II 

117TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION S. 3866 

To establish Ocean Innovation Clusters to strengthen the coastal communities 

and ocean economy of the United States through technological research 

and development, job training, and cross-sector partnerships, and for 

other purposes. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

MARCH 17, 2022 

Ms. MURKOWSKI (for herself, Ms. CANTWELL, Mr. WHITEHOUSE, Mrs. MURRAY, Mr. MERKLEY, Ms. COLLINS, and Mr. SULLIVAN) introduced the 

following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on 

Commerce, Science, and Transportation 

A BILL 

To establish Ocean Innovation Clusters to strengthen the 

coastal communities and ocean economy of the United 

States through technological research and development, 

job training, and cross-sector partnerships, 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. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Ocean Regional Oppor5 tunity and Innovation Act of 2022’’. 


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1 SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS. 

2 In this Act: 

3 (1) BLUE ECONOMY.—The term ‘‘Blue Econ4 omy’’ means the value and impact of sustainable in5 dustries related to the Great Lakes, oceans, bays, es6 tuaries, and coasts on the economy of the United 

7 States, including living resources, marine construc8 tion, marine transportation, offshore energy develop9 ment and siting including for renewable energy, off10 shore mineral production, ship and boat building, 

11 tourism, recreation, subsistence, commercial, rec12 reational, and charter fishing, seafood processing, 

13 and other fishery-related businesses, kelp and shell14 fish aquaculture, coastal resilience, and other indus15 tries the Secretary of Commerce considers appro16 priate. 

17 (2) DIRECTOR OF SEA GRANT.—The term ‘‘Di18 rector of Sea Grant’’ means the Director of the Na19 tional Sea Grant College Program appointed under 

20 section 204(d)(1) of the National Sea Grant College 

21 Program Act (33 U.S.C. 1123(d)(1)). 

22 (3) INDIAN TRIBE.—The term ‘‘Indian Tribe’’ 

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

24 Indian Self-Determination and Education Assistance 

25 Act (25 U.S.C. 5304). 


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1 (4) NATIVE HAWAIIAN ORGANIZATION.—The 

2 term ‘‘Native Hawaiian organization’’ has the mean3 ing given the term in section 6207 of the Native Ha4 waiian Education Act (20 U.S.C. 7517). 

5 (5) OCEAN INNOVATION CENTER FOR CROSS6 SECTOR COLLABORATION.—The term ‘‘Ocean Inno7 vation Center for Cross-Sector Collaboration’’ means 

8 a physical space for collaboration developed and 

9 managed in accordance with section 3(i). 

10 (6) OCEAN INNOVATION CLUSTER.—The term 

11 ‘‘Ocean Innovation Cluster’’ means an eligible entity 

12 designated by the Secretary of Commerce under sec13 tion 3. 

14 SEC. 3. OCEAN INNOVATION CLUSTERS. 

15 (a) DESIGNATION.—Not later than 1 year after the 

16 date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Com17 merce, in consultation with the Director of Sea Grant, the 

18 Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Oceans and Atmos19 phere, and the Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Eco20 nomic Development, shall designate not fewer than 7 eligi21 ble entities as Ocean Innovation Clusters. 

22 (b) ELIGIBLE ENTITIES.—For purposes of this sec23 tion, an eligible entity is an entity— 

24 (1) that is composed, in a concentrated geo25 graphic region, of 1 or more— 


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1 (A) business organizations; 

2 (B) academic institutions, including 

3 minority- and Tribal-serving institutions; 

4 (C) not-for-profit organizations; 

5 (D) Federal, State, or local governmental 

6 entities, agencies, or instrumentalities; 

7 (E) Indian Tribes; or 

8 (F) Native Hawaiian organizations; 

9 (2) that is led by a not-for-profit organization; 

10 and 

11 (3) that works to deliver services in the con12 centrated geographic region where the entity is lo13 cated, enhance collaboration, promote innovation, 

14 and contribute to the equitable and sustainable 

15 growth of the Blue Economy across all sectors. 

16 (c) PRIORITY.—In designating entities as Ocean In17 novation Clusters under subsection (a), the Secretary of 

18 Commerce shall prioritize entities with a history of sup19 porting cross-sector growth and development of the Blue 

20 Economy. 

21 (d) GEOGRAPHIC DIVERSITY.—The Secretary of 

22 Commerce shall designate not fewer than 1 Ocean Innova23 tion Cluster under subsection (a) in— 


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1 (1) each of the regions covered by the 5 re2 gional offices of the National Marine Fisheries Serv3 ice; 

4 (2) the Great Lakes region; and 

5 (3) the Gulf of Mexico region. 

6 (e) CONSIDERATIONS.—In designating an eligible en7 tity as an Ocean Innovation Cluster under subsection (a), 

8 the Secretary of Commerce shall consider the following: 

9 (1) The economic development potential of the 

10 coastal community or region in which the entity is 

11 located. 

12 (2) The ability of the entity to incorporate and 

13 bring growth and opportunity to broad geographic 

14 areas, including urban, rural, and underserved areas. 

15 (3) Whether the entity serves a diverse, 

16 multigenerational, ocean-dependent population con17 sisting of groups with different socioeconomic and 

18 educational attainment levels, industries, and Indian 

19 Tribes. 

20 (4) The ability of the entity to cultivate and le21 verage partnerships with private industry, academia, 

22 nongovernmental organizations, Federal, State, and 

23 local governments, and Indian Tribes to collaborate 

24 on shared outcomes. 


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1 (5) The relative potential for the designation of 

2 the entity as an Ocean Innovation Cluster to reverse 

3 a decline, or accelerate growth, in ocean sector jobs. 

4 (6) The ability of the entity to carry out 

5 projects that support economic and climate resilience 

6 through economic diversification and long-term re7 covery from natural disasters. 

8 (7) The extent, rural and underserved nature, 

9 and economic underutilization of the coastline and 

10 ocean area that projects carried out by the entity 

11 could affect. 

12 (f) PARTNERSHIP MANAGEMENT.— 

13 (1) PARTNERSHIP LIAISONS.— 

14 (A) DESIGNATION.—The Director of Sea 

15 Grant, the Assistant Secretary of Commerce for 

16 Oceans and Atmosphere, and the Assistant Sec17 retary of Commerce for Economic Development 

18 shall each designate 1 partnership manager 

19 from within their respective agencies to serve as 

20 a partnership liaison between each Ocean Inno21 vation Cluster and Sea Grant, the National 

22 Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and 

23 the Economic Development Administration, re24 spectively. 


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1 (B) FUNCTION.—Each partnership liaison 

2 designated under subparagraph (A) shall ensure 

3 that Ocean Innovation Clusters— 

4 (i) have direct communication with 

5 the agency of the liaison; and 

6 (ii) allow for collaboration and align7 ment with Federal objectives in each re8 gion regarding the Blue Economy. 

9 (2) INTERAGENCY COORDINATION.— 

10 (A) SECRETARY OF COMMERCE AND PART11 NERSHIP LIAISONS.—The Secretary of Com12 merce shall coordinate with the Director of Sea 

13 Grant, the Assistant Secretary of Commerce for 

14 Oceans and Atmosphere, the Assistant Sec15 retary of Commerce for Economic Development, 

16 the Department of Energy, the Maritime Ad17 ministration of the Department of Transpor18 tation, the Environmental Protection Agency, 

19 the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management of 

20 the Department of the Interior, the Department 

21 of Agriculture, the Coast Guard, and such other 

22 Federal agencies, including bureaus of the De23 partment of Commerce, as the Secretary of 

24 Commerce considers appropriate to increase 

25 technical knowledge exchange and opportunities 


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1 for cross-sector collaboration with those agen2 cies. 

3 (B) SECRETARY OF ENERGY.—With re4 spect to matters relating to the nexus of the 

5 Blue Economy and the responsibilities and ex6 pertise of the Department of Energy, the Sec7 retary of Energy— 

8 (i) shall provide advice and rec9 ommendations to the Secretary of Com10 merce in order to increase technical knowl11 edge exchange and opportunities for cross12 sector collaboration; and 

13 (ii) may provide such advice and rec14 ommendations without any formal request 

15 from the Department of Commerce. 

16 (g) DEVELOPMENT OF ECONOMIC IMPACT METRICS

17 OF OCEAN INNOVATION CLUSTERS.—The Administrator 

18 of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, 

19 the Director of the Bureau of Economic Analysis of the 

20 Department of Commerce, and the heads of other relevant 

21 Federal agencies shall use and refine the Marine Economy 

22 Satellite Account to measure the value to and impact of 

23 Ocean Innovation Clusters on the Blue Economy. 

24 (h) AREAS OF FOCUS.—The Director of Sea Grant, 

25 the Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Oceans and AtVerDate Sep 11 2014 22:54 Mar 18, 2022 Jkt 029200 PO 00000 Frm 00008 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S3866.IS S3866

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1 mosphere, and the Assistant Secretary of Commerce for 

2 Economic Development shall coordinate with each Ocean 

3 Innovation Cluster in the following areas of focus: 

4 (1) Increasing pathways for new entrants into 

5 the Blue Economy for individuals and entities. 

6 (2) Intellectual property management. 

7 (3) Enhancing the sustainability of seafood sup8 ply chains, including with respect to food, transpor9 tation, processing, health and beauty products, ani10 mal feed, medical biotechnology, bioplastics, biofuels, 

11 and other value-added products, to strive for full use 

12 of harvested natural resources. 

13 (4) Providing significant and sustainable eco14 nomic opportunity through advanced research, cross15 sector science, and technology development. 

16 (5) Contributing new knowledge, processes, 

17 technology, and support for stakeholders in the Blue 

18 Economy, especially to advance sustainability in spe19 cific sectors. 

20 (6) Working with Federal, State, local, and 

21 Tribal agencies to clearly communicate laws, regula22 tions, and agency practices affecting industry needs, 

23 planning, or growth opportunities. 

24 (7) Creating investable opportunities through 

25 the development of economies of scale to enhance 


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1 growth opportunities, job creation, sustainability, 

2 and expansion for small businesses within the Blue 

3 Economy. 

4 (8) Workforce development and training, busi5 ness planning, identifying existing and needed tech6 nology and economic infrastructure, and coordinated 

7 research and development among small businesses, 

8 government, and industry. 

9 (9) Research, development, and implementation 

10 of ocean energy, bioprospecting, and other innovative 

11 and sustainable ocean resource development endeav12 ors. 

13 (i) OCEAN INNOVATION CENTERS FOR CROSS-SEC14 TOR COLLABORATION.— 

15 (1) IN GENERAL.—In order to foster collabora16 tion and innovation and strengthen regional ocean 

17 sector economies while creating employment oppor18 tunities, the Director of Sea Grant, the Assistant 

19 Secretary of Commerce for Oceans and Atmosphere, 

20 and the Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Eco21 nomic Development shall collaborate with cross-sec22 tor partners to jointly develop or designate at least 

23 1 physical space for collaboration as an Ocean Inno24 vation Center for Cross-Sector Collaboration within 


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1 each of the 7 regions with an Ocean Innovation 

2 Cluster. 

3 (2) MANAGEMENT.—An Ocean Innovation Clus4 ter or a group of Ocean Innovation Clusters shall 

5 manage the Ocean Innovation Center for Cross-Sec6 tor Collaboration of the region in which the Cluster 

7 or Clusters is located. 

8 (3) FUNCTIONS.—Each Ocean Innovation Cen9 ter for Cross-Sector Collaboration shall— 

10 (A) serve as a hub for partners within 

11 Ocean Innovation Clusters to work toward the 

12 areas of focus in described in subsection (h); 

13 (B) support a community of entrepreneurs 

14 focused on strengthening vibrant marine-de15 pendent communities and the Blue Economy; 

16 (C) create workspaces and laboratories de17 signed to promote collaboration, including 

18 through shared meeting rooms, access to tech19 nology, common spaces, and offices; 

20 (D) strengthen relationships among indus21 try sectors through shared scientific, staffing, 

22 and business resources; 

23 (E) develop the critical networks with 

24 cross-sector partners that entrepreneurs need to 

25 grow effectively; and 


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1 (F) develop the next generation of Blue 

2 Economy workers by providing internships, ap3 prenticeships, or training, as appropriate, in4 cluding for underrepresented and Tribal com5 munities and local trade schools. 

6 SEC. 4. GRANTS FOR OCEAN INNOVATION CLUSTERS. 

7 The Stevenson-Wydler Technology Innovation Act of 

8 1980 (15 U.S.C. 3701 et seq.) is amended by adding at 

9 the end the following: 

10 ‘‘SEC. 29. GRANTS FOR OCEAN INNOVATION CLUSTERS. 

11 ‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary, in consultation 

12 with the Director of Sea Grant, the Assistant Secretary 

13 of Commerce for Oceans and Atmosphere, and the Assist14 ant Secretary of Commerce for Economic Development, 

15 may award grants, on a competitive basis, to Ocean Inno16 vation Clusters for the purposes described in subsection 

17 (b). 

18 ‘‘(b) PURPOSES.—The Secretary may award grants 

19 under subsection (a) for— 

20 ‘‘(1) the operation and administration of one or 

21 more Ocean Innovation Clusters under the Ocean 

22 Regional Opportunity and Innovation Act of 2022, 

23 with the goal that Ocean Innovation Clusters will be24 come membership-based, self-sustaining entities; and 


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1 ‘‘(2) one-time capital investments made by one 

2 or more Ocean Innovation Clusters necessary— 

3 ‘‘(A) to establish one or more Ocean Inno4 vation Centers for Cross-Sector Collaboration; 

5 and 

6 ‘‘(B) to foster cross-sector collaboration 

7 within Ocean Innovation Cluster regions. 

8 ‘‘(c) INPUT.—In awarding a grant under subsection 

9 (a), the Secretary shall provide an opportunity for input 

10 from the Director of Sea Grant, the Assistant Secretary 

11 of Commerce for Oceans and Atmosphere, and the Assist12 ant Secretary of Commerce for Economic Development. 

13 ‘‘(d) TERM OF GRANTS.— 

14 ‘‘(1) OPERATION AND ADMINISTRATION.— 

15 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—The term of a grant 

16 awarded under subsection (a) for a purpose de17 scribed in subsection (b)(1) shall be 2 years. 

18 ‘‘(B) RENEWAL.—The Secretary may 

19 renew a grant described in subparagraph (A) 

20 for additional periods of such duration as the 

21 Secretary determines to be appropriate and nec22 essary for the Ocean Innovation Cluster that 

23 received the grant to provide regional economic 

24 benefits. 


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1 ‘‘(2) CAPITAL INVESTMENT.—The term of a 

2 grant awarded under subsection (a) for a purpose 

3 described in subsection (b)(2) shall be for a period 

4 determined to be appropriate by the Secretary. 

5 ‘‘(e) GRANTS FOR INFRASTRUCTURE.—Any grant 

6 awarded under subsection (a) to support the construction 

7 of facilities, upgrades to existing facilities, or site 

8 connectivity infrastructure shall be awarded pursuant to 

9 section 201 of the Public Works and Economic Develop10 ment Act of 1965 (42 U.S.C. 3141) and subject to the 

11 provisions of such Act, except that subsection (b) of such 

12 section and sections 204 and 301 of such Act (42 U.S.C. 

13 3144, 3161) shall not apply. 

14 ‘‘(f) LIMITATIONS ON GRANT AMOUNTS.— 

15 ‘‘(1) OPERATION AND ADMINISTRATION.—A 

16 grant awarded under subsection (a) for a purpose 

17 described in subsection (b)(1) may not exceed 

18 $10,000,000. 

19 ‘‘(2) CAPITAL INVESTMENT.—A grant awarded 

20 under subsection (a) for a purpose described in sub21 section (b)(2) may not exceed $10,000,000. 

22 ‘‘(g) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There 

23 is authorized to be appropriated to the Secretary to award 

24 grants under subsection (a) $50,000,000 for each of fiscal 

25 years 2023 through 2028. 


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1 ‘‘(h) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 

2 ‘‘(1) DIRECTOR OF SEA GRANT.—The term ‘Di3 rector of Sea Grant’ means the Director of the Na4 tional Sea Grant College Program appointed under 

5 section 204(d)(1) of the National Sea Grant College 

6 Program Act (33 U.S.C. 1123(d)(1)). 

7 ‘‘(2) OCEAN INNOVATION CLUSTER; OCEAN IN8 NOVATION CENTER FOR CROSS-SECTOR COLLABORA9 TION.—The terms ‘Ocean Innovation Cluster’ and 

10 ‘Ocean Innovation Center for Cross-Sector Collabo11 ration’ have the meanings given those terms in sec12 tion 2 of the Ocean Regional Opportunity and Inno13 vation Act of 2022.’’. 

Æ 


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