IIB 

110TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 1205 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

OCTOBER 23, 2007 

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

and Transportation 

AN ACT 

To reauthorize the Coral Reef Conservation Act of 2000, 

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, 


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1 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

2 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Coral Reef Conserva3 tion Amendments Act of 2007’’. 

4 SEC. 2. EXPANSION OF CORAL REEF CONSERVATION PRO5 GRAM. 

6 (a) PROJECT DIVERSITY.—Section 204(d) of the 

7 Coral Reef Conservation Act of 2000 (16 U.S.C. 6403(d)) 

8 is amended— 

9 (1) in the heading by striking ‘‘GEOGRAPHIC

10 AND BIOLOGICAL’’ and inserting ‘‘PROJECT’’; and 

11 (2) by striking paragraph (3) and inserting the 

12 following: 

13 ‘‘(3) Remaining funds shall be awarded for— 

14 ‘‘(A) projects (with priority given to com15 munity-based local action strategies) that ad16 dress emerging priorities or threats, including 

17 international and territorial priorities, or 

18 threats identified by the Administrator in con19 sultation with the Coral Reef Task Force; and 

20 ‘‘(B) other appropriate projects, as deter21 mined by the Administrator, including moni22 toring and assessment, research, pollution re23 duction, education, and technical support.’’. 

24 (b) APPROVAL CRITERIA.—Section 204(g) of that 

25 Act (16 U.S.C. 6403(g)) is amended— 


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1 (1) by striking ‘‘or’’ after the semicolon in 

2 paragraph (9); 

3 (2) by striking paragraph (10); and 

4 (3) by inserting after paragraph (9) the fol5 lowing: 

6 ‘‘(10) promoting activities designed to minimize 

7 the likelihood of vessel impacts on coral reefs, par8 ticularly those areas identified under section 210(b), 

9 including the promotion of ecologically sound naviga10 tion and anchorages near coral reefs; or 

11 ‘‘(11) promoting and assisting entities to work 

12 with local communities, and all appropriate govern13 mental and nongovernmental organizations, to sup14 port community-based planning and management 

15 initiatives for the protection of coral reef eco16 systems.’’. 

17 SEC. 3. EMERGENCY RESPONSE. 

18 Section 206 of the Coral Reef Conservation Act of 

19 2000 (16 U.S.C. 6405) is amended to read as follows: 

20 ‘‘SEC. 206. EMERGENCY RESPONSE ACTIONS. 

21 ‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—The Administrator may under22 take or authorize action necessary— 

23 ‘‘(1) to minimize the destruction or loss of, or 

24 injury to, a coral reef from— 


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1 ‘‘(A) vessel impacts, derelict fishing gear, 

2 vessel anchors, and anchor chains; and 

3 ‘‘(B) from unforeseen or disaster-related 

4 circumstances; and 

5 ‘‘(2) to stabilize, repair, recover, or restore such 

6 coral reef. 

7 ‘‘(b) VESSEL REMOVAL; RESTABILIZATION.—Action 

8 authorized by subsection (a) includes vessel removal and 

9 emergency restabilization of the vessel or any impacted 

10 coral reef. 

11 ‘‘(c) PARTNERING WITH OTHER FEDERAL AGEN12 CIES.—When possible, action by the Administrator under 

13 this section should— 

14 ‘‘(1) be conducted in partnership with other 

15 government agencies as appropriate, including— 

16 ‘‘(A) the Coast Guard, the Federal Emer17 gency Management Agency, the Army Corps of 

18 Engineers, and the Department of the Interior; 

19 and 

20 ‘‘(B) agencies of States and territories of 

21 the United States; and 

22 ‘‘(2) leverage resources of other agencies. 

23 ‘‘(d) EMERGENCY RESPONSE ASSISTANCE BY OTHER

24 FEDERAL AGENCIES.— 


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1 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The head of any other Fed2 eral agency may assist the Administrator in emer3 gency response actions under this section, using 

4 funds available for operations of the agency con5 cerned. 

6 ‘‘(2) REIMBURSEMENT.—The Administrator, 

7 subject to the availability of appropriations, may re8 imburse a Federal agency for assistance provided 

9 under paragraph (1). 

10 ‘‘(e) LIABILITY FOR COSTS AND DAMAGES TO CORAL

11 REEFS.— 

12 ‘‘(1) TREATMENT OF CORAL REEFS UNDER NA13 TIONAL MARINE SANCTUARIES ACT.—For purposes 

14 of the provisions set forth in paragraph (2), and 

15 subject to paragraph (3), each of the terms ‘sanc16 tuary resources’, ‘resource’, ‘sanctuary resource 

17 managed under law or regulations for that sanc18 tuary,’ ‘national marine sanctuary’, ‘sanctuary re19 sources of the national marine sanctuary’, and ‘sanc20 tuary resources of other national marine sanctuaries’ 

21 is deemed to include any coral reef that is subject 

22 to the jurisdiction of the United States or any State, 

23 without regard to whether such coral reef is located 

24 in a national marine sanctuary. 


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1 ‘‘(2) APPLICABLE PROVISIONS OF NATIONAL

2 MARINE SANCTUARIES ACT.—The provisions referred 

3 to in paragraph (1) are the following provisions of 

4 the National Marine Sanctuaries Act: 

5 ‘‘(A) Paragraphs (6) and (7) of section 

6 302 (16 U.S.C. 1432). 

7 ‘‘(B) Paragraphs (1), (2), (3), and (4) of 

8 section 306 (16 U.S.C. 1436). 

9 ‘‘(C) Section 307 (16 U.S.C. 1437). 

10 ‘‘(D) Section 312 (16 U.S.C. 1443). 

11 ‘‘(3) STATE CONSENT REQUIRED.— 

12 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—This subsection shall 

13 not apply to any coral reef that is subject to the 

14 jurisdiction of a State unless the Governor of 

15 that State notifies the Secretary that the State 

16 consents to that application. 

17 ‘‘(B) REVOCATION OF CONSENT.—The 

18 governor of a State may revoke consent under 

19 subparagraph (A) by notifying the Secretary of 

20 such revocation. 

21 ‘‘(4) CONSISTENCY WITH INTERNATIONAL LAW

22 AND TREATIES.—Any action taken under the au23 thority of this subsection must be consistent with 

24 otherwise applicable international law and treaties. 


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1 ‘‘(5) ACTIONS AUTHORIZED WITH RESPECT TO

2 VESSELS.—Actions authorized under this subsection 

3 include vessel removal, and emergency re-stabiliza4 tion of a vessel and any coral reef that is impacted 

5 by a vessel. 

6 ‘‘(6) REGULATIONS.—The Secretary may issue 

7 regulations necessary to implement this subsection.’’. 

8 SEC. 4. NATIONAL PROGRAM. 

9 (a) PURPOSE OF ACT.—Section 202 of the Coral 

10 Reef Conservation Act of 2000 (16 U.S.C. 6401) is 

11 amended— 

12 (1) by amending paragraph (3) to read as fol13 lows: 

14 ‘‘(3) to develop sound scientific information on 

15 the condition of coral reef ecosystems and the 

16 threats to such ecosystems including large-scale 

17 threats related to climate change, to benefit local 

18 communities and the Nation, and to the extent prac19 ticable support and enhance coral reef research ca20 pabilities at local academic institutions;’’; and 

21 (2) by striking ‘‘and’’ after the semicolon at the 

22 end of paragraph (5), by striking the period at the 

23 end of paragraph (6) and inserting ‘‘; and’’, and by 

24 adding at the end the following: 


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1 ‘‘(7) to recognize the benefits of healthy coral 

2 reefs to island and coastal communities and to en3 courage Federal action to ensure, to the maximum 

4 extent practicable, the continued availability of those 

5 benefits.’’. 

6 (b) GOALS AND OBJECTIVES OF NATIONAL CORAL

7 REEF ACTION STRATEGY.—Section 203(b)(8) of the 

8 Coral Reef Conservation Act of 2000 (16 U.S.C. 

9 6402(b)(8)) is amended to read as follows: 

10 ‘‘(8) conservation, including resilience and the 

11 consideration of island and local traditions and prac12 tices.’’. 

13 (c) AMENDMENTS RELATING TO ACTIVITIES TO CON14 SERVE CORAL REEFS AND CORAL REEF ECOSYSTEMS.— 

15 Section 207(b) of the Coral Reef Conservation Act of 2000 

16 (16 U.S.C. 6406) is amended— 

17 (1) in paragraph (3) by striking ‘‘and’’ after 

18 the semicolon; 

19 (2) in paragraph (4)— 

20 (A) by striking ‘‘cooperative conservation’’ 

21 and inserting ‘‘cooperative research, conserva22 tion,’’; and 

23 (B) by striking ‘‘partners.’’ and inserting 

24 ‘‘partners, including academic institutions lo25 cated in those States, territories, and freely asVerDate Aug 31 2005 02:39 Oct 24, 2007 Jkt 069200 PO 00000 Frm 00008 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H1205.RFS H1205

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1 sociated States referred to in section 212; and’’; 

2 and 

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

4 ‘‘(5) activities designed to minimize the likeli5 hood of vessel impacts or other physical damage to 

6 coral reefs, including those areas identified in sec7 tion 210(b).’’. 

8 SEC. 5. REPORT TO CONGRESS. 

9 Section 208 of the Coral Reef Conservation Act of 

10 2000 (16 U.S.C. 6407) is amended to read as follows: 

11 ‘‘SEC. 208. REPORT TO CONGRESS. 

12 ‘‘Not later than March 1, 2010, and every 3 years 

13 thereafter, the Administrator shall submit to the Com14 mittee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation of the 

15 Senate and the Committee on Natural Resources of the 

16 House of Representatives a report describing all activities 

17 undertaken to implement the strategy, including— 

18 ‘‘(1) a description of the funds obligated by 

19 each participating Federal agency to advance coral 

20 reef conservation during each of the 3 fiscal years 

21 next preceding the fiscal year in which the report is 

22 submitted; 

23 ‘‘(2) a description of Federal interagency and 

24 cooperative efforts with States, United States terri25 tories, freely associated States, and non-governVerDate Aug 31 2005 02:39 Oct 24, 2007 Jkt 069200 PO 00000 Frm 00009 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H1205.RFS H1205

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1 mental partner organizations to prevent or address 

2 overharvesting, coastal runoff, or other anthropo3 genic impacts on coral reef ecosystems, including 

4 projects undertaken with the Department of the In5 terior, the Department of Agriculture, the Environ6 mental Protection Agency, and the Army Corps of 

7 Engineers; 

8 ‘‘(3) a summary of the information contained in 

9 the vessel grounding inventory established under sec10 tion 210, including additional authorization or fund11 ing, needed for response and removal of such vessels; 

12 ‘‘(4) a description of Federal disaster response 

13 actions taken pursuant to the National Response 

14 Plan to address damage to coral reefs and coral reef 

15 ecosystems; and 

16 ‘‘(5) an assessment of the condition of United 

17 States coral reefs, accomplishments under this Act, 

18 and the effectiveness of management actions to ad19 dress threats to coral reefs, including actions taken 

20 to address large-scale threats to coral reef eco21 systems related to climate change.’’. 


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1 SEC. 6. FUND; GRANTS; GROUNDING INVENTORY; COORDI2 NATION. 

3 (a) FUND; GRANTS; GROUNDING INVENTORY; CO4 ORDINATION.—The Coral Reef Conservation Act of 2000 

5 (16 U.S.C. 6401 et seq.) is amended— 

6 (1) in section 205(a) (16 U.S.C. 6404(a)), by 

7 striking ‘‘organization solely’’ and all that follows 

8 and inserting ‘‘organization— 

9 ‘‘(1) to support partnerships between the public 

10 and private sectors that further the purposes of this 

11 Act and are consistent with the national coral reef 

12 strategy under section 203; and 

13 ‘‘(2) to address emergency response actions 

14 under section 206.’’; 

15 (2) by adding at the end of section 205(b) (16 

16 U.S.C. 6404(b)) ‘‘The organization is encouraged to 

17 solicit funding and in-kind services from the private 

18 sector, including nongovernmental organizations, for 

19 emergency response actions under section 206 and 

20 for activities to prevent damage to coral reefs, in21 cluding areas identified in section 210(b)(2).’’; 

22 (3) in section 205(c) (16 U.S.C. 6404(c)), by 

23 striking ‘‘the grant program’’ and inserting ‘‘any 

24 grant program or emergency response action’’; 

25 (4) by redesignating sections 209 and 210 as 

26 sections 213 and 214, respectively; and 


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1 (5) by inserting after section 208 the following: 

2 ‘‘SEC. 209. COMMUNITY-BASED PLANNING GRANTS. 

3 ‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—The Administrator may make 

4 grants to entities that are eligible to receive grants under 

5 section 204(c) to provide additional funds to such entities 

6 to work with local communities and through appropriate 

7 Federal and State entities to prepare and implement plans 

8 for the increased protection of coral reef areas identified 

9 by the community and scientific experts as high priorities 

10 for focused attention. The plans shall— 

11 ‘‘(1) support attainment of 1 or more of the cri12 teria described in section 204(g); 

13 ‘‘(2) be developed at the community level; 

14 ‘‘(3) utilize where applicable watershed-based or 

15 ecosystem-based approaches; 

16 ‘‘(4) provide for coordination with Federal and 

17 State experts and managers; 

18 ‘‘(5) build upon local approaches or models, in19 cluding traditional or island-based resource manage20 ment concepts; and 

21 ‘‘(6) complement local action strategies or re22 gional plans for coral reef conservation. 

23 ‘‘(b) TERMS AND CONDITIONS.—The provisions of 

24 subsections (b), (d), (f), and (h) of section 204 apply to 

25 grants under subsection (a), except that, for the purpose 


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1 of applying section 204(b)(1) to grants under this section, 

2 ‘75 percent’ shall be substituted for ‘50 percent’. 

3 ‘‘SEC. 210. VESSEL GROUNDING INVENTORY. 

4 ‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—The Administrator, in coordina5 tion with other Federal agencies, may maintain an inven6 tory of all vessel grounding incidents involving coral reefs, 

7 including a description of— 

8 ‘‘(1) the impacts to such resources; 

9 ‘‘(2) vessel and ownership information, if avail10 able; 

11 ‘‘(3) the estimated cost of removal, mitigation, 

12 or restoration; 

13 ‘‘(4) the response action taken by the owner, 

14 the Administrator, the Commandant of the Coast 

15 Guard, or other Federal or State agency representa16 tives; 

17 ‘‘(5) the status of the response action, including 

18 the dates of vessel removal and mitigation or res19 toration and any actions taken to prevent future 

20 grounding incidents; and 

21 ‘‘(6) recommendations for additional naviga22 tional aids or other mechanisms for preventing fu23 ture grounding incidents. 

24 ‘‘(b) IDENTIFICATION OF AT-RISK REEFS.—The Ad25 ministrator may— 


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1 ‘‘(1) use information from any inventory main2 tained under subsection (a) or any other available 

3 information source to identify all coral reef areas 

4 that have a high incidence of vessel impacts, includ5 ing groundings and anchor damage; and 

6 ‘‘(2) identify appropriate measures, including 

7 action by other agencies, to reduce the likelihood of 

8 such impacts. 

9 ‘‘SEC. 211. REGIONAL COORDINATION. 

10 ‘‘The Administrator shall work in coordination and 

11 collaboration with other Federal agencies, States, and 

12 United States territorial governments to implement the 

13 national coral reef action strategy developed under section 

14 203, including regional and local strategies, to address 

15 multiple threats to coral reefs and coral reef ecosystems 

16 such as coastal runoff, vessel impacts, overharvesting, and 

17 factors attributed to climate change. 

18 ‘‘SEC. 212. UNITED STATES CORAL REEF TASK FORCE. 

19 ‘‘(a) ESTABLISHMENT.—There is hereby established 

20 the United States Coral Reef Task Force. 

21 ‘‘(b) GOAL.—The goal of the Task Force shall be to 

22 lead, coordinate, and strengthen Federal Government ac23 tions to better preserve and protect coral reef ecosystems. 

24 ‘‘(c) DUTIES.—The duties of the Task Force shall 

25 be— 


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1 ‘‘(1) to coordinate, in cooperation with State, 

2 territory, freely associated State, commonwealth, 

3 and local government partners, academic, and non4 governmental partners if appropriate, activities re5 garding the mapping, monitoring, research, con6 servation, mitigation, restoration of coral reefs and 

7 coral reef ecosystems; 

8 ‘‘(2) to monitor and advise regarding implemen9 tation of the policy and Federal agency responsibil10 ities set forth in Executive Order 13089 and the na11 tional coral reef action strategy developed under sec12 tion 203; and 

13 ‘‘(3) to work with the Secretary of State and 

14 the Administrator of the Agency for International 

15 Development, and in coordination with the other 

16 members of the Task Force, to— 

17 ‘‘(A) assess the United States role in inter18 national trade and protection of coral species; 

19 and 

20 ‘‘(B) encourage implementation of appro21 priate strategies and actions to promote con22 servation and sustainable use of coral reef re23 sources worldwide. 

24 ‘‘(d) MEMBERSHIP, GENERALLY.—The Task Force 

25 shall be comprised of— 


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1 ‘‘(1) the Secretary of Commerce, acting through 

2 the Administrator of the National Oceanic and At3 mospheric Administration, and the Secretary of the 

4 Interior, who shall be co-chairs of the Task Force; 

5 ‘‘(2) the Administrator of the Agency of Inter6 national Development; 

7 ‘‘(3) the Secretary of Agriculture; 

8 ‘‘(4) the Secretary of Defense; 

9 ‘‘(5) the Secretary of the Army, acting through 

10 the Corps of Engineers; 

11 ‘‘(6) the Secretary of Homeland Security; 

12 ‘‘(7) the Attorney General; 

13 ‘‘(8) the Secretary of State; 

14 ‘‘(9) the Secretary of Transportation; 

15 ‘‘(10) the Administrator of the Environmental 

16 Protection Agency; 

17 ‘‘(11) the Administrator of the National Aero18 nautics and Space Administration; 

19 ‘‘(12) the Director of the National Science 

20 Foundation; 

21 ‘‘(13) the Governor, or a representative of the 

22 Governor, of the Commonwealth of the Northern 

23 Mariana Islands; 

24 ‘‘(14) the Governor, or a representative of the 

25 Governor, of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico; 


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1 ‘‘(15) the Governor, or a representative of the 

2 Governor, of the State of Florida; 

3 ‘‘(16) the Governor, or a representative of the 

4 Governor, of the State of Hawaii; 

5 ‘‘(17) the Governor, or a representative of the 

6 Governor, of the Territory of Guam; 

7 ‘‘(18) the Governor, or a representative of the 

8 Governor, of the Territory of American Samoa; and 

9 ‘‘(19) the Governor, or a representative of the 

10 Governor, of the Virgin Islands. 

11 ‘‘(e) NONVOTING MEMBERS.—The President, or a 

12 representative of the President, of each of the Freely Asso13 ciated States of the Federated States of Micronesia, the 

14 Republic of the Marshall Islands, and the Republic of 

15 Palau may appoint a nonvoting member of the Task 

16 Force. 

17 ‘‘(f) RESPONSIBILITIES OF FEDERAL AGENCY MEM18 BERS.— 

19 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The Federal agency mem20 bers of the Task Force shall— 

21 ‘‘(A) identify the actions of their agencies 

22 that may affect coral reef ecosystems; 

23 ‘‘(B) utilize the programs and authorities 

24 of their agencies to protect and enhance the 

25 conditions of such ecosystems; and 


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1 ‘‘(C) assist in the implementation of the 

2 National Action Plan to Conserve Coral Reefs, 

3 the national coral reef action strategy developed 

4 under section 203, the local action strategies, 

5 and any other coordinated efforts approved by 

6 the Task Force. 

7 ‘‘(2) CO-CHAIRS.—In addition to their respon8 sibilities under paragraph (1), the co-chairs of the 

9 Task Force shall administer performance of the 

10 functions of the Task Force and facilitate the co11 ordination of the Federal agency members of the 

12 Task Force. 

13 ‘‘(g) WORKING GROUPS.— 

14 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The co-chairs of the Task 

15 Force may establish working groups as necessary to 

16 meet the goals and duties of this Act. The Task 

17 Force may request the co-chairs to establish such a 

18 working group. 

19 ‘‘(2) PARTICIPATION BY NONGOVERNMENTAL

20 ORGANIZATIONS.—The co-chairs may allow a non21 governmental organization or academic institution to 

22 participate in such a working group. 

23 ‘‘(h) FACA.—The Federal Advisory Committee Act 

24 (5 U.S.C. App.) shall not apply to the Task Force.’’. 


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1 (b) COOPERATIVE AGREEMENTS.—Section 204 of the 

2 Coral Reef Conservation Act of 2000 (16 U.S.C. 6403) 

3 is amended by adding at the end the following: 

4 ‘‘(k) MULTIYEAR COOPERATIVE AGREEMENTS.—The 

5 Administrator may enter into multiyear cooperative agree6 ments with the heads of other Federal agencies, States, 

7 territories, other freely associated States, local govern8 ments, academic institutions, and non-governmental orga9 nizations to carry out the activities of the national coral 

10 reef action strategy developed under section 203 and to 

11 implement regional strategies developed pursuant to sec12 tion 211.’’. 

13 SEC. 7. AMENDMENTS RELATING TO DEPARTMENT OF THE 

14 INTERIOR PROGRAM. 

15 (a) AMENDMENTS AND CLARIFICATIONS TO DEFINI16 TIONS.— 

17 (1) FISH AND WILDLIFE COORDINATION ACT.— 

18 Section 8 of the Fish and Wildlife Coordination Act 

19 (16 U.S.C. 666b) is amended by inserting before the 

20 period at the end the following: ‘‘, including coral 

21 reef ecosystems (as such term is defined in section 

22 214 of the Coral Reef Conservation Act of 2000)’’. 

23 (2) FISH AND WILDLIFE ACT OF 1956 AND FISH

24 AND WILDLIFE IMPROVEMENT ACT OF 1978.—With 

25 respect to the authorities under the Fish and WildVerDate Aug 31 2005 02:39 Oct 24, 2007 Jkt 069200 PO 00000 Frm 00019 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H1205.RFS H1205

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1 life Act of 1956 (16 U.S.C. 742a et seq.) and the 

2 authorities under the Fish and Wildlife Improvement 

3 Act of 1978 (16 U.S.C. 742l), references in such 

4 Acts to ‘‘wildlife’’ and ‘‘fish and wildlife’’ shall be 

5 construed to include coral reef ecosystems (as such 

6 term is defined in section 214 of the Coral Reef 

7 Conservation Act of 2000, as amended by this Act). 

8 (b) CORAL REEF CONSERVATION ASSISTANCE.—The 

9 Secretary of the Interior may provide technical assistance 

10 and, subject to the availability of appropriations, financial 

11 assistance to coastal States (as that term is defined in 

12 the Coral Reef Conservation Act of 2000, as amended by 

13 this Act). 

14 SEC. 8. CLARIFICATION OF DEFINITIONS. 

15 Section 214 of the Coral Reef Conservation Act of 

16 2000, as redesignated by section 6(a) of this Act (relating 

17 to definitions; 16 U.S.C. 6409), is further amended— 

18 (1) by amending paragraph (1) to read as fol19 lows: 

20 ‘‘(1) ADMINISTRATOR.—The term ‘Adminis21 trator’— 

22 ‘‘(A) except as provided in subparagraph 

23 (B), means the Administrator of the National 

24 Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration; and 


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1 ‘‘(B) in sections 206 and 209, means the 

2 Secretary of the Interior for purposes of appli3 cation of those sections to national parks, na4 tional wildlife refuges, and Wake Island.’’; 

5 (2) by amending paragraph (2) to read as fol6 lows: 

7 ‘‘(2) CONSERVATION.—The term ‘conservation’ 

8 means the use of methods and procedures that are 

9 necessary to preserve or sustain coral reefs and asso10 ciated species as diverse, viable, and self-perpet11 uating coral reef ecosystems, including— 

12 ‘‘(A) all activities associated with resource 

13 management, such as assessment, conservation, 

14 protection, restoration, sustainable use, and 

15 management of habitat; 

16 ‘‘(B) mapping; 

17 ‘‘(C) monitoring of coral reef ecosystems; 

18 ‘‘(D) assistance in the development of 

19 management strategies for marine protected 

20 area or networks thereof and marine resources 

21 consistent with the National Marine Sanc22 tuaries Act (16 U.S.C. 1431 et seq.) and the 

23 Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and 

24 Management Act (16 U.S.C. 1801 et seq.); 

25 ‘‘(E) law enforcement; 


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1 ‘‘(F) conflict resolution initiatives; 

2 ‘‘(G) community outreach and education; 

3 and 

4 ‘‘(H) activities that promote safe and eco5 logically sound navigation.’’; 

6 (3) by amending paragraph (3) to read as fol7 lows: 

8 ‘‘(3) CORAL.—The term ‘coral’ means species 

9 of the phylum Cnidaria, including— 

10 ‘‘(A) all species of the orders Antipatharia 

11 (black corals), Scleractinia (stony corals), 

12 Gorgonacea (horny corals), Stolonifera 

13 (organpipe corals and others), Alcyonacea (soft 

14 corals), and Helioporacea (blue coral), of the 

15 class Anthozoa; and 

16 ‘‘(B) all species of the families Milleporidae 

17 (fire corals) and Stylasteridae (stylasterid 

18 hydrocorals), of the class Hydrozoa.’’; 

19 (4) by amending paragraph (4) to read as fol20 lows: 

21 ‘‘(4) CORAL REEF.—The term ‘coral reef’ 

22 means a limestone structure composed in whole or in 

23 part of living zooxanthellate stony corals (Class 

24 Anthozoa, Order Scleractinia), their skeletal re25 mains, or both.’’; 


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1 (5) by amending paragraph (5) to read as fol2 lows: 

3 ‘‘(5) CORAL REEF ECOSYSTEM.—The term 

4 ‘coral reef ecosystem’ means a system of coral reefs 

5 and geographically associated species, habitats, and 

6 environment, including mangroves and seagrass 

7 habitats, and the processes that control its dynam8 ics.’’; and 

9 (6) by amending paragraph (7) to read as fol10 lows: 

11 ‘‘(7) SECRETARY.—The term ‘Secretary’— 

12 ‘‘(A) except as provided in subparagraphs 

13 (B) and (C), means the Secretary of Commerce; 

14 ‘‘(B) in section 206(e), means— 

15 ‘‘(i) the Secretary of the Interior, with 

16 respect to any coral reef or component 

17 thereof that is located in— 

18 ‘‘(I) the National Wildlife Refuge 

19 System; 

20 ‘‘(II) the National Park System; 

21 or 

22 ‘‘(III) the waters surrounding 

23 Wake Island under the jurisdiction of 

24 the Secretary of the Interior, as set 

25 forth in Executive Order No. 11048 


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1 (27 Fed. Reg. 8851), dated Sep2 tember 4, 1962; or 

3 ‘‘(ii) the Secretary of Commerce, with 

4 respect to any other coral reef or compo5 nent thereof; and 

6 ‘‘(C) in sections 203 and 209, means the 

7 Secretary of Commerce and the Secretary of 

8 the Interior.’’. 

9 SEC. 9. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS. 

10 Section 213 of the Coral Reef Conservation Act of 

11 2000 (formerly 16 U.S.C. 6408), as redesignated by sec12 tion 4, is amended— 

13 (1) by amending subsection (a) to read as fol14 lows: 

15 ‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—There are authorized to be ap16 propriated to the Secretary of Commerce to carry out this 

17 title $30,000,000 for fiscal year 2008, $32,000,000 for 

18 fiscal year 2009, $34,000,000 for fiscal year 2010 and 

19 $35,000,000 for fiscal years 2011 and 2012.’’; 

20 (2) in subsection (b) by striking ‘‘$1,000,000’’ 

21 and inserting ‘‘$2,000,000’’; 

22 (3) by striking subsection (c) and inserting the 

23 following: 

24 ‘‘(c) COMMUNITY-BASED PLANNING GRANTS.— 

25 There is authorized to be appropriated to the AdminisVerDate Aug 31 2005 02:39 Oct 24, 2007 Jkt 069200 PO 00000 Frm 00024 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H1205.RFS H1205

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HR 1205 RFS 

1 trator to carry out section 209, $8,000,000 for fiscal years 

2 2008 through 2012, to remain available until expended.’’; 

3 and 

4 (4) by striking subsection (d) and inserting the 

5 following: 

6 ‘‘(d) DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR.—There is au7 thorized to be appropriated to the Secretary of the Interior 

8 to carry out this title $5,000,000 for each of fiscal years 

9 2008 through 2012.’’. 

10 SEC. 10. ENSURING RESILIENCE. 

11 (a) PURPOSES.—Section 202 of the Coral Reef Con12 servation Act of 2000 (16 U.S.C. 6401) is further amend13 ed by redesignating paragraphs (2) through (7) as para14 graphs (3) through (8), respectively, and by inserting after 

15 paragraph (1) the following: 

16 ‘‘(2) to promote the resilience of coral reef eco17 systems;’’. 

18 (b) CRITERIA FOR APPROVAL OF PROJECT PRO19 POSALS.—Section 204(g) of the Coral Reef Conservation 

20 Act of 2000 (16 U.S.C. 6403(g)) is further amended by 

21 striking ‘‘or’’ after the semicolon at the end of paragraph 

22 (10), by redesignating paragraph (11) as paragraph (12), 

23 and by inserting after paragraph (10) the following: 

24 ‘‘(11) improving and promoting the resilience of 

25 coral reefs and coral reef ecosystems; or’’. 


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HR 1205 RFS 

1 (c) ACTIVITIES AUTHORIZED UNDER NATIONAL

2 PROGRAM.—Section 207(b) of the Coral Reef Conserva3 tion Act of 2000 (16 U.S.C. 6406(b)) is further amended 

4 by striking ‘‘and’’ after the semicolon at the end of para5 graph (4), by redesignating paragraph (5) as paragraph 

6 (6), and by inserting after paragraph (4) the following: 

7 ‘‘(5) improving and promoting the resilience of 

8 coral reefs and coral reef ecosystems; and’’. 

9 SEC. 11. FUNDING FOR MARINE FACILITIES, CORAL REEF 

10 RESEARCH, AND CORAL REEF INSTITUTES. 

11 (a) AMERICAN SAMOA COMMUNITY COLLEGE.— 

12 There is authorized to be appropriated $1,000,000 to the 

13 Secretary of Commerce, acting through the National Oce14 anic and Atmospheric Administration, to provide funds to 

15 a research facility for coral reef research and protection, 

16 and coastal ecology and development, at the American 

17 Samoa Community College. 

18 (b) UNIVERSITY OF GUAM.—There is authorized to 

19 be appropriated $1,000,000 to the Secretary of Com20 merce, acting through the National Oceanic and Atmos21 pheric Administration, to provide funds to the University 

22 of Guam for coral reef research and protection. 

23 (c) SUPPORT FOR CORAL REEF INSTITUTES.—The 

24 Administrator, subject to the availability of appropriations 

25 specifically to carry out this subsection, may enter into, 


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HR 1205 RFS

1 renegotiate, or extend a cooperative agreement with any 

2 university or local academic institution or other research 

3 center with established programs that support coral reef 

4 conservation to accomplish the following: 

5 (1) Provide technical and other assistance to 

6 build capacity for effective resource management on 

7 a regional level and within local communities. 

8 (2) Facilitate interdisciplinary research regard9 ing coral reef ecosystems to improve resource man10 agement and improve understanding of potential im11 pacts to such ecosystems attributed to climate 

12 change. 

13 (3) Conduct public education programs regard14 ing coral reefs and coral reef ecosystems to improve 

15 public awareness of the need to protect and conserve 

16 such resources. 

17 (4) To advance the purposes and policies set 

18 forth in the Coral Reef Conservation Act of 2000. 

19 (d) DEFINITIONS.—For purposes of this section the 

20 definitions in section 214 of the Coral Reef Conservation 


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1 Act of 2000, as redesignated by section 6(a) of this Act 

2 and amended by section 8 of this Act, apply. 

Passed the House of Representatives October 22, 

2007. 

Attest: LORRAINE C. MILLER, 

Clerk. 


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