fluenced by human population growth, sea level rise, 
and other system-wide changes; 
(8) protect and restore habitats, waters, and or-
ganisms that are long-term carbon sinks or will be 
subject to habitat change as a result of climate change 
and development; 
(9) provide staff and technical expertise to the 
interagency working group; 
(10) quantify co-benefits of blue carbon eco-
systems, including flood-risk reduction, habitat pro-
tection and restoration for endangered and threatened 
species, habitat protection and restoration for com-
mercial and recreational fisheries, water quality im-
provements, habitat maintenance and restoration, cy-
cling of nutrients other than carbon, commercial and 
recreational fishing, and other responsible marine 
recreation benefits; 
(11) assess regional and national ecosystem and 
socioeconomic impacts of carbon sequestration and 
storage; 
(12) research variability, long-term storage, and 
innovative techniques for effective, long-term, natural 
ocean or coastal ecosystem-based carbon sequestration; 
(13) identify areas of particularly high rates of 
carbon sequestration and storage, including locations 
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within existing or proposed coastal and marine pro-
tected areas; 
(14) assess legal issues of landownership in blue 
carbon markets, and develop guidelines to help land-
owners navigate the requirements of such markets; 
(15) assess the impacts of protection and restora-
tion efforts in blue carbon ecosystems on methane 
emissions; and 
(16) coordinate with Federal agencies, other 
countries, and international organizations to advance 
resilience strategies that reflect the co-benefits of blue 
carbon for adaptation and mitigation, and the inte-
gration of blue carbon in National Greenhouse Gas 
Inventories and Nationally Determined Contribu-
tions. 
SEC. 102. NATIONAL MAP OF COASTAL AND MARINE BLUE 
CARBON ECOSYSTEMS. 
(a) NATIONAL MAP.—The Administrator, in consulta-
tion with the interagency working group established under 
section 106, shall— 
(1) produce and maintain, by updating every 
three years, a national map and inventory of coastal 
and marine blue carbon ecosystems in the coastal 
zone, the territorial waters of the United States, and 
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the United States Exclusive Economic Zone includ-
ing— 
(A) with respect to each such ecosystem— 
(i) the species and types of habitat in 
the ecosystem; 
(ii) the condition of such habitats in-
cluding whether a habitat is degraded, 
drained, eutrophic, or tidally restricted; 
(iii) the type of public or private own-
ership relating to such ecosystem and any 
protected status; 
(iv) the size of the ecosystem; 
(v) the salinity boundaries of the eco-
system; 
(vi) the tidal boundaries of the eco-
system; 
(vii) an assessment of carbon seques-
tration potential, methane production, and 
net greenhouse gas effects of the ecosystem— 
(I) quantifying the amount of car-
bon stored in a particular geographic 
area; 
(II) the degree to which such 
amounts can be verified; 
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(III) determination of how much 
additional carbon may be stored in 
such an area due to further carbon se-
questration; and 
(IV) the permanence of such exist-
ing and future carbon storage; 
(viii) an assessment of the ecosystem 
co-benefits, such as habitat for commercial, 
recreational, indigenous, and Tribal fish-
eries, biodiversity, flood risk reduction, 
wave stress, storm protection, shoreline sta-
bilization, public access, water and air pol-
lution filtration, contributions to tradi-
tional and cultural practices, maintenance 
of biodiversity, and recreational use and 
benefits of the ecosystem; 
(ix) the potential for landward migra-
tion of each ecosystem as a result of sea 
level rise; 
(x) an assessment of any upstream 
structures or pollution sources that threaten 
the health of each blue carbon ecosystem; 
(xi) proximity of the ecosystem to 
aquaculture uses or lease areas; and 
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(xii) a depiction of the effects of 
human stressors, including the conversion of 
blue carbon ecosystems to other land uses 
and the cause of such conversion; and 
(B) a depiction of the effects of climate 
change, including sea level rise, ocean acidifica-
tion, ocean warming, and other environmental 
stressors on the sequestration rate, carbon stor-
age, and carbon sequestration and storage poten-
tial of blue carbon ecosystems; and 
(2) in carrying out paragraph (1)— 
(A) incorporate, to the extent possible, data 
collected through federally and State funded re-
search, including data collected from— 
(i) the Coastal Change Analysis Pro-
gram of the National Oceanic and Atmos-
pheric Administration; 
(ii) the National Wetlands Inventory of 
the United States Fish and Wildlife Service; 
(iii) biologic carbon sequestration in-
formation of the United States Geological 
Survey; 
(iv) information from the Center for 
LIDAR 
Information 
Coordination 
and 
Knowledge of the United States Geological 
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Survey and Federal Emergency Manage-
ment Agency; 
(v) biological and environmental re-
search from the Department of Energy; 
(vi) national aquatic resource surveys 
of the Environmental Protection Agency; 
and 
(vii) data from the National Coastal 
Blue Carbon Assessment of the Department 
of Agriculture; and 
(B) engage regional experts for additional 
peer-reviewed data to ensure that best available 
scientific information is incorporated. 
(b) USE.—The interagency working group shall use the 
national map and inventory created pursuant to subsection 
(a)— 
(1) to assess the existing and potential carbon se-
questration of different blue carbon ecosystems, and 
account for any regional differences; 
(2) to assess and quantify emissions from de-
graded and destroyed blue carbon ecosystems; 
(3) to assist in the development of regional as-
sessments and to provide technical assistance to re-
gional, State, Tribal, and local government agencies, 
regional information coordination entities (as such 
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term is defined in section 12303(6) of the Integrated 
Coastal and Ocean Observation System Act (33 
U.S.C. 3602)), and agencies, organizations, and other 
entities that support communities that may not have 
adequate resources, including low-income commu-
nities, communities of color, Tribal communities, In-
digenous communities, and rural communities; 
(4) to assist in efforts to assess degraded coastal 
and marine blue carbon ecosystems and their poten-
tial for restoration, including vulnerability assess-
ments and developing scenario modeling to identify 
vulnerable areas where management, protection, and 
restoration efforts should be focused, including the po-
tential for an ecosystem to migrate inland to adapt 
to sea level rise; and 
(5) to produce predictions of blue carbon eco-
systems and carbon sequestration rates in the context 
of climate change, environmental stressors, and 
human stressors. 
SEC. 103. REPORT ON BLUE CARBON IN THE UNITED 
STATES. 
Not later than one year after the date of the enactment 
of this Act and every three years thereafter, the Adminis-
trator, in consultation with the interagency working group, 
shall submit to the Committee on Natural Resources of the 
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House of Representatives and the Committee on Commerce, 
Science, and Transportation of the Senate a report con-
taining the following: 
(1) A summary of federally funded coastal and 
marine blue carbon ecosystem research, monitoring, 
conservation, and restoration activities, including the 
budget for each of these activities and describe the 
progress in advancing the national priorities estab-
lished by the interagency working group. 
(2) With respect to each blue carbon ecosystem, 
the type, location, and ownership of the ecosystem 
(whether privately owned lands, State lands, Tribal 
lands, or Federal lands). 
(3) An assessment of the vulnerability of coastal 
and marine blue carbon ecosystems to climate im-
pacts such as sea-level rise, acidification, and salt-
water intrusion, and other environmental and human 
stressors, such as development, water pollution, and 
aquaculture. 
(4) An assessment of the greatest anthropogenic 
threats to blue carbon ecosystems, including the Fed-
eral agency actions that have historically caused and 
presently cause great adverse effects on such eco-
systems. 
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(5) An assessment of the carbon sequestration po-
tential of coastal and marine blue carbon ecosystems 
and the probable changes to sequestration under cli-
mate change scenarios. 
(6) An assessment of biophysical, social, and eco-
nomic impediments to coastal and marine blue car-
bon ecosystem protection and restoration and oppor-
tunities to restore and enhance the resilience of and 
sequestration potential of blue carbon ecosystems. 
(7) An assessment of aging or outdated artificial 
structures, including dikes, levees, dams, culverts, 
water storage structures, shoreline hardening projects, 
impediments to fish passage, and other infrastructure 
that impede the ecological or sequestration functions 
of blue carbon areas and the feasibility of repairing, 
retrofitting, or removing such structures. 
(8) The economic, social, and environmental co- 
benefits and impacts that these blue carbon ecosystems 
provide including— 
(A) protection of coasts from storms and 
flooding; 
(B) sustainable tourism and responsible rec-
reational use; 
(C) benefits to fisheries; 
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(D) water quality protection, including the 
regulation and mitigation of nutrients, sediment, 
and contaminants; 
(E) maintenance of biodiversity; 
(F) the number of jobs that are directly or 
indirectly attributable to blue carbon ecosystems; 
and 
(G) the total economic activity that is at-
tributable to such blue carbon ecosystems. 
(9) An assessment of the social and economic 
makeup of the communities served by blue carbon eco-
systems. 
SEC. 104. BLUE CARBON PARTNERSHIP GRANT PROGRAM. 
(a) ESTABLISHMENT.—The Administrator shall estab-
lish a competitive grant program entitled the ‘‘Blue Carbon 
Partnership Grant Program’’ to provide funds to eligible 
entities for projects that— 
(1) protect and restore blue carbon stocks, oce-
anic blue carbon, and blue carbon ecosystems and in-
crease the long-term carbon storage and sequestration; 
and 
(2) contribute to priorities identified in the most 
recent strategic plan developed by the interagency 
working group pursuant to section 106(e). 
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(b) ELIGIBLE RECIPIENTS.—A person or entity is eli-
gible to receive a grant under the grant program if such 
person or entity is— 
(1) a voluntary private landowner or group of 
landowners; 
(2) a State; 
(3) an Indian Tribe; 
(4) a Native American Pacific Islander organi-
zation as that term is defined in section 320(b)(3) of 
the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 
1059g(b)(3)); 
(5) a unit of local government; 
(6) a nonprofit organization or land trust; 
(7) an institution of higher education and re-
search; or 
(8) any group of entities described in para-
graphs (1) through (6). 
(c) REQUIREMENTS.—In administering the grant pro-
gram under this section, the Administrator shall develop 
criteria, guidelines, contracts, reporting requirements, and 
evaluation metrics developed by the interagency working 
group. 
(d) SELECTION CRITERIA.—In evaluating applica-
tions for the program from eligible entities, the Adminis-
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trator shall give priority to proposed eligible protection and 
restoration activities that— 
(1) would result in long-term protection and se-
questration of carbon stored in coastal and marine 
environments, above and beyond that which would 
occur in the absence of the proposed activity; and 
(2)(A) would protect key habitats for fish, wild-
life, and the maintenance of biodiversity; 
(B) would provide coastal protection from devel-
opment, storms, flooding, and land-based pollution; 
(C) would protect coastal resources of national, 
historical, and cultural significance; 
(D) would benefit communities of color, low-in-
come communities, Tribal or Indigenous commu-
nities, or rural communities; or 
(E) would capitalize on existing established pub-
lic-private partnerships. 
(e) REPORT TO CONGRESS.— 
(1) REPORT
REQUIRED.—The Administrator 
shall submit annually to Congress a report containing 
a State-by-State analysis of— 
(A) the total number of acres of land or 
water protected or restored through fee title ac-
quisition, easement, restoration or other activi-
ties under the program; 
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(B) the status of restoration projects under 
this program; and 
(C) the projected amount of carbon captured 
or protected over a 100-year time period as a re-
sult of this program. 
(2) PUBLICATION
OF
REPORT.—The Adminis-
trator shall make available to the public each report 
required by paragraph (1). 
(f) ACREAGE REQUIREMENTS.—To the maximum ex-
tent possible, Administrator shall award grants under the 
grant program established by this section to conduct blue 
carbon ecosystem protection and restoration on 1,500,000 
acres over 10 years. 
(g) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There is 
authorized to be appropriated to the Administrator 
$300,000,000 for each of the fiscal years 2022 to 2026 to 
carry out this section. 
SEC. 105. INTEGRATED PILOT PROGRAMS TO PROTECT AND 
RESTORE DEGRADED BLUE CARBON ECO-
SYSTEMS. 
The Administrator shall— 
(1) establish integrated pilot programs that de-
velop best management practices, including design 
criteria and performance functions, for coastal and 
marine blue carbon ecosystem protection and restora-
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tion, nature-based adaptation strategies, living shore-
line projects, landward progression or migration of 
blue carbon ecosystems, and identify potential bar-
riers to protection and restoration efforts; 
(2) ensure that the pilot programs cover geo-
graphically, ecologically, culturally, and economically 
representative locations with significant ecological, 
economic, and social benefits and maximize potential 
for long-term carbon storage and sequestration; 
(3) establish a procedure for reviewing applica-
tions for the pilot program, taking into account— 
(A) quantifying the amount of carbon stored 
in a particular geographic area; 
(B) the degree to which such amounts can 
be verified; 
(C) determination of how much additional 
carbon may be stored in such an area due to fur-
ther carbon sequestration; and 
(D) the permanence of such existing and fu-
ture carbon storage; 
(4) ensure, through consultation with the inter-
agency working group, that the goals, metrics, moni-
toring, and outcomes of the pilot programs are com-
municated to the appropriate State, Tribal, and local 
governments, and to the general public; and 
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(5) coordinate with relevant Federal agencies on 
the interagency working group to prevent unnecessary 
duplication of effort among Federal agencies and de-
partments with respect to protection and restoration 
programs. 
SEC. 106. INTERAGENCY WORKING GROUP. 
(a) ESTABLISHMENT.—The President shall establish 
an interagency working group on coastal and marine blue 
carbon. 
(b) PURPOSES.—The interagency working group 
shall— 
(1) oversee the development of and updates to a 
national map (including all insular areas of the 
United States) of coastal and marine blue carbon eco-
systems, including habitat types with a regional focus 
in analysis that is usable for local level planning, 
protection, and restoration; 
(2) use such map to inform the Administrator of 
the Environmental Protection Agency’s creation of the 
annual Inventory of U.S. Greenhouse Gas Emissions 
and Sinks; 
(3) establish national coastal and marine blue 
carbon ecosystem protection and restoration prior-
ities, including an assessment of current Federal 
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funding being used for protection and restoration ef-
forts; 
(4) assess the biophysical, social, statutory, regu-
latory, and economic impediments to coastal and ma-
rine blue carbon ecosystem protection and restoration; 
(5) study the effects of climate change and envi-
ronmental and human stressors on carbon sequestra-
tion rates; 
(6) identify priority blue carbon ecosystems for 
protection; 
(7) develop a national strategy for foundational 
science necessary to study, synthesize, and evaluate 
the effects of climate change, environmental, and 
human stressors on sequestration rates and capabili-
ties of blue carbon ecosystems protection; 
(8) develop an assessment of current legal au-
thorities to protect and restore blue carbon ecosystems 
and make recommendations for additional authorities 
if current authorities are determined to be insuffi-
cient; and 
(9) ensure the continuity, use, and interoper-
ability of data assets through the Coastal Carbon 
Data Clearinghouse of the Smithsonian Institution 
and other databases. 
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(c) MEMBERSHIP.—The interagency working group 
shall be comprised of representatives of the following (or 
their designees): 
(1) The Administrator. 
(2) The Administrator of the Environmental 
Protection Agency. 
(3) The Director of the National Science Foun-
dation. 
(4) The Administrator of the National Aero-
nautics and Space Administration. 
(5) The Director of the United States Geological 
Survey. 
(6) The Director of the United States Fish and 
Wildlife Service. 
(7) The Director of the National Park Service. 
(8) The Director of the Bureau of Indian Affairs. 
(9) The Secretary of the Smithsonian Institu-
tion. 
(10) The Assistant Administrator Insular and 
International Affairs of the Department of the Inte-
rior. 
(11) The Chief of Engineers of the Army Corps 
of Engineers. 
(12) The Secretary of Agriculture. 
(13) The Secretary of Defense. 
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(14) The Secretary of Transportation. 
(15) The Secretary of State. 
(16) The Secretary of Energy. 
(17) The Administrator of the United States 
Agency for International Development. 
(18) The Administrator of the Federal Emer-
gency Management Agency. 
(19) The Chair of the Council on Environmental 
Quality. 
(20) The Commissioner of the Bureau of Rec-
lamation. 
(d) CHAIR.—The interagency working group shall be 
chaired by the Administrator. 
(e) STRATEGIC PLAN.— 
(1) IN
GENERAL.—The interagency working 
group shall create a strategic plan for Federal invest-
ments in basic research, development, demonstration, 
long-term monitoring and stewardship, and deploy-
ment of blue carbon ecosystem and marine blue car-
bon projects for the 5-year period beginning on the 
date that is 1 year after the date of the enactment of 
this Act. The plan shall include— 
(A) an assessment of the use of existing Fed-
eral programs to protect, restore, enhance, and 
preserve blue carbon ecosystems; 
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(B) an analysis of potential sea level rise 
migration corridors for blue carbon ecosystems; 
(C) an analysis of anticipated fish and 
wildlife uses of blue carbon ecosystems; 
(D) identification of priority strategies and 
investments for preserving, restoring, and en-
hancing the resilience and carbon sequestration 
potential of such blue carbon ecosystems; and 
(E) an analysis of the role of methane emis-
sions in blue carbon ecosystem carbon budgets. 
(2) TIMING.—The interagency working group 
shall— 
(A) submit the strategic plan required 
under paragraph (1) to the Committee on Nat-
ural Resources and the Committee on Science, 
Space, and Technology of the House of Rep-
resentatives and the Committee on Commerce, 
Science, and Transportation of the Senate on a 
date that is not later than one year after the 
date of the enactment of this Act; and 
(B) submit a revised version of such plan to 
such committees every five years thereafter. 
(3) FEDERAL REGISTER.—Not less than 90 days 
before the strategic plan, or any revision thereof, is 
submitted under paragraph (2), the interagency work-
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ing group shall publish such plan in the Federal Reg-
ister and solicit public comments on such plan for a 
period of not less than 60 days. 
SEC. 107. BLUE CARBON AREAS OF SIGNIFICANCE. 
(a) DESIGNATION.—The Administrator shall designate 
as a blue carbon area of significance any area that is— 
(1) in the coastal zone (as such term is defined 
in section 304 of the Coastal Zone Management Act 
of 1972 (16 U.S.C. 1453)), in territorial waters of the 
United States, or in the exclusive economic zone of the 
United States; 
(2) the location of water, a substrate, or an eco-
system that— 
(A) provides for long-term storage and se-
questration of significant amounts of ecosystem 
carbon; and 
(B)(i) limits erosion and facilitates future 
landward migration; 
(ii) provides a buffer against storm surge, 
especially for communities of color, low-income 
communities, and Tribal and Indigenous com-
munities; or 
(iii) provides a spawning, breeding, feeding, 
or nesting habitat for wildlife; and 
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(3) not exclusive of coastal or other resources that 
are significant in for mitigating or adapting to cli-
mate change. 
(b) GUIDELINES.—The Administrator, in consultation 
with the interagency working group, shall, not later than 
one year after the date of the enactment of this Act, establish 
by regulation guidelines based on the best available science 
to describe and identify blue carbon areas of significance 
and measures to ensure the long-term protection of blue car-
bon areas of significance. 
(c) REVIEW
AND UPDATE.—The Administrator, in 
consultation with the interagency working group, shall re-
view and update guidelines established under subsection (b) 
not less frequently than once every 5 years or when new 
information warrants such an update. 
(d) SCHEDULE.—The Administrator, in consultation 
with the interagency working group, shall establish a sched-
ule for the identification of blue carbon areas of significance 
under subsection (b) and for reviews and updates under 
subsection (c), and shall make initial designations of a blue 
carbon area of significance in each coastal State not later 
than one year after the date of the enactment of this Act. 
(e) RECOMMENDATIONS AND INFORMATION.—The Ad-
ministrator, in consultation with the interagency working 
group, shall, with respect to each blue carbon area of signifi-
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cance, provide recommendations and information regarding 
the adverse impacts and threats to the carbon storage, eco-
system services, and habitat capacity of the area, and the 
actions that should be considered to avoid adverse impacts 
and ensure the conservation and enhancement of that area. 
(f) PROGRAMS ADMINISTERED BY NOAA.—The Ad-
ministrator, in consultation with the interagency working 
group, shall use programs administered by the Adminis-
trator to carry out this section and ensure the conservation 
and enhancement of each blue carbon area of significance. 
(g) REQUIREMENTS FOR FEDERAL ACTIONS.—With 
respect to any proposed agency action that has the potential 
to cause a significant adverse impact on the carbon storage, 
carbon sequestration, ecosystem services, or habitat capacity 
of any blue carbon area of significance, each Federal agency 
shall comply with the following requirements: 
(1) NOTIFICATION.—Such Federal agency shall 
notify the Administrator of such proposed agency ac-
tion. 
(2) DETERMINATION OF ADVERSE IMPACT.—The 
Federal agency, in consultation with the Adminis-
trator, and subject to public comment, shall determine 
whether the proposed agency action will cause an ad-
verse impact on the carbon storage, carbon sequestra-
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tion, ecosystem, or habitat of a blue carbon area of 
significance. 
(3) ALTERNATIVE.—With respect to any pro-
posed action the Administrator determines will have 
an adverse impact under paragraph (2), the pro-
posing agency, in consultation with the Adminis-
trator, shall determine whether there is an alternative 
action that would prevent such adverse impact and 
fulfill the purpose of the proposed action. The pro-
posing agency shall not take an action that would 
cause an adverse impact if an alternative that would 
not cause such adverse impact is available and would 
fulfill the purpose of such action. 
(4) CARBON STORAGE OFFSETS.—With respect to 
a proposed action for which the agency determines no 
alternative is available under paragraph (3), the pro-
posing agency shall— 
(A) in consultation with the Administrator, 
take measures to mitigate such adverse impact; 
(B) take such action as the Administrator 
determines necessary to create a coastal or ma-
rine blue carbon ecosystem storage offset that, 
taken in conjunction with the proposed action, 
results in a long term net increase in carbon 
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storage, lasting an equivalent time period as the 
carbon storage lost by the adverse impact; 
(C) demonstrate quantitatively, using the 
best available science, that the carbon storage off-
set will result in a net increase in ecological car-
bon storage and is located in close proximity to 
the original site to keep the affected communities 
whole; 
(D) maintain such carbon storage offset for 
a period of time to be determined by the Admin-
istrator but not less than 100 years; and 
(E) publish the agency’s proposed course of 
mitigation in the Federal Register for public no-
tice and comment. 
(h) REQUIREMENT FOR AUTHORIZATION OR APPRO-
PRIATION.—Any requests for a new authorization or appro-
priation from a Federal agency transmitted to the Office 
of Management and Budget shall include, if such authoriza-
tion or appropriation may affect a blue carbon area of sig-
nificance, a certification that such agency will use such au-
thorization or appropriation in compliance with this sec-
tion. 
(i) REQUIRED RESTRICTIONS.—A Federal agency may 
not enter into a lease, easement, right-of-way, or sale of any 
land designated as a blue carbon area of significance unless 
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such agency attaches appropriate restrictions to the use of 
the property to protect the blue carbon area of significance. 
(j) EXCEPTION.—Preparation, revision, implementa-
tion, or enforcement of a fishery management plan or its 
implementing regulations under the Magnuson-Stevens 
Fishery Conservation and Management Act (16 U.S.C. 
1801 et seq.) that applies to an area that is subject to a 
prohibition on all bottom-tending fishing gear shall not be 
treated as an action that is subject to subsection (g). 
SEC. 108. AUTHORIZATION OF SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION 
BLUE CARBON ACTIVITIES. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—The Administrator of the Smithso-
nian Institution, in coordination with the Administrator 
and the interagency working group, shall provide for the 
long-term stewardship, continuity, use, and interoperability 
of, and access to, data relating to blue carbon ecosystems 
and national mapping, including United States Territories 
and Tribal lands, by supporting the maintenance of the 
Coastal Carbon Data Clearinghouse. 
(b) COASTAL CARBON DATA CLEARINGHOUSE DU-
TIES.—The Administrator of the Smithsonian Institution 
in coordination with the Administrator and interagency 
working group shall process, store, archive, provide access 
to, and incorporate all coastal and marine blue carbon data 
collected through federally funded research by a Federal 
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agency, State, local agency, Tribe, scientist, Native Amer-
ican Pacific Islander organization, or other relevant entity. 
(c) GLOBAL AND NATIONAL DATA ASSETS.—The Ad-
ministrator of the Smithsonian Institution, in coordination 
with the Administrator and the interagency working group, 
shall ensure that existing global and national data assets 
are incorporated into the Coastal Carbon Data Clearing-
house. 
(d) ESTABLISHMENT OF STANDARDS, PROTOCOLS, AND 
PROCEDURES.—The Administrator of the Smithsonian In-
stitution, in coordination with the Administrator and 
members of the interagency working group, shall establish 
standards, protocols, and procedures for the processing, 
storing, archiving, and providing access to data in the 
Coastal Carbon Data Clearinghouse and best practices for 
sharing such data with State, local, and Tribal govern-
ments, Indigenous communities, coastal stakeholders, non- 
Federal resource managers, and academia. The Adminis-
trator shall publish, update, and keep current such data on 
a publicly available website. 
(e) DIGITAL TOOLS AND RESOURCES.—The Adminis-
trator of the Smithsonian Institution, in coordination with 
the Administrator and members of the interagency working 
group, shall develop digital tools and resources to support 
the public use of the Coastal Carbon Data Clearinghouse. 
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(f) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There are 
authorized to be appropriated to the Administrator of the 
Smithsonian Institution $5,000,000 for each of fiscal years 
2022 through 2026 to carry out this section. 
SEC. 109. FEDERAL COASTAL AND MARINE BLUE CARBON 
RESTORATION AND PROTECTIONS; FUNDING. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—The Director of the United States 
Fish and Wildlife Service, the Director of the National Park 
Service, and the Administrator shall each conduct coastal 
and marine restoration and protection activities on land 
and water managed by each such agency to achieve at least 
one of the following: 
(1) The sequestration of additional carbon diox-
ide through— 
(A) the active restoration of degraded blue 
carbon ecosystems; and 
(B) the protection of threatened blue carbon 
ecosystems. 
(2) The halting of ongoing carbon dioxide emis-
sions, and the resumption of the natural rate of car-
bon capture, through the restoration of drained coast-
al wetlands. 
(3) The halting of ongoing methane emissions, 
and the resumption of the natural rate of carbon stor-
age, through the restoration of formerly tidal wetland 
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that has lost tidal connectivity and become fresh wet-
land (commonly known as ‘‘impounded wetland’’). 
(b) FUNDING.—For each fiscal year 2022 through 
2026, there is authorized to be appropriated for blue carbon 
ecosystem protection and restoration— 
(1) to the Director of the United States Fish and 
Wildlife Service $200,000,000 for on lands managed 
by such Director; 
(2) to the Director of the National Park Service 
$200,000,000 for lands managed by such Director; 
and 
(3) to the Administrator $200,000,000 for lands 
and water managed by such Administrator. 
SEC. 110. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS. 
In addition to amounts authorized to be appropriated 
for specific activities under sections 104, 108, and 109, 
there is authorized to be appropriated to the Administrator 
$50,000,000 for each of the fiscal years 2022 to 2026 to 
carry out the remainder of this title. 
SEC. 111. RULE OF CONSTRUCTION. 
Nothing in this title affects the application of the re-
quirements of section 404 of the Clean Water Act (33 U.S.C. 
1344); the National Environmental Policy Act, or any regu-
lations issued under either such Act. 
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SEC. 112. DEFINITIONS. 
In this title, the following definitions apply: 
(1) BLUE
CARBON.—The term ‘‘blue carbon’’ 
means the carbon that marine or coastal vegetation 
sequester from the atmosphere in a manner that re-
sults in its storage for a period of not less than 100 
years. 
(2) BLUE CARBON AREAS OF SIGNIFICANCE.— 
The term ‘‘blue carbon area of significance’’ means 
any area designated by the Administrator under sec-
tion 107 as a blue carbon area of significance. 
(3) BLUE CARBON ECOSYSTEM.—The term ‘‘blue 
carbon ecosystem’’ means marine and coastal eco-
systems that are tidal or salt-water-fed and that have 
the capacity to sequester carbon from the atmosphere 
in a manner that results in its storage for a period 
of not less than 100 years, such as coastal forests, 
tidal marshes, seagrasses, kelp forests, and other tidal 
or salt-water wetlands, and includes marine and 
coastal freshwater, brackish, and saltwater-fed eco-
systems, such as coastal wetland forest and other tidal 
or historically tidal wetlands that have the capacity 
to sequester carbon from the atmosphere for a period 
of not less than 100 years in the Gulf of Mexico re-
gion. 
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(4) BLUE CARBON STOCKS.—The term ‘‘blue car-
bon stocks’’ means coastal and marine vegetation and 
wildlife, and underlying sediment that has the capac-
ity to sequester and store atmospheric carbon. 
(5) CARBON SEQUESTRATION.—The term ‘‘car-
bon sequestration’’ means the process of capturing 
and storing atmospheric carbon dioxide. 
(6) CARBON STORAGE.—The term ‘‘carbon stor-
age’’ means sequestered carbon that remains out of the 
atmosphere, stored either in biogenic material or sedi-
ments, for a period of not less than 100 years. 
(7) INTERAGENCY WORKING GROUP.—The term 
‘‘interagency working group’’ means the interagency 
working group on blue carbon established under sec-
tion 106. 
TITLE II—OFFSHORE ENERGY 
Subtitle A—Oil and Gas Leasing in 
the Outer Continental Shelf 
SEC. 201. PROHIBITION OF OIL AND GAS LEASING AND 
OTHER ACTIVITIES IN CERTAIN AREAS OF 
THE OUTER CONTINENTAL SHELF. 
Section 8 of the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act 
(43 U.S.C. 1337) is amended by adding at the end the fol-
lowing: 
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‘‘(q) PROHIBITION OF OIL AND GAS LEASING IN CER-
TAIN AREAS OF THE OUTER CONTINENTAL SHELF.—Not-
withstanding any other provision of this section or any 
other law, the Secretary may not issue— 
‘‘(1) a lease for the exploration, development, or 
production of oil or natural gas; or 
‘‘(2) a permit for geological or geophysical ac-
tivities in support of oil or natural gas exploration 
other than those conducted pursuant to a lease issued 
before the date of the enactment of this section, 
in any planning area, except in the Central or Western 
planning areas of the Gulf of Mexico (as such planning 
areas are described in the document entitled ‘2017–2022 
Outer Continental Shelf Oil and Gas Leasing Proposed 
Final Program’, dated November 2016, or a subsequent oil 
and gas leasing program developed under section 18 of the 
Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act (43 U.S.C. 1344)).’’. 
SEC. 202. BEST AVAILABLE TECHNOLOGY. 
Section 11 of the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act 
(43 U.S.C. 1340) is amended by adding at the end the fol-
lowing: 
‘‘(i) 
BEST
AVAILABLE
TECHNOLOGY.—Notwith-
standing any other provision of this Act or any other law, 
the Secretary shall require each holder of a lease or permit 
under this section for geophysical and geological exploration 
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on the outer Continental Shelf to use the best commercially 
available technology with respect to reducing acoustic pres-
sure levels to conduct such exploration.’’. 
Subtitle B—Offshore Renewable 
Energy 
SEC. 211. FINDINGS; SENSE OF CONGRESS ON THE IMPOR-
TANCE OF OFFSHORE WIND ENERGY. 
(a) FINDINGS.—Congress finds that— 
(1) the United States should aggressively reduce 
greenhouse gas emissions from United States public 
lands and oceans and strive to achieve net-zero emis-
sions as soon as possible; 
(2) the United States can and must address this 
climate crisis by putting Americans to work building 
the necessary infrastructure to reduce carbon emis-
sions; 
(3) the United States offshore wind resources 
must be responsibly harnessed in order to both rap-
idly reduce our carbon emissions and put people back 
to work while minimizing impacts to the fishing in-
dustry; and 
(4) achieving the goal of 30 gigawatts of offshore 
wind energy capacity by 2030 is anticipated to result 
in the creation of tens of thousands of living wage, 
family supporting union jobs while positioning Amer-
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ica to lead a clean energy revolution and tackle the 
climate crisis. 
(b) SENSE OF CONGRESS.—It is the sense of Congress 
that— 
(1) the United States should rapidly develop its 
offshore wind resources as a key part of achieving a 
national goal of net-zero emissions; 
(2) offshore wind lease areas should be deter-
mined by a robust and transparent stakeholder proc-
ess that incorporates early engagement and input 
from diverse user groups as well as Federal, State, 
Tribal, and local governments; 
(3) development of offshore wind resources must 
ensure ecosystem health and the protection of threat-
ened and endangered species and their habitats; and 
(4) permitting agencies must have sufficient re-
sources to carry out a robust and efficient review and 
permitting process. 
SEC. 212. OUTER CONTINENTAL SHELF OFFSHORE WIND 
TARGETS. 
(a) TARGETS.—The Secretary of the Interior shall seek 
to grant leases under section 8 of the Outer Continental 
Shelf Lands Act (43 U.S.C. 1337) for— 
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(1) not less than 12.5 gigawatts of offshore wind 
energy capacity on the Outer Continental Shelf by 
January 1, 2025; and 
(2) not less than 30 gigawatts of offshore wind 
energy capacity on the Outer Continental Shelf by 
January 1, 2030. 
(b) REPORT.—Not later than December 1, 2021, and 
each year thereafter, the Secretary of the Interior shall sub-
mit to the Committee on Natural Resources of the House 
of Representatives and the Committee on Energy and Nat-
ural Resources of the Senate a report on the Secretary’s 
progress in meeting the targets described in subsection (a). 
SEC. 213. REMOVING ROADBLOCKS FOR DATA SHARING. 
Section 402(b) of the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Con-
servation and Management Act (16 U.S.C. 1881a(b)) is 
amended— 
(1) in paragraph (1)— 
(A) in subparagraph (G), by striking ‘‘or’’; 
(B) in subparagraph (H), by striking the 
period at the end and insert ‘‘; or’’; and 
(C) by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘(I) to the Secretary of the Interior for use 
relating to siting, exploration, production, or 
promotion of offshore wind energy on the outer 
Continental Shelf.’’; and 
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tion of equipment that increases the ability 
of fishing vessels to find fish; 
‘‘(ii) support the construction of fish-
ing vessels, importation of fishing vessels, or 
government repurchase of fishing vessels 
outside of a binding and effective fishing ca-
pacity reduction program that includes the 
corresponding elimination of fishing rights 
and a binding and effective prohibition on 
the reuse of vessels for fishing to increase ca-
pacity in any fishery; 
‘‘(iii) affect fish stocks in any fish-
ery— 
‘‘(I) in an overfished or worse 
condition; or 
‘‘(II) whose stock levels are declin-
ing; 
‘‘(iv) are provided to fishing enter-
prises engaged in long-distance fishing, ei-
ther on the high seas or in the exclusive eco-
nomic zone of a third country; 
‘‘(v) support the transfer or reflagging 
of fishing vessels to third countries, includ-
ing through the creation of joint ventures 
with partners of those countries; 
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