In the House of Representatives, U. S., 

June 9, 2014. 

Resolved, That the bill from the Senate (S. 1254) entitled ‘‘An Act to amend the Harmful Algal Blooms and Hypoxia Research and Control Act of 1998, and for other purposes.’’, do pass with the following 

AMENDMENT: 

Strike out all after the enacting clause and insert: 

1 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

2 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Harmful Algal Bloom 

3 and Hypoxia Research and Control Amendments Act of 

4 2014’’. 

5 SEC. 2. REFERENCES TO THE HARMFUL ALGAL BLOOM AND 

6 HYPOXIA RESEARCH AND CONTROL ACT OF 

7 1998. 

8 Except as otherwise expressly provided, whenever in 

9 this Act an amendment or repeal is expressed in terms of 

10 an amendment to, or repeal of, a section or other provision, 

11 the reference shall be considered to be made to a section or 

12 other provision of the Harmful Algal Bloom and Hypoxia 

13 Research and Control Act of 1998 (16 U.S.C. 1451 note). 
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1 SEC. 3. INTER-AGENCY TASK FORCE ON HARMFUL ALGAL 

2 BLOOMS AND HYPOXIA. 

3 Section 603(a) is amended— 

4 (1) by striking ‘‘the following representatives 

5 from’’ and inserting ‘‘a representative from’’; 

6 (2) in paragraph (11), by striking ‘‘and’’; 

7 (3) by redesignating paragraph (12) as para8 graph (13); 

9 (4) by inserting after paragraph (11) the fol10 lowing: 

11 ‘‘(12) the Centers for Disease Control and Pre12 vention; and’’; and 

13 (5) in paragraph (13), as redesignated, by strik14 ing ‘‘such’’. 

15 SEC. 4. NATIONAL HARMFUL ALGAL BLOOM AND HYPOXIA 

16 PROGRAM. 

17 The Act is amended by inserting after section 603 the 

18 following: 

19 ‘‘SEC. 603A. NATIONAL HARMFUL ALGAL BLOOM AND HY20 POXIA PROGRAM. 

21 ‘‘(a) ESTABLISHMENT.—Not later than 1 year after the 

22 date of enactment of the Harmful Algal Bloom and Hy23 poxia Research and Control Amendments Act of 2014, the 

24 Under Secretary, acting through the Task Force, shall 

25 maintain and enhance a national harmful algal bloom and 

26 hypoxia program, including— 
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1 ‘‘(1) a statement of objectives, including under2 standing, detecting, predicting, controlling, miti3 gating, and responding to marine and freshwater 

4 harmful algal bloom and hypoxia events; and 

5 ‘‘(2) the comprehensive research plan and action 

6 strategy under section 603B. 

7 ‘‘(b) PERIODIC REVISION.—The Task Force shall peri8 odically review and revise the Program, as necessary. 

9 ‘‘(c) TASK FORCE FUNCTIONS.—The Task Force 

10 shall— 

11 ‘‘(1) coordinate interagency review of the objec12 tives and activities of the Program; 

13 ‘‘(2) expedite the interagency review process by 

14 ensuring timely review and dispersal of required re15 ports and assessments under this title; 

16 ‘‘(3) support the implementation of the Action 

17 Strategy, including the coordination and integration 

18 of the research of all Federal programs, including 

19 ocean and Great Lakes science and management pro20 grams and centers, that address the chemical, biologi21 cal, and physical components of marine and fresh22 water harmful algal blooms and hypoxia; 

23 ‘‘(4) support the development of institutional 

24 mechanisms and financial instruments to further the 

25 objectives and activities of the Program; 
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1 ‘‘(5) review the Program’s distribution of Federal 

2 funding to address the objectives and activities of the 

3 Program; 

4 ‘‘(6) promote the development of new technologies 

5 for predicting, monitoring, and mitigating harmful 

6 algal bloom and hypoxia conditions; and 

7 ‘‘(7) establish such interagency working groups 

8 as it considers necessary. 

9 ‘‘(d) LEAD FEDERAL AGENCY.—Except as provided in 

10 subsection (h), the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Ad11 ministration shall have primary responsibility for admin12 istering the Program. 

13 ‘‘(e) PROGRAM DUTIES.—In administering the Pro14 gram, the Under Secretary shall— 

15 ‘‘(1) promote the Program; 

16 ‘‘(2) prepare work and spending plans for imple17 menting the research and activities identified under 

18 the Action Strategy; 

19 ‘‘(3) administer peer-reviewed, merit-based, com20 petitive grant funding— 

21 ‘‘(A) to maintain and enhance baseline 

22 monitoring programs established by the Pro23 gram; 

24 ‘‘(B) to support the projects maintained 

25 and established by the Program; and 
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1 ‘‘(C) to address the research and manage2 ment needs and priorities identified in the Ac3 tion Strategy; 

4 ‘‘(4) coordinate with and work cooperatively 

5 with regional, State, tribal, and local government 

6 agencies and programs that address marine and 

7 freshwater harmful algal blooms and hypoxia; 

8 ‘‘(5) coordinate with the Secretary of State to 

9 support international efforts on marine and fresh10 water harmful algal bloom and hypoxia information 

11 sharing, research, prediction, mitigation, control, and 

12 response activities; 

13 ‘‘(6) identify additional research, development, 

14 and demonstration needs and priorities relating to 

15 monitoring, prevention, control, mitigation, and re16 sponse to marine and freshwater harmful algal blooms 

17 and hypoxia, including methods and technologies to 

18 protect the ecosystems affected by marine and fresh19 water harmful algal blooms and hypoxia; 

20 ‘‘(7) integrate, coordinate, and augment existing 

21 education programs to improve public understanding 

22 and awareness of the causes, impacts, and mitigation 

23 efforts for marine and freshwater harmful algal 

24 blooms and hypoxia; 
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1 ‘‘(8) facilitate and provide resources to train 

2 State and local coastal and water resource managers 

3 in the methods and technologies for monitoring, pre4 venting, controlling, and mitigating marine and 

5 freshwater harmful algal blooms and hypoxia; 

6 ‘‘(9) support regional efforts to control and miti7 gate outbreaks through— 

8 ‘‘(A) communication of the contents of the 

9 Action Strategy and maintenance of online data 

10 portals for other information about harmful 

11 algal blooms and hypoxia to State, tribal, and 

12 local stakeholders; and 

13 ‘‘(B) overseeing the development, review, 

14 and periodic updating of the Action Strategy; 

15 ‘‘(10) convene at least 1 meeting of the Task 

16 Force each year; and 

17 ‘‘(11) perform such other tasks as may be dele18 gated by the Task Force. 

19 ‘‘(f) NATIONAL OCEANIC AND ATMOSPHERIC ADMINIS20 TRATION ACTIVITIES.—The Under Secretary shall— 

21 ‘‘(1) maintain and enhance the existing competi22 tive programs at the National Oceanic and Atmos23 pheric Administration relating to harmful algal 

24 blooms and hypoxia; 
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1 ‘‘(2) carry out marine and Great Lakes harmful 

2 algal bloom and hypoxia events response activities; 

3 ‘‘(3) develop and enhance, including with respect 

4 to infrastructure as necessary, critical observations, 

5 monitoring, modeling, data management, information 

6 dissemination, and operational forecasts relevant to 

7 harmful algal blooms and hypoxia events; 

8 ‘‘(4) enhance communication and coordination 

9 among Federal agencies carrying out marine and 

10 freshwater harmful algal bloom and hypoxia activities 

11 and research; 

12 ‘‘(5) to the greatest extent practicable, leverage 

13 existing resources and expertise available from local 

14 research universities and institutions; and 

15 ‘‘(6) increase the availability to appropriate 

16 public and private entities of— 

17 ‘‘(A) analytical facilities and technologies; 

18 ‘‘(B) operational forecasts; and 

19 ‘‘(C) reference and research materials. 

20 ‘‘(g) COOPERATIVE EFFORTS.—The Under Secretary 

21 shall work cooperatively and avoid duplication of effort 

22 with other offices, centers, and programs within the Na23 tional Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, other 

24 agencies on the Task Force, and States, tribes, and non25 governmental organizations concerned with marine and 
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1 freshwater issues to coordinate harmful algal bloom and hy2 poxia (and related) activities and research. 

3 ‘‘(h) FRESHWATER.—With respect to the freshwater as4 pects of the Program, the Administrator, through the Task 

5 Force, shall carry out the duties otherwise assigned to the 

6 Under Secretary under this section, except the activities de7 scribed in subsection (f). 

8 ‘‘(1) PARTICIPATION.—The Administrator’s par9 ticipation under this section shall include— 

10 ‘‘(A) research on the ecology and impacts of 

11 freshwater harmful algal blooms; and 

12 ‘‘(B) forecasting and monitoring of and 

13 event response to freshwater harmful algal 

14 blooms in lakes, rivers, estuaries (including their 

15 tributaries), and reservoirs. 

16 ‘‘(2) NONDUPLICATION.—The Administrator 

17 shall ensure that activities carried out under this title 

18 focus on new approaches to addressing freshwater 

19 harmful algal blooms and are not duplicative of exist20 ing research and development programs authorized by 

21 this title or any other law. 

22 ‘‘(i) INTEGRATED COASTAL AND OCEAN OBSERVATION

23 SYSTEM.—The collection of monitoring and observation 

24 data under this title shall comply with all data standards 

25 and protocols developed pursuant to the Integrated Coastal 
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1 and Ocean Observation System Act of 2009 (33 U.S.C. 3601 

2 et seq.). Such data shall be made available through the sys3 tem established under that Act.’’. 

4 SEC. 5. COMPREHENSIVE RESEARCH PLAN AND ACTION 

5 STRATEGY. 

6 The Act, as amended by section 4 of this Act, is further 

7 amended by inserting after section 603A the following: 

8 ‘‘SEC. 603B. COMPREHENSIVE RESEARCH PLAN AND ACTION 

9 STRATEGY. 

10 ‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 1 year after the 

11 date of enactment of the Harmful Algal Bloom and Hy12 poxia Research and Control Amendments Act of 2014, the 

13 Under Secretary, through the Task Force, shall develop and 

14 submit to Congress a comprehensive research plan and ac15 tion strategy to address marine and freshwater harmful 

16 algal blooms and hypoxia. The Action Strategy shall iden17 tify— 

18 ‘‘(1) the specific activities to be carried out by 

19 the Program and the timeline for carrying out those 

20 activities; 

21 ‘‘(2) the roles and responsibilities of each Federal 

22 agency in the Task Force in carrying out the activi23 ties under paragraph (1); and 
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1 ‘‘(3) the appropriate regions and subregions re2 quiring specific research and activities to address 

3 harmful algal blooms and hypoxia. 

4 ‘‘(b) REGIONAL FOCUS.—The regional and subregional 

5 parts of the Action Strategy shall identify— 

6 ‘‘(1) regional priorities for ecological, economic, 

7 and social research on issues related to the impacts of 

8 harmful algal blooms and hypoxia; 

9 ‘‘(2) research, development, and demonstration 

10 activities needed to develop and advance technologies 

11 and techniques for minimizing the occurrence of 

12 harmful algal blooms and hypoxia and improving ca13 pabilities to detect, predict, monitor, control, miti14 gate, respond to, and remediate harmful algal blooms 

15 and hypoxia; 

16 ‘‘(3) ways to reduce the duration and intensity 

17 of harmful algal blooms and hypoxia, including de18 ployment of response technologies in a timely manner; 

19 ‘‘(4) research and methods to address human 

20 health dimensions of harmful algal blooms and hy21 poxia; 

22 ‘‘(5) mechanisms, including the potential costs 

23 and benefits of those mechanisms, to protect eco24 systems that may be or have been affected by harmful 

25 algal bloom and hypoxia events; 
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1 ‘‘(6) mechanisms by which data, information, 

2 and products may be transferred between the Program 

3 and the State, tribal, and local governments and re4 search entities; 

5 ‘‘(7) communication and information dissemina6 tion methods that State, tribal, and local governments 

7 may undertake to educate and inform the public con8 cerning harmful algal blooms and hypoxia; and 

9 ‘‘(8) roles that Federal agencies may have to as10 sist in the implementation of the Action Strategy, in11 cluding efforts to support local and regional scientific 

12 assessments under section 603(e). 

13 ‘‘(c) UTILIZING AVAILABLE STUDIES AND INFORMA14 TION.—In developing the Action Strategy, the Under Sec15 retary shall utilize existing research, assessments, reports, 

16 and program activities, including— 

17 ‘‘(1) those carried out under existing law; and 

18 ‘‘(2) other relevant peer-reviewed and published 

19 sources. 

20 ‘‘(d) DEVELOPMENT OF THE ACTION STRATEGY.—In 

21 developing the Action Strategy, the Under Secretary shall, 

22 as appropriate— 

23 ‘‘(1) coordinate with— 

24 ‘‘(A) State coastal management and plan25 ning officials; 
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1 ‘‘(B) tribal resource management officials; 

2 and 

3 ‘‘(C) water management and watershed offi4 cials from both coastal States and noncoastal 

5 States with water sources that drain into water 

6 bodies affected by harmful algal blooms and hy7 poxia; and 

8 ‘‘(2) consult with— 

9 ‘‘(A) public health officials; 

10 ‘‘(B) emergency management officials; 

11 ‘‘(C) science and technology development in12 stitutions; 

13 ‘‘(D) economists; 

14 ‘‘(E) industries and businesses affected by 

15 marine and freshwater harmful algal blooms and 

16 hypoxia; 

17 ‘‘(F) scientists with expertise concerning 

18 harmful algal blooms or hypoxia from academic 

19 or research institutions; and 

20 ‘‘(G) other stakeholders. 

21 ‘‘(e) FEDERAL REGISTER.—The Under Secretary shall 

22 publish the Action Strategy in the Federal Register. 

23 ‘‘(f) PERIODIC REVISION.—The Under Secretary, in 

24 coordination and consultation with the individuals and en25 tities under subsection (d), shall periodically review and re-
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1 vise the Action Strategy prepared under this section, as nec2 essary.’’. 

3 SEC. 6. REPORTING. 

4 Section 603 is amended by adding at the end the fol5 lowing: 

6 ‘‘(j) REPORT.—Not later than 2 years after the date 

7 the Action Strategy is submitted under section 603B, the 

8 Under Secretary shall submit a report to Congress that de9 scribes— 

10 ‘‘(1) the proceedings of the annual Task Force 

11 meetings; 

12 ‘‘(2) the activities carried out under the Pro13 gram, including the regional and subregional parts of 

14 the Action Strategy; 

15 ‘‘(3) the budget related to the activities under 

16 paragraph (2); 

17 ‘‘(4) the progress made on implementing the Ac18 tion Strategy; and 

19 ‘‘(5) any need to revise or terminate research 

20 and activities under the Program.’’. 

21 SEC. 7. NORTHERN GULF OF MEXICO HYPOXIA. 

22 Section 604 is amended to read as follows: 

23 ‘‘SEC. 604. NORTHERN GULF OF MEXICO HYPOXIA. 

24 ‘‘(a) INITIAL PROGRESS REPORTS.—Beginning not 

25 later than 12 months after the date of enactment of the 
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1 Harmful Algal Bloom and Hypoxia Research and Control 

2 Amendments Act of 2014, and biennially thereafter, the Ad3 ministrator, through the Mississippi River/Gulf of Mexico 

4 Watershed Nutrient Task Force, shall submit a progress re5 port to the appropriate congressional committees and the 

6 President that describes the progress made by activities di7 rected by the Mississippi River/Gulf of Mexico Watershed 

8 Nutrient Task Force and carried out or funded by the Envi9 ronmental Protection Agency and other State and Federal 

10 partners toward attainment of the goals of the Gulf Hy11 poxia Action Plan 2008. 

12 ‘‘(b) CONTENTS.—Each report required under this sec13 tion shall— 

14 ‘‘(1) assess the progress made toward nutrient 

15 load reductions, the response of the hypoxic zone and 

16 water quality throughout the Mississippi/Atchafalaya 

17 River Basin, and the economic and social effects; 

18 ‘‘(2) evaluate lessons learned; and 

19 ‘‘(3) recommend appropriate actions to continue 

20 to implement or, if necessary, revise the strategy set 

21 forth in the Gulf Hypoxia Action Plan 2008.’’. 

22 SEC. 8. GREAT LAKES HYPOXIA AND HARMFUL ALGAL 

23 BLOOMS. 

24 Section 605 is amended to read as follows: 
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1 ‘‘SEC. 605. GREAT LAKES HYPOXIA AND HARMFUL ALGAL 

2 BLOOMS. 

3 ‘‘(a) INTEGRATED ASSESSMENT.—Not later than 18 

4 months after the date of enactment of the Harmful Algal 

5 Bloom and Hypoxia Research and Control Amendments 

6 Act of 2014, the Task Force, in accordance with the author7 ity under section 603, shall complete and submit to the Con8 gress and the President an integrated assessment that exam9 ines the causes, consequences, and approaches to reduce hy10 poxia and harmful algal blooms in the Great Lakes, includ11 ing the status of and gaps within current research, moni12 toring, management, prevention, response, and control ac13 tivities by— 

14 ‘‘(1) Federal agencies; 

15 ‘‘(2) State agencies; 

16 ‘‘(3) regional research consortia; 

17 ‘‘(4) academia; 

18 ‘‘(5) private industry; and 

19 ‘‘(6) nongovernmental organizations. 

20 ‘‘(b) PLAN.— 

21 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 2 years after 

22 the date of enactment of the Harmful Algal Bloom 

23 and Hypoxia Research and Control Amendments Act 

24 of 2014, the Task Force shall develop and submit to 

25 the Congress a plan, based on the integrated assess26 ment under subsection (a), for reducing, mitigating, 
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1 and controlling hypoxia and harmful algal blooms in 

2 the Great Lakes. 

3 ‘‘(2) CONTENTS.—The plan shall— 

4 ‘‘(A) address the monitoring needs identi5 fied in the integrated assessment under sub6 section (a); 

7 ‘‘(B) develop a timeline and budgetary re8 quirements for deployment of future assets; 

9 ‘‘(C) identify requirements for the develop10 ment and verification of Great Lakes hypoxia 

11 and harmful algal bloom models, including— 

12 ‘‘(i) all assumptions built into the 

13 models; and 

14 ‘‘(ii) data quality methods used to en15 sure the best available data are utilized; 

16 and 

17 ‘‘(D) describe efforts to improve the assess18 ment of the impacts of hypoxia and harmful 

19 algal blooms by— 

20 ‘‘(i) characterizing current and past 

21 biological conditions in ecosystems affected 

22 by hypoxia and harmful algal blooms; and 

23 ‘‘(ii) quantifying effects, including eco24 nomic effects, at the population and com25 munity levels. 
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1 ‘‘(3) REQUIREMENTS.—In developing the plan, 

2 the Task Force shall— 

3 ‘‘(A) coordinate with State and local gov4 ernments; 

5 ‘‘(B) consult with representatives from aca6 demic, agricultural, industry, and other stake7 holder groups, including relevant Canadian 

8 agencies; 

9 ‘‘(C) ensure that the plan complements and 

10 does not duplicate activities conducted by other 

11 Federal or State agencies; 

12 ‘‘(D) identify critical research for reducing, 

13 mitigating, and controlling hypoxia events and 

14 their effects; 

15 ‘‘(E) evaluate cost-effective, incentive-based 

16 partnership approaches; 

17 ‘‘(F) ensure that the plan is technically 

18 sound and cost effective; 

19 ‘‘(G) utilize existing research, assessments, 

20 reports, and program activities; 

21 ‘‘(H) publish a summary of the proposed 

22 plan in the Federal Register at least 180 days 

23 prior to submitting the completed plan to Con24 gress; and 
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1 ‘‘(I) after submitting the completed plan to 

2 Congress, provide biennial progress reports on 

3 the activities toward achieving the objectives of 

4 the plan.’’. 

5 SEC. 9. APPLICATION WITH OTHER LAWS. 

6 The Act is amended by adding after section 606 the 

7 following: 

8 ‘‘SEC. 607. EFFECT ON OTHER FEDERAL AUTHORITY. 

9 ‘‘(a) AUTHORITY PRESERVED.—Nothing in this title 

10 supersedes or limits the authority of any agency to carry 

11 out its responsibilities and missions under other laws. 

12 ‘‘(b) REGULATORY AUTHORITY.—Nothing in this title 

13 may be construed as establishing new regulatory authority 

14 for any agency.’’. 

15 SEC. 10. DEFINITIONS; CONFORMING AMENDMENT. 

16 (a) IN GENERAL.—The Act, as amended by section 9 

17 of this Act, is further amended by adding after section 607 

18 the following: 

19 ‘‘SEC. 608. DEFINITIONS. 

20 ‘‘In this title: 

21 ‘‘(1) ACTION STRATEGY.—The term ‘Action 

22 Strategy’ means the comprehensive research plan and 

23 action strategy established under section 603B. 
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1 ‘‘(2) ADMINISTRATOR.—The term ‘Adminis2 trator’ means the Administrator of the Environ3 mental Protection Agency. 

4 ‘‘(3) HARMFUL ALGAL BLOOM.—The term ‘harm5 ful algal bloom’ means marine and freshwater 

6 phytoplankton that proliferate to high concentrations, 

7 resulting in nuisance conditions or harmful impacts 

8 on marine and aquatic ecosystems, coastal commu9 nities, and human health through the production of 

10 toxic compounds or other biological, chemical, and 

11 physical impacts of the algae outbreak. 

12 ‘‘(4) HYPOXIA.—The term ‘hypoxia’ means a 

13 condition where low dissolved oxygen in aquatic sys14 tems causes stress or death to resident organisms. 

15 ‘‘(5) PROGRAM.—The term ‘Program’ means the 

16 national harmful algal bloom and hypoxia program 

17 established under section 603A. 

18 ‘‘(6) STATE.—The term ‘State’ means each of the 

19 several States of the United States, the District of Co20 lumbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, the Virgin 

21 Islands, Guam, American Samoa, the Commonwealth 

22 of the Northern Mariana Islands, any other territory 

23 or possession of the United States, and any Indian 

24 tribe. 
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1 ‘‘(7) TASK FORCE.—The term ‘Task Force’ 

2 means the Inter-Agency Task Force on Harmful Algal 

3 Blooms and Hypoxia under section 603(a). 

4 ‘‘(8) UNDER SECRETARY.—The term ‘Under Sec5 retary’ means the Under Secretary of Commerce for 

6 Oceans and Atmosphere. 

7 ‘‘(9) UNITED STATES COASTAL WATERS.—The 

8 term ‘United States coastal waters’ includes the Great 

9 Lakes.’’. 

10 (b) CONFORMING AMENDMENT.—Section 603(a) is 

11 amended by striking ‘‘(hereinafter referred to as the ‘Task 

12 Force’)’’. 

13 SEC. 11. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS. 

14 The Act is further amended by adding after section 608 

15 the following: 

16 ‘‘SEC. 609. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS. 

17 ‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—There is authorized to be appro18 priated to the Under Secretary to carry out sections 603A 

19 and 603B $20,500,000 for each of fiscal years 2014 through 

20 2018. 

21 ‘‘(b) EXTRAMURAL RESEARCH ACTIVITIES.—The 

22 Under Secretary shall ensure that a substantial portion of 

23 funds appropriated pursuant to subsection (a) that are used 

24 for research purposes are allocated to extramural research 

25 activities. For each fiscal year, the Under Secretary shall 
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1 publish a list of all grant recipients and the amounts for 

2 all of the funds allocated for research purposes, specifying 

3 those allocated for extramural research activities.’’. 

Attest: 

Clerk. 
113TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION S. 1254 

AMENDMENT