II 

Calendar No. 370 

113TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION S. 839 

[Report No. 113–156] 

To reauthorize the Coral Reef Conservation Act of 2000, and for other 

purposes. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

APRIL 25, 2013 

Mr. NELSON (for himself, Mr. ROCKEFELLER, Mr. SCHATZ, and Ms. HIRONO) 

introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the 

Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation 

MAY 5, 2014 

Reported by Mr. ROCKEFELLER, without amendment 

A BILL 

To reauthorize the Coral Reef Conservation Act of 2000, 

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 ‘‘Coral Reef Conservation Amendments Act of 2013’’. 


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

2 this Act is as follows: 

Sec. 1. Short title; table of contents. 

Sec. 2. Amendment of Coral Reef Conservation Act of 2000. 

Sec. 3. Purposes. 

Sec. 4. National coral reef action strategy. 

Sec. 5. Coral reef conservation program. 

Sec. 6. Coral reef conservation fund. 

Sec. 7. Agreements; redesignations. 

Sec. 8. Emergency assistance. 

Sec. 9. National program. 

Sec. 10. Study of trade in corals. 

Sec. 11. International coral reef conservation activities. 

Sec. 12. Community-based planning grants. 

Sec. 13. Vessel grounding inventory. 

Sec. 14. Prohibited activities. 

Sec. 15. Destruction of coral reefs. 

Sec. 16. Enforcement. 

Sec. 17. Permits. 

Sec. 18. Regional, State, and territorial coordination. 

Sec. 19. Regulations. 

Sec. 20. Effectiveness and assessment report. 

Sec. 21. Authorization of appropriations. 

Sec. 22. Judicial review. 

Sec. 23. Definitions. 

3 SEC. 2. AMENDMENT OF CORAL REEF CONSERVATION ACT 

4 OF 2000. 

5 Except as otherwise expressly provided, whenever in 

6 this Act an amendment or repeal is expressed in terms 

7 of an amendment to or repeal of a section or other provi8 sion, the reference shall be considered to be made to a 

9 section or other provision of the Coral Reef Conservation 

10 Act of 2000 (16 U.S.C. 6401 et seq.). 

11 SEC. 3. PURPOSES. 

12 Section 202 (16 U.S.C. 6401) is amended to read as 

13 follows: 


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1 ‘‘SEC. 202. PURPOSES. 

2 ‘‘The purposes of this title are— 

3 ‘‘(1) to preserve, sustain, and restore the condi4 tion of coral reef ecosystems; 

5 ‘‘(2) to promote the wise management and sus6 tainable use of coral reef ecosystems to benefit local 

7 communities, the Nation, and the world; 

8 ‘‘(3) to develop sound scientific information on 

9 the condition of coral reef ecosystems and the 

10 threats to such ecosystems; 

11 ‘‘(4) to assist in the preservation of coral reef 

12 ecosystems by supporting conservation programs, in13 cluding projects that involve affected local commu14 nities and nongovernmental organizations; 

15 ‘‘(5) to provide financial resources for those 

16 programs and projects; 

17 ‘‘(6) to establish a formal mechanism for col18 lecting and allocating monetary donations from the 

19 private sector to be used for coral reef conservation 

20 projects; and 

21 ‘‘(7) to provide mechanisms to prevent and 

22 minimize damage to coral reefs.’’. 

23 SEC. 4. NATIONAL CORAL REEF ACTION STRATEGY. 

24 Section 203 (16 U.S.C. 6402) is amended to read as 

25 follows: 


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1 ‘‘SEC. 203. NATIONAL CORAL REEF ECOSYSTEM ACTION 

2 STRATEGY. 

3 ‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 180 days after 

4 the date of the enactment of the Coral Reef Conservation 

5 Amendments Act of 2013, the Secretary shall submit to 

6 the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Trans7 portation and to the House of Representatives Committee 

8 on Natural Resources and publish in the Federal Register 

9 a national coral reef ecosystem action strategy, consistent 

10 with the purposes of this title. The Secretary shall periodi11 cally review and revise the strategy as necessary. In devel12 oping this strategy, the Secretary may consult the Coral 

13 Reef Task Force established under Executive Order 13089 

14 (June 11, 1998). 

15 ‘‘(b) GOALS AND OBJECTIVES.—The action strategy 

16 shall include a statement of goals and objectives as well 

17 as an implementation plan, including a description of the 

18 funds obligated each fiscal year to advance coral reef con19 servation. The action strategy and implementation plan 

20 shall include discussion of— 

21 ‘‘(1) coastal uses and management, including 

22 land-based sources of pollution; 

23 ‘‘(2) climate change; 

24 ‘‘(3) water and air quality; 

25 ‘‘(4) mapping and information management; 

26 ‘‘(5) research, monitoring, and assessment; 


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1 ‘‘(6) international and regional issues; 

2 ‘‘(7) outreach and education; 

3 ‘‘(8) local strategies developed by the States or 

4 Federal agencies, including regional fishery manage5 ment councils; and 

6 ‘‘(9) conservation.’’. 

7 SEC. 5. CORAL REEF CONSERVATION PROGRAM. 

8 (a) IN GENERAL.—Section 204 (16 U.S.C. 6403) is 

9 amended— 

10 (1) by striking ‘‘Secretary, through the Admin11 istrator and’’ in subsection (a) and inserting ‘‘Sec12 retary,’’; 

13 (2) by striking subsection (c) and inserting the 

14 following: 

15 ‘‘(c) ELIGIBILITY.—Any natural resource manage16 ment authority of a State or other government authority 

17 with jurisdiction over coral reef ecosystems, or whose ac18 tivities directly or indirectly affect coral reef ecosystems, 

19 or educational or nongovernmental institutions with dem20 onstrated expertise in the conservation of coral reef eco21 systems, may submit a coral conservation project proposal 

22 to the Secretary under subsection (e).’’; 

23 (3) by striking ‘‘GEOGRAPHIC AND BIOLOGI24 CAL’’ in the heading for subsection (d) and inserting 

25 ‘‘PROJECT’’; 


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1 (4) by striking paragraph (3) of subsection (d) 

2 and inserting the following: 

3 ‘‘(3) Remaining funds shall be awarded for— 

4 ‘‘(A) projects (with priority given to com5 munity-based local action strategies) that ad6 dress emerging priorities or threats, including 

7 international and territorial priorities, or 

8 threats identified by the Secretary; and 

9 ‘‘(B) other appropriate projects, as deter10 mined by the Secretary, including monitoring 

11 and assessment, research, pollution reduction, 

12 education, and technical support.’’; 

13 (5) by striking subsection (g) and inserting the 

14 following: 

15 ‘‘(g) CRITERIA FOR APPROVAL.—The Secretary may 

16 not approve a project proposal under this section unless 

17 the project is consistent with the coral reef ecosystem ac18 tion strategy under section 203 and will enhance the con19 servation of coral reef ecosystems nationally or inter20 nationally by— 

21 ‘‘(1) implementing coral conservation programs 

22 which promote sustainable development and ensure 

23 effective, long-term conservation of coral reef eco24 systems and biodiversity; 


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1 ‘‘(2) addressing the conflicts arising from the 

2 use of environments near coral reef ecosystems or 

3 from the use of corals, species associated with coral 

4 reef ecosystems, and coral products; 

5 ‘‘(3) enhancing compliance with laws that pro6 hibit or regulate the taking of coral products or spe7 cies associated with coral reef ecosystems or regulate 

8 the use and management of coral reef ecosystems; 

9 ‘‘(4) developing sound scientific information on 

10 the condition of coral reef ecosystems or the threats 

11 to such ecosystems and their biodiversity, including 

12 factors that cause coral disease, ocean acidification, 

13 and bleaching; 

14 ‘‘(5) promoting and assisting the implementa15 tion of cooperative coral reef ecosystem conservation 

16 projects that involve affected local communities, non17 governmental organizations, or others in the private 

18 sector; 

19 ‘‘(6) increasing public knowledge and awareness 

20 of coral reef ecosystems and issues regarding their 

21 long-term conservation, including how they function 

22 to protect coastal communities; 

23 ‘‘(7) mapping the location, distribution, and 

24 biodiversity of coral reef ecosystems; 


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1 ‘‘(8) developing and implementing techniques to 

2 monitor and assess the status and condition of coral 

3 reef ecosystems and biodiversity; 

4 ‘‘(9) developing and implementing cost-effective 

5 methods to restore degraded coral reef ecosystems 

6 and biodiversity; 

7 ‘‘(10) responding to, or taking action to help 

8 mitigate the effects of, coral disease, ocean acidifica9 tion, and bleaching events; 

10 ‘‘(11) promoting activities designed to prevent 

11 or minimize damage to coral reef ecosystems, includ12 ing the promotion of ecologically sound navigation 

13 and anchorages; or 

14 ‘‘(12) promoting and assisting entities to work 

15 with local communities, and all appropriate govern16 mental and nongovernmental organizations, to sup17 port community-based planning and management 

18 initiatives for the protection of coral reef eco19 systems.’’; and 

20 (6) by striking ‘‘coral reefs’’ in subsection (j) 

21 and inserting ‘‘coral reef ecosystems’’. 

22 (b) CONFORMING AMENDMENTS.—Subsections (a), 

23 (b), (d), (e), (f), (h), (i), and (j) of section 204 (16 U.S.C. 

24 6403) are each amended by striking ‘‘Administrator’’ each 

25 place it appears and inserting ‘‘Secretary’’. 


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1 SEC. 6. CORAL REEF CONSERVATION FUND. 

2 Section 205 (16 U.S.C. 6404) is amended— 

3 (1) by striking subsection (a) and inserting the 

4 following: 

5 ‘‘(a) FUND.—The Secretary may enter into agree6 ments with nonprofit organizations promoting coral reef 

7 ecosystem conservation by authorizing such organizations 

8 to receive, hold, and administer funds received pursuant 

9 to this section. Such organizations shall invest, reinvest, 

10 and otherwise administer the funds and maintain such 

11 funds and any interest or revenues earned in a separate 

12 interest-bearing account (referred to in section 219(a) as 

13 the Fund) established by such organizations solely to sup14 port partnerships between the public and private sectors 

15 that further the purposes of this title and are consistent 

16 with the national coral reef ecosystem action strategy 

17 under section 203.’’; 

18 (2) by striking ‘‘the grant program’’ in sub19 section (c) and inserting ‘‘any grant program’’; and 

20 (3) by striking ‘‘Administrator’’ in subsections 

21 (c) and (d) and inserting ‘‘Secretary’’. 

22 SEC. 7. AGREEMENTS; REDESIGNATIONS. 

23 The Act (16 U.S.C. 6401 et seq.) is amended— 

24 (1) by redesignating section 206 (16 U.S.C. 

25 6405) as section 207; 


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1 (2) by redesignating section 207 (16 U.S.C. 

2 6406) as section 208; 

3 (3) by redesignating section 208 (16 U.S.C. 

4 6407) as section 218; 

5 (4) by redesignating section 209 (16 U.S.C. 

6 6408) as section 219; 

7 (5) by redesignating section 210 (16 U.S.C. 

8 6409) as section 221; and 

9 (6) by inserting after section 205 (16 U.S.C. 

10 6404) the following: 

11 ‘‘SEC. 206. AGREEMENTS. 

12 ‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary may execute and 

13 perform such contracts, leases, grants, cooperative agree14 ments, or other transactions as may be necessary to carry 

15 out the purposes of this title. 

16 ‘‘(b) COOPERATIVE AGREEMENTS.—In addition to 

17 the general authority provided by subsection (a), the Sec18 retary may enter into, extend, or renegotiate agreements 

19 with universities and research centers with national or re20 gional coral reef research institutes to conduct ecological 

21 research and monitoring explicitly aimed at building ca22 pacity for more effective resource management. Pursuant 

23 to any such agreements these institutes shall— 


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1 ‘‘(1) collaborate directly with governmental re2 source management agencies, non-profit organiza3 tions, and other research organizations; 

4 ‘‘(2) build capacity within resource management 

5 agencies to establish research priorities, plan inter6 disciplinary research projects, and make effective use 

7 of research results; and 

8 ‘‘(3) conduct public education and awareness 

9 programs for policy makers, resource managers, and 

10 the general public on coral reef ecosystems, best 

11 practices for coral reef and ecosystem management 

12 and conservation, their value, and threats to their 

13 sustainability. 

14 ‘‘(c) USE OF OTHER AGENCIES’ RESOURCES.—For 

15 purposes related to the conservation, preservation, protec16 tion, restoration, or replacement of coral reefs or coral reef 

17 ecosystems and the enforcement of this title, the Secretary 

18 is authorized to use, with their consent and with or with19 out reimbursement, the land, services, equipment, per20 sonnel, and facilities of any Department, agency, or in21 strumentality of the United States, or of any State, local 

22 government, tribal government, Territory or possession, or 

23 of any political subdivision thereof, or of any foreign gov24 ernment or international organization. 

25 ‘‘(d) AUTHORITY TO UTILIZE GRANT FUNDS.— 


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1 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—Except as provided in para2 graph (2), the Secretary may apply for, accept, and 

3 obligate research grant funding from any Federal 

4 source operating competitive grant programs where 

5 such funding furthers the purpose of this title. 

6 ‘‘(2) EXCEPTION.—The Secretary may not 

7 apply for, accept, or obligate any grant funding 

8 under paragraph (1) for which the granting agency 

9 lacks authority to grant funds to Federal agencies, 

10 or for any purpose or subject to conditions that are 

11 prohibited by law or regulation. 

12 ‘‘(3) GRANT FUNDS.—Appropriated funds may 

13 be used to satisfy a requirement to match grant 

14 funds with recipient agency funds, except that no 

15 grant may be accepted that requires a commitment 

16 in advance of appropriations. 

17 ‘‘(4) NOAA ACCOUNT.—Funds received from 

18 grants shall be deposited in the National Oceanic 

19 and Atmospheric Administration account for the 

20 purpose for which the grant was awarded. 

21 ‘‘(e) TRANSFER OF FUNDS.—Under an agreement 

22 entered into pursuant to subsection (a), and subject to the 

23 availability of funds, the Secretary may transfer funds to, 

24 and may accept transfers of funds from, Federal agencies, 

25 instrumentalities and laboratories, State and local governVerDate Mar 15 2010 21:52 May 05, 2014 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00012 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S839.RS S839

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1 ments, Indian tribes (as defined in section 4 of the Indian 

2 Self-Determination and Education Assistance Act (25 

3 U.S.C. 450b)), organizations and associations rep4 resenting Native Americans, native Hawaiians, and Native 

5 Pacific Islanders, educational institutions, nonprofit orga6 nizations, commercial organizations, and other public and 

7 private persons or entities, except that no more than 5 

8 percent of funds appropriated to carry out this section 

9 may be transferred. The 5 percent limitation shall not 

10 apply to section 204 or section 210.’’. 

11 SEC. 8. EMERGENCY ASSISTANCE. 

12 Section 207 (formerly 16 U.S.C. 6405), as redesig13 nated by section 7 of this Act, is amended to read as fol14 lows: 

15 ‘‘SEC. 207. EMERGENCY ASSISTANCE. 

16 ‘‘The Secretary, in cooperation with the Federal 

17 Emergency Management Agency, as appropriate, may pro18 vide assistance to any State, local, or territorial govern19 ment agency with jurisdiction over coral reef ecosystems 

20 to address any unforeseen or disaster-related circumstance 

21 pertaining to coral reef ecosystems.’’. 

22 SEC. 9. NATIONAL PROGRAM. 

23 Section 208 (formerly 16 U.S.C. 6406), as redesig24 nated by section 7 of this Act, is amended to read as fol25 lows: 


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1 ‘‘SEC. 208. NATIONAL PROGRAM. 

2 ‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—Subject to the availability of ap3 propriations, the Secretary may conduct activities, includ4 ing with local, State, regional, or international programs 

5 and partners, as appropriate, to conserve coral reef eco6 systems, that are consistent with this title, the National 

7 Marine Sanctuaries Act, the Coastal Zone Management 

8 Act of 1972, the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation 

9 and Management Act, the Endangered Species Act of 

10 1973, and the Marine Mammal Protection Act of 1972. 

11 ‘‘(b) AUTHORIZED ACTIVITIES.—Activities author12 ized under subsection (a) include— 

13 ‘‘(1) mapping, monitoring, assessment, restora14 tion, socioeconomic and scientific research that ben15 efit the understanding, sustainable use, biodiversity, 

16 and long-term conservation of coral reef ecosystems; 

17 ‘‘(2) enhancing public awareness, education, un18 derstanding, and appreciation of coral reef eco19 systems; 

20 ‘‘(3) removing, and providing assistance to 

21 States in removing, abandoned fishing gear, marine 

22 debris, and abandoned vessels from coral reef eco23 systems to conserve living marine resources; 

24 ‘‘(4) responding to incidents and events that 

25 threaten and damage coral reef ecosystems; 


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1 ‘‘(5) conservation and management of coral reef 

2 ecosystems; 

3 ‘‘(6) centrally archiving, managing, and distrib4 uting data sets and providing coral reef ecosystem 

5 assessments and services to the general public with 

6 local, regional, or international programs and part7 ners; and 

8 ‘‘(7) activities designed to prevent or minimize 

9 damage to coral reef ecosystems, including those ac10 tivities described in section 212(b)(2) of this title. 

11 ‘‘(c) DATA ARCHIVE, ACCESS, AND AVAILABILITY.— 

12 The Secretary, in coordination with similar efforts at other 

13 Departments and agencies shall provide for the long-term 

14 stewardship of environmental data, products, and informa15 tion via data processing, storage, and archive facilities 

16 pursuant to this title. The Secretary may— 

17 ‘‘(1) archive environmental data collected by 

18 Federal, State, local agencies, and tribal organiza19 tions and federally funded research; 

20 ‘‘(2) promote widespread availability and dis21 semination of environmental data and information 

22 through full and open access and exchange to the 

23 greatest extent possible, including in electronic for24 mat on the Internet; 


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1 ‘‘(3) develop standards, protocols, and proce2 dures for sharing Federal data with State and local 

3 government programs and the private sector or aca4 demia; and 

5 ‘‘(4) develop metadata standards for coral reef 

6 ecosystems in accordance with Federal Geographic 

7 Data Committee guidelines. 

8 ‘‘(d) EMERGENCY RESPONSE, STABILIZATION, AND

9 RESTORATION.— 

10 ‘‘(1) ESTABLISHMENT OF ACCOUNT.—The Sec11 retary shall establish an account (to be called the 

12 Emergency Response, Stabilization, and Restoration 

13 Account) in the Damage Assessment Restoration 

14 Revolving Fund established by the Department of 

15 Commerce Appropriations Act, 1991 (33 U.S.C. 

16 2706 note), for implementation of this subsection for 

17 emergency actions. Amounts appropriated for the 

18 Account under section 219, and funds authorized by 

19 sections 213(d)(1)(C)(ii) and 214(f)(3)(B), shall be 

20 deposited into the Account and made available for 

21 use by the Secretary as specified in sections 213 and 

22 214. 

23 ‘‘(2) DEPOSIT AND INVESTMENT OF CERTAIN

24 FUNDS.—Any amounts received by the United 

25 States pursuant to sections 213(d)(1)(C)(ii) and 


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1 214(f)(3)(B) shall be deposited into the Emergency 

2 Response, Stabilization, and Restoration Account es3 tablished under paragraph (1). The Secretary of 

4 Commerce may request the Secretary of the Treas5 ury to invest such portion of the Damage Assess6 ment Restoration Revolving Fund as is not, in the 

7 judgment of the Secretary of Commerce, required to 

8 meet the current needs of the fund. Such invest9 ments shall be made by the Secretary of the Treas10 ury in public debt securities, with maturities suitable 

11 to the needs of the fund, as determined by the Sec12 retary of Commerce and bearing interest at rates de13 termined by the Secretary of the Treasury, taking 

14 into consideration current market yields on out15 standing marketable obligations of the United States 

16 of comparable maturity. Interest earned by such in17 vestments shall be available for use by the Secretary 

18 of Commerce without further appropriation and re19 main available until expended.’’. 

20 SEC. 10. STUDY OF TRADE IN CORALS. 

21 (a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary of Commerce, in 

22 consultation with the Secretary of the Interior, shall con23 duct a study on the economic, social, and environmental 

24 values and impacts of the United States market in corals 

25 and coral products. 


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1 (b) CONTENTS.—The study shall— 

2 (1) assess the economic and other values of the 

3 United States market in coral and coral products, 

4 including import and export trade; 

5 (2) identify primary coral species used in the 

6 coral and coral product trade and locations of wild 

7 harvest; 

8 (3) assess the environmental impacts associated 

9 with wild harvest of coral; 

10 (4) assess the effectiveness of current public 

11 and private programs aimed at promoting conserva12 tion in the coral and coral product trade; 

13 (5) identify economic and other incentives for 

14 coral reef conservation as part of the coral and coral 

15 product trade; and 

16 (6) identify additional actions, if necessary, to 

17 ensure that the United States market in coral and 

18 coral products does not contribute to the degrada19 tion of coral reef ecosystems. 

20 (c) REPORT.—Not later than 30 months after the 

21 date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall submit 

22 to the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and 

23 Transportation and the House of Representatives Com24 mittee on Natural Resources a report of the study. 


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1 (d) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There is 

2 authorized to be appropriated to the Secretary to carry 

3 out this section $100,000 for fiscal year 2014. 

4 SEC. 11. INTERNATIONAL CORAL REEF CONSERVATION AC5 TIVITIES. 

6 The Act (16 U.S.C. 6401 et seq.) is amended by in7 serting after section 208, as redesignated by section 7 of 

8 this Act, the following: 

9 ‘‘SEC. 209. INTERNATIONAL CORAL REEF CONSERVATION 

10 ACTIVITIES. 

11 ‘‘(a) INTERNATIONAL CORAL REEF CONSERVATION

12 ACTIVITIES.— 

13 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall carry 

14 out international coral reef conservation activities 

15 consistent with the purposes of this title with respect 

16 to coral reef ecosystems in waters outside the United 

17 States jurisdiction. The Secretary shall develop and 

18 implement an international coral reef ecosystem 

19 strategy pursuant to subsection (b). 

20 ‘‘(2) COORDINATION.—In carrying out this sub21 section, the Secretary shall consult with the Sec22 retary of State, the Administrator of the Agency for 

23 International Development, the Secretary of the In24 terior, and other relevant Federal agencies, and rel25 evant United States stakeholders, and shall take into 


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1 account coral reef ecosystem conservation initiatives 

2 of other nations, international agreements, and 

3 intergovernmental and nongovernmental organiza4 tions so as to provide effective cooperation and effi5 ciencies in international coral reef conservation. The 

6 Secretary may consult with the Coral Reef Task 

7 Force in carrying out this subsection. 

8 ‘‘(b) INTERNATIONAL CORAL REEF ECOSYSTEM

9 STRATEGY.— 

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

11 the date of enactment of the Coral Reef Conserva12 tion Amendments Act of 2013, the Secretary shall 

13 submit to the Senate Committee on Commerce, 

14 Science, and Transportation and the House of Rep15 resentatives Committee on Natural Resources, and 

16 publish in the Federal Register, an international 

17 coral reef ecosystem strategy, consistent with the 

18 purposes of this title and the strategy required 

19 under section 203(a). The Secretary shall periodi20 cally review and revise this strategy as necessary. 

21 ‘‘(2) CONTENTS.—The strategy developed by 

22 the Secretary under paragraph (1) shall— 

23 ‘‘(A) identify coral reef ecosystems 

24 throughout the world that are of high value for 

25 United States marine resources, that support 


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1 high-seas resources of importance to the United 

2 States such as fisheries, or that support other 

3 interests of the United States; 

4 ‘‘(B) summarize existing activities by Fed5 eral agencies and entities described in sub6 section (a)(2) to address the conservation of 

7 coral reef ecosystems identified pursuant to 

8 subparagraph (A); 

9 ‘‘(C) establish goals, objectives, and spe10 cific targets for conservation of priority inter11 national coral reef ecosystems; 

12 ‘‘(D) describe appropriate activities to 

13 achieve the goals and targets for international 

14 coral reef conservation, in particular those that 

15 leverage activities already conducted under this 

16 title; 

17 ‘‘(E) develop a plan to coordinate imple18 mentation of the strategy with entities de19 scribed in subsection (a)(2) in order to leverage 

20 current activities under this title and other con21 servation efforts globally; 

22 ‘‘(F) identify appropriate partnerships, 

23 grants, or other funding and technical assist24 ance mechanisms to carry out the strategy; and 


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1 ‘‘(G) develop criteria for prioritizing part2 nerships under subsection (c). 

3 ‘‘(c) INTERNATIONAL CORAL REEF ECOSYSTEM

4 PARTNERSHIPS.— 

5 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall estab6 lish an international coral reef ecosystem partner7 ship program to provide support, including funding 

8 and technical assistance, for activities that imple9 ment the strategy developed pursuant to subsection 

10 (b). 

11 ‘‘(2) MECHANISMS.—The Secretary shall pro12 vide such support through existing authorities, work13 ing in collaboration with the entities described in 

14 subsection (a)(2). 

15 ‘‘(3) AGREEMENTS.—The Secretary may exe16 cute and perform such contracts, leases, grants, co17 operative agreements, or other transactions as may 

18 be necessary to carry out the purposes of this sec19 tion. 

20 ‘‘(4) TRANSFER OF FUNDS.—To implement this 

21 section and subject to the availability of funds, the 

22 Secretary may transfer funds to a foreign govern23 ment or international organization, and may accept 

24 transfers of funds from such entities, except that no 


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1 more than 5 percent of funds appropriated to carry 

2 out this section may be transferred. 

3 ‘‘(5) CRITERIA FOR APPROVAL.—The Secretary 

4 may not approve a partnership proposal under this 

5 section unless the partnership is consistent with the 

6 international coral reef ecosystem strategy developed 

7 pursuant to subsection (b), and meets the criteria 

8 specified in that strategy.’’. 

9 SEC. 12. COMMUNITY-BASED PLANNING GRANTS. 

10 The Act (16 U.S.C. 6401 et seq.) is amended by in11 serting after section 209, as added by section 11 of this 

12 Act, the following: 

13 ‘‘SEC. 210. COMMUNITY-BASED PLANNING GRANTS. 

14 ‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary may make grants 

15 to entities that have received grants under section 204 to 

16 provide additional funds to such entities to work with local 

17 communities and through appropriate Federal and State 

18 entities to prepare and implement plans for the increased 

19 protection of coral reef areas identified by the community 

20 and scientific experts as high priorities for focused atten21 tion. The plans shall— 

22 ‘‘(1) support attainment of one or more of the 

23 criteria described in section 204(g); 

24 ‘‘(2) be developed at the community level; 

25 ‘‘(3) utilize watershed-based approaches; 


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1 ‘‘(4) provide for coordination with Federal and 

2 State experts and managers; and 

3 ‘‘(5) build upon local approaches, strategies, or 

4 models, including traditional or island-based re5 source management concepts. 

6 ‘‘(b) TERMS AND CONDITIONS.—The provisions of 

7 subsections (b), (d), (f), and (h) of section 204 apply to 

8 grants under subsection (a), except that, for the purpose 

9 of applying section 204(b)(1) to grants under this section, 

10 ‘75 percent’ shall be substituted for ‘50 percent’.’’. 

11 SEC. 13. VESSEL GROUNDING INVENTORY. 

12 The Act (16 U.S.C. 6401 et seq.) is amended by in13 serting after section 210, as added by section 12 of this 

14 Act, the following: 

15 ‘‘SEC. 211. VESSEL GROUNDING INVENTORY. 

16 ‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary may maintain an 

17 inventory of all vessel grounding incidents involving coral 

18 reefs, including a description of— 

19 ‘‘(1) the impacts to affected coral reef eco20 systems; 

21 ‘‘(2) vessel and ownership information, if avail22 able; 

23 ‘‘(3) the estimated cost of removal, mitigation, 

24 or restoration; 


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1 ‘‘(4) the response action taken by the owner, 

2 the Secretary, the Commandant of the Coast Guard, 

3 or other Federal or State agency representatives; 

4 ‘‘(5) the status of the response action, including 

5 the dates of vessel removal and mitigation or res6 toration and any actions taken to prevent future 

7 grounding incidents; and 

8 ‘‘(6) recommendations for additional naviga9 tional aids or other mechanisms for preventing fu10 ture grounding incidents. 

11 ‘‘(b) IDENTIFICATION OF AT-RISK REEFS.—The Sec12 retary may— 

13 ‘‘(1) use information from any inventory main14 tained under subsection (a) or any other available 

15 information source to identify coral reef ecosystems 

16 that have a high incidence of vessel impacts, includ17 ing groundings and anchor damage; 

18 ‘‘(2) identify appropriate measures, including 

19 the acquisition and placement of aids to navigation, 

20 moorings, designated anchorage areas, fixed anchors, 

21 and other devices, to reduce the likelihood of such 

22 impacts; and 

23 ‘‘(3) develop a strategy and timetable to imple24 ment such measures, including cooperative actions 


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1 with other government agencies and non-govern2 mental partners.’’. 

3 SEC. 14. PROHIBITED ACTIVITIES. 

4 (a) IN GENERAL.—The Act (16 U.S.C. 6401 et seq.) 

5 is amended by inserting after section 211, as added by 

6 section 13 of this Act, the following: 

7 ‘‘SEC. 212. PROHIBITED ACTIVITIES AND SCOPE OF PROHI8 BITIONS. 

9 ‘‘(a) PROVISIONS AS COMPLEMENTARY.—The provi10 sions of this section are in addition to, and shall not affect 

11 the operation of, other Federal, State, or local laws or reg12 ulations providing protection to coral reef ecosystems. 

13 ‘‘(b) DESTRUCTION, LOSS, TAKING, OR INJURY.— 

14 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—Except as provided in para15 graph (2), it is unlawful for any person to destroy, 

16 take, cause the loss of, or injure any coral reef or 

17 any component thereof. 

18 ‘‘(2) EXCEPTIONS.—The destruction, loss, tak19 ing, or injury of a coral reef or any component 

20 thereof is not unlawful if it— 

21 ‘‘(A) was caused by the use of fishing gear 

22 used in a manner permitted under the Magnu23 son-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Manage24 ment Act (16 U.S.C. 1801 et seq.) or other 

25 Federal or State law; 


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1 ‘‘(B) was caused by an activity that is au2 thorized or allowed by Federal or State law (in3 cluding lawful discharges from vessels, such as 

4 graywater, cooling water, engine exhaust, bal5 last water, or sewage from marine sanitation 

6 devices), unless the destruction, loss, or injury 

7 resulted from actions such as vessel groundings, 

8 vessel scrapings, anchor damage, excavation not 

9 authorized by Federal or State permit, or other 

10 similar activities; 

11 ‘‘(C) was the necessary result of bona fide 

12 marine scientific research (including marine sci13 entific research activities approved by Federal, 

14 State, or local permits), other than excessive 

15 sampling or collecting, or actions such as vessel 

16 groundings, vessel scrapings, anchor damage, 

17 excavation, or other similar activities; 

18 ‘‘(D) was caused by a Federal Government 

19 agency— 

20 ‘‘(i) during— 

21 ‘‘(I) an emergency that posed an 

22 unacceptable threat to human health 

23 or safety or to the marine environ24 ment; 


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1 ‘‘(II) an emergency that posed a 

2 threat to national security; or 

3 ‘‘(III) an activity necessary for 

4 law enforcement or search and rescue; 

5 and 

6 ‘‘(ii) could not reasonably be avoided; 

7 or 

8 ‘‘(E) was caused by an action taken by the 

9 master of the vessel in an emergency situation 

10 to ensure the safety of the vessel or to save a 

11 life at sea. 

12 ‘‘(c) INTERFERENCE WITH ENFORCEMENT.—It is 

13 unlawful for any person to interfere with the enforcement 

14 of this title by— 

15 ‘‘(1) refusing to permit any officer authorized 

16 to enforce this title to board a vessel (other than a 

17 vessel operated by the Department of Defense or 

18 United States Coast Guard) subject to such person’s 

19 control for the purposes of conducting any search or 

20 inspection in connection with the enforcement of this 

21 title; 

22 ‘‘(2) resisting, opposing, impeding, intimidating, 

23 harassing, bribing, interfering with, or forcibly as24 saulting any person authorized by the Secretary to 

25 implement this title or any such authorized officer in 


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1 the conduct of any search or inspection performed 

2 under this title; or 

3 ‘‘(3) submitting false information to the Sec4 retary or any officer authorized to enforce this title 

5 in connection with any search or inspection con6 ducted under this title. 

7 ‘‘(d) VIOLATIONS OF TITLE, PERMIT, OR REGULA8 TION.—It is unlawful for any person to violate any provi9 sion of this title, any permit issued pursuant to this title, 

10 or any regulation promulgated pursuant to this title. 

11 ‘‘(e) POSSESSION AND DISTRIBUTION.—It is unlaw12 ful for any person to possess, sell, deliver, carry, transport, 

13 or ship by any means any coral taken in violation of this 

14 title.’’. 

15 (b) EMERGENCY ACTION REGULATIONS.—The Sec16 retary of Commerce shall initiate a rulemaking proceeding 

17 to prescribe the circumstances and conditions under which 

18 the exception in section 212(b)(2)(E) of the Coral Reef 

19 Conservation Act of 2000, as amended by subsection (a), 

20 applies and shall issue a final rule pursuant to that rule21 making as soon as practicable but not later than 1 year 

22 after the date of enactment of this Act. Nothing in this 

23 subsection shall be construed to require the issuance of 

24 such regulations before the exception provided by that sec25 tion is in effect. 


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1 SEC. 15. DESTRUCTION OF CORAL REEFS. 

2 The Act (16 U.S.C. 6401 et seq.) is amended by in3 serting after section 212, as added by section 14 of this 

4 Act, the following: 

5 ‘‘SEC. 213. DESTRUCTION, LOSS, OR TAKING OF, OR INJURY 

6 TO, CORAL REEFS. 

7 ‘‘(a) LIABILITY.— 

8 ‘‘(1) LIABILITY TO THE UNITED STATES.—Ex9 cept as provided in subsection (f), all persons who 

10 engage in an activity that is prohibited under sub11 sections (b) or (d) of section 212, or create an immi12 nent risk thereof, are liable, jointly and severally, to 

13 the United States for an amount equal to the sum 

14 of— 

15 ‘‘(A) response costs and damages resulting 

16 from the destruction, loss, taking, or injury, or 

17 imminent risk thereof, including damages re18 sulting from the response actions; 

19 ‘‘(B) costs of seizure, forfeiture, storage, 

20 and disposal arising from liability under this 

21 section; and 

22 ‘‘(C) interest on that amount calculated in 

23 the manner described in section 1005 of the Oil 

24 Pollution Act of 1990 (33 U.S.C. 2705). 

25 ‘‘(2) LIABILITY IN REM.— 


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1 ‘‘(A) Any vessel used in an activity that is 

2 prohibited under subsection (b) or (d) of section 

3 212, or creates an imminent risk thereof, shall 

4 be liable in rem to the United States for an 

5 amount equal to the sum of— 

6 ‘‘(i) response costs and damages re7 sulting from such destruction, loss, taking, 

8 or injury, or imminent risk thereof, includ9 ing damages resulting from the response 

10 actions; 

11 ‘‘(ii) costs of seizure, forfeiture, stor12 age, and disposal arising from liability 

13 under this section; and 

14 ‘‘(iii) interest on that amount cal15 culated in the manner described in section 

16 1005 of the Oil Pollution Act of 1990 (33 

17 U.S.C. 2705). 

18 ‘‘(B) The amount of liability shall con19 stitute a maritime lien on the vessel and may 

20 be recovered in an action in rem in any district 

21 court of the United States that has jurisdiction 

22 over the vessel. 

23 ‘‘(3) DEFENSES.—A person or vessel is not lia24 ble under this subsection if that person or vessel es25 tablishes that the destruction, loss, taking, or injury 


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1 was caused solely by an act of God, an act of war, 

2 or an act or omission of a third party (other than 

3 an employee or agent of the defendant or one whose 

4 act or omission occurs in connection with a contrac5 tual relationship, existing directly or indirectly with 

6 the defendant), and the person or master of the ves7 sel acted with due care. 

8 ‘‘(4) NO LIMIT TO LIABILITY.—Nothing in sec9 tions 30501 through 30512 or section 30706 of title 

10 46, United States Code, shall limit liability to any 

11 person under this title. 

12 ‘‘(b) RESPONSE ACTIONS AND DAMAGE ASSESS13 MENT.— 

14 ‘‘(1) RESPONSE ACTIONS.—The Secretary may 

15 undertake or authorize all necessary actions to pre16 vent or minimize the destruction, loss, or taking of, 

17 or injury to, coral reefs, or components thereof, or 

18 to minimize the risk or imminent risk of such de19 struction, loss, taking, or injury. 

20 ‘‘(2) DAMAGE ASSESSMENT.— 

21 ‘‘(A) The Secretary shall assess damages 

22 (as defined in section 221(8)) to coral reefs and 

23 shall consult with State officials regarding re24 sponse and damage assessment actions under25 taken for coral reefs within State waters. 


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1 ‘‘(B) There shall be no double recovery 

2 under this chapter for coral reef damages, in3 cluding the cost of damage assessment, for the 

4 same incident. 

5 ‘‘(c) COMMENCEMENT OF CIVIL ACTION FOR RE6 SPONSE COSTS AND DAMAGES.— 

7 ‘‘(1) COMMENCEMENT.—The Attorney General, 

8 upon the request of the Secretary, may commence a 

9 civil action against any person or vessel that may be 

10 liable under subsection (a) of this section for re11 sponse costs, seizure, forfeiture, storage, or disposal 

12 costs, and damages, and interest on that amount 

13 calculated in the manner described in section 1005 

14 of the Oil Pollution Act of 1990 (33 U.S.C. 2705). 

15 The Secretary, acting as trustee for coral reefs for 

16 the United States, shall submit a request for such 

17 an action to the Attorney General whenever a person 

18 or vessel may be liable for such costs or damages. 

19 ‘‘(2) VENUE IN CIVIL ACTIONS.—A civil action 

20 under this title may be brought in the United States 

21 district court for any district in which— 

22 ‘‘(A) the defendant is located, resides, or is 

23 doing business, in the case of an action against 

24 a person; 


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1 ‘‘(B) the vessel is located, in the case of an 

2 action against a vessel; 

3 ‘‘(C) the destruction, loss, or taking of, or 

4 injury to a coral reef, or component thereof, oc5 curred or in which there is an imminent risk of 

6 such destruction, loss, taking, or injury; or 

7 ‘‘(D) where some or all of the coral reef or 

8 component thereof that is the subject of the ac9 tion is not within the territory covered by any 

10 United States district court, such action may be 

11 brought either in the United States district 

12 court for the district closest to the location 

13 where the destruction, loss, taking, injury, or 

14 risk of injury occurred, or in the United States 

15 District Court for the District of Columbia. 

16 ‘‘(d) USE OF RECOVERED AMOUNTS.— 

17 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—Any costs, including re18 sponse costs and damages recovered by the Sec19 retary under this section shall— 

20 ‘‘(A) be deposited into an account or ac21 counts in the Damage Assessment Restoration 

22 Revolving Fund established by the Department 

23 of Commerce Appropriations Act, 1991 (33 

24 U.S.C. 2706 note), or the Natural Resource 

25 Damage Assessment and Restoration Fund esVerDate Mar 15 2010 21:52 May 05, 2014 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00034 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S839.RS S839

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1 tablished by the Department of the Interior and 

2 Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 1992 (43 

3 U.S.C. 1474b), as appropriate given the loca4 tion of the violation; 

5 ‘‘(B) be available for use by the Secretary 

6 without further appropriation and remain avail7 able until expended; and 

8 ‘‘(C) be for use, as the Secretary considers 

9 appropriate— 

10 ‘‘(i) to reimburse the Secretary or any 

11 other Federal or State agency that con12 ducted activities under subsection (a) or 

13 (b) of this section for costs incurred in 

14 conducting the activity; 

15 ‘‘(ii) to be transferred to the Emer16 gency Response, Stabilization, and Res17 toration Account established under section 

18 208(d) to reimburse that account for 

19 amounts used for authorized emergency ac20 tions; and 

21 ‘‘(iii) after reimbursement of such 

22 costs, to restore, replace, or acquire the 

23 equivalent of any coral reefs, or compo24 nents thereof, including the reasonable 

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1 vent threats of equivalent injury to, or de2 struction of coral reefs, or components 

3 thereof. 

4 ‘‘(2) RESTORATION CONSIDERATIONS.—In de5 velopment of restoration alternatives under para6 graph (1)(C), the Secretary shall consider State and 

7 territorial preferences and, if appropriate, shall 

8 prioritize restoration projects with geographic and 

9 ecological linkages to the injured resources. 

10 ‘‘(e) STATUTE OF LIMITATIONS.—An action for re11 sponse costs or damages under subsection (c) shall be 

12 barred unless the complaint is filed not later than 3 years 

13 after the date on which the Secretary completes a damage 

14 assessment and restoration plan for the coral reefs, or 

15 components thereof, to which the action relates. 

16 ‘‘(f) FEDERAL GOVERNMENT ACTIVITIES.—In the 

17 event of threatened or actual destruction of, loss of, taking 

18 of, or injury to a coral reef or component thereof resulting 

19 from an incident caused by a component of any Depart20 ment or agency of the United States Government, the cog21 nizant Department or agency shall satisfy its obligations 

22 under this section by promptly, in coordination with the 

23 Secretary, taking appropriate actions to respond to and 

24 mitigate the harm and restoring or replacing the coral reef 


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1 or components thereof and reimbursing the Secretary for 

2 all assessment costs. 

3 ‘‘(g) UNIFORMED SERVICE OFFICERS AND EMPLOY4 EES.—No officer or employee of a uniformed service (as 

5 defined in section 101 of title 10, United States Code) 

6 shall be held liable under this section, either in such offi7 cer’s or employee’s personal or official capacity, for any 

8 violation of section 212 occurring during the performance 

9 of the officer’s or employee’s official governmental duties. 

10 ‘‘(h) CONTRACT EMPLOYEES.—No contract employee 

11 of a uniformed service (as defined in section 101 of title 

12 10, United States Code), serving as vessel master or crew 

13 member, shall be liable under this section for any violation 

14 of section 212 if that contract employee— 

15 ‘‘(1) is acting as a contract employee of a uni16 formed service under the terms of an operating con17 tract for a vessel owned by a uniformed service, or 

18 a time charter for pre-positioned vessels, special mis19 sion vessels, or vessels exclusively transporting mili20 tary supplies and materials; and 

21 ‘‘(2) is engaged in an action or actions over 

22 which such employee has been given no discretion 

23 (such as, anchoring or mooring at one or more des24 ignated anchorages or buoys, or executing specific 

25 operational elements of a special mission activity), as 


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1 determined by the uniformed service controlling the 

2 contract.’’. 

3 SEC. 16. ENFORCEMENT. 

4 The Act (16 U.S.C. 6401 et seq.) is amended by in5 serting after section 213, as added by section 15 of this 

6 Act, the following: 

7 ‘‘SEC. 214. ENFORCEMENT. 

8 ‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall conduct en9 forcement activities to carry out this title. 

10 ‘‘(b) POWERS OF AUTHORIZED OFFICERS.— 

11 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—Any person who is author12 ized to enforce this title may— 

13 ‘‘(A) board, search, inspect, and seize any 

14 vessel or other conveyance suspected of being 

15 used to violate this title, any regulation promul16 gated under this title, or any permit issued 

17 under this title, and any equipment, stores, and 

18 cargo of such vessel, except that such authority 

19 shall not exist with respect to vessels owned or 

20 time chartered by a uniformed service (as de21 fined in section 101 of title 10, United States 

22 Code) as warships or naval auxiliaries; 

23 ‘‘(B) seize wherever found any component 

24 of coral reef taken or retained in violation of 


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1 this title, any regulation promulgated under 

2 this title, or any permit issued under this title; 

3 ‘‘(C) seize any evidence of a violation of 

4 this title, any regulation promulgated under 

5 this title, or any permit issued under this title; 

6 ‘‘(D) execute any warrant or other process 

7 issued by any court of competent jurisdiction; 

8 ‘‘(E) exercise any other lawful authority; 

9 and 

10 ‘‘(F) arrest any person, if there is reason11 able cause to believe that such person has com12 mitted an act prohibited by section 212. 

13 ‘‘(2) NAVAL AUXILIARY DEFINED.—In this sub14 section, the term ‘naval auxiliary’ means a vessel, 

15 other than a warship, that is owned by or under the 

16 exclusive control of a uniformed service and used at 

17 the time of the destruction, taking, loss or injury for 

18 government, non-commercial service, including com19 bat logistics force vessels, pre-positioned vessels, spe20 cial mission vessels, or vessels exclusively used to 

21 transport military supplies and materials. 

22 ‘‘(c) CIVIL ENFORCEMENT AND PERMIT SANC23 TIONS.— 

24 ‘‘(1) CIVIL ADMINISTRATIVE PENALTY.—Any 

25 person subject to the jurisdiction of the United 


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1 States who violates this title or any regulation pro2 mulgated or permit issued hereunder, shall be liable 

3 to the United States for a civil administrative pen4 alty of not more than $200,000 for each such viola5 tion, to be assessed by the Secretary. Each day of 

6 a continuing violation shall constitute a separate vio7 lation. In determining the amount of civil adminis8 trative penalty, the Secretary shall take into account 

9 the nature, circumstances, extent, and gravity of the 

10 prohibited acts committed and, with respect to the 

11 violator, the degree of culpability, and any history of 

12 prior violations, and such other matters as justice 

13 may require. In assessing such penalty, the Sec14 retary may also consider information related to the 

15 ability of the violator to pay. 

16 ‘‘(2) PERMIT SANCTIONS.—For any person sub17 ject to the jurisdiction of the United States who has 

18 been issued or has applied for a permit under this 

19 title, and who violates this title or any regulation or 

20 permit issued under this title, the Secretary may 

21 deny, suspend, amend, or revoke in whole or in part 

22 any such permit. For any person who has failed to 

23 pay or defaulted on a payment agreement of any 

24 civil penalty or criminal fine or liability assessed 

25 pursuant to any natural resource law administered 


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1 by the Secretary, the Secretary may deny, suspend, 

2 amend or revoke in whole or in part any permit 

3 issued or applied for under this title. 

4 ‘‘(3) IMPOSITION OF CIVIL JUDICIAL PEN5 ALTIES.—Any person who violates any provision of 

6 this title, any regulation promulgated or permit 

7 issued thereunder, shall be subject to a civil judicial 

8 penalty not to exceed $250,000 for each such viola9 tion. Each day of a continuing violation shall con10 stitute a separate violation. The Attorney General, 

11 upon the request of the Secretary, may commence a 

12 civil action in an appropriate district court of the 

13 United States, and such court shall have jurisdiction 

14 to award civil penalties and such other relief as jus15 tice may require. In determining the amount of a 

16 civil penalty, the court shall take into account the 

17 nature, circumstances, extent, and gravity of the 

18 prohibited acts committed and, with respect to the 

19 violator, the degree of culpability, any history of 

20 prior violations, and such other matters as justice 

21 may require. In imposing such penalty, the district 

22 court may also consider information related to the 

23 ability of the violator to pay. 

24 ‘‘(4) NOTICE.—No penalty or permit sanction 

25 shall be assessed under this subsection until after 


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1 the person charged has been given notice and an op2 portunity for a hearing. 

3 ‘‘(5) IN REM JURISDICTION.—A vessel used in 

4 violating this title, any regulation promulgated under 

5 this title, or any permit issued under this title, shall 

6 be liable in rem for any civil penalty assessed for 

7 such violation. Such penalty shall constitute a mari8 time lien on the vessel and may be recovered in an 

9 action in rem in the district court of the United 

10 States having jurisdiction over the vessel. 

11 ‘‘(6) COLLECTION OF PENALTIES.—If any per12 son fails to pay an assessment of a civil penalty 

13 under this section after it has become a final and 

14 unappealable order, or after the appropriate court 

15 has entered final judgment in favor of the Secretary, 

16 the Secretary shall refer the matter to the Attorney 

17 General, who shall recover the amount assessed in 

18 any appropriate district court of the United States 

19 (plus interest at current prevailing rates from the 

20 date of the final order). In such action, the validity 

21 and appropriateness of the final order imposing the 

22 civil penalty shall not be subject to review. Any per23 son who fails to pay, on a timely basis, the amount 

24 of an assessment of a civil penalty shall be required 

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1 torney’s fees and costs for collection proceedings and 

2 a quarterly nonpayment penalty for each quarter 

3 during which such failure to pay persists. Such non4 payment penalty shall be in an amount equal to 20 

5 percent of the aggregate amount of such person’s 

6 penalties and nonpayment penalties that are unpaid 

7 as of the beginning of such quarter. 

8 ‘‘(7) COMPROMISE OR OTHER ACTION BY SEC9 RETARY.—The Secretary may compromise, modify, 

10 or remit, with or without conditions, any civil admin11 istrative penalty or permit sanction which is or may 

12 be imposed under this section and that has not been 

13 referred to the Attorney General for further enforce14 ment action. 

15 ‘‘(8) JURISDICTION.—The several district 

16 courts of the United States shall have jurisdiction 

17 over any actions brought by the United States aris18 ing under this section. For the purpose of this sec19 tion, American Samoa shall be included within the 

20 judicial district of the District Court of the United 

21 States for the District of Hawaii. Each violation 

22 shall be a separate offense and the offense shall be 

23 deemed to have been committed not only in the dis24 trict where the violation first occurred, but also in 

25 any other district as authorized by law. 


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1 ‘‘(d) FORFEITURE.— 

2 ‘‘(1) CRIMINAL FORFEITURE.— 

3 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—A person who is con4 victed of an offense in violation of this title 

5 shall forfeit to the United States— 

6 ‘‘(i) any property, real or personal, 

7 constituting or traceable to the gross pro8 ceeds taken, obtained, or retained, in con9 nection with or as a result of the offense, 

10 including, without limitation, any coral reef 

11 or coral reef component (or the fair market 

12 value thereof); and 

13 ‘‘(ii) any property, real or personal, 

14 used or intended to be used, in any man15 ner, to commit or facilitate the commission 

16 of the offense, including, without limita17 tion, any vessel (including the vessel’s 

18 equipment, stores, catch and cargo), vehi19 cle, aircraft, or other means of transpor20 tation. 

21 ‘‘(B) APPLICABLE PROVISIONS.—Pursuant 

22 to section 2461(c) of title 28, United States 

23 Code, the provisions of section 413 of the Con24 trolled Substances Act (21 U.S.C. 853) other 


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1 than subsection (d) thereof shall apply to crimi2 nal forfeitures under this section. 

3 ‘‘(2) CIVIL FORFEITURE.—The property set 

4 forth below shall be subject to forfeiture to the 

5 United States in accordance with the provisions of 

6 chapter 46 of title 18, United States Code, and no 

7 property right shall exist in it: 

8 ‘‘(A) Any property, real or personal, con9 stituting or traceable to the gross proceeds 

10 taken, obtained, or retained, in connection with 

11 or as a result of a violation of this title, includ12 ing, without limitation, any coral reef or coral 

13 reef component (or the fair market value there14 of). 

15 ‘‘(B) Any property, real or personal, used 

16 or intended to be used, in any manner, to com17 mit or facilitate the commission of a violation of 

18 this title, including, without limitation, any ves19 sel (including the vessel’s equipment, stores, 

20 catch and cargo), vehicle, aircraft, or other 

21 means of transportation. 

22 ‘‘(3) APPLICATION OF THE CUSTOMS LAWS.— 

23 All provisions of law relating to seizure, summary 

24 judgment, and judicial forfeiture and condemnation 

25 for violation of the customs laws, the disposition of 


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1 the property forfeited or condemned or the proceeds 

2 from the sale thereof, the remission or mitigation of 

3 such forfeitures, and the compromise of claims shall 

4 apply to seizures and forfeitures incurred, or alleged 

5 to have been incurred, under the provisions of this 

6 title, insofar as applicable and not inconsistent with 

7 the provisions hereof. For seizures and forfeitures of 

8 property under this section by the Secretary, such 

9 duties as are imposed upon the customs officer or 

10 any other person with respect to the seizure and for11 feiture of property under the customs law may be 

12 performed by such officers as are designated by the 

13 Secretary or, upon request of the Secretary, by any 

14 other agency that has authority to manage and dis15 pose of seized property. 

16 ‘‘(4) PRESUMPTION.—For the purposes of this 

17 section there is a rebuttable presumption that all 

18 coral reefs, or components thereof, found on board 

19 a vessel that is used or seized in connection with a 

20 violation of this title or of any regulation promul21 gated under this title were taken, obtained, or re22 tained in violation of this title or of a regulation pro23 mulgated under this title. 

24 ‘‘(e) PAYMENT OF STORAGE, CARE, AND OTHER

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1 tion of this title or of any regulation promulgated under 

2 this title and any claimant in a forfeiture action brought 

3 for such a violation, shall be liable for the reasonable costs 

4 incurred by the Secretary in storage, care, and mainte5 nance of any property seized in connection with the viola6 tion. 

7 ‘‘(f) EXPENDITURES.— 

8 ‘‘(1) Notwithstanding section 3302 of title 31, 

9 United States Code, or section 311 of the Magnu10 son-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management 

11 Act (16 U.S.C. 1861), amounts received by the 

12 United States as civil penalties under subsection (c) 

13 of this section, forfeitures of property under sub14 section (d) of this section, and costs imposed under 

15 subsection (e) of this section, shall— 

16 ‘‘(A) be placed into an account; 

17 ‘‘(B) be available for use by the Secretary 

18 without further appropriation; and 

19 ‘‘(C) remain available until expended. 

20 ‘‘(2) Amounts received under this section for 

21 forfeitures under subsection (d) and costs imposed 

22 under subsection (e) shall be used to pay the reason23 able and necessary costs incurred by the Secretary 

24 to provide temporary storage, care, maintenance, 

25 and disposal of any property seized in connection 


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1 with a violation of this title or any regulation pro2 mulgated under this title. 

3 ‘‘(3) Amounts received under this section as 

4 civil penalties under subsection (c) of this section 

5 and any amounts remaining after the operation of 

6 paragraph (2) of this subsection shall— 

7 ‘‘(A) be used to stabilize, restore, or other8 wise manage the coral reef with respect to 

9 which the violation occurred that resulted in the 

10 penalty or forfeiture; 

11 ‘‘(B) be transferred to the Emergency Re12 sponse, Stabilization, and Restoration Account 

13 established under section 208(d) or an account 

14 described in section 213(d)(1) of this title, to 

15 reimburse such account for amounts used for 

16 authorized emergency actions; 

17 ‘‘(C) be used to conduct monitoring and 

18 enforcement activities; 

19 ‘‘(D) be used to conduct research on tech20 niques to stabilize and restore coral reefs; 

21 ‘‘(E) be used to conduct activities that pre22 vent or reduce the likelihood of future damage 

23 to coral reefs; 

24 ‘‘(F) be used to stabilize, restore or other25 wise manage any other coral reef; or 


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1 ‘‘(G) be used to pay a reward to any per2 son who furnishes information leading to an as3 sessment of a civil penalty, or to a forfeiture of 

4 property, for a violation of this title or any reg5 ulation promulgated under this title. 

6 ‘‘(g) CRIMINAL ENFORCEMENT.— 

7 ‘‘(1) Any person (other than a foreign govern8 ment or any entity of such government) who know9 ingly commits any act prohibited by section 212(c) 

10 of this title shall be imprisoned for not more than 

11 5 years and shall be fined not more than $500,000 

12 for individuals or $1,000,000 for an organization; 

13 except that if in the commission of any such offense 

14 the individual uses a dangerous weapon, engages in 

15 conduct that causes bodily injury to any officer au16 thorized to enforce the provisions of this title, or 

17 places any such officer in fear of imminent bodily in18 jury, the maximum term of imprisonment is not 

19 more than 10 years. 

20 ‘‘(2) Any person (other than a foreign govern21 ment or any entity of such government) who know22 ingly violates subsection (b), (d), or (e) of section 

23 212 shall be fined under title 18, United States 

24 Code, or imprisoned not more than 5 years or both. 


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1 ‘‘(3) Any person (other than a foreign govern2 ment or any entity of such government) who violates 

3 subsection (b), (d), or (e) of section 212, and who, 

4 in the exercise of due care should know that such 

5 person’s conduct violates subsection (b), (d), or (e) 

6 of section 212, shall be fined under title 18, United 

7 States Code, or imprisoned not more than 1 year, or 

8 both. 

9 ‘‘(4) The several district courts of the United 

10 States shall have jurisdiction over any actions 

11 brought by the United States arising under this sub12 section. For the purpose of this subsection, Amer13 ican Samoa shall be included within the judicial dis14 trict of the District Court of the United States for 

15 the District of Hawaii. Each violation shall be a sep16 arate offense and the offense shall be deemed to 

17 have been committed not only in the district where 

18 the violation first occurred, but also in any other 

19 district as authorized by law. Any offenses not com20 mitted in any district are subject to the venue provi21 sions of section 3238 of title 18, United States 

22 Code. 

23 ‘‘(h) SUBPOENAS.—In the case of any investigation 

24 or hearing under this section or any other natural resource 

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1 pheric Administration which is determined on the record 

2 in accordance with the procedures provided for under sec3 tion 554 of title 5, United States Code, the Secretary may 

4 issue subpoenas for the attendance and testimony of wit5 nesses and the production of relevant papers, books, elec6 tronic files, and documents, and may administer oaths. 

7 ‘‘(i) COAST GUARD AUTHORITY NOT LIMITED.— 

8 Nothing in this section shall be considered to limit the au9 thority of the Coast Guard to enforce this or any other 

10 Federal law under section 89 of title 14, United States 

11 Code. 

12 ‘‘(j) INJUNCTIVE RELIEF.— 

13 ‘‘(1) If the Secretary determines that there is 

14 an imminent risk of destruction, loss, taking, or in15 jury to a coral reef, or that there has been actual 

16 destruction, loss, taking, or injury to, a coral reef 

17 which may give rise to liability under section 213 of 

18 this title, the Attorney General, upon request of the 

19 Secretary, shall seek to obtain such relief as may be 

20 necessary to abate such risk or actual destruction, 

21 loss, taking, or injury, or to restore or replace the 

22 coral reef, or both. The district courts of the United 

23 States shall have jurisdiction in such a case to order 

24 such relief as the public interest and the equities of 

25 the case may require. 


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1 ‘‘(2) Upon the request of the Secretary, the At2 torney General may seek to enjoin any person who 

3 is alleged to be in violation of any provision of this 

4 title, or any regulation or permit issued under this 

5 title, and the district courts shall have jurisdiction to 

6 grant such relief. 

7 ‘‘(k) AREA OF APPLICATION AND ENFORCE8 ABILITY.—The area of application and enforceability of 

9 this title includes the internal waters of the United States, 

10 the territorial sea of the United States, as described in 

11 Presidential Proclamation 5928 of December 27, 1988, 

12 the Exclusive Economic Zone of the United States as de13 scribed in Presidential Proclamation 5030 of March 10, 

14 1983, and the continental shelf, consistent with inter15 national law. 

16 ‘‘(l) NATIONWIDE SERVICE OF PROCESS.—In any ac17 tion by the United States under this title, process may 

18 be served in any district where the defendant is found, 

19 resides, transacts business, or has appointed an agent for 

20 the service of process, and for civil cases may also be 

21 served in a place not within the United States in accord22 ance with rule 4 of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure. 

23 ‘‘(m) VENUE IN CIVIL ACTIONS.—A civil action 

24 under this title may be brought in the United States dis25 trict court for any district in which— 


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1 ‘‘(1) the defendant is located, resides, or is 

2 doing business, in the case of an action against a 

3 person; 

4 ‘‘(2) the vessel is located, in the case of an ac5 tion against a vessel; 

6 ‘‘(3) the destruction of, loss of, or injury to a 

7 coral reef, or component thereof, occurred or in 

8 which there is an imminent risk of such destruction, 

9 loss, or injury; or 

10 ‘‘(4) where some or all of the coral reef or com11 ponent thereof that is the subject of the action is not 

12 within the territory covered by any United States 

13 district court, such action may be brought either in 

14 the United States district court for the district clos15 est to the location where the destruction, loss, in16 jury, or risk of injury occurred, or in the United 

17 States District Court for the District of Columbia. 

18 ‘‘(n) UNIFORMED SERVICE OFFICERS AND EMPLOY19 EES.—No officer or employee of a uniformed service (as 

20 defined in section 101 of title 10, United States Code) 

21 shall be held liable under this section, either in such offi22 cer’s or employee’s personal or official capacity, for any 

23 violation of section 212 occurring during the performance 

24 of the officer’s or employee’s official governmental duties. 


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1 ‘‘(o) CONTRACT EMPLOYEES.—No contract employee 

2 of a uniformed service (as so defined), serving as vessel 

3 master or crew member, shall be liable under this section 

4 for any violation of section 212 if that contract em5 ployee— 

6 ‘‘(1) is acting as a contract employee of a uni7 formed service under the terms of an operating con8 tract for a vessel owned by a uniformed service, or 

9 a time charter for pre-positioned vessels, special mis10 sion vessels, or vessels exclusively transporting mili11 tary supplies and materials; and 

12 ‘‘(2) is engaged in an action or actions over 

13 which such employee has been given no discretion 

14 (e.g., anchoring or mooring at one or more des15 ignated anchorages or buoys, or executing specific 

16 operational elements of a special mission activity), as 

17 determined by the uniformed service controlling the 

18 contract.’’. 

19 SEC. 17. PERMITS. 

20 The Act (16 U.S.C. 6401 et seq.) is amended by in21 serting after section 214, as added by section 16 of this 

22 Act, the following: 

23 ‘‘SEC. 215. PERMITS. 

24 ‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary may allow for the 

25 conduct of— 


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1 ‘‘(1) bona fide research, and 

2 ‘‘(2) activities that would otherwise be prohib3 ited by this title or regulations issued thereunder, 

4 through issuance of coral reef conservation permits in ac5 cordance with regulations issued under this title. 

6 ‘‘(b) LIMITATION OF NON-RESEARCH ACTIVITIES.— 

7 The Secretary may not issue a permit for activities other 

8 than for bona fide research unless the Secretary finds— 

9 ‘‘(1) the activity proposed to be conducted is 

10 compatible with one or more of the purposes in sec11 tion 202 of this title; 

12 ‘‘(2) the activity conforms to the provisions of 

13 all other laws and regulations applicable to the area 

14 for which such permit is to be issued; and 

15 ‘‘(3) there is no practicable alternative to con16 ducting the activity in a manner that destroys, 

17 causes the loss of, or injures any coral reef or any 

18 component thereof. 

19 ‘‘(c) TERMS AND CONDITIONS.—The Secretary may 

20 place any terms and conditions on a permit issued under 

21 this section that the Secretary deems reasonable. 

22 ‘‘(d) FEES.— 

23 ‘‘(1) ASSESSMENT AND COLLECTION.—Subject 

24 to regulations issued under this title, the Secretary 


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1 may assess and collect fees as specified in this sub2 section. 

3 ‘‘(2) AMOUNT.—Any fee assessed shall be equal 

4 to the sum of— 

5 ‘‘(A) all costs incurred, or expected to be 

6 incurred, by the Secretary in processing the 

7 permit application, including indirect costs; and 

8 ‘‘(B) if the permit is approved, all costs in9 curred, or expected to be incurred, by the Sec10 retary as a direct result of the conduct of the 

11 activity for which the permit is issued, including 

12 costs of monitoring the conduct of the activity 

13 and educating the public about the activity and 

14 coral reef resources related to the activity. 

15 ‘‘(3) USE OF FEES.—Amounts collected by the 

16 Secretary in the form of fees under this section shall 

17 be collected and available for use only to the extent 

18 provided in advance in appropriations Acts and may 

19 be used by the Secretary for issuing and admin20 istering permits under this section. 

21 ‘‘(4) WAIVER OR REDUCTION OF FEES.—For 

22 any fee assessed under paragraph (2), the Secretary 

23 may— 

24 ‘‘(A) accept in-kind contributions in lieu of 

25 a fee; or 


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1 ‘‘(B) waive or reduce the fee. 

2 ‘‘(e) FISHING.—Nothing in this section shall be con3 sidered to require a person to obtain a permit under this 

4 section for the conduct of any fishing activities not prohib5 ited by this title or regulations issued thereunder.’’. 

6 SEC. 18. REGIONAL, STATE, AND TERRITORIAL COORDINA7 TION. 

8 The Act (16 U.S.C. 6401 et seq.) is amended by in9 serting after section 215, as added by section 17 of this 

10 Act, the following: 

11 ‘‘SEC. 216. REGIONAL, STATE, AND TERRITORIAL COORDI12 NATION. 

13 ‘‘(a) REGIONAL COORDINATION.—The Secretary and 

14 other Federal members of the Coral Reef Task Force shall 

15 work in coordination and collaboration with other Federal 

16 agencies, States, and United States territorial govern17 ments to implement the strategies developed under section 

18 203, including regional and local strategies, to address 

19 multiple threats to coral reefs and coral reef ecosystems. 

20 ‘‘(b) RESPONSE AND RESTORATION ACTIVITIES.— 

21 The Secretary shall enter into written agreements with 

22 each State in which coral reefs are located regarding the 

23 manner in which response and restoration activities will 

24 be conducted within the affected State’s waters. Nothing 

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1 sponse and restoration activity authority before any such 

2 agreement is final. 

3 ‘‘(c) COOPERATIVE ENFORCEMENT AGREEMENTS.— 

4 All cooperative enforcement agreements in effect at the 

5 date of enactment of the Coral Reef Conservation Amend6 ments Act of 2013, between the Secretary and States af7 fected by this title shall be updated to include enforcement 

8 of this title where appropriate.’’. 

9 SEC. 19. REGULATIONS. 

10 The Act (16 U.S.C. 6401 et seq.) is amended by in11 serting after section 216, as added by section 18, the fol12 lowing: 

13 ‘‘SEC. 217. REGULATIONS. 

14 ‘‘The Secretary may issue such regulations as are 

15 necessary and appropriate to carry out the purposes of 

16 this title. This title and any regulations promulgated 

17 under this title shall be applied in accordance with inter18 national law. No restrictions shall apply to or be enforced 

19 against a person who is not a citizen, national, or resident 

20 alien of the United States (including foreign flag vessels) 

21 unless in accordance with international law.’’. 

22 SEC. 20. EFFECTIVENESS AND ASSESSMENT REPORT. 

23 Section 218 (formerly 16 U.S.C. 6407), as redesig24 nated by section 7 of this Act, is amended to read as fol25 lows: 


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1 ‘‘SEC. 218. EFFECTIVENESS AND ASSESSMENT REPORT. 

2 ‘‘(a) EFFECTIVENESS REPORT.—Not later than 

3 March 1, 2013, and every 3 years thereafter, the Secretary 

4 shall submit to the Senate Committee on Commerce, 

5 Science, and Transportation and the House of Represent6 atives Committee on Natural Resources a report describ7 ing all activities undertaken to implement the strategies, 

8 including— 

9 ‘‘(1) a description of the funds obligated by 

10 each participating Federal agency to advance coral 

11 reef conservation during each of the 3 fiscal years 

12 next preceding the fiscal year in which the report is 

13 submitted; 

14 ‘‘(2) a description of Federal interagency and 

15 cooperative efforts with States and United States 

16 territories to prevent or address overharvesting, 

17 coastal runoff, or other anthropogenic impacts on 

18 coral reefs, including projects undertaken with the 

19 Department of the Interior, Department of Agri20 culture, the Environmental Protection Agency, and 

21 the United States Army Corps of Engineers; 

22 ‘‘(3) a summary of the information contained in 

23 the vessel grounding inventory established under sec24 tion 211, including additional authorization or fund25 ing, needed for response and removal of such vessels; 

26 and 


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1 ‘‘(4) a description of Federal disaster response 

2 actions taken pursuant to the National Response 

3 Plan to address damage to coral reefs and coral reef 

4 ecosystems. 

5 ‘‘(b) ASSESSMENT REPORT.—Not later than March 

6 1, 2016, and every 5 years thereafter, the Secretary will 

7 submit to the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, 

8 and Transportation and the House of Representatives 

9 Committee on Natural Resources an assessment of the 

10 conditions of U.S. coral reefs, accomplishments under this 

11 title, and the effectiveness of management actions to ad12 dress threats to coral reefs.’’. 

13 SEC. 21. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS. 

14 Section 219 (formerly 16 U.S.C. 6408), as redesig15 nated by section 7 of this Act, is amended— 

16 (1) by striking ‘‘$16,000,000 for each of fiscal 

17 years 2001, 2002, 2003, and 2004,’’ in subsection 

18 (a) and inserting ‘‘$34,000,000 for fiscal year 2013, 

19 $36,000,000 for fiscal year 2014, $38,000,000 for 

20 fiscal year 2015, and $40,000,000 for each of fiscal 

21 years 2016 through 2017, of which no less than 24 

22 percent per year (for each of fiscal years 2013 

23 through 2017) shall be used for the grant program 

24 under section 204, no less than 6 percent shall be 

25 used for Fishery Management Councils, and up to 


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1 10 percent per year shall be used for the Fund es2 tablished under section 205(a),’’; 

3 (2) by striking ‘‘$1,000,000’’ in subsection (b) 

4 and inserting ‘‘$2,000,000’’; 

5 (3) by striking subsection (c) and inserting the 

6 following: 

7 ‘‘(c) COMMUNITY-BASED PLANNING GRANTS.— 

8 There is authorized to be appropriated to the Secretary 

9 to carry out section 210 $10,000,000 for each of fiscal 

10 years 2013 through 2017, to remain available until ex11 pended.’’; and 

12 (4) by striking subsection (d) and inserting the 

13 following: 

14 ‘‘(d) INTERNATIONAL CORAL REEF CONSERVATION

15 PROGRAM.—There is authorized to be appropriated to the 

16 Secretary to carry out section 209 $8,000,000 for each 

17 of fiscal years 2013 through 2017, to remain available 

18 until expended.’’. 

19 SEC. 22. JUDICIAL REVIEW. 

20 The Act (16 U.S.C. 6401 et seq.) is amended by in21 serting after section 219, as redesignated by section 7 of 

22 this Act, the following: 


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1 ‘‘SEC. 220. JUDICIAL REVIEW. 

2 ‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—Chapter 7 of title 5, United 

3 States Code, is not applicable to any action taken by the 

4 Secretary under this title, except that— 

5 ‘‘(1) review of any final agency action of the 

6 Secretary taken pursuant to sections 214(c)(1) and 

7 214(c)(2) may be had only by the filing of a com8 plaint by an interested person in the United States 

9 District Court for the appropriate district; any such 

10 complaint shall be filed not later than 30 days after 

11 the date such final agency action is taken; and 

12 ‘‘(2) review of any final agency action of the 

13 Secretary taken pursuant to section 215 may be had 

14 by the filing of a petition for review by an interested 

15 person in the Circuit Court of Appeals of the United 

16 States for the Federal judicial district in which such 

17 person resides or transact business which is directly 

18 affected by the action taken; such petition shall be 

19 filed not later than 120 days after the date such 

20 final agency action is taken. 

21 ‘‘(b) NO REVIEW IN ENFORCEMENT PRO22 CEEDINGS.—Final agency action with respect to which re23 view could have been obtained under subsection (a)(2) 

24 shall not be subject to judicial review in any civil or crimi25 nal proceeding for enforcement. 


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1 ‘‘(c) COST OF LITIGATION.—In any judicial pro2 ceeding under subsection (a), the court may award costs 

3 of litigation (including reasonable attorney and expert wit4 ness fees) to any prevailing party whenever it determines 

5 that such award is appropriate.’’. 

6 SEC. 23. DEFINITIONS. 

7 Section 221 (formerly 16 U.S.C. 6409), as redesig8 nated by section 7 of this Act, is amended to read as fol9 lows: 

10 ‘‘SEC. 221. DEFINITIONS. 

11 ‘‘In this title: 

12 ‘‘(1) BIODIVERSITY.—The term ‘biodiversity’ 

13 means the variability among living organisms from 

14 all sources including, inter alia, terrestrial, marine, 

15 and other aquatic ecosystems and the ecological 

16 complexes of which they are part, including diversity 

17 within species, between species, and of ecosystems. 

18 ‘‘(2) BONA FIDE RESEARCH.—The term ‘bona 

19 fide research’ means scientific research on corals, 

20 the results of which are likely— 

21 ‘‘(A) to be eligible for publication in a re22 ferred scientific journal; 

23 ‘‘(B) to contribute to the basic knowledge 

24 of coral biology or ecology; or 


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1 ‘‘(C) to identify, evaluate, or resolve con2 servation problems. 

3 ‘‘(3) CORAL.—The term ‘coral’ means species 

4 of the phylum Cnidaria, including— 

5 ‘‘(A) all species of the orders Antipatharia 

6 (black corals), Scleractinia (stony corals), 

7 Gorgonacea (horny corals), Stolonifera 

8 (organpipe corals and others), Alcyonacea (soft 

9 corals), and Helioporacea (blue coral) of the 

10 class Anthozoa; and 

11 ‘‘(B) all species of the families Milleporidea 

12 (fire corals) and Stylasteridae (stylasterid 

13 hydrocorals) of the class Hydrozoa. 

14 ‘‘(4) CORAL REEF.—The term ‘coral reef’ 

15 means limestone structures composed in whole or in 

16 part of living corals, as described in paragraph (3), 

17 their skeletal remains, or both, and including other 

18 corals, associated sessile invertebrates and plants, 

19 and associated seagrasses. 

20 ‘‘(5) CORAL REEF COMPONENT.—The term 

21 ‘coral reef component’ means any part of a coral 

22 reef, including individual living or dead corals, asso23 ciated sessile invertebrates and plants, and any adja24 cent or associated seagrasses. 


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1 ‘‘(6) CORAL REEF ECOSYSTEM.—The term 

2 ‘coral reef ecosystem’ means the system of coral 

3 reefs and geographically associated species, habitats, 

4 and environment, including any adjacent or associ5 ated mangroves and seagrass habitats, and the proc6 esses that control its dynamics. 

7 ‘‘(7) CORAL PRODUCTS.—The term ‘coral prod8 ucts’ means any living or dead specimens, parts, or 

9 derivatives, or any product containing specimens, 

10 parts, or derivatives, of any species referred to in 

11 paragraph (3). 

12 ‘‘(8) DAMAGES.—The term ‘damages’ in13 cludes— 

14 ‘‘(A) compensation for— 

15 ‘‘(i) the cost of replacing, restoring, or 

16 acquiring the equivalent of the coral reef, 

17 or component thereof; and 

18 ‘‘(ii) the lost services of, or the value 

19 of the lost use of, the coral reef or compo20 nent thereof, or the cost of activities to 

21 minimize or prevent threats of, equivalent 

22 injury to, or destruction of coral reefs or 

23 components thereof, pending restoration or 

24 replacement or the acquisition of an equiv25 alent coral reef or component thereof; 


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1 ‘‘(B) the reasonable cost of damage assess2 ments under section 213; 

3 ‘‘(C) the reasonable costs incurred by the 

4 Secretary in implementing section 208(d); 

5 ‘‘(D) the reasonable cost of monitoring ap6 propriate to the injured, restored, or replaced 

7 resources; 

8 ‘‘(E) the reasonable cost of curation, con9 servation and loss of contextual information of 

10 any coral encrusted archaeological, historical, 

11 and cultural resource; 

12 ‘‘(F) the cost of legal actions under section 

13 213, undertaken by the United States, associ14 ated with the destruction, loss of, taking of, or 

15 injury to, a coral reef or component thereof, in16 cluding the costs of attorney time and expert 

17 witness fees; and 

18 ‘‘(G) the indirect costs associated with the 

19 costs listed in subparagraphs (A) through (F) 

20 of this paragraph. 

21 ‘‘(9) EMERGENCY ACTIONS.—The term ‘emer22 gency actions’ means all necessary actions to prevent 

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1 of, or to minimize the risk of such additional de2 struction, loss, taking, or injury. 

3 ‘‘(10) EXCLUSIVE ECONOMIC ZONE.—The term 

4 ‘Exclusive Economic Zone’ means the waters of the 

5 Exclusive Economic Zone of the United States under 

6 Presidential Proclamation 5030, dated March 10, 

7 1983. 

8 ‘‘(11) PERSON.—The term ‘person’ means any 

9 individual, private or public corporation, partnership, 

10 trust, institution, association, or any other public or 

11 private entity, whether foreign or domestic, private 

12 person or entity, or any officer, employee, agent, De13 partment, agency, or instrumentality of the Federal 

14 Government, of any State or local unit of govern15 ment, or of any foreign government. 

16 ‘‘(12) RESPONSE COSTS.—The term ‘response 

17 costs’ means the costs of actions taken or authorized 

18 by the Secretary to minimize destruction, loss of, 

19 taking of, or injury to, a coral reef, or component 

20 thereof, or to minimize the imminent risks of such 

21 destruction, loss, taking, or injury, including costs 

22 related to seizure, forfeiture, storage, or disposal 

23 arising from liability under section 213. 

24 ‘‘(13) SECRETARY.—The term ‘Secretary’ 

25 means— 


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1 ‘‘(A) for purposes of sections 201 through 

2 211, sections 218 through 220 (except as other3 wise provided in subparagraph (B)), and the 

4 other paragraphs of this section, the Secretary 

5 of Commerce, acting through the Administrator 

6 of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Ad7 ministration; and 

8 ‘‘(B) for purposes of sections 212 through 

9 217, and section 220— 

10 ‘‘(i) the Secretary of the Interior for 

11 any coral reef or component thereof located 

12 in (I) the National Wildlife Refuge System, 

13 (II) the National Park System, and (III) 

14 the waters surrounding Wake Island under 

15 the jurisdiction of the Secretary of the In16 terior, as set forth in Executive Order 

17 11048 (27 Fed. Reg. 8851 (September 4, 

18 1962)); or 

19 ‘‘(ii) the Secretary of Commerce for 

20 any coral reef or component thereof located 

21 in any area not described in clause (i). 

22 ‘‘(14) SERVICE.—The term ‘service’ means 

23 functions, ecological or otherwise, performed by a 

24 coral reef or component thereof. 


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1 ‘‘(15) STATE.—The term ‘State’ means any 

2 State of the United States that contains a coral reef 

3 ecosystem within its seaward boundaries, American 

4 Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands, Puer5 to Rico, and the Virgin Islands, and any other terri6 tory or possession of the United States, or separate 

7 sovereign in free association with the United States, 

8 that contains a coral reef ecosystem within its sea9 ward boundaries. 

10 ‘‘(16) TERRITORIAL SEA.—The term ‘Terri11 torial Sea’ means the waters of the Territorial Sea 

12 of the United States under Presidential Proclama13 tion 5928, dated December 27, 1988.’’. 


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Calendar No. 370 

113TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION S. 839 

[Report No. 113–156] 

A BILL 

To reauthorize the Coral Reef Conservation Act of 

2000, and for other purposes. 

MAY 5, 2014 

Reported without amendment 


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