II 

110TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION S. 3515 

To establish 4 regional institutes as centers of excellence for research, planning, and related efforts to assess and prepare for the impacts of climate 

change on ocean and coastal areas. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

SEPTEMBER 18 (legislative day, SEPTEMBER 17), 2008 

Mr. WHITEHOUSE introduced the following bill; which was read twice and 

referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation 

A BILL 

To establish 4 regional institutes as centers of excellence 

for research, planning, and related efforts to assess and 

prepare for the impacts of climate change on ocean and 

coastal areas. 

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

3 SECTION 1. FINDINGS. 

4 Congress makes the following findings: 

5 (1) Oceans are a major carbon sink and have 

6 absorbed at least 50 percent of all fossil carbon re7 leased to the atmosphere since the beginning of the 

8 Industrial Revolution. 


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1 (2) The increased absorption of carbon by the 

2 oceans due to climate change has— 

3 (A) increased ocean acidification, which 

4 impacts the health of marine and coastal eco5 systems; and 

6 (B) influenced the important role oceans 

7 play in the global cycling of carbon. 

8 (3) Climate change has contributed to sea levels 

9 rising 7 inches during the 20th century and nearly 

10 1.5 inches between 1993 and 2003. 

11 (4) Climate change will greatly amplify risks to 

12 coastal populations, economies, and ecosystems 

13 from— 

14 (A) saltwater inundation of low-lying 

15 coastal regions; 

16 (B) more frequent flooding due to storm 

17 surges; and 

18 (C) worsening beach erosion. 

19 (5) Research into the effects of climate change 

20 on coastal environments, and into the ways in which 

21 coastal communities must adapt to the challenges 

22 brought by climate change, is an essential compo23 nent to the overall response to climate change. 


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1 SEC. 2. INSTITUTES FOR OCEAN AND COASTAL ADAPTA2 TION TO CLIMATE CHANGE. 

3 (a) ESTABLISHMENT.—The Administrator of the Na4 tional Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the 

5 Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency 

6 shall jointly establish 4 regional institutes, to be known 

7 as ‘‘Institutes for Ocean and Coastal Adaptation to Cli8 mate Change’’, at institutions of higher education in the 

9 United States for research, planning, and related efforts 

10 to assess and prepare for the impacts of climate change 

11 on ocean and coastal areas, including the Great Lakes. 

12 (b) LOCATION.—The Administrators shall designate 

13 the location of 1 of the regional institutes established 

14 under subsection (a) at an institution of higher education 

15 in each of the following regions: 

16 (1) The Northeast Region, which shall include 

17 Connecticut, Delaware, Maine, Maryland, Massachu18 setts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, 

19 Rhode Island, and Vermont. 

20 (2) The Southeast and Gulf Coast Region, 

21 which shall include Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Lou22 isiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, Puerto Rico, 

23 South Carolina, Texas, Virginia, and the Virgin Is24 lands. 

25 (3) The Western/Pacific Region, which shall in26 clude Alaska, American Samoa, California, Guam, 


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1 Hawaii, the Northern Mariana Islands, Oregon, and 

2 Washington. 

3 (4) The Great Lakes Region, which shall in4 clude Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio, 

5 and Wisconsin. 

6 (c) GRANTS AUTHORIZED.— 

7 (1) IN GENERAL.—The Administrators shall 

8 award grants to 4 institutions of higher education to 

9 carry out the purposes of this section. 

10 (2) APPLICATION.—An institution of higher 

11 education seeking to operate an institute under this 

12 section shall submit an application to the Adminis13 trators at such time, in such manner, and containing 

14 such information as the Administrators may reason15 ably require. 

16 (d) SCHEDULE.—The Administrators shall— 

17 (1) accept applications for grants under this 

18 section beginning not later than 9 months after the 

19 date of the enactment of this Act; and 

20 (2) award all of the grants authorized under 

21 this section not later than 90 days after the first day 

22 on which applications are accepted. 

23 (e) OBJECTIVES.—The Institutes for Ocean and 

24 Coastal Adaptation shall be centers of excellence that— 


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1 (1) document and predict coastal and ocean ef2 fects of climate change; and 

3 (2) serve as a principle national and inter4 national resource for providing technical expertise on 

5 adaptation strategies for ocean and coastal area to 

6 respond to climate change. 

7 (f) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There 

8 are authorized to be appropriated such sums as may be 

9 necessary to carry out this section. 

Æ 


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