IIB 

116TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 988 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

JUNE 10, 2019 

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

and Transportation 

AN ACT 

To provide for a study by the National Academies of 

Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine examining the impact of ocean acidification and other stressors in estuarine environments. 

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


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1 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

2 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘National Estuaries and 

3 Acidification Research Act of 2019’’ or the ‘‘NEAR Act 

4 of 2019’’. 

5 SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 

6 Congress finds the following: 

7 (1) Ocean acidification impacts human health, 

8 natural resources, and the environmental, economic, 

9 and recreational uses of the coastline. 

10 (2) The current understanding of ocean acidifi11 cation impacts on estuarine ecosystems is inadequate 

12 to fully prepare and manage for changing environ13 mental conditions in nearshore locations. 

14 (3) While pH can be measured with high preci15 sion and accuracy in open ocean environments, more 

16 understanding of the carbonate system in estuarine 

17 ecosystems is needed for precise and accurate meas18 urements and observations. 

19 (4) The interaction of multiple stressors, includ20 ing salinity, pH, temperature, sea level rise, and nu21 trient input, within estuarine ecosystems is inad22 equately understood for managing the health, eco23 nomic, recreational, and environmental impacts driv24 en by these interactions. 


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1 (5) A better understanding is needed of how 

2 anthropogenic influences in coastal environments af3 fect estuarine ecosystems. 

4 (6) More integration and coordination is needed 

5 among regional, national, and global environmental 

6 observations in estuarine environments, supporting 

7 prior investments in related topics such as nutrient 

8 loading, hypoxia, ocean acidification, and harmful 

9 algae bloom research and observational systems. 

10 SEC. 3. STUDY EXAMINING THE IMPACT OF OCEAN ACIDIFI11 CATION AND OTHER ENVIRONMENTAL 

12 STRESSORS ON ESTUARINE ENVIRONMENTS. 

13 (a) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 60 days after the 

14 date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Commerce 

15 shall make appropriate arrangements with the National 

16 Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (re17 ferred to in this Act as the ‘‘National Academies’’) under 

18 which the National Academies shall conduct a study 

19 that— 

20 (1) examines the existing science of ocean acidi21 fication in estuarine environments; 

22 (2) examines the challenges to studying ocean 

23 acidification and ocean acidification’s interactions 

24 with other environment stressors in estuarine envi25 ronments; 


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1 (3) provides recommendations for improving fu2 ture research with respect to ocean acidification in 

3 estuarine environments; and 

4 (4) identifies pathways for applying science in 

5 management and mitigation decisions relating to 

6 ocean acidification in estuarine environments. 

7 (b) CONTENTS OF STUDY.—The study described 

8 under subsection (a) shall include— 

9 (1) the behavior of the carbonate system within 

10 estuarine environments; 

11 (2) the interactions of the carbonate system 

12 with other biotic and abiotic characteristics of estua13 rine ecosystems; 

14 (3) how environmental and anthropogenic 

15 changes or disturbances could affect abiotic and bi16 otic processes within estuaries; 

17 (4) how estuarine biotic and abiotic processes 

18 will be affected under predicted environmental 

19 changes; 

20 (5) the current state of data collection, inter21 pretation, storage, and retrieval and observational 

22 infrastructure of abiotic and biotic parameters in es23 tuarine ecosystems; 


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1 (6) the gaps that exist in understanding the 

2 socio-economic and health impacts of ocean acidifica3 tion in estuaries; 

4 (7) future directions for scientific research; and 

5 (8) pathways for applying science in manage6 ment and mitigation decisions. 

7 (c) REPORT.—In entering into an arrangement under 

8 subsection (a), the Secretary shall request that the Na9 tional Academies transmit to Congress a report on the re10 sults of the study not later than 24 months after the date 

11 of enactment of this Act. 

12 (d) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There 

13 are authorized to be appropriated to carry out this section 

14 $1 million. 

Passed the House of Representatives June 5, 2019. 

Attest: CHERYL L. JOHNSON, 

Clerk. 


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