I 
108TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. R. 4900
To establish a national policy for our oceans, to strengthen the National 
Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, to establish a National Oceans 
Council, and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
JULY 22, 2004
Mr. GREENWOOD (for himself, Mr. FARR, Mr. WELDON of Pennsylvania, and 
Mr. ALLEN) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Com-
mittee on Resources, and in addition to the Committee on Science, for 
a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for 
consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the com-
mittee concerned 
A BILL 
To establish a national policy for our oceans, to strengthen 
the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, 
to establish a National Oceans Council, and for other 
purposes.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives 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 
‘‘Oceans Conservation, Education, and National Strategy 
for the 21st Century Act’’.
(b) TABLE OF CONTENTS.—The table of contents of 
this Act is as follows:
Sec. 1. Short title; table of contents. 
Sec. 2. Findings. 
Sec. 3. Purpose. 
Sec. 4. Definitions. 
TITLE I—CONGRESSIONAL DECLARATION OF NATIONAL OCEANS 
POLICY 
Sec. 101. National oceans policy. 
TITLE II—NATIONAL STANDARDS 
Sec. 201. National standards. 
Sec. 202. Determination of compliance with national oceans policy and national 
standards. 
Sec. 203. Implementation. 
Sec. 204. Stricter standards. 
TITLE III—NATIONAL OCEANIC AND ATMOSPHERIC 
ADMINISTRATION 
Sec. 301. Existence in Department of Commerce; mission. 
Sec. 302. Administrator; functions. 
Sec. 303. Other officers. 
Sec. 304. Qualifications of Administration officers. 
Sec. 305. Transfer of marine mammals management functions to the Adminis-
trator. 
Sec. 306. Science Advisory Board. 
Sec. 307. Report of recommendations for reorganization to establish a Depart-
ment of Natural Resources. 
TITLE IV—NATIONAL OCEANS ADVISOR 
Sec. 401. Executive Advisor; mission. 
Sec. 402. Staffing. 
TITLE V—NATIONAL OCEANS COUNCIL 
Sec. 501. Establishment of Council; mission. 
Sec. 502. Chair; membership; functions. 
Sec. 503. Limitations on voting. 
TITLE VI—COUNCIL OF ADVISORS ON OCEANS POLICY 
Sec. 601. Establishment of Council. 
Sec. 602. Duties. 
Sec. 603. Membership. 
Sec. 604. Meetings. 
TITLE VII—REGIONAL PLANNING 
Sec. 701. Findings. 
Sec. 702. Designation of ocean regions; Regional Administrators. 
Sec. 703. Regional Ocean Councils.
Sec. 704. Regional Ocean Ecosystem Plans. 
Sec. 705. Consistency requirements. 
Sec. 706. Regional Ocean Council advisory committees. 
Sec. 707. Financial assistance to States. 
Sec. 708. Citizen suits. 
TITLE VIII—OCEAN SCIENCE, EXPLORATION, AND RESEARCH 
COORDINATION 
Sec. 801. Committee on Ocean Science, Education, and Operations. 
Sec. 802. National Strategy for Ocean and Coastal Science. 
Sec. 803. National Ocean Partnership Program. 
Sec. 804. Ocean Research and Education Advisory Panel. 
Sec. 805. Marine ecosystems research. 
Sec. 806. Authorization of appropriations. 
TITLE IX—OCEAN EDUCATION 
Sec. 901. Subcommittee on Ocean Education. 
Sec. 902. Ocean and coastal education program. 
Sec. 903. Ocean Science and Technology Scholarship Program. 
Sec. 904. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Office of Edu-
cation. 
Sec. 905. Amendment to the National Sea Grant College Program Act. 
Sec. 906. National ocean awareness media campaign. 
Sec. 907. Authorization of appropriations. 
TITLE X—OCEAN EXPLORATION 
Sec. 1001. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Office of Ocean 
Exploration. 
Sec. 1002. Subcommittee on Ocean Exploration. 
Sec. 1003. Authorization of appropriations. 
TITLE XI—OCEAN AND GREAT LAKES CONSERVATION TRUST 
FUND 
Sec. 1101. Establishment of Fund. 
Sec. 1102. Limitation on use of available amounts for administration. 
Sec. 1103. Recordkeeping requirements. 
Sec. 1104. Maintenance of effort and matching funding. 
Sec. 1105. Sunset. 
Sec. 1106. Community assistance formula and payments. 
Sec. 1107. Approval of State funding and spending plans.
SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 
The Congress finds the following: 
(1) United States ocean waters and the ocean 
resources they contain are vital for the national se-
curity, environment, economy, and culture of the 
United States.
(2) Consistent with customary international 
law, the United States exercises sovereign rights 
over ocean resources within United States ocean wa-
ters. 
(3) These ocean resources are the property of 
the people of the United States, are held in trust for 
them by Federal, State, local, and tribal govern-
ments, and should be managed to preserve the full 
range of their benefits for present and future gen-
erations. 
(4) Marine, terrestrial, and atmospheric sys-
tems are interdependent, requiring that policy, infor-
mation transfer, and the management of human ac-
tivities be coordinated across systems. 
(5) Healthy and productive coastal and marine 
ecosystems are the keys to securing the full range of 
benefits from ocean resources for the people of the 
United States. 
(6) A variety of threats and practices have 
caused dramatic declines in the health and produc-
tivity of coastal and marine ecosystems of the 
United States. Among the major threats to marine 
ecosystem health are—
(A) global climate change;
(B) chemical, nutrient, and biological pol-
lution; 
(C) unwise land use and coastal develop-
ment; 
(D) habitat damage; 
(E) overfishing; and 
(F) invasive species. 
(7) These threats are exacerbated by the legal 
and geographic fragmentation of authority over 
ocean space and ocean resources. 
(8) Activities harming coastal and marine eco-
systems jeopardize the economies and social struc-
ture of coastal communities dependent on these re-
sources. 
(9) While there is a plethora of laws, govern-
ment agencies, and programs dealing with coastal 
resources and ocean resources, activities thereunder 
are poorly coordinated and do not constitute a uni-
fied and comprehensive public policy toward the 
oceans. 
(10) To better enable the various levels of gov-
ernment with authority over coastal and ocean 
space, coastal resources, and ocean resources to ful-
fill their public trust responsibilities, a unified na-
tional oceans policy is needed to govern the range of