spect to the management of the economic and environ-
mental resources of the Gulf:
(1) Coordinate the activities of Federal agencies
with the activities of non-Federal agencies.
(2) Cooperate with private individuals and
entities.
(3) Carry out a comprehensive assessment of
the economic and environmental conditions and
trends of the Gulf.
(4) Provide data management required to meet
Program needs.
(5) Develop and implement a coordinated com-
prehensive joint plan (as described in section 7).
(6) Monitor and assess the effectiveness of
actions taken pursuant to the final Plan.
SEC. 5. GULF OF MEXICO PROGRAM OFFICE.
(a) ESTABLISHMENT.—Not later than 90 days after
the date of enactment of this Act, the Administrator shall
establish within the Agency, the Gulf of Mexico Program
Office.
(b) LOCATION.—The Gulf of Mexico Program Office
shall be located in a Gulf State.
(c) DIRECTOR.—The Program Office shall be headed
by a Director, who shall be appointed by the Adminis-
trator by the date specified in subsection (a).
(d) DUTIES OF THE DIRECTOR.—The Director shall
carry out the functions of the Program Office.
(e) DELEGATION OF AUTHORITY.—To the extent al-
lowable by law, the Administrator shall delegate to the
Director such authority as is necessary to carry out this
section.
(f) FUNCTIONS
OF
THE PROGRAM OFFICE.—The
functions of the Program Office are to—
(1) provide such administrative and technical
support as are necessary to assist the Board in car-
rying out the duties referred to in section 7 and Pro-
gram activities referred to in section 4;
(2) coordinate the activities of the offices of the
Agency, to ensure that each office of the Agency
complies with any applicable requirements of the
final Plan;
(3) oversee the preparation of each plan or re-
port required to be submitted to Congress under this
Act; and
(4) conduct any other activity that the Adminis-
trator determines to be necessary to carry out this
Act.
(g) FUNDING.—(1) Notwithstanding any other provi-
sion of law, in any appropriations request submitted by
the Administrator to the President pursuant to section
1108 of title 31, United States Code, the Administrator
shall request that the funding of the Program Office be
included as a separate line item.
(2) After the date of enactment of this Act and not-
withstanding any other provision of law, in any appropria-
tions request submitted by a Federal agency pursuant to
section 1108 of title 31, United States Code, the Federal
agency shall request funding for participation in the Pro-
gram as a separate line item, and such request shall be
accompanied by the report required to be submitted to the
President under section 8 of this Act.
SEC. 6. GULF OF MEXICO EXECUTIVE BOARD.
(a) ESTABLISHMENT.—
(1) IN
GENERAL.—As soon as is practicable
after the date of enactment of this Act, the Presi-
dent shall establish a board that shall be known as
the ‘‘Gulf of Mexico Executive Board’’.
(2) MEMBERS.—Except as provided in para-
graph (3), the Board shall be composed of the fol-
lowing members, who shall be appointed by the
President:
(A) The Administrator, who shall serve as
the Chairperson of the Board.
(B) The Secretary of the Army.
(C) The Secretary of Agriculture.
(D) The Secretary of Commerce.
(E) The Secretary of the Interior.
(F) The Secretary of Transportation.
(G) Each Governor of a Gulf State.
(H) One elected local official from a coast-
al county appointed by the Governor of each
State.
(I) The Chairperson of the Gulf Citizens
Advisory Committee referred to in subsection
(b).
(3) DESIGNEES.—Any individual referred to in
subparagraphs (A) through (H) may, in lieu of serv-
ing on the Board, designate another individual to
serve on the Board.
(b) GULF CITIZENS ADVISORY COMMITTEE.—The
Board shall establish an advisory committee to be known
as the ‘‘Gulf Citizens Advisory Committee’’. The Commit-
tee shall be composed of citizens of the Gulf region, includ-
ing representatives of private entities, who are appointed
by the Governor of each Gulf State.
(c) OTHER COMMITTEES.—The Board may establish
such other committees as the Board determines necessary
to carry out this Act.
(d) MEETINGS.—
(1) INITIAL
MEETING.—Not later than 180
days after the date of enactment of this Act, the
Chairperson of the Board shall convene a meeting of
the Board.
(2) SUBSEQUENT MEETINGS.—The Chairperson
of the Board, in consultation with the other mem-
bers of the Board, shall convene subsequent meet-
ings of the Board, not less frequently than bian-
nually, to carry out the duties of the Board under
this Act.
(e) QUORUM.—A majority of the members of the
Board shall constitute a quorum, but a lesser number of
members may hold hearings. In any vote held by the
Board, each member of the Board shall have 1 vote.
(f) COMPENSATION.—Members of the Board (and
members of any advisory committee established by the
Board) shall serve without additional compensation, ex-
cept that the members of the Board (and members of any
advisory committee established by the Board) shall be al-
lowed travel expenses, including per diem in lieu of sub-
sistence, at rates authorized for employees of agencies
under subchapter I of chapter 57 of title 5, United States
Code, while away from their homes or regular places of
business in the performance of services for the Board.
SEC. 7. COORDINATED COMPREHENSIVE JOINT PLAN.
(a) PURPOSE OF PLAN.—Not later than 2 years after
the date of enactment of this Act, the Board shall develop
a preliminary coordinated comprehensive joint plan for the
Gulf. The preliminary Plan shall recommend a mechanism
for balancing priority actions to address economic and en-
vironmental problems of the Gulf, including the coordina-
tion of schedules for carrying out the actions.
(b) USE OF AVAILABLE RESOURCES.—In developing
the preliminary Plan, the Board shall, to the maximum
extent practicable, use any research information and other
resources of Federal agencies, departments and agencies
of States, and other public and private entities that are
available to the Board at the time of the development of
the preliminary Plan.
(c) INTERIM REPORT.—
(1) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 1 year after
the date of enactment of this Act, the Board shall
prepare a report concerning assessments of environ-
mental quality of the Gulf and the impact of the en-
vironmental quality of the Gulf on the relative eco-
nomic importance and economic viability of the Gulf.
The Board shall use the report as the basis for the
development of the preliminary Plan.
(2) CONTENTS OF REPORT.—The report shall
include—
(A) a description of the information and
research available to the Board concerning the
environmental quality of the Gulf;
(B) an inventory of environmental research
and monitoring programs that the Board deter-
mines relevant;
(C) an identification of any deficiencies in
information and research that the Board deter-
mines necessary for the development and imple-
mentation of the preliminary Plan;
(D) an assessment of the degree of eco-
nomic importance, and contributions to the
economy, of the Gulf to the—
(i) Gulf States; and
(ii) United States; and
(E) an identification of the environmental
problems that pose a threat to the Gulf of Mex-
ico, including problems related to habitat deg-
radation, marine debris, nutrient enrichment,
toxic substances and pesticides, freshwater in-
flow, data and information transfer, public edu-
cation and outreach, public health, coastal ero-
sion, and living marine resources.
(3) SUBMISSION TO CONGRESS.—On completion
of the report, the Chairperson of the Board shall
submit a copy of the report to Congress.
(d) ANALYSIS OF POLICY ALTERNATIVES.—
(1) IN GENERAL.—In determining the activities
to be included in the preliminary Plan, the Chair-
person of the Board shall ensure that—
(A) all reasonable strategies known to the
Board to carry out the purpose referred to in
subsection (a) are considered by the Board; and
(B) there is adequate notice and oppor-
tunity for public comment and review of actions
taken by the Board to develop the preliminary
Plan.
(2) SELECTION
OF
STRATEGIES.—The Board
shall select for inclusion in the preliminary Plan
strategies that address issues related to economic
and environmental problems of the Gulf that the
Board considers to be of the highest priority and
most cost effective as determined by cost-benefit
analysis.
(e) CONTENTS OF PRELIMINARY PLAN.—The pre-
liminary Plan shall include—
(1) a description of the primary functions, with
respect to the management of the Gulf, of each—
(A) Federal agency; and
(B) non-Federal agency;
(2) activities to be carried out by a Federal
agency, non-Federal agency, or private entity under
the preliminary Plan, including any cooperative ac-
tivity to be conducted between a Federal agency and
non-Federal agency or private entity (or both);
(3) with respect to each activity referred to in
paragraph (2)—
(A) the amount of financial (and other) re-
sources necessary to carry out the activity; and
(B) the period of time necessary for carry-
ing out the activity; and
(4) a strategy for monitoring and assessing the
effectiveness of the activities carried out under the
preliminary Plan.
(f) FINAL PLAN.—As soon as practicable after the
submission to Congress of the preliminary Plan, and after
giving opportunity to members of Congress, other appro-
priate officials, and the public to review and comment on
the preliminary Plan, the Administrator shall establish a
final Plan that is substantially similar to the preliminary
Plan. The head of each Federal agency referred to in sec-
tion 6(a)(2) shall take such actions as are necessary to
carry out the final Plan.
(g) AGREEMENTS.—
(1) FEDERAL
AGENCIES.—The Administrator
shall enter into such agreements, including for the
transfer or disbursement of appropriated funds, with
the heads of Federal agencies as are necessary to
develop and carry out the final Plan.
(2) NON-FEDERAL
AGENCIES.—The Adminis-
trator or Federal members of the Board, or both,
shall offer to enter into an agreement with the head
of each non-Federal agency whom the Administrator
determines to be appropriate to carry out an activity
under the final Plan.
(3) PRIVATE
ENTITIES; 
PRIVATE
INDIVID-
UALS.—The Administrator shall offer to enter into
an agreement with the appropriate official of each
private entity or private individual whom the Admin-
istrator determines to be appropriate to carry out an
activity under the final Plan.
(h) INTERIM ACTIONS.—During the period beginning
on the date the preliminary plan is submitted to the Con-
gress and ending on the effective date of the final Plan,
if the head of a Federal agency intends to take an action
in the Gulf significantly contrary to the preliminary plan,
the head of the Federal agency shall notify the Board
prior to taking the action. This subsection shall not apply
if the action is a response to an imminent hazard or if
the President determines the action to be in the para-
mount interest of the United States.
(i) MODIFICATION OF FINAL PLAN.—
(1) IN GENERAL.—On the recommendation of
the Board, the Administrator may, after providing
opportunity for public review and comment, promul-
gate regulations to modify the final Plan.
(2) PERIODIC REVIEW.—Not later than 5 years
after the date on which the final Plan becomes effec-
tive, and every 5 years thereafter, the Board shall
review the final Plan and make such recommenda-
tions for the modification of the final Plan as the
Board considers necessary. On the recommendation
of the Board, the Administrator shall promulgate
modifications to the final Plan that are substantially
similar to the modifications recommended by the
Board.
(j) PLAN EVALUATION.—Not later than 1 year after
the date of promulgation of the final Plan, and annually
thereafter, the Administrator shall submit a report to Con-
gress on the status of the final Plan that includes—
(1) an evaluation of the degree of effectiveness
of the final Plan in meeting the purposes of this Act;
(2) a summary of the status of each activity
carried out under the plan; and
(3) with respect to each activity referred to in
paragraph (2), the amount of funding available to
implement the activity.
SEC. 8. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.
(a) ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY.—Sub-
ject to the limitations under subsection (c), there are au-
thorized to be appropriated to the Environmental Protec-
tion Agency (in addition to any amounts otherwise appro-
priated to the Environmental Protection Agency) to carry
out this Act, such sums as may be necessary for fiscal
year 1994, and each fiscal year thereafter, to carry out
the duties of the Board under this Act.
(b) ALLOCATION OF AVAILABLE AMOUNTS.—Subject
to the limitations under subsection (c), the Administrator
shall, with funds made available in accordance with this
Act, allocate among the Federal agency members of the
Board, such sums as may be necessary for fiscal year 1994
and each fiscal year thereafter, to carry out the duties of
the Board under this Act.
(c) LIMITATIONS.—The total of the amounts author-
ized to be appropriated under subsections (a) and (b) may
not exceed—
(1) $25,000,000 for fiscal year 1994;
(2) $50,000,000 for fiscal year 1995;
(3) $75,000,000 for fiscal year 1996; and
(4) $100,000,000 for fiscal year 1997.
(d) ADMINISTRATIVE EXPENSES.—Not more than 10
percent of the total amount appropriated for any fiscal
year to carry out this Act shall be used for administrative
purposes.
(e) BUDGET COORDINATION.—
(1) ADVICE OF BOARD.—The Board shall, not
less frequently than annually, advise the head of
each Federal agency with respect to the preparation
of any request relating to an action or project under
the Program conducted by the Federal agency to be
included in an appropriations request submitted to
the President pursuant to section 1108 of title 31,
United States Code.
(2) SUBMISSION OF REPORT WITH APPROPRIA-
TIONS REQUEST.—
(A) REPORT TO PRESIDENT.—Each head
of a Federal agency shall submit to the Presi-
dent with each appropriations request referred
to in paragraph (1) a report that identifies each
activity conducted, or proposed to be conducted,
by the Federal agency that relates to the devel-
opment and implementation of the final Plan.
(B) REPORT
TO
BOARD.—The head of
each Federal agency shall submit a copy of the
report referred to in subparagraph (A) to the
Board on the date that the report is submitted
to the President.
(3) SOLICITATION OF ADVICE OF BOARD.—The
President shall, in a timely fashion after receipt of
a report referred to in paragraph (2)(A), solicit the
comments of the Board concerning the implications
of the report on the implementation of the final
Plan.
(4) IDENTIFICATION OF BUDGET ITEMS.—The
President shall identify in the budget of the United
States Government submitted by the President to
Congress pursuant to section 1105 of title 31,
United States Code, the items of the budget of each
Federal agency that are to be allocated to address-
ing an element of the final Plan.
SEC. 9. STATUTORY CONSTRUCTION.
Except as expressly provided otherwise, nothing in
this Act is intended to affect the jurisdiction, power, or
prerogative of any department, agency, or officer of—
(1) the Federal Government; or
(2) the government of a State.