South Florida Clean Coastal Waters Act of 2019

To require the Inter-Agency Task Force on Harmful Algal Blooms and Hypoxia to develop a plan for reducing, mitigating, and controlling harmful algal blooms and hypoxia in South Florida, and for other purposes. 1. Short title This Act may be cited as the South Florida Clean Coastal Waters Act of 2019 2. South Florida harmful algal blooms and hypoxia assessment and action plan (a) In general The Harmful Algal Bloom and Hypoxia Research and Control Act of 1998 ( Public Law 105–383 33 U.S.C. 4001 (1) by redesignating sections 605 through 609 as sections 606 through 610, respectively; and (2) by inserting after section 604 the following: 605. South Florida harmful algal blooms and hypoxia (a) South Florida In this section, the term South Florida (1) all lands and waters within the administrative boundaries of the South Florida Water Management District; (2) regional coastal waters, including Biscayne Bay, the Caloosahatchee Estuary, Florida Bay, and Indian River Lagoon; and (3) the Florida Reef Tract. (b) Integrated assessment Not later than 540 days after the date of enactment of the South Florida Clean Coastal Waters Act of 2019 (1) Federal agencies; (2) State agencies; (3) regional research consortia; (4) academia; (5) private industry; (6) nongovernmental organizations; and (7) Indian tribes (as defined in section 4 of the Indian Self-Determination and Education Assistance Act ( 25 U.S.C. 5304 (c) Action plan (1) In general Not later than 2 years after the date of the enactment of the South Florida Clean Coastal Waters Act of 2019 (2) Contents The plan submitted under paragraph (1) shall— (A) address the monitoring needs identified in the integrated assessment under subsection (b); (B) develop a timeline and budgetary requirements for deployment of future assets; (C) identify requirements for the development and verification of South Florida harmful algal bloom and hypoxia models, including— (i) all assumptions built into the models; and (ii) data quality methods used to ensure the best available data are utilized; and (D) propose a plan to implement a remote monitoring network and early warning system for alerting local communities in the region to harmful algal bloom risks that may impact human health. (3) Requirements In developing the action plan, the Task Force shall— (A) consult with the State of Florida, and affected local and tribal governments; (B) consult with representatives from regional academic, agricultural, industry, and other stakeholder groups; (C) ensure that the plan complements and does not duplicate activities conducted by other Federal or State agencies, including the South Florida Ecosystem Restoration Task Force; (D) identify critical research for reducing, mitigating, and controlling harmful algal bloom events and their effects; (E) evaluate cost-effective, incentive-based partnership approaches; (F) ensure that the plan is technically sound and cost-effective; (G) utilize existing research, assessments, reports, and program activities; (H) publish a summary of the proposed plan in the Federal Register at least 180 days prior to submitting the completed plan to Congress; and (I) after submitting the completed plan to Congress, provide biennial progress reports on the activities toward achieving the objectives of the plan. . (b) Clerical amendment and correction The table of contents in section 2 of the Coast Guard Authorization Act of 1998 ( Public Law 105–383 Title VI—Harmful Algal Blooms and Hypoxia Sec. 601. Short title. Sec. 602. Findings. Sec. 603. Assessments. Sec. 603A. National Harmful Algal Bloom and Hypoxia Program. Sec. 603B. Comprehensive research plan and action strategy. Sec. 604. Northern Gulf of Mexico hypoxia. Sec. 605. South Florida harmful algal blooms and hypoxia. Sec. 606. Great Lakes hypoxia and harmful algal blooms. Sec. 607. Protection of States’ Rights. Sec. 608. Effect on other Federal authority. Sec. 609. Definitions. Sec. 610. Authorization of appropriations. . September 11, 2019 Reported from the Committee on Science, Space, and Technology Committee on Natural Resources

Summary: South Florida Clean Coastal Waters Act of 2019 This bill addresses harmful algal blooms and hypoxia in the South Florida ecosystem. An algal bloom is a rapid growth of algae that may create toxic or hypoxic (severely low-oxygen) conditions that are harmful to humans, animals, aquatic ecosystems, and the economy. The Inter-Agency Task Force on Harmful Algal Blooms and Hypoxia must assess potential approaches to reduce harmful algal blooms and hypoxia in the ecosystem. The task force must also submit a plan, based on the assessment, for reducing, mitigating, and controlling harmful algal blooms and hypoxia in the region.