IIB 

118TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 676 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

MAY 10, 2023 

Received; read twice and referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, 

and Transportation 

AN ACT 

To amend the Federal Ocean Acidification Research And 

Monitoring Act of 2009 to require the Secretary of Commerce, acting through the Administrator of the National 

Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, to collaborate 

with State and local governments and Indian Tribes on 

vulnerability assessments related to ocean acidification, 

research planning, and similar activities, and for other 

purposes. 


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

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Coastal Communities 

5 Ocean Acidification Act of 2023’’. 

6 SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS. 

7 Section 12403 of the Federal Ocean Acidification Re8 search And Monitoring Act of 2009 (33 U.S.C. 3702) is 

9 amended— 

10 (1) by striking paragraph (4); 

11 (2) by redesignating paragraphs (2) and (3) as 

12 paragraphs (3) and (4), respectively; 

13 (3) by inserting before paragraph (3), as so re14 designated, the following: 

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

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

17 Indian Self-Determination and Education Assistance 

18 Act (25 U.S.C. 5304).’’; 

19 (4) in paragraph (3), as redesignated by para20 graph (2), by inserting ‘‘an increase of’’ before ‘‘car21 bon dioxide’’; and 

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

23 ‘‘(6) SUBCOMMITTEE.—The term ‘Sub24 committee’ means the National Science and TechVerDate Sep 11 2014 00:01 May 11, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H676.RFS H676

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1 nology Council Subcommittee on Ocean Science and 

2 Technology. 

3 ‘‘(7) UNITED STATES.—The term ‘United 

4 States’ means the States, collectively.’’. 

5 SEC. 3. IMPROVEMENT OF COLLABORATION ON OCEAN 

6 ACIDIFICATION. 

7 (a) ONGOING INPUT MECHANISM.—Section 

8 12404(c)(2) of the Federal Ocean Acidification Research 

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

10 amended— 

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

12 and inserting a semicolon; 

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

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

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

16 ‘‘(D) maintain or establish an ongoing 

17 mechanism (such as a liaison or other contact 

18 of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Ad19 ministration, standing meetings, or an online 

20 platform) to engage affected industry members, 

21 coastal stakeholders, community acidification 

22 networks, fishery management councils and 

23 commissions, indigenous knowledge groups, 

24 non-Federal resource managers, and scientific 

25 experts not employed by the Federal GovernVerDate Sep 11 2014 00:01 May 11, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H676.RFS H676

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1 ment to provide input on research, data, and 

2 monitoring that is necessary to support on-the3 ground management, decision making, and ad4 aptation related to ocean acidification and 

5 coastal acidification and the impacts of ocean 

6 acidification and coastal acidification.’’. 

7 (b) ADVISORY BOARD MEMBERSHIP.—Section 

8 12404(c)(3) of the Federal Ocean Acidification Research 

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

10 amended— 

11 (1) by redesignating subparagraphs (G) 

12 through (Q) as subparagraphs (H) through (R), re13 spectively; 

14 (2) by inserting after subparagraph (F) the fol15 lowing: 

16 ‘‘(G) Two representatives from Indian 

17 Tribes, Tribal organizations, and Tribal con18 sortia affected by ocean acidification and coast19 al acidification.’’; and 

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

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

22 ‘‘Four’’. 

23 (c) APPOINTMENT OF ADVISORY BOARD MEM24 BERS.—Section 12404(c)(4)(C) of the Federal Ocean 

25 Acidification Research And Monitoring Act of 2009 (33 


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1 U.S.C. 3703(c)(4)(C)) is amended by striking ‘‘State and 

2 local’’ and inserting ‘‘State, local, and Tribal’’. 

3 (d) ENGAGEMENT AND COORDINATION WITH INDIAN

4 TRIBES.—Paragraph (9) of section 12404(c) of the Fed5 eral Ocean Acidification Research And Monitoring Act of 

6 2009 (33 U.S.C. 3703(c)) is amended to read as follows: 

7 ‘‘(9) ENGAGEMENT AND COORDINATION WITH

8 INDIAN TRIBES.— 

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

10 one year after the date on which the Advisory 

11 Board is established, the Advisory Board shall 

12 develop and commence maintaining a policy for 

13 engagement and coordination with Indian 

14 Tribes affected by ocean acidification and coast15 al acidification. 

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

17 policy under subparagraph (A), the Advisory 

18 Board shall consult with Indian Tribes affected 

19 by ocean acidification and coastal acidifica20 tion.’’. 

21 (e) COLLABORATION ON VULNERABILITY ASSESS22 MENTS, RESEARCH PLANNING, AND SIMILAR ACTIVI23 TIES.—Section 12404(e)(4)(A) of the Federal Ocean 

24 Acidification Research And Monitoring Act of 2009 (33 

25 U.S.C. 3703(e)(4)(A)) is amended— 


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

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

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

4 ‘‘(ix) identifies the efforts of the Sec5 retary to collaborate with State and local 

6 governments and Indian Tribes on commu7 nity vulnerability assessments, research 

8 planning, and similar activities, pursuant 

9 to section 12406(e);’’. 

10 (f) CONTENTS OF STRATEGIC RESEARCH PLAN.— 

11 Section 12405(b) of the Federal Ocean Acidification Re12 search And Monitoring Act of 2009 (33 U.S.C. 3704(b)) 

13 is amended— 

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

15 12404(c)(4)’’ and inserting ‘‘section 12404(e)(4)’’; 

16 and 

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

18 affected industry members, coastal stakeholders, 

19 fishery management councils and commissions, Trib20 al governments, non-Federal resource managers, and 

21 scientific experts’’ and inserting ‘‘affected industry 

22 members, coastal stakeholders, community acidifica23 tion networks, fishery management councils and 

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1 Federal resource managers, and scientific experts 

2 not employed by the Federal Government’’. 

3 (g) IMPROVING COLLABORATION ON NOAA OCEAN

4 ACIDIFICATION ACTIVITIES.—Section 12406 of the Fed5 eral Ocean Acidification Research And Monitoring Act of 

6 2009 (33 U.S.C. 3705) is amended— 

7 (1) in subsection (a)— 

8 (A) in paragraph (1)— 

9 (i) in subparagraph (C), by striking 

10 ‘‘maximize’’ and inserting ‘‘take into con11 sideration’’; 

12 (ii) in subparagraph (D), by adding a 

13 semicolon at the end; and 

14 (iii) in subparagraph (F), by striking 

15 ‘‘Tribal governments’’ and inserting ‘‘In16 dian Tribes’’; and 

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

18 members, coastal stakeholders, fishery manage19 ment councils and commissions, non-Federal re20 source managers, community acidification net21 works, indigenous knowledge groups, and sci22 entific experts’’ and inserting ‘‘affected industry 

23 members, coastal stakeholders, community 

24 acidification networks, fishery management 

25 councils and commissions, indigenous knowlVerDate Sep 11 2014 00:01 May 11, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00007 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H676.RFS H676

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1 edge groups, non-Federal resource managers, 

2 and scientific experts not employed by the Fed3 eral Government’’; 

4 (2) in subsection (c)— 

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

6 local, and Tribal governments’’ and inserting 

7 ‘‘State and local governments, Indian Tribes,’’; 

8 and 

9 (B) in paragraph (2)— 

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

11 or’’ and inserting a semicolon; 

12 (ii) by redesignating subparagraph 

13 (B) as subparagraph (C); 

14 (iii) by inserting after subparagraph 

15 (A) the following: 

16 ‘‘(B) on ocean acidification and coastal 

17 acidification research, data, and monitoring 

18 from affected industry members, coastal stake19 holders, community acidification networks, fish20 ery management councils and commissions, in21 digenous knowledge groups, non-Federal re22 source managers, and scientific experts not em23 ployed by the Federal Government; or’’; and 

24 (iv) in subparagraph (C), as redesig25 nated by clause (ii), by striking ‘‘State 


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1 governments, local governments, Tribal 

2 governments’’ and inserting ‘‘State and 

3 local governments, Indian Tribes’’; 

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

5 or Tribal governments’’ and inserting ‘‘Indian 

6 Tribes, Tribal organizations, and Tribal consortia’’; 

7 and 

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

9 ‘‘(e) BETTER COLLABORATION ON VULNERABILITY

10 ASSESSMENTS, RESEARCH PLANNING, AND SIMILAR AC11 TIVITIES.— 

12 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—In carrying out the pro13 gram under subsection (a), and in support of vulner14 ability assessments transmitted under section 

15 12404(e)(4) and recommendations included in the 

16 strategic research plan described in section 

17 12405(b)(10), the Secretary shall build upon exist18 ing activities and collaborate with State and local 

19 governments and Indian Tribes that are conducting 

20 or have completed vulnerability assessments, re21 search planning, climate action plans, or other simi22 lar activities related to ocean acidification and coast23 al acidification and the impacts of ocean acidifica24 tion and coastal acidification on coastal commu25 nities, for the purpose of— 


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1 ‘‘(A) supporting collaborative interagency 

2 relationships and information sharing at the 

3 State, local, and Tribal levels; and 

4 ‘‘(B) assisting State and local governments 

5 and Indian Tribes in— 

6 ‘‘(i) improving existing systems and 

7 programs to better address ocean acidifica8 tion and coastal acidification; and 

9 ‘‘(ii) identifying whether such activi10 ties can be used as a model for other com11 munities. 

12 ‘‘(2) PRIORITY.—In carrying out paragraph (1), 

13 the Secretary shall prioritize underserved popu14 lations and entities in the use of resources of the 

15 National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.’’. 

16 SEC. 4. TECHNICAL CORRECTIONS. 

17 The Federal Ocean Acidification Research And Moni18 toring Act of 2009 (33 U.S.C. 3701 et seq.) is amended— 

19 (1) in section 12402(1) (33 U.S.C. 3701(1)), by 

20 striking ‘‘development coordination and implementa21 tion’’ and inserting ‘‘development, coordination, and 

22 implementation’’; 

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

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

25 and’’ and inserting a period; 


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1 (B) in subsection (c)(2)(A)— 

2 (i) in clause (i), by striking ‘‘sub3 section (d)(2)’’ and inserting ‘‘subsection 

4 (e)(2)’’; and 

5 (ii) in clause (ii), by striking ‘‘sub6 section (d)(3)’’ and inserting ‘‘subsection 

7 (e)(3)’’; 

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

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

10 (D) in subsection (e)— 

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

12 ‘‘interagency’’ and inserting ‘‘the’’; and 

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

14 ‘‘years until 2031 thereafter’’ and inserting 

15 ‘‘years thereafter until 2031’’; and 

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

17 3705(d)(2)), by striking ‘‘The Secretary to,’’ and in18 serting ‘‘The Secretary, to’’. 

Passed the House of Representatives May 9, 2023. 

Attest: CHERYL L. JOHNSON, 

Clerk. 


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