastal commu6 nity in a rural area (as defined in section 343(a) of 

7 the Consolidated Farm and Rural Development Act 

8 (7 U.S.C. 1991(a))). 

9 (3) RURAL PROCESSING FACILITY.—The term 

10 ‘‘rural processing facility’’ means a seafood or 

11 mariculture processing facility that is located in a 

12 rural coastal community. 

13 (4) SEAFOOD.—The term ‘‘seafood’’ means wild 

14 caught finfish and shellfish. 

15 (5) SECRETARY.—The term ‘‘Secretary’’ means 

16 the Secretary of Agriculture. 

17 SEC. 302. ACTION PLAN AND IDENTIFICATION OF COASTAL 

18 COMMUNITIES. 

19 (a) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 180 days after the 

20 date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary, in consulta21 tion with the Secretary of Commerce, shall develop an ac22 tion plan to facilitate more domestic processing of United 

23 States-caught seafood and mariculture by rural processing 

24 facilities, including rural processing facilities that have 

25 less than 50 employees. 


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1 (b) INCLUSIONS.—The action plan developed under 

2 subsection (a) shall include— 

3 (1) an identification of rural coastal commu4 nities where commercial fishing is a significant eco5 nomic driver and there exists a need and voiced com6 munity desire for the creation of new (or rehabilita7 tion of existing) seafood processing infrastructure 

8 for rural processing facilities to allow those commu9 nities— 

10 (A) to effectively process their own catch 

11 locally; and 

12 (B) to provide for the local and domestic 

13 market; 

14 (2) an identification of rural coastal commu15 nities with existing or developing mariculture oper16 ations where processing infrastructure for rural 

17 processing facilities is not sufficient to meet the 

18 needs of the mariculture operations; and 

19 (3) a consideration of the diversity of rural 

20 coastal communities, including geographic diversity. 

21 (c) IDENTIFICATION OF ELIGIBLE COMMUNITIES.— 

22 The action plan developed under subsection (a) shall iden23 tify rural coastal communities across the United States 

24 that would be eligible for the grants and cooperative agree25 ments under section 303. 


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1 (d) STAKEHOLDER ENGAGEMENT.—In developing 

2 the action plan under subsection (a), the Secretary, in con3 sultation with the Secretary of Commerce, shall provide 

4 a meaningful stakeholder engagement process that 

5 prioritizes outreach and engagement through methods 

6 that effectively reach out to residents of rural coastal com7 munities described in paragraphs (1) through (3) of sub8 section (b). 

9 SEC. 303. GRANTS AND COOPERATIVE AGREEMENTS TO 

10 SUPPORT RURAL SEAFOOD PROCESSING AND 

11 COLD STORAGE. 

12 (a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall, for the pe13 riod of fiscal years 2025 through 2029, make competitive 

14 grants or enter into cooperative agreements— 

15 (1) to support pilot projects for new seafood or 

16 mariculture processing infrastructure for rural proc17 essing facilities in rural coastal communities identi18 fied under section 302(c); 

19 (2) to support pilot projects for the rehabilita20 tion, repair, or retrofitting of existing seafood or 

21 mariculture processing infrastructure for rural proc22 essing facilities in rural coastal communities identi23 fied under section 302(c); 

24 (3) to support pilot projects for new cold stor25 age infrastructure for rural processing facilities in 


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1 rural coastal communities identified under section 

2 302(c); and 

3 (4) to support pilot projects for the rehabilita4 tion, repair, or retrofitting of existing cold storage 

5 infrastructure for rural processing facilities in rural 

6 coastal communities identified under section 302(c). 

7 (b) ELIGIBILITY.—To be eligible to receive a grant 

8 or enter into a cooperative agreement under subsection 

9 (a), the recipient of the grant or participant in the cooper10 ative agreement shall be— 

11 (1) a collaborative State, Tribal, local, or re12 gionally based network or partnership of public or 

13 private entities; or 

14 (2) an individual company that owns or oper15 ates one or more rural processing facilities. 

16 (c) ALLOCATION FOR SMALL-SCALE RURAL PROC17 ESSING FACILITIES.—Of the amount made available to 

18 make competitive grants and enter into cooperative agree19 ments under subsection (a) for each fiscal year, the Sec20 retary shall use 50 percent to support pilot projects de21 scribed in that subsection for rural processing facilities 

22 that have less than 50 employees. 

23 (d) EVALUATION CRITERIA.—In making grants or 

24 entering into cooperative agreements under subsection (a), 


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1 the Secretary shall evaluate, with respect to applications 

2 for the grants or cooperative agreements— 

3 (1) relevancy; 

4 (2) technical merit; 

5 (3) achievability, expertise, and track record; 

6 and 

7 (4) equity and community impacts. 

8 (e) REQUIREMENTS.—A grant or cooperative agree9 ment under subsection (a) shall be for an amount and 

10 term determined appropriate by the Secretary. 

11 SEC. 304. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS. 

12 There is authorized to be appropriated to carry out 

13 this subtitle $10,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2025 

14 through 2029. 

15 Subtitle B—Working Waterfronts 

16 Preservation 

17 SEC. 311. WORKING WATERFRONT ACCESS PROTECTION 

18 GRANT PROGRAM. 

19 (a) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 

20 (1) BOAT.—The term ‘‘boat’’ means a 

21 watercraft that is not built in a shipyard, and is 

22 typically of the type suitable or intended for personal 

23 use or for use in a fishery. 


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1 (2) BOATBUILDING INDUSTRY.—The term 

2 ‘‘boatbuilding industry’’ means an industry primarily 

3 engaged in building boats. 

4 (3) COASTAL WATERS.—The term ‘‘coastal 

5 waters’’ means— 

6 (A) in the Great Lakes area, the waters 

7 within the territorial jurisdiction of the United 

8 States consisting of the Great Lakes, their con9 necting waters, harbors, roadsteads, and estu10 ary-type areas such as bays, shallows, and 

11 marshes; and 

12 (B) in other areas, those waters, adjacent 

13 to the shorelines, which contain a measurable 

14 quantity or percentage of sea water, including 

15 sounds, bays, lagoons, bayous, ponds, and estu16 aries. 

17 (4) ELIGIBLE ENTITY.—The term ‘‘eligible enti18 ty’’ means— 

19 (A) the government of a coastal State; 

20 (B) a unit of local government within a 

21 coastal State; 

22 (C) a nonprofit organization that the Sec23 retary determines is appropriate to receive a 

24 grant under subsection (b); or 


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1 (D) a participant in the commercial fishing 

2 industry, the mariculture industry, or the for3 hire recreational fishing industry. 

4 (5) ELIGIBLE PROJECT.—The term ‘‘eligible 

5 project’’ means a project— 

6 (A) to— 

7 (i) make improvements to real prop8 erty that is a working waterfront area lo9 cated in a coastal State and owned by an 

10 eligible entity, including— 

11 (I) the construction or repair of 

12 wharfs or related facilities; 

13 (II) the provision of access to 

14 coastal waters in working waterfront 

15 areas to persons engaged in the com16 mercial fishing industry, the 

17 mariculture industry, the for-hire rec18 reational fishing industry, or the 

19 boatbuilding industry; and 

20 (III) improvements made to such 

21 property in order to be resilient to cli22 mate change; or 

23 (ii) permanently designate or other24 wise protect real property owned or operVerDate Sep 11 2014 00:01 Feb 24, 2024 Jkt 049200 PO 00000 Frm 00030 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S3785.IS S3785

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1 ated by an eligible entity as a working wa2 terfront area; 

3 (B) that has been approved or endorsed by 

4 the State government entity responsible for 

5 fishery management or the State’s coastal zone 

6 management agency; and 

7 (C) that is consistent with State coastal 

8 shoreline access laws (including regulations). 

9 (6) MARICULTURE.—The term ‘‘mariculture’’ 

10 means shellfish and aquatic plants grown under con11 trolled conditions. 

12 (7) NONPROFIT ORGANIZATION.—The term 

13 ‘‘nonprofit organization’’ means an organization that 

14 is— 

15 (A) described in section 501(c) of the In16 ternal Revenue Code of 1986; and 

17 (B) exempt from taxation under section 

18 501(a) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986. 

19 (8) SECRETARY.—The term ‘‘Secretary’’ means 

20 the Secretary of Commerce. 

21 (9) WORKING WATERFRONT AREA.—The term 

22 ‘‘working waterfront area’’ means land that is used 

23 for, or that supports, the commercial fishing indus24 try, the mariculture industry, the for-hire recVerDate Sep 11 2014 00:01 Feb 24, 2024 Jkt 049200 PO 00000 Frm 00031 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S3785.IS S3785

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1 reational fishing industry, or the boatbuilding indus2 try. 

3 (b) GRANT PROGRAM AUTHORIZED.— 

4 (1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary, acting 

5 through the Economic Development Administration 

6 of the Department of Commerce, shall award grants, 

7 on a competitive basis, to eligible entities to carry 

8 out eligible projects that support the commercial 

9 fishing industry, the mariculture industry, the for10 hire recreational fishing industry, or the 

11 boatbuilding industry in coastal States. 

12 (2) APPLICATION.—An eligible entity desiring a 

13 grant under this section shall submit an application 

14 to the Secretary at such time, in such manner, and 

15 containing such information as the Secretary may 

16 reasonably require. 

17 (3) GRANT SELECTION CONSIDERATIONS.—In 

18 selecting eligible entities to receive grants under this 

19 section, the Secretary shall give substantial weight 

20 to— 

21 (A) the economic significance of the eligi22 ble project to the commercial fishing industry, 

23 the mariculture industry, the for-hire rec24 reational fishing industry, or the boatbuilding 

25 industry in the immediate vicinity and in the 


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1 coastal State in which the eligible project is lo2 cated; 

3 (B) whether other adequate waterfront ac4 cess alternatives exist for the commercial fish5 ing industry within the community in which the 

6 eligible entity seeks to use grant funding; 

7 (C) the utility of the eligible project for use 

8 in the commercial fishing industry, the 

9 mariculture industry, the for-hire recreational 

10 fishing industry, or the boatbuilding industry, 

11 with respect to the natural characteristics and 

12 developed infrastructure of the relevant prop13 erty; 

14 (D) whether the applicant has a business 

15 plan for the area in which the project will be lo16 cated; 

17 (E) the likelihood that the working water18 front area will remain compatible with commer19 cial fishing, mariculture, for-hire recreational 

20 fishing, or boatbuilding, and the applicant’s 

21 ability to demonstrate a need for, or support 

22 for, the project within the community; and 

23 (F) whether the applicant intends to per24 manently protect the relevant property. 


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1 (c) COST SHARING.—The amount of a grant awarded 

2 under this section to carry out an eligible project may not 

3 exceed 50 percent of the total cost of the eligible project. 

4 (d) USE OF GRANT FUNDS FOR ELIGIBLE

5 PROJECTS.— 

6 (1) IMPROVED OR PROTECTED PROPERTY.— 

7 (A) IN GENERAL.—Grants awarded under 

8 this section may be used to improve or protect 

9 privately owned real property or interests in 

10 privately owned real property, including ease11 ments, only from willing owners. 

12 (B) NO EXERCISE OF EMINENT DOMAIN.— 

13 No Federal, State, or local agency may exercise 

14 the power of eminent domain to secure title to 

15 any real property or facilities in connection with 

16 a project carried out under this Act. 

17 (e) ANNUAL REPORT.—The Secretary shall submit to 

18 Congress an annual report that describes the eligible 

19 projects funded with grants awarded under this section. 

20 (f) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There 

21 are authorized to be appropriated to carry out this Act 

22 $20,000,000 for each of the fiscal years 2025 through 

23 2029. 


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1 TITLE IV—WORKFORCE 

2 DEVELOPMENT 

3 SEC. 401. MARITIME WORKFORCE GRANT PROGRAM. 

4 (a) AMENDMENT.—Chapter 517 of title 46, United 

5 States Code, is amended by adding at the end the fol6 lowing: 

7 ‘‘§ 51708. Maritime workforce grant program 

8 ‘‘(a) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 

9 ‘‘(1) ELIGIBLE APPLICANT.—The term ‘eligible 

10 applicant’ means an entity that— 

11 ‘‘(A) operates a program or performs ac12 tivities leading to the recruitment, education, or 

13 training of future or current members of the 

14 maritime workforce; and 

15 ‘‘(B) submits an application in such form 

16 as the Secretary may require. 

17 ‘‘(2) MARITIME WORKFORCE.—The term ‘mari18 time workforce’ includes positions of employment re19 quiring a license, certificate of registry, or merchant 

20 mariner’s document issued under part E of subtitle 

21 II of title 46, United States Code. 

22 ‘‘(3) RURAL AREA.—The term ‘rural area’ has 

23 the meaning given the term in section 343(a) of the 

24 Consolidated Farm and Rural Development Act (7 

25 U.S.C. 1991(a)), without regard to subparagraphs 


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1 (B), (C), and (E) through (I) of paragraph (13) of 

2 that section. 

3 ‘‘(4) SECRETARY.—The term ‘Secretary’ means 

4 the Secretary of Transportation. 

5 ‘‘(b) PROGRAM AUTHORIZED.—The Secretary, acting 

6 through the Maritime Administrator, shall establish a pro7 gram to provide grants, on a competitive basis, to eligible 

8 applicants for eligible activities described in subsection (c) 

9 that support maritime workforce development. 

10 ‘‘(c) ELIGIBLE ACTIVITIES.—An eligible activity is an 

11 activity carried out by an eligible applicant— 

12 ‘‘(1) to establish a new, or improve an existing, 

13 training program that teaches technical skills used 

14 in general seagoing operations and specific areas, 

15 such as deck or engineering, including the purchase 

16 of equipment for such programs; 

17 ‘‘(2) to provide technical training or certifi18 cation courses leading to maritime workforce 

19 credentialing, including any of the endorsements list20 ed in section 10.109 of title 46, Code of Federal 

21 Regulations, or any successor regulation; 

22 ‘‘(3) to create and deliver a program designed 

23 to provide high school students with meaningful 

24 maritime education in order to teach the future mar25 itime workforce; 


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1 ‘‘(4) to support the professional development of 

2 teachers using a curriculum of a program described 

3 in paragraph (1), (2), or (3); 

4 ‘‘(5) to establish, or support existing, scholar5 ships or apprenticeships for individuals pursuing em6 ployment in the maritime workforce; 

7 ‘‘(6) to support outreach about careers in the 

8 maritime workforce to— 

9 ‘‘(A) secondary and postsecondary school 

10 students; or 

11 ‘‘(B) underrepresented communities, as de12 fined by the Secretary, in the maritime work13 force; or 

14 ‘‘(7) to otherwise enhance the maritime work15 force. 

16 ‘‘(d) GRANT APPLICATION REVIEW.—In reviewing 

17 and selecting eligible applicants to receive grants under 

18 this section, the Secretary shall— 

19 ‘‘(1) prior to selecting among competing appli20 cations, consult, as appropriate, with representatives 

21 of the maritime workforce; 

22 ‘‘(2) ensure that the grants awarded under sub23 section (b) will allow participation from eligible ap24 plicants in rural, suburban, and urban areas; and 


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1 ‘‘(3) award not less than 25 percent of the 

2 grant funds available for each fiscal year to eligible 

3 applicants located in rural areas.’’. 

4 (b) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There is 

5 authorized to be appropriated to carry out section 51708 

6 of title 46, United States Code, as added by subsection 

7 (a), $25,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2025 through 

8 2029. 

9 (c) CLERICAL AMENDMENT.—The analysis for chap10 ter 517 of title 46, United States Code, is amended by 

11 adding at the end the following: 

12 ‘‘51708. Maritime workforce grant program.’’. 

13 SEC. 402. SAFETY STANDARDS FOR CERTAIN FISHING VES14 SELS. 

15 Section 4502 of title 46, United States Code, is 

16 amended— 

17 (1) in subsection (i)— 

18 (A) in paragraph (1)— 

19 (i) in subparagraph (A)(ii), by strik20 ing ‘‘and’’ after the semicolon; 

21 (ii) by redesignating subparagraph 

22 (B) as subparagraph (C); and 

23 (iii) by inserting after subparagraph 

24 (A) the following: 


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1 ‘‘(B) to conduct safety and prevention training 

2 that addresses behavioral and physical health risks, 

3 to include substance use disorder and worker fa4 tigue, facing fishing vessel operators and crew5 members; and’’; 

6 (B) by striking paragraph (3); 

7 (C) by redesignating paragraph (4) as 

8 paragraph (3); and 

9 (D) in paragraph (3), as redesignated by 

10 subparagraph (C), by striking ‘‘$3,000,000 for 

11 fiscal year 2023’’ and inserting ‘‘$6,000,000 for 

12 each of fiscal years 2025 and 2026’’; 

13 (2) in subsection (j)— 

14 (A) in paragraph (1), by striking ‘‘and se15 vere weather detection’’ and inserting ‘‘severe 

16 weather detection, and understanding and miti17 gating behavioral and physical health risks, to 

18 include substance use disorder and worker fa19 tigue, facing members of the commercial fishing 

20 industry’’; 

21 (B) by striking paragraph (3); 

22 (C) by redesignating paragraph (4) as 

23 paragraph (3); and 

24 (D) in paragraph (3), as redesignated by 

25 subparagraph (C), by striking ‘‘$3,000,000 for 


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1 fiscal year 2023’’ and inserting ‘‘$6,000,000 for 

2 each of fiscal years 2025 and 2026’’; 

3 (3) by redesignating subsection (k) as sub4 section (l); and 

5 (4) by inserting after subsection (j) the fol6 lowing: 

7 ‘‘(k) From amounts appropriated under subsections 

8 (i)(3) and (j)(3) for a fiscal year, the Secretary may trans9 fer to the Secretary of Health and Human Services funds 

10 to pay for the Secretary’s administration of the grant pro11 grams under subsections (i) and (j) for such fiscal year.’’. 

12 TITLE V—MISCELLANEOUS 

13 Subtitle A—Ocean Innovation 

14 SEC. 501. DEFINITIONS. 

15 In this subtitle: 

16 (1) BLUE ECONOMY.—The term ‘‘Blue Econ17 omy’’ means the value and impact of sustainable in18 dustries related to the Great Lakes, oceans, bays, es19 tuaries, and coasts on the economy of the United 

20 States, including living resources, marine construc21 tion, marine transportation, offshore energy develop22 ment and siting including for renewable energy, off23 shore mineral production, ship and boat building, 

24 tourism, recreation, subsistence, commercial, rec25 reational, and charter fishing, seafood processing, 


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1 and other fishery-related businesses, kelp and shell2 fish aquaculture, coastal resilience, and other indus3 tries the Secretary of Commerce considers appro4 priate. 

5 (2) DIRECTOR OF SEA GRANT.—The term ‘‘Di6 rector of Sea Grant’’ means the Director of the Na7 tional Sea Grant College Program appointed under 

8 section 204(d)(1) of the National Sea Grant College 

9 Program Act (33 U.S.C. 1123(d)(1)). 

10 (3) INDIAN TRIBE.—The term ‘‘Indian Tribe’’ 

11 has the meaning given the term in section 4 of the 

12 Indian Self-Determination and Education Assistance 

13 Act (25 U.S.C. 5304). 

14 (4) NATIVE HAWAIIAN ORGANIZATION.—The 

15 term ‘‘Native Hawaiian organization’’ has the mean16 ing given the term in section 6207 of the Native Ha17 waiian Education Act (20 U.S.C. 7517). 

18 (5) OCEAN INNOVATION CENTER FOR CROSS19 SECTOR COLLABORATION.—The term ‘‘Ocean Inno20 vation Center for Cross-Sector Collaboration’’ means 

21 a physical space for collaboration developed and 

22 managed in accordance with section 502(i). 

23 (6) OCEAN INNOVATION CLUSTER.—The term 

24 ‘‘Ocean Innovation Cluster’’ means an eligible entity 


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1 designated by the Secretary of Commerce under sec2 tion 502. 

3 SEC. 502. OCEAN INNOVATION CLUSTERS. 

4 (a) DESIGNATION.—Not later than 1 year after the 

5 date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Com6 merce, in consultation with the Director of Sea Grant, the 

7 Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Oceans and Atmos8 phere, and the Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Eco9 nomic Development, shall designate not fewer than 7 eligi10 ble entities as Ocean Innovation Clusters. 

11 (b) ELIGIBLE ENTITIES.—For purposes of this sec12 tion, an eligible entity is an entity— 

13 (1) that is composed, in a concentrated geo14 graphic region, of 1 or more— 

15 (A) business organizations; 

16 (B) academic institutions, including 

17 minority- and Tribal-serving institutions; 

18 (C) not-for-profit organizations; 

19 (D) Federal, State, or local governmental 

20 entities, agencies, or instrumentalities; 

21 (E) Indian Tribes; or 

22 (F) Native Hawaiian organizations; 

23 (2) that is led by a not-for-profit organization; 

24 and 


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1 (3) that works to deliver services in the con2 centrated geographic region where the entity is lo3 cated, enhance collaboration, promote innovation, 

4 and contribute to the equitable and sustainable 

5 growth of the Blue Economy across all sectors. 

6 (c) PRIORITY.—In designating entities as Ocean In7 novation Clusters under subsection (a), the Secretary of 

8 Commerce shall prioritize entities with a history of sup9 porting cross-sector growth and development of the Blue 

10 Economy. 

11 (d) GEOGRAPHIC DIVERSITY.—The Secretary of 

12 Commerce shall designate not fewer than 1 Ocean Innova13 tion Cluster under subsection (a) in— 

14 (1) each of the regions covered by the 5 re15 gional offices of the National Marine Fisheries Serv16 ice; 

17 (2) the Great Lakes region; and 

18 (3) the Gulf of Mexico region. 

19 (e) CONSIDERATIONS.—In designating an eligible en20 tity as an Ocean Innovation Cluster under subsection (a), 

21 the Secretary of Commerce shall consider the following: 

22 (1) The economic development potential of the 

23 coastal community or region in which the entity is 

24 located. 


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1 (2) The ability of the entity to incorporate and 

2 bring growth and opportunity to broad geographic 

3 areas, including urban, rural, and underserved areas. 

4 (3) Whether the entity serves a diverse, 

5 multigenerational, ocean-dependent population con6 sisting of groups with different socioeconomic and 

7 educational attainment levels, industries, and Indian 

8 Tribes. 

9 (4) The ability of the entity to cultivate and le10 verage partnerships with private industry, academia, 

11 nongovernmental organizations, Federal, State, and 

12 local governments, and Indian Tribes to collaborate 

13 on shared outcomes. 

14 (5) The relative potential for the designation of 

15 the entity as an Ocean Innovation Cluster to reverse 

16 a decline, or accelerate growth, in ocean sector jobs. 

17 (6) The ability of the entity to carry out 

18 projects that support economic and climate resilience 

19 through economic diversification and long-term re20 covery from natural disasters. 

21 (7) The extent, rural and underserved nature, 

22 and economic underutilization of the coastline and 

23 ocean area that projects carried out by the entity 

24 could affect. 

25 (f) PARTNERSHIP MANAGEMENT.— 


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1 (1) PARTNERSHIP LIAISONS.— 

2 (A) DESIGNATION.—The Director of Sea 

3 Grant, the Assistant Secretary of Commerce for 

4 Oceans and Atmosphere, and the Assistant Sec5 retary of Commerce for Economic Development 

6 shall each designate 1 partnership manager 

7 from within their respective agencies to serve as 

8 a partnership liaison between each Ocean Inno9 vation Cluster and Sea Grant, the National 

10 Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and 

11 the Economic Development Administration, re12 spectively. 

13 (B) FUNCTION.—Each partnership liaison 

14 designated under subparagraph (A) shall ensure 

15 that Ocean Innovation Clusters— 

16 (i) have direct communication with 

17 the agency of the liaison; and 

18 (ii) allow for collaboration and align19 ment with Federal objectives in each re20 gion regarding the Blue Economy. 

21 (2) INTERAGENCY COORDINATION.— 

22 (A) SECRETARY OF COMMERCE AND PART23 NERSHIP LIAISONS.—The Secretary of Com24 merce shall coordinate with the Director of Sea 

25 Grant, the Assistant Secretary of Commerce for 


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1 Oceans and Atmosphere, the Assistant Sec2 retary of Commerce for Economic Development, 

3 the Department of Energy, the Maritime Ad4 ministration of the Department of Transpor5 tation, the Environmental Protection Agency, 

6 the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management of 

7 the Department of the Interior, the Department 

8 of Agriculture, the Coast Guard, and such other 

9 Federal agencies, including bureaus of the De10 partment of Commerce, as the Secretary of 

11 Commerce considers appropriate to increase 

12 technical knowledge exchange and opportunities 

13 for cross-sector collaboration with those agen14 cies. 

15 (B) SECRETARY OF ENERGY.—With re16 spect to matters relating to the nexus of the 

17 Blue Economy and the responsibilities and ex18 pertise of the Department of Energy, the Sec19 retary of Energy— 

20 (i) shall provide advice and rec21 ommendations to the Secretary of Com22 merce in order to increase technical knowl23 edge exchange and opportunities for cross24 sector collaboration; and 


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1 (ii) may provide such advice and rec2 ommendations without any formal request 

3 from the Department of Commerce. 

4 (g) DEVELOPMENT OF ECONOMIC IMPACT METRICS

5 OF OCEAN INNOVATION CLUSTERS.—The Administrator 

6 of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, 

7 the Director of the Bureau of Economic Analysis of the 

8 Department of Commerce, and the heads of other relevant 

9 Federal agencies shall use and refine the Marine Economy 

10 Satellite Account to measure the value to and impact of 

11 Ocean Innovation Clusters on the Blue Economy. 

12 (h) AREAS OF FOCUS.—The Director of Sea Grant, 

13 the Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Oceans and At14 mosphere, and the Assistant Secretary of Commerce for 

15 Economic Development shall coordinate with each Ocean 

16 Innovation Cluster in the following areas of focus: 

17 (1) Increasing pathways for new entrants into 

18 the Blue Economy for individuals and entities. 

19 (2) Intellectual property management. 

20 (3) Enhancing the sustainability of seafood sup21 ply chains, including with respect to food, transpor22 tation, processing, health and beauty products, ani23 mal feed, medical biotechnology, bioplastics, biofuels, 

24 and other value-added products, to strive for full use 

25 of harvested natural resources. 


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1 (4) Providing significant and sustainable eco2 nomic opportunity through advanced research, cross3 sector science, and technology development. 

4 (5) Contributing new knowledge, processes, 

5 technology, and support for stakeholders in the Blue 

6 Economy, especially to advance sustainability in spe7 cific sectors. 

8 (6) Working with Federal, State, local, and 

9 Tribal agencies to clearly communicate laws, regula10 tions, and agency practices affecting industry needs, 

11 planning, or growth opportunities. 

12 (7) Creating investable opportunities through 

13 the development of economies of scale to enhance 

14 growth opportunities, job creation, sustainability, 

15 and expansion for small businesses within the Blue 

16 Economy. 

17 (8) Workforce development and training, busi18 ness planning, identifying existing and needed tech19 nology and economic infrastructure, and coordinated 

20 research and development among small businesses, 

21 government, and industry. 

22 (9) Research, development, and implementation 

23 of ocean energy, bioprospecting, and other innovative 

24 and sustainable ocean resource development endeav25 ors. 


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1 (i) OCEAN INNOVATION CENTERS FOR CROSS-SEC2 TOR COLLABORATION.— 

3 (1) IN GENERAL.—In order to foster collabora4 tion and innovation and strengthen regional ocean 

5 sector economies while creating employment oppor6 tunities, the Director of Sea Grant, the Assistant 

7 Secretary of Commerce for Oceans and Atmosphere, 

8 and the Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Eco9 nomic Development shall collaborate with cross-sec10 tor partners to jointly develop or designate at least 

11 1 physical space for collaboration as an Ocean Inno12 vation Center for Cross-Sector Collaboration within 

13 each of the 7 regions with an Ocean Innovation 

14 Cluster. 

15 (2) MANAGEMENT.—An Ocean Innovation Clus16 ter or a group of Ocean Innovation Clusters shall 

17 manage the Ocean Innovation Center for Cross-Sec18 tor Collaboration of the region in which the Cluster 

19 or Clusters is located. 

20 (3) FUNCTIONS.—Each Ocean Innovation Cen21 ter for Cross-Sector Collaboration shall— 

22 (A) serve as a hub for partners within 

23 Ocean Innovation Clusters to work toward the 

24 areas of focus in described in subsection (h); 


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1 (B) support a community of entrepreneurs 

2 focused on strengthening vibrant marine-de3 pendent communities and the Blue Economy; 

4 (C) create workspaces and laboratories de5 signed to promote collaboration, including 

6 through shared meeting rooms, access to tech7 nology, common spaces, and offices; 

8 (D) strengthen relationships among indus9 try sectors through shared scientific, staffing, 

10 and business resources; 

11 (E) develop the critical networks with 

12 cross-sector partners that entrepreneurs need to 

13 grow effectively; and 

14 (F) develop the next generation of Blue 

15 Economy workers by providing internships, ap16 prenticeships, or training, as appropriate, in17 cluding for underrepresented and Tribal com18 munities and local trade schools. 

19 SEC. 503. GRANTS FOR OCEAN INNOVATION CLUSTERS. 

20 The Stevenson-Wydler Technology Innovation Act of 

21 1980 (15 U.S.C. 3701 et seq.) is amended by adding at 

22 the end the following: 

23 ‘‘SEC. 31. GRANTS FOR OCEAN INNOVATION CLUSTERS. 

24 ‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary, in consultation 

25 with the Director of Sea Grant, the Assistant Secretary 


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1 of Commerce for Oceans and Atmosphere, and the Assist2 ant Secretary of Commerce for Economic Development, 

3 may award grants, on a competitive basis, to Ocean Inno4 vation Clusters for the purposes described in subsection 

5 (b). 

6 ‘‘(b) PURPOSES.—The Secretary may award grants 

7 under subsection (a) for the operation and administration 

8 of one or more Ocean Innovation Clusters under section 

9 502 of the Working Waterfronts Act of 2024, with the 

10 goal that Ocean Innovation Clusters will become member11 ship-based, self-sustaining entities. 

12 ‘‘(c) INPUT.—In awarding a grant under subsection 

13 (a), the Secretary shall provide an opportunity for input 

14 from the Director of Sea Grant, the Assistant Secretary 

15 of Commerce for Oceans and Atmosphere, and the Assist16 ant Secretary of Commerce for Economic Development. 

17 ‘‘(d) TERM OF GRANTS.— 

18 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The term of a grant award19 ed under subsection (a) shall be 2 years. 

20 ‘‘(2) RENEWAL.—The Secretary may renew a 

21 grant awarded under subsection (a) for additional 

22 periods of such duration as the Secretary determines 

23 to be appropriate and necessary for the Ocean Inno24 vation Cluster that received the grant to provide re25 gional economic benefits. 


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1 ‘‘(e) LIMITATIONS ON GRANT AMOUNTS.—A grant 

2 awarded under subsection (a) may not exceed 

3 $10,000,000. 

4 ‘‘(f) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There 

5 is authorized to be appropriated to the Secretary to award 

6 grants under subsection (a) $10,000,000 for each of fiscal 

7 years 2025 through 2029. 

8 ‘‘(g) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 

9 ‘‘(1) DIRECTOR OF SEA GRANT.—The term ‘Di10 rector of Sea Grant’ means the Director of the Na11 tional Sea Grant College Program appointed under 

12 section 204(d)(1) of the National Sea Grant College 

13 Program Act (33 U.S.C. 1123(d)(1)). 

14 ‘‘(2) OCEAN INNOVATION CLUSTER.—The term 

15 ‘Ocean Innovation Cluster’ has the meaning given 

16 that term in section 501 of the Working Waterfronts 

17 Act of 2024.’’. 

18 Subtitle B—Vegetated Coastal Eco19 systems and Great Lakes Eco20 systems 

21 SEC. 511. DEFINITIONS. 

22 In this subtitle: 

23 (1) ADMINISTRATOR.—The term ‘‘Adminis24 trator’’ means the Under Secretary of Commerce for 

25 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) INDIAN TRIBE.—The term ‘‘Indian Tribe’’ 

4 has the meaning given that term in section 4 of the 

5 Indian Self-Determination and Education Assistance 

6 Act (25 U.S.C. 5304). 

7 (3) INTERAGENCY WORKING GROUP.—The term 

8 ‘‘Interagency Working Group’’ means the Inter9 agency Working Group on Vegetated Coastal Eco10 systems and Great Lakes Ecosystems established 

11 under section 512(a). 

12 (4) NATURAL INFRASTRUCTURE.—The term 

13 ‘‘natural infrastructure’’ has the meaning given that 

14 term in section 101(a) of title 23, United States 

15 Code. 

16 (5) NONPROFIT ORGANIZATION.—The term 

17 ‘‘nonprofit organization’’ means an organization de18 scribed in section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue 

19 Code of 1986 and exempt from taxation under 

20 501(a) of that Code. 

21 (6) STATE.—The term ‘‘State’’ means each 

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

23 the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, American 

24 Samoa, Guam, the Commonwealth of the Northern 

25 Mariana Islands, the Virgin Islands of the United 


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1 States, and any other territory or possession of the 

2 United States. 

3 (7) VEGETATED COASTAL ECOSYSTEMS.—The 

4 term ‘‘vegetated coastal ecosystems’’ includes 

5 mangroves, tidal marshes, seagrasses, kelp forests, 

6 and other tidal, freshwater, or salt-water wetlands. 

7 SEC. 512. INTERAGENCY WORKING GROUP ON VEGETATED 

8 COASTAL ECOSYSTEMS AND GREAT LAKES 

9 ECOSYSTEMS. 

10 (a) ESTABLISHMENT.—The Subcommittee on Ocean 

11 Science and Technology of the National Science and Tech12 nology Council shall establish an interagency working 

13 group to be known as the ‘‘Interagency Working Group 

14 on Vegetated Coastal Ecosystems and Great Lakes Eco15 systems’’. 

16 (b) MEMBERSHIP.—The Interagency Working Group 

17 shall be comprised of the Ocean Policy Committee estab18 lished by section 8932 of title 10, United States Code. 

19 (c) CHAIRPERSON.—The Interagency Working Group 

20 shall be chaired by the Administrator. 

21 (d) RESPONSIBILITIES.—The Administrator, in con22 sultation with the Interagency Working Group, shall 

23 produce, update, maintain, and use a map and inventory 

24 of vegetated coastal ecosystems and Great Lakes eco25 systems as described in section 513. 


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1 SEC. 513. NATIONAL-LEVEL MAP AND INVENTORY OF VEGE2 TATED COASTAL ECOSYSTEMS AND GREAT 

3 LAKES ECOSYSTEMS. 

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

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

6 and inventory of vegetated coastal and Great Lakes eco7 systems that includes— 

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

9 ecosystems; 

10 (2) the condition of such ecosystems, including 

11 whether an ecosystem is degraded, drained, eutro12 phic, or tidally restricted; 

13 (3) the type of public or private ownership and 

14 any protected status of such ecosystems; 

15 (4) the size of such ecosystems; 

16 (5) the salinity boundaries of such ecosystems; 

17 (6) the tidal boundaries of such ecosystems; 

18 (7) an assessment of carbon sequestration po19 tential, methane production, and net greenhouse gas 

20 reductions with respect to such ecosystems, includ21 ing consideration of— 

22 (A) quantification; 

23 (B) verifiability; 

24 (C) comparison to a historical baseline as 

25 available; and 

26 (D) permanence of those benefits; 


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1 (8) the potential for landward migration within 

2 such ecosystems as a result of sea level rise; 

3 (9) any upstream restrictions of such eco4 systems that are detrimental to the watershed proc5 ess and conditions, such as dams, dikes, levees, and 

6 other water management practices; 

7 (10) the conversion of such ecosystems to other 

8 land uses and the cause of such conversion; and 

9 (11) a depiction of the effects of climate 

10 change, including sea level rise, environmental 

11 stressors, and other stressors on the sequestration 

12 rate, carbon storage, and potential of such eco13 systems. 

14 (b) DATA INCORPORATION; ENGAGEMENT.—In car15 rying out subsection (a), the Interagency Working Group 

16 shall— 

17 (1) incorporate, to the extent practicable, data 

18 collected— 

19 (A) by Federal agencies, State agencies, 

20 Indian Tribes, or local agencies through re21 search that is funded, in whole or in part, by 

22 the Federal Government; and 

23 (B) through peer-reviewed published 

24 works; 


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1 (2) engage regional experts, State agencies, In2 dian Tribes, and additional data and information re3 sources in order to accurately account for regional 

4 differences in vegetated coastal ecosystems and 

5 Great Lakes ecosystems. 

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

7 Working Group shall use the national-level map and inven8 tory produced under subsection (a)— 

9 (1) to assess the carbon sequestration potential 

10 of different vegetated coastal ecosystems and Great 

11 Lakes ecosystems and account for any regional dif12 ferences; 

13 (2) to assess and quantify emissions from de14 graded and destroyed vegetated coastal ecosystems 

15 and Great Lakes ecosystems; 

16 (3) to develop regional assessments in partner17 ship with, or to provide technical assistance to— 

18 (A) regional, State, and local government 

19 agencies; 

20 (B) Indian Tribes; and 

21 (C) regional coastal observing systems (as 

22 defined in section 12303(6) of the Integrated 

23 Coastal and Ocean Observation System Act of 

24 2009 (33 U.S.C. 3602(6))); 


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1 (4) to assess degraded vegetated coastal eco2 systems and Great Lakes ecosystems and the poten3 tial for restoration of such ecosystems, including de4 veloping scenario modeling to identify vulnerable 

5 land areas and living shorelines where management, 

6 conservation, and restoration efforts should be fo7 cused; 

8 (5) to produce predictions relating to carbon se9 questration rates in the context of climate change, 

10 environmental stressors, and other stressors; 

11 (6) to inform how and where coastal vegetation 

12 can serve as natural infrastructure to most effec13 tively protect coastlines from storm surges and cli14 mate hazards; and 

15 (7) to further understand which types of coastal 

16 and Great Lakes vegetation can be used as natural 

17 infrastructure to protect coastlines in different cli18 mates, especially cold climates, including the Arctic 

19 region. 

20 SEC. 514. GRANTS FOR PILOT PROJECTS AND RESEARCH 

21 ON COASTAL NATURAL INFRASTRUCTURE IN 

22 COLD CLIMATES. 

23 (a) IN GENERAL.—During fiscal years 2025 and 

24 2026, the Administrator shall award grants through the 


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1 national sea grant college program, on a competitive basis, 

2 to eligible entities to support— 

3 (1) the implementation of coastal natural infra4 structure pilot projects in cold climates, including 

5 the Arctic region of the United States, that will pro6 tect the coastline from storm surges, hazards caused 

7 by climate change, erosion, and permafrost melt; 

8 and 

9 (2) research on how effective coastal natural in10 frastructure projects can be in protecting coastlines 

11 in cold climates, including the Arctic region. 

12 (b) ELIGIBILITY.—To be eligible to receive a grant 

13 under subsection (a), an entity shall be— 

14 (1) a State or local government; 

15 (2) an Indian Tribe; 

16 (3) an academic institution; 

17 (4) a nonprofit organization; or 

18 (5) a combination of entities described in para19 graphs (1) through (4). 

20 (c) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There is 

21 authorized to be appropriated to carry out this section 

22 $3,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2025 and 2026. 

23 (d) NATIONAL SEA GRANT COLLEGE PROGRAM DE24 FINED.—In this section, the term ‘‘national sea grant col25 lege program’’ means the national sea grant college proVerDate Sep 11 2014 00:11 Feb 24, 2024 Jkt 049200 PO 00000 Frm 00059 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S3785.IS S3785

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1 gram maintained under section 204 of the National Sea 

2 Grant College Program Act (33 U.S.C. 1123). 

3 Subtitle C—Ocean Acidification 

4 SEC. 521. DEFINITIONS IN FEDERAL OCEAN ACIDIFICATION 

5 RESEARCH AND MONITORING ACT OF 2009. 

6 Section 12403 of the Federal Ocean Acidification Re7 search And Monitoring Act of 2009 (33 U.S.C. 3702) is 

8 amended— 

9 (1) by striking paragraph (4); 

10 (2) by redesignating paragraphs (2), (3), and 

11 (5) as paragraphs (4), (5), and (6) respectively; 

12 (3) by inserting after paragraph (1) the fol13 lowing: 

14 ‘‘(2) INDIAN TRIBE.—The term ‘Indian Tribe’ 

15 has the meaning given that term in section 4 of the 

16 Indian Self-Determination and Education Assistance 

17 Act (25 U.S.C. 5304). 

18 ‘‘(3) NATIVE HAWAIIAN ORGANIZATION.—The 

19 term ‘Native Hawaiian organization’ has the mean20 ing given that term in section 3 of the NATIVE Act 

21 (25 U.S.C. 4352).’’; 

22 (4) in paragraph (4), as redesignated by para23 graph (2), by inserting ‘‘an increase of’’ before ‘‘car24 bon dioxide’’; and 

25 (5) by adding at the end the following: 


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1 ‘‘(7) SUBCOMMITTEE.—The term ‘Sub2 committee’ means the National Science and Tech3 nology Council Subcommittee on Ocean Science and 

4 Technology. 

5 ‘‘(8) UNITED STATES.—The term ‘United 

6 States’ means the States, collectively.’’. 

7 SEC. 522. IMPROVEMENT OF COLLABORATION ON OCEAN 

8 ACIDIFICATION. 

9 (a) ONGOING INPUT MECHANISM.—Section 

10 12404(c)(2) of the Federal Ocean Acidification Research 

11 And Monitoring Act of 2009 (33 U.S.C. 3703(c)(2)) is 

12 amended— 

13 (1) in subparagraph (B), by striking ‘‘; and’’ 

14 and inserting a semicolon; 

15 (2) in subparagraph (C), by striking the period 

16 at the end and inserting ‘‘; and’’; and 

17 (3) by adding at the end the following: 

18 ‘‘(D) establish an ongoing mechanism 

19 (such as a liaison or other contact of the Na20 tional Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, 

21 standing meetings, or an online platform) to en22 gage affected industry members, coastal stake23 holders, community acidification networks, fish24 ery management councils and commissions, In25 dian Tribes, Native Hawaiian organizations, 


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1 Tribal organizations, Tribal consortia, non-Fed2 eral resource managers, and scientific experts 

3 not employed by the Federal Government to 

4 provide input on research, data, and monitoring 

5 that is necessary to support on-the-ground 

6 management, decision making, and adaptation 

7 related to ocean acidification and coastal acidi8 fication and the impacts of ocean acidification 

9 and coastal acidification.’’. 

10 (b) ADVISORY BOARD MEMBERSHIP.—Section 

11 12404(c)(3) of the Federal Ocean Acidification Research 

12 And Monitoring Act of 2009 (33 U.S.C. 3703(c)(3)) is 

13 amended— 

14 (1) by redesignating subparagraphs (G) 

15 through (Q) as subparagraphs (H) through (R), re16 spectively; 

17 (2) by inserting after subparagraph (F) the fol18 lowing: 

19 ‘‘(G) Two representatives from Indian 

20 Tribes, Native Hawaiian organizations, Tribal 

21 organizations, or Tribal consortia affected by 

22 ocean acidification and coastal acidification.’’; 

23 and 


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1 (3) in subparagraph (H), as redesignated by 

2 paragraph (1), by striking ‘‘Six’’ and inserting 

3 ‘‘Four’’. 

4 (c) APPOINTMENT OF ADVISORY BOARD MEM5 BERS.—Section 12404(c)(4)(C) of the Federal Ocean 

6 Acidification Research And Monitoring Act of 2009 (33 

7 U.S.C. 3703(c)(4)(C)) is amended by inserting ‘‘Indian 

8 Tribes and Native Hawaiian organizations,’’ after ‘‘man9 agers,’’. 

10 (d) ENGAGEMENT AND COORDINATION WITH INDIAN

11 TRIBES AND NATIVE HAWAIIAN ORGANIZATIONS.—Para12 graph (9) of section 12404(c) of the Federal Ocean Acidi13 fication Research And Monitoring Act of 2009 (33 U.S.C. 

14 3703(c)) is amended to read as follows: 

15 ‘‘(9) ENGAGEMENT AND COORDINATION WITH

16 INDIAN TRIBES AND NATIVE HAWAIIAN ORGANIZA17 TIONS.— 

18 ‘‘(A) POLICY REQUIRED.—Not later than 

19 one year after the date on which the Advisory 

20 Board is established, the Advisory Board shall 

21 develop and commence maintaining a policy for 

22 engagement and coordination with Indian 

23 Tribes and Native Hawaiian organizations af24 fected by ocean acidification and coastal acidifi25 cation. 


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1 ‘‘(B) CONSULTATION.—In developing the 

2 policy under subparagraph (A), the Advisory 

3 Board shall consult with Indian Tribes and Na4 tive Hawaiian organizations affected by ocean 

5 acidification and coastal acidification.’’. 

6 (e) COLLABORATION ON VULNERABILITY ASSESS7 MENTS, RESEARCH PLANNING, AND SIMILAR ACTIVI8 TIES.—Section 12404(e)(4)(A) of the Federal Ocean 

9 Acidification Research And Monitoring Act of 2009 (33 

10 U.S.C. 3703(e)(4)(A)) is amended— 

11 (1) by redesignating clauses (ix) and (x) as 

12 clauses (x) and (xi), respectively; and 

13 (2) by inserting after clause (viii) the following: 

14 ‘‘(ix) identifies the efforts of the Sec15 retary to collaborate with State and local 

16 governments, Indian Tribes, and Native 

17 Hawaiian organizations on community vul18 nerability assessments, research planning, 

19 and similar activities, pursuant to section 

20 12406(e);’’. 

21 (f) CONTENTS OF STRATEGIC RESEARCH PLAN.— 

22 Section 12405(b) of the Federal Ocean Acidification Re23 search And Monitoring Act of 2009 (33 U.S.C. 3704(b)) 

24 is amended— 


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1 (1) in paragraph (10), by striking ‘‘section 

2 12404(c)(4)’’ and inserting ‘‘section 12404(e)(4)’’; 

3 and 

4 (2) in paragraph (11), by striking ‘‘potentially 

5 affected industry members, coastal stakeholders, 

6 fishery management councils and commissions, Trib7 al governments, non-Federal resource managers, and 

8 scientific experts’’ and inserting ‘‘affected industry 

9 members, coastal stakeholders, community acidifica10 tion networks, fishery management councils and 

11 commissions, Indian Tribes, Native Hawaiian orga12 nizations, non-Federal resource managers, and sci13 entific experts not employed by the Federal Govern14 ment’’. 

15 (g) IMPROVING COLLABORATION ON NOAA OCEAN

16 ACIDIFICATION ACTIVITIES.—Section 12406 of the Fed17 eral Ocean Acidification Research And Monitoring Act of 

18 2009 (33 U.S.C. 3705) is amended— 

19 (1) in subsection (a)— 

20 (A) in paragraph (1)— 

21 (i) in subparagraph (D), by adding a 

22 semicolon at the end; and 

23 (ii) in subparagraph (F), by striking 

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1 dian Tribes, Native Hawaiian organiza2 tions’’; and 

3 (B) in paragraph (4), by striking ‘‘industry 

4 members, coastal stakeholders, fishery manage5 ment councils and commissions, non-Federal re6 source managers, community acidification net7 works, indigenous knowledge groups, and sci8 entific experts’’ and inserting ‘‘affected industry 

9 members, coastal stakeholders, community 

10 acidification networks, fishery management 

11 councils and commissions, Indian Tribes, Na12 tive Hawaiian organizations, non-Federal re13 source managers, and scientific experts not em14 ployed by the Federal Government’’; 

15 (2) in subsection (c)— 

16 (A) in paragraph (1), by striking ‘‘State, 

17 local, and Tribal governments’’ and inserting 

18 ‘‘State and local governments, Indian Tribes, 

19 Native Hawaiian organizations,’’; and 

20 (B) in paragraph (2)— 

21 (i) in subparagraph (A), by striking ‘‘; 

22 or’’ and inserting a semicolon; 

23 (ii) by redesignating subparagraph 

24 (B) as subparagraph (C); 


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1 (iii) by inserting after subparagraph 

2 (A) the following: 

3 ‘‘(B) on ocean acidification and coastal 

4 acidification research, data, and monitoring 

5 from affected industry members, coastal stake6 holders, community acidification networks, fish7 ery management councils and commissions, In8 dian Tribes, Native Hawaiian organizations, 

9 non-Federal resource managers, and scientific 

10 experts not employed by the Federal Govern11 ment; or’’; and 

12 (iv) in subparagraph (C), as redesig13 nated by clause (ii), by striking ‘‘State 

14 governments, local governments, Tribal 

15 governments’’ and inserting ‘‘State and 

16 local governments, Indian Tribes, Native 

17 Hawaiian organizations’’; 

18 (3) in subsection (d)(1)(C), by striking ‘‘Tribes 

19 or Tribal governments’’ and inserting ‘‘Indian 

20 Tribes, Native Hawaiian organizations, Tribal orga21 nizations, and Tribal consortia’’; and 

22 (4) by adding at the end the following: 

23 ‘‘(e) BETTER COLLABORATION ON VULNERABILITY

24 ASSESSMENTS, RESEARCH PLANNING, AND SIMILAR AC25 TIVITIES.— 


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1 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—In carrying out the pro2 gram under subsection (a), and in support of vulner3 ability assessments transmitted under section 

4 12404(e)(4) and recommendations included in the 

5 strategic research plan described in section 

6 12405(b)(10), the Secretary shall build upon exist7 ing activities and collaborate with State and local 

8 governments and Indian Tribes that are conducting 

9 or have completed vulnerability assessments, re10 search planning, climate action plans, or other simi11 lar activities related to ocean acidification and coast12 al acidification and the impacts of ocean acidifica13 tion and coastal acidification on coastal commu14 nities, for the purpose of— 

15 ‘‘(A) supporting collaborative interagency 

16 relationships and information sharing at the 

17 State, local, and Tribal levels; and 

18 ‘‘(B) assisting State and local governments 

19 and Indian Tribes in— 

20 ‘‘(i) improving existing systems and 

21 programs to better address ocean acidifica22 tion and coastal acidification; and 

23 ‘‘(ii) identifying whether such activi24 ties can be used as a model for other com25 munities. 


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1 ‘‘(2) INDIAN TRIBES, NATIVE HAWAIIAN ORGA2 NIZATIONS, TRIBAL ORGANIZATIONS, AND TRIBAL

3 CONSORTIA.—In carrying out the program under 

4 subsection (a), and in support of vulnerability as5 sessments transmitted under section 12404(e)(4) 

6 and recommendations included in the strategic re7 search plan described in section 12405(b)(10), the 

8 Secretary may build upon existing activities and col9 laborate with Indian Tribes, Native Hawaiian orga10 nizations, Tribal organizations, and Tribal consortia 

11 that are conducting or have completed vulnerability 

12 assessments, research planning, climate action plans, 

13 or other similar activities related to ocean acidifica14 tion and coastal acidification and the impacts of 

15 ocean acidification and coastal acidification on coast16 al communities.’’. 

17 SEC. 523. TECHNICAL CORRECTIONS. 

18 The Federal Ocean Acidification Research And Moni19 toring Act of 2009 (33 U.S.C. 3701 et seq.) is amended— 

20 (1) in section 12402 (33 U.S.C. 3701)— 

21 (A) in paragraph (1), by striking ‘‘develop22 ment coordination and implementation’’ and in23 serting ‘‘development, coordination, and imple24 mentation’’; and 


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1 (B) in paragraph (4), by striking ‘‘research 

2 adaptation strategies and mitigating the im3 pacts’’ and inserting ‘‘research on adaptation 

4 strategies and mitigation of the impacts’’; 

5 (2) in section 12404 (33 U.S.C. 3703)— 

6 (A) in subsection (b)(5), by striking ‘‘; 

7 and’’ and inserting a period; 

8 (B) in subsection (c)(2)(A)— 

9 (i) in clause (i), by striking ‘‘sub10 section (d)(2)’’ and inserting ‘‘subsection 

11 (e)(2)’’; and 

12 (ii) in clause (ii), by striking ‘‘sub13 section (d)(3)’’ and inserting ‘‘subsection 

14 (e)(3)’’; 

15 (C) in subsection (d)(3), by striking ‘‘this 

16 section’’ and inserting ‘‘this subsection’’; and 

17 (D) in subsection (e)— 

18 (i) in paragraph (2)(B), by striking 

19 ‘‘interagency’’ and inserting ‘‘the’’; and 

20 (ii) in paragraph (3), by striking 

21 ‘‘years until 2031 thereafter’’ and inserting 

22 ‘‘years thereafter until 2031’’; and 

23 (3) in section 12406(d)(2) (33 U.S.C. 

24 3705(d)(2)), by striking ‘‘The Secretary to,’’ and in25 serting ‘‘The Secretary, to’’. 


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1 Subtitle D—Other Matters 

2 SEC. 531. TRANSFER OF, AND AMENDMENTS TO, THE 

3 COASTAL AQUATIC INVASIVE SPECIES MITI4 GATION GRANT PROGRAM AND MITIGATION 

5 FUND. 

6 (a) TRANSFER.— 

7 (1) IN GENERAL.—Subsection (f) of section 903 

8 of the Vessel Incidental Discharge Act of 2018 (16 

9 U.S.C. 4729) is— 

10 (A) transferred to section 1202 of the 

11 Nonindigenous Aquatic Nuisance Prevention 

12 and Control Act of 1990 (16 U.S.C. 4722); 

13 (B) redesignated as subsection (l) of that 

14 section 1202; and 

15 (C) added at the end of that section 1202. 

16 (2) AVAILABILITY OF APPROPRIATIONS.—Para17 graph (1) shall not affect the availability of amounts 

18 made available in appropriation Acts for the purpose 

19 of carrying out the program transferred by para20 graph (1) to the Nonindigenous Aquatic Nuisance 

21 Prevention and Control Act of 1990 (16 U.S.C. 

22 4701 et seq.). 

23 (b) AMENDMENTS.—Subsection (l) of section 1202 of 

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1 trol Act of 1990 (16 U.S.C. 4722), as transferred and re2 designated under subsection (a), is amended— 

3 (1) in paragraph (1)— 

4 (A) by striking subparagraph (D); and 

5 (B) by redesignating subparagraphs (E), 

6 (F), and (G), as subparagraphs (D), (E), and 

7 (F), respectively; 

8 (2) in paragraph (2)— 

9 (A) in subparagraph (A), by striking ‘‘and 

10 the Foundation’’ both places the term appears; 

11 (B) in subparagraph (C)(i)— 

12 (i) in subclause (I), by striking ‘‘pro13 grams, including permissible State ballast 

14 water’’ and inserting ‘‘programs for Fed15 eral and State agencies, territories of the 

16 United States, Tribal governments or orga17 nizations, and interstate organizations, in18 cluding permissible ballast water’’; 

19 (ii) by striking subclause (III); 

20 (iii) by redesignating subclauses (IV) 

21 and (V) as subclauses (III) and (IV), re22 spectively; and 

23 (iv) in subclause (IV), as redesignated 

24 by clause (iii), by striking ‘‘infrastructure, 

25 such as hydroelectric infrastructure, from 


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1 aquatic invasive species’’ and inserting 

2 ‘‘aquaculture and associated infrastructure 

3 from aquatic invasive species with par4 ticular emphasis on underserved commu5 nities’’; 

6 (C) in subparagraph (D), by striking ‘‘Not 

7 later than 90 days after the date of enactment 

8 of this Act, the Foundation, in consultation 

9 with the Secretary’’ and inserting ‘‘Not later 

10 than 90 days after the date of enactment of the 

11 Working Waterfronts Act of 2024, the Sec12 retary’’; and 

13 (D) in subparagraph (F), by striking ‘‘and 

14 the Foundation are’’ and inserting ‘‘is’’; and 

15 (3) in paragraph (3)— 

16 (A) by striking subparagraph (B) and in17 serting the following: 

18 ‘‘(B) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIA19 TIONS.—There is authorized to be appropriated 

20 to the Fund $5,000,000 for each of fiscal years 

21 2025 through 2029.’’; and 

22 (B) in subparagraph (C), by striking ‘‘and 

23 the Foundation’’. 

24 (c) CONFORMING AMENDMENT.—Section 903 of the 

25 Vessel Incidental Discharge Act of 2018 (16 U.S.C. 


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74 

•S 3785 IS

1 4729), as amended by subsection (a), is further amended 

2 by redesignating subsections (g) and (h) as subsections (f) 

3 and (g), respectively. 

Æ 


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