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[Congressional Bills 110th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 1581 Reported in Senate (RS)]

                                                       Calendar No. 749
110th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                S. 1581

                          [Report No. 110-339]

To establish an interagency committee to develop an ocean acidification 
 research and monitoring plan and to establish an ocean acidification 
  program within the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

_______________________________________________________________________

                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                              June 7, 2007

Mr. Lautenberg (for himself, Ms. Cantwell, Mr. Kerry, Mr. Stevens, Ms. 
Klobuchar, Ms. Snowe, Mr. Nelson of Florida, and Mrs. Boxer) introduced 
the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee 
                on Commerce, Science, and Transportation

                              May 22, 2008

                Reported by Mr. Inouye, with amendments
  [Omit the part struck through and insert the part printed in italic]

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL

 
To establish an interagency committee to develop an ocean acidification 
 research and monitoring plan and to establish an ocean acidification 
  program within the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

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

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE; TABLE OF CONTENTS.

    (a) Short Title.--This Act may be cited as the ``Federal Ocean 
Acidification Research And Monitoring Act of 2007'' or the ``FOARAM 
Act''.
    (b) Table of Contents.--The table of contents for this Act is as 
follows:

Sec. 1. Short title; table of contents.
Sec. 2. Findings and purposes.
Sec. 3. Interagency committee on ocean acidification.
Sec. 4. Strategic research and implementation plan.
Sec. 5. NOAA ocean acidification program.
Sec. 6. Definitions.
Sec. 7. Authorization of appropriations.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS AND PURPOSES.

    (a) Findings.--The Congress finds the following:
            (1) The oceans help mitigate the effects of global warming 
        by absorbing atmospheric carbon dioxide. About a third of 
        anthropogenic carbon dioxide is currently absorbed by the 
        ocean.
            (2) The rapid increase in atmospheric carbon dioxide is 
        overwhelming the natural ability of the oceans to cope with 
        human-induced carbon dioxide emissions.
        <DELETED>    (3) The emission of carbon dioxide into the 
        atmosphere is causing the oceans to become more acidic. The 
        increase in acidity and changes in ocean chemistry are 
        corrosive to marine shells and organisms that form the base of 
        the food chain for many fish and marine mammals including the 
        skeletons of corals which provide one of the richest habitats 
        on earth.</DELETED>
            (3) The emission of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere is 
        changing surface ocean carbon chemistry and lowering the pH. 
        These changes in ocean chemistry are corrosive to marine 
        shells, and are detrimental to organisms that form the base of 
        the food chain for many fish and marine mammals, and to corals, 
        which provide one of the richest habitats on Earth.
            (4) The rich biodiversity of marine and freshwater 
        organisms is an important contribution to the national 
        <DELETED>economy </DELETED>economy, and the change in ocean 
        chemistry threatens our <DELETED>fisheries and marine 
        environmental quality, </DELETED>fisheries, marine 
        environmental quality, and tourism, and could result in 
        significant social and economic costs.
            (5) Existing Federal programs support research in related 
        ocean chemistry, but gaps in funding, coordination, and 
        outreach have impeded national progress in addressing ocean 
        acidification.
            (6) National investment in a coordinated program of 
        research and monitoring would improve the understanding of 
        ocean acidification effects on whole ecosystems, advance our 
        knowledge of the socio-economic impacts of increased ocean 
        acidification, and strengthen the ability of marine resource 
        managers to assess and prepare for the harmful impacts of ocean 
        acidification on our marine resources.
    (b) Purposes.--The purposes of this Act are to provide for--
            (1) development and coordination of a comprehensive 
        interagency plan to monitor and conduct research on the 
        processes and consequences of ocean acidification on marine 
        organisms and ecosystems and to establish an ocean 
        acidification program within the National Oceanic and 
        Atmospheric Administration; <DELETED>and
        </DELETED>    (2) assessment and consideration of regional and 
        national ecosystem and socio-economic impacts of increased 
        ocean acidification, and integration into marine resource 
        <DELETED>decisions. </DELETED>decisions; and
            (3) research on adaptation strategies and techniques for 
        effectively conserving marine ecosystems as they cope with 
        increased ocean acidification.

SEC. 3. INTERAGENCY COMMITTEE ON OCEAN ACIDIFICATION.

    (a) Establishment.--
        <DELETED>    (1) In general.--There is hereby established an 
        Interagency Committee on Ocean Acidification.</DELETED>
            (1) In general.--The President shall establish or designate 
        an interagency committee on ocean acidification.
            (2) Membership.--The <DELETED>Committee </DELETED>committee 
        shall be comprised of senior representatives from the National 
        Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the National Science 
        Foundation, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, 
        the United States Geological Survey, the United States Fish and 
        Wildlife Service, <DELETED>the Environmental Protection Agency, 
        the Department of Energy, </DELETED>and such other Federal 
        agencies as the <DELETED>Secretary </DELETED>President 
        considers appropriate.
            (3) Chairman.--The <DELETED>Committee </DELETED>committee 
        shall be chaired by the representative from the National 
        Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. The chairman may create 
        subcommittees chaired by any member agency of the committee. 
        Working groups may be formed by the full <DELETED>Committee 
        </DELETED>committee to address issues that may require more 
        specialized expertise than is provided by existing 
        subcommittees.
    (b) Purpose.--The <DELETED>Committee </DELETED>committee shall 
oversee the planning, establishment, and <DELETED>coordination 
</DELETED>coordinated implementation of a plan designed to improve the 
understanding of the role of increased ocean acidification on marine 
ecosystems.
    (c) Reports to Congress.--
            (1) Strategic research and implementation plan.--The 
        <DELETED>Committee </DELETED>committee shall submit the 
        strategic research and implementation plan established under 
        section 4 to the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and 
        Transportation and the House of Representatives Committee on 
        Natural Resources.
            (2) Triennial report.--Not later than 2 years after the 
        date of the enactment of this Act and every 3 years thereafter, 
        the <DELETED>Committee </DELETED>committee shall transmit a 
        report to the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and 
        Transportation and the House of Representatives Committee on 
        Natural Resources that includes--
                    (A) a summary of federally funded ocean 
                acidification research and monitoring activities, 
                including the budget for each of these activities; and
                    (B) an analysis of the progress made toward 
                achieving the goals and priorities for the interagency 
                research plan developed by the <DELETED>Committee 
                </DELETED>committee under section 4 and recommendations 
                for future <DELETED>activities. </DELETED> activities, 
                including policy recommendations developed as part of 
                this research.

SEC. 4. STRATEGIC RESEARCH AND IMPLEMENTATION PLAN.

    (a) In General.--Within <DELETED>1 year </DELETED>18 months after 
the date of enactment of this Act, the <DELETED>Committee 
</DELETED>committee shall develop a strategic research and 
implementation plan for coordinated Federal activities. In developing 
the plan, the <DELETED>Committee </DELETED>committee shall consider 
<DELETED>and use </DELETED>reports and studies conducted by Federal 
agencies and departments, the National Research Council, the Ocean 
Research and Resources Advisory Panel, <DELETED>the Joint Subcommittee 
on Ocean, Science, and Technology of the National Science and 
Technology Council, the Joint Ocean Commission Initiative,</DELETED> 
and other expert scientific <DELETED>bodies. </DELETED>bodies and 
coordinate with other relevant Federal interagency committees.
    (b) Scope.--The plan shall--
            (1) provide for interdisciplinary research among the ocean 
        sciences, and coordinated research and activities to improve 
        understanding of ocean acidification that will affect marine 
        ecosystems and to assess the potential and realized socio-
        economic impact of ocean acidification, including--
                    (A) effects of atmospheric carbon dioxide on ocean 
                chemistry;
                    (B) biological impacts of ocean acidification, 
                including research on--
                        <DELETED>    (i) commercially and 
                        recreationally important species and 
                        ecologically important calcifiers that lie at 
                        the base of the food chain; and</DELETED>
                            (i) species, including commercially and 
                        recreationally important species, protected, 
                        endangered, or threatened species, and 
                        ecologically important calcifiers that lie at 
                        the base of the food chain; and
                            (ii) physiological changes in response to 
                        ocean acidification;
                <DELETED>    (C) identification and assessment of 
                ecosystems most at risk from projected changes in ocean 
                chemistry including--</DELETED>
                        <DELETED>    (i) coral reef 
                        ecosystems;</DELETED>
                        <DELETED>    (ii) polar ecosystems; 
                        and</DELETED>
                        <DELETED>    (iii) coastal ocean 
                        ecosystems;</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    (D) modeling the effects of pH including 
                ecosystem forecasting;</DELETED>
                    (C) identification and assessment of ecosystems 
                most at risk from projected changes in ocean chemistry, 
                including--
                            (i) coastal ecosystems, including Great 
                        Lakes ecosystems;
                            (ii) coral reef ecosystems, including deep 
                        sea coral ecosystems; and
                            (iii) polar and subpolar ecosystems;
                    (D) modeling the changes in ocean chemistry driven 
                by the increases in ocean carbon levels, including 
                ecosystem forecasting;
                    (E) identifying feedback mechanisms resulting from 
                the ocean chemistry changes <DELETED>and the subsequent 
                </DELETED>such as the decrease in calcification rates 
                in organisms;
                    (F) socio-economic impacts of ocean acidification, 
                including commercially and recreationally important 
                <DELETED>fisheries; </DELETED>fisheries and coral reef 
                communities; and
                    (G) identifying interactions between ocean 
                acidification and other oceanic changes including those 
                associated with climate change;
            (2) establish, for the 10-year period beginning in the year 
        it is submitted, goals, priorities, and guidelines for 
        coordinated activities that will--
                    (A) most effectively advance scientific 
                understanding of the characteristics and impacts of 
                ocean acidification;
                    (B) provide forecasts of changes in ocean 
                acidification and the consequent impacts on marine 
                ecosystems; and
                    (C) provide a basis for policy decisions to reduce 
                and manage ocean acidification and its environmental 
                impacts;
            (3) provide an estimate of Federal funding requirements for 
        research and monitoring activities; and
            (4) identify and strengthen relevant programs and 
        activities of the Federal agencies and departments that would 
        contribute to accomplishing the goals of the plan and prevent 
        unnecessary duplication of efforts, including making 
        recommendations for the use of observing systems and 
        technological research and development.
    (c) Consultation.--In developing the plan, the committee may 
consult with the academic community, States, industry, environmental 
groups, and other relevant stakeholders.

SEC. 5. NOAA OCEAN ACIDIFICATION PROGRAM.

    (a) In General.--The Secretary shall establish and maintain an 
ocean acidification program within the National Oceanic and Atmospheric 
Administration to implement activities consistent with the strategic 
research and implementation plan developed by the <DELETED>Committee 
</DELETED>committee under section 4 that--
            (1) includes--
                    (A) interdisciplinary research among the ocean and 
                atmospheric sciences, and coordinated research and 
                activities to improve understanding of ocean 
                acidification;
                    (B) the establishment of a long-term monitoring 
                program of <DELETED>pH levels in the ocean 
                </DELETED>ocean acidification utilizing existing global 
                ocean observing assets and adding instrumentation and 
                sampling stations as appropriate to the aims of the 
                research program;
                    (C) research to identify and develop adaptation 
                strategies and techniques for effectively conserving 
                marine ecosystems as they cope with increased ocean 
                acidification;
                    <DELETED>(C) </DELETED>(D) educational 
                opportunities that encourage an interdisciplinary and 
                international approach to exploring the impacts of 
                ocean acidification;
                    <DELETED>(D) </DELETED>(E) national public outreach 
                activities to improve the understanding of ocean 
                acidification and its impacts on marine resources; and
                    <DELETED>(E) </DELETED>(F) coordination of ocean 
                acidification research and monitoring <DELETED>and 
                impacts research </DELETED>with other appropriate 
                international ocean science bodies such as the 
                International Oceanographic Commission, the 
                International Council for the Exploration of the Sea, 
                the North Pacific <DELETED>Marine Science Organization, 
                </DELETED>Research Board, and others;
            (2) provides grants for critical research projects that 
        explore the effects of ocean acidification on ecosystems and 
        the socio-economic impacts of increased ocean acidification 
        that are relevant to the goals and priorities of the strategic 
        research plan; and
            (3) incorporates a competitive merit-based grant process 
        that may be conducted jointly with other participating agencies 
        or under the National Oceanographic Partnership Program under 
        section 7901 of title 10, United States Code.
    (b) Additional Authority.--In conducting the Program, the Secretary 
may enter into and perform such contracts, leases, grants, or 
cooperative agreements as may be necessary to carry out the purposes of 
this Act on such terms as the Secretary deems appropriate.

SEC. 6. DEFINITIONS.

    In this Act:
        <DELETED>    (1) Committee.--The term ``Committee'' means the 
        Interagency Committee on Ocean Acidification established by 
        section 3(a).</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (2) Ocean acidification.--The term ``ocean 
        acidification'' means the decrease in the pH of the Earth's 
        oceans caused by the uptake of anthropogenic carbon dioxide 
        from the atmosphere.</DELETED>
            (1) Committee.--The term ``committee'' means the 
        interagency committee on ocean acidification established or 
        designated by the President under section 3(a)(1).
            (2) Ocean acidification.--The term ``ocean acidification'' 
        means the change in ocean chemistry that is driven by the 
        increase in ocean carbon levels, and the uptake of chemical 
        inputs from the atmosphere, including anthropogenic carbon 
        dioxide.
            (3) Program.--The term ``Program'' means the National 
        Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Ocean Acidification 
        Program established under section 5.
            (4) Secretary.--The term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary 
        of Commerce, acting through the Administrator of the National 
        Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

SEC. 7. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.

<DELETED>    (a) In General.--There are authorized to be appropriated 
to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration $30,000,000 to 
carry out the purposes of this Act for each of fiscal years 2008 
through 2012, and such sums as may be necessary for fiscal years after 
fiscal year 2012.</DELETED>
<DELETED>    (b) Allocation.--</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (1) Of the amounts made available to carry out 
        this Act for a fiscal year, the Secretary shall allocate at 
        least 60 percent to other departments and agencies to carry out 
        the priorities of the plan developed by the 
        Committee.</DELETED>
    (a) In General.--There are authorized to be appropriated to the 
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to carry out this Act--
            (1) $10,000,000 for fiscal year 2009;
            (2) $15,000,000 for fiscal year 2010;
            (3) $20,000,000 for fiscal year 2011;
            (4) $25,000,000 for fiscal year 2012; and
            (5) $30,000,000 for fiscal year 2013.
    (b) Allocation.--Of the amounts appropriated to the National 
Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration under subsection (a) for each 
fiscal year--
            (1) 40 percent shall be available to, and retained by, the 
        National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration for use in 
        carrying out its responsibilities under this Act; and
            (2) 60 percent shall be transferred by the National Oceanic 
        and Atmospheric Administration in equal amounts to--
                    (A) the National Science Foundation;
                    (B) the National Aeronautics and Space 
                Administration;
                    (C) the United States Geological Survey; and
                    (D) the United States Fish and Wildlife Service.
            <DELETED>(2) </DELETED>(3) Of the amounts made available to 
        carry out this Act for any fiscal year, the Secretary, and 
        other departments and agencies to which amounts are 
        <DELETED>allocated under paragraph (1), </DELETED>transferred 
        under paragraph (2), shall allocate at least 50 percent for 
        competitive grants.
                                                       Calendar No. 749

110th CONGRESS

  2d Session

                                S. 1581

                          [Report No. 110-339]

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL

To establish an interagency committee to develop an ocean acidification 
 research and monitoring plan and to establish an ocean acidification 
  program within the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

_______________________________________________________________________

                              May 22, 2008

                        Reported with amendments
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