I 
118TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 1196 
To require the Administrator of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Ad-
ministration to establish a grant program to benefit coastal habitats, 
resiliency, and the economy, and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
FEBRUARY 24, 2023 
Ms. PLASKETT
(for herself, Ms. SALAZAR, Mrs. PELTOLA, and Mrs. 
GONZA´LEZ-COLO´N) introduced the following bill; which was referred to 
the Committee on Natural Resources, and in addition to the Committee 
on Transportation and Infrastructure, for a period to be subsequently de-
termined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions 
as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned 
A BILL 
To require the Administrator of the National Oceanic and 
Atmospheric Administration to establish a grant program 
to benefit coastal habitats, resiliency, and the economy, 
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. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Don Young Restora-
tion Grants for Coastlines and Fisheries Act of 2023’’. 
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SEC. 2. DON YOUNG RESTORATION GRANTS FOR COAST-
LINES AND FISHERIES. 
(a) ESTABLISHMENT.—The Administrator shall es-
tablish a grant program to provide funding and technical 
assistance to eligible entities for purposes of carrying out 
a project described in subsection (d). 
(b) PROJECT PROPOSAL.—To be considered for a 
grant under this section, an eligible entity shall submit 
a grant proposal to the Administrator in a time, place, 
and manner determined by the Administrator. Such pro-
posal shall include monitoring, data collection, and meas-
urable performance criteria with respect to the project. 
(c) DEVELOPMENT
OF CRITERIA.—The Adminis-
trator shall select eligible entities to receive grants under 
this section based on criteria developed by the Adminis-
trator, in consultation with relevant offices of the National 
Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, such as the Of-
fice of Habitat Conservation, the Office for Coastal Man-
agement, the Office of Response and Restoration, and the 
Office of National Marine Sanctuaries. 
(d) ELIGIBLE PROJECTS.—A proposal is eligible for 
a grant under this section if— 
(1) the purpose of the project is to restore a 
marine, estuarine, coastal, or Great Lake habitat, 
including— 
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(A) restoration of habitat to protect or re-
cover a species that is threatened, endangered, 
or a species of concern under the Endangered 
Species Act of 1973 (16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.); 
(B) through the removal or remediation of 
marine debris, including derelict vessels and 
abandoned, lost, and discarded fishing gear, in 
coastal and marine habitats; or 
(C) for the benefit of— 
(i) shellfish; 
(ii) fish, including diadromous fish; 
(iii) coral reef systems; 
(iv) marine wildlife; 
(v) blue carbon ecosystems such as 
coastal wetlands, marshes, coastal forests, 
seagrasses, kelp forests, and other habitats 
important to carbon sequestration and 
storage; or 
(vi) ecosystems such as beaches, 
dunes, oyster beds, submerged aquatic 
vegetation, and other ecosystems that pro-
vide protection from flooding, wave effects, 
and other coastal hazards; or 
(2) provides adaptation to climate change, in-
cluding sequestering and storing carbon or by con-
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structing, restoring, or protecting ecological features 
or nature-based infrastructure that protects coastal 
communities from sea level rise, coastal storms, or 
flooding. 
(e) PRIORITY.—In determining which projects to 
fund under this section, the Administrator shall give pri-
ority to a proposed project— 
(1) that would stimulate the economy; 
(2) for which the applicant can demonstrate 
that the grant will fund work that will begin not 
more than 90 days after the date of award; 
(3) for which the applicant can demonstrate 
that the grant will fund work that will employ fish-
ermen who have been negatively impacted by finan-
cial hardship or pay a fisherman for the use of a 
fishing vessel; 
(4) for which the applicant can demonstrate 
that any preliminary study or permit required before 
the project can begin has been completed or can be 
completed shortly after an award is made; 
(5) that includes communities that may not 
have adequate resources including low-income com-
munities, communities of color, Tribal communities, 
Indigenous communities, and rural communities; or 
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(6) that is happening within National Wildlife 
Refuges, National Parks, and Marine Protected 
Areas, such as National Marine Sanctuaries. 
(f) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There is 
authorized to be appropriated to the Administrator 
$1,000,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2023 through 
2032 to carry out this section, to remain available until 
expended. 
(g) DEFINITIONS.—In this section, the following defi-
nitions apply: 
(1) ADMINISTRATOR.—The term ‘‘Adminis-
trator’’ means the Administrator of the National 
Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. 
(2) ELIGIBLE ENTITY.—The term ‘‘eligible enti-
ty’’ means a nonprofit, a for-profit business, an in-
stitution of higher education, or a State, local, Trib-
al, or Territorial government. 
(3) 
FISHERMEN.—The 
term 
‘‘fishermen’’ 
means commercial or for-hire fishermen or oyster 
farmers. 
Æ 
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