IB 
Union Calendar No. 152 
111TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 1771 
[Report No. 111–271] 
To reauthorize the Chesapeake Bay Office of the National Oceanic and 
Atmospheric Administration, and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
MARCH 26, 2009 
Mr. SARBANES (for himself, Mr. WITTMAN, and Mr. KRATOVIL) introduced 
the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Natural Resources 
SEPTEMBER 29, 2009 
Additional sponsor: Mr. CONNOLLY of Virginia 
SEPTEMBER 29, 2009 
Committed to the Committee of the Whole House on the State of the Union 
and ordered to be printed 
[Strike out all after the enacting clause and insert the part printed in italic] 
[For text of introduced bill, see copy of bill as introduced on March 26, 2009] 
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A BILL 
To reauthorize the Chesapeake Bay Office of the National 
Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and for other 
purposes. 
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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 ‘‘Chesapeake Bay Science, 
Education, and Ecosystem Enhancement Act of 2009’’. 
SEC. 2. REAUTHORIZATION OF NOAA CHESAPEAKE BAY OF-
FICE. 
Section 307 of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric 
Administration Authorization Act of 1992 (15 U.S.C. 
1511d) is amended— 
(1) in subsection (a)— 
(A) in paragraph (1) by striking ‘‘(in this 
section’’ and all that follows and inserting a pe-
riod; 
(B) by amending paragraph (2) to read as 
follows: 
‘‘(2) The Office shall be headed by a Director, 
who— 
‘‘(A) shall have knowledge and experience in 
research or resource management efforts in the 
Chesapeake Bay; and 
‘‘(B) shall be responsible for the administra-
tion and operation of the office and the imple-
mentation of this Act.’’; and 
(C) by striking paragraph (3); 
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(2) in subsection (b)— 
(A) by striking so much as precedes para-
graph (1) and inserting the following: 
‘‘(b) PURPOSE.—The purpose of this section is to focus 
the relevant science, research, and resource management ca-
pabilities of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Admin-
istration as they apply to the Chesapeake Bay and to utilize 
the Office to—’’; 
(B) in paragraph (2), by striking ‘‘Sec-
retary of Commerce’’ and inserting ‘‘Adminis-
trator’’; 
(C) in paragraph (3)— 
(i) by striking the matter preceding 
subparagraph (A) and inserting the fol-
lowing: 
‘‘(3) coordinate the programs and activities of 
the various organizations within the National Oce-
anic and Atmospheric Administration in furtherance 
of such administration’s coastal resource stewardship 
mission, including—’’; 
(ii) in subparagraph (A), by striking 
‘‘and’’ after the semicolon at the end of 
clause (vi), and by inserting after clause 
(vii) the following: 
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‘‘(viii) coastal hazards and climate 
change; and’’; and 
(iii) in subparagraph (B), by striking 
‘‘and’’ after the semicolon at the end of 
clause (iii), by inserting ‘‘and’’ after the 
semicolon at the end of clause (iv), and by 
adding at the end the following: 
‘‘(v) 
integrated 
ecosystem 
assess-
ments;’’; 
(D) in paragraph (4)— 
(i) by striking ‘‘Environmental Protec-
tion Agency’’ and inserting ‘‘Chesapeake 
Executive Council’’; and 
(ii) by inserting before the semicolon at 
the end the following: ‘‘as appropriate to 
further purposes of this section’’; 
(E) by striking paragraphs (5) and (7); 
(F) by redesignating paragraph (6) as 
paragraph (5); and 
(G) by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘(6) perform any functions necessary to support 
the programs referred to in paragraph (3).’’; and 
(3) by striking subsection (c) and all that follows 
through the end of the section and inserting the fol-
lowing: 
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‘‘(c) PROGRAM ACTIVITIES.— 
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The Administrator, through 
the Director, shall implement the program activities 
authorized by this subsection to support the activity 
of the Chesapeake Executive Council and to further 
the purposes of this section. 
‘‘(2) ENSURING
SCIENTIFIC
AND
TECHNICAL 
MERIT.—The Director shall— 
‘‘(A) establish and utilize an effective and 
transparent mechanism to ensure that projects 
funded under this section have undergone appro-
priate peer review; and 
‘‘(B) provide other appropriate means to 
determine that such projects have acceptable sci-
entific and technical merit for the purpose of 
achieving maximum utilization of available 
funds and resources to benefit the Chesapeake 
Bay area. 
‘‘(3) CONSULTATION WITH CHESAPEAKE EXECU-
TIVE COUNCIL.—The Director shall, in the implemen-
tation of the program activities authorized under this 
section, consult with the Chesapeake Executive Coun-
cil, to ensure that the activities of the Office are con-
sistent with the purposes and priorities of the Chesa-
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peake Bay Agreement and plans developed pursuant 
to the Agreement. 
‘‘(4) INTEGRATED COASTAL OBSERVATIONS.— 
‘‘(A) IN
GENERAL.—The Administrator, 
through the Director, may collaborate with sci-
entific and academic institutions, State and 
Federal agencies, non-governmental organiza-
tions, and other constituents in the Chesapeake 
Bay watershed, to support an integrated observa-
tions system for the Chesapeake Bay consistent 
with the purposes of subtitle C of title XII of 
Public Law 111–11 (33 U.S.C. 3601 et seq.). 
‘‘(B) SPECIFIC
REQUIREMENTS.—To sup-
port the system referred to in subparagraph (A) 
and provide a complete set of environmental in-
formation for the Chesapeake Bay, the Director 
shall— 
‘‘(i) coordinate existing monitoring 
and observing activities in the Chesapeake 
Bay; 
‘‘(ii) identify new data collection needs 
and deploy new technologies, as appro-
priate; 
‘‘(iii) collect and analyze the scientific 
information necessary for the management 
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of living marine resources and the marine 
habitat associated with such resources; 
‘‘(iv) manage and interpret the infor-
mation described in clause (iii); and 
‘‘(v) organize the information described 
in clause (iii) into products that are useful 
to policy makers, resource managers, sci-
entists, and the public. 
‘‘(C) CHESAPEAKE BAY INTERPRETIVE BUOY 
SYSTEM.—To further the development and imple-
mentation of the Chesapeake Bay Interpretive 
Buoy System, the Director may— 
‘‘(i) support the establishment and im-
plementation of the Captain John Smith 
Chesapeake National Historic Trail; 
‘‘(ii) delineate key waypoints along the 
trail and provide appropriate real-time 
data and information for trail users; 
‘‘(iii) interpret data and information 
for use by educators and students to inspire 
stewardship of Chesapeake Bay; and 
‘‘(iv) incorporate the Chesapeake Bay 
Interpretive Buoy System into the Inte-
grated Ocean Observing System regional 
network of observatories. 
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‘‘(5) CHESAPEAKE BAY WATERSHED EDUCATION 
AND TRAINING PROGRAM.— 
‘‘(A) IN
GENERAL.—The Administrator, 
through the Director, may establish a Chesapeake 
Bay watershed education and training program. 
The program shall— 
‘‘(i) continue and expand the Chesa-
peake Bay watershed education programs 
offered by the Office immediately before the 
enactment of the Chesapeake Bay Science, 
Education, and Ecosystem Enhancement 
Act of 2009; 
‘‘(ii) improve the understanding of ele-
mentary and secondary school students and 
teachers of the living resources of the eco-
system of the Chesapeake Bay; 
‘‘(iii) provide community education to 
improve watershed protection; and 
‘‘(iv) meet the educational goals of the 
Chesapeake 2000 Agreement. 
‘‘(B) GRANT PROGRAM.—The Director may 
award grants for the purposes of this paragraph. 
Grants awarded under this subparagraph may 
be used to support education and training 
projects that enhance understanding and assess-
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ment of a specific environmental problem in the 
Chesapeake Bay watershed or a goal of the 
Chesapeake Bay Program, or protect or restore 
living resources of the Chesapeake Bay water-
shed, including projects that— 
‘‘(i) provide classroom education, in-
cluding the development and use of distance 
learning and other innovative technologies, 
related to the Chesapeake Bay watershed; 
‘‘(ii) provide watershed educational ex-
periences in the Chesapeake Bay watershed; 
‘‘(iii) provide professional development 
for teachers related to the Chesapeake Bay 
watershed and the dissemination of perti-
nent education materials oriented to vary-
ing grade levels; 
‘‘(iv) demonstrate or disseminate envi-
ronmental educational tools and materials 
related to the Chesapeake Bay watershed; 
‘‘(v) demonstrate field methods, prac-
tices, and techniques including assessment 
of environmental and ecological conditions 
and analysis of environmental problems; 
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‘‘(vi) build the capacity of organiza-
tions to deliver high quality environmental 
education programs; and 
‘‘(vii) educate local land use officials 
and decision makers on the relationship of 
land use to natural resource and watershed 
protection. 
‘‘(C) COLLABORATION.—The Director shall 
implement the education and training program 
in collaboration with the heads of other relevant 
Federal agencies. 
‘‘(6) COASTAL AND LIVING RESOURCES MANAGE-
MENT AND HABITAT PROGRAM.— 
‘‘(A) IN
GENERAL.—The Administrator, 
through the Director, may establish a Chesapeake 
Bay coastal living resources management and 
habitat program to support coordinated manage-
ment, protection, characterization, and restora-
tion of priority Chesapeake Bay habitats and 
living resources, including oysters, blue crabs, 
and submerged aquatic vegetation. 
‘‘(B) ACTIVITIES.—Under the program, the 
Director may, subject to the availability of ap-
propriations, carry out or enter into grants, con-
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tracts, and cooperative agreements and provide 
technical assistance to support— 
‘‘(i) native oyster restoration; 
‘‘(ii) fish and shellfish aquaculture that 
is carried out in accordance with a valid 
Federal or State permit; 
‘‘(iii) 
establishment 
of 
submerged 
aquatic vegetation propagation programs; 
‘‘(iv) the development of programs that 
protect and restore critical coastal habitats; 
‘‘(v) habitat mapping, characteriza-
tion, and assessment techniques necessary to 
identify, assess, and monitor restoration ac-
tions; 
‘‘(vi) application and transfer of ap-
plied scientific research and ecosystem man-
agement tools to fisheries and habitat man-
agers; 
‘‘(vii) collection, synthesis, and sharing 
of information to inform and influence 
coastal and living resource management 
issues; and 
‘‘(viii) other activities that the Director 
determines are appropriate to carry out the 
purposes of such program. 
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‘‘(d) REPORTS.— 
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The Administrator, through 
the Director, shall submit a biennial report to the 
Congress and the Secretary of Commerce on the ac-
tivities of the Office and on progress made in pro-
tecting and restoring the living resources and habitat 
of the Chesapeake Bay. 
‘‘(2) ACTION PLAN.—Each such report shall in-
clude an action plan for the 2-year period following 
submission of the report, consisting of— 
‘‘(A) a list of recommended research, moni-
toring, and data collection activities necessary to 
continue implementation of the strategy under 
subsection (b)(2); and 
‘‘(B) recommendations to integrate National 
Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration activi-
ties with the activities of the partners in the 
Chesapeake Bay Program to meet the commit-
ments of the Chesapeake 2000 agreement and 
subsequent agreements. 
‘‘(e) AGREEMENTS.— 
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The Administrator, through 
the Director, may, subject to the availability of ap-
propriations, enter into and perform such contracts, 
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leases, grants, or cooperative agreements as may be 
necessary to carry out the purposes of this Act. 
‘‘(2) USE OF OTHER RESOURCES.—For purposes 
related to the understanding, protection, and restora-
tion of Chesapeake Bay, the Director may use, with 
their consent and with or without reimbursement, the 
land, services, equipment, personnel, and facilities of 
any Department, agency, or instrumentality of the 
United States, or of any State, local government, In-
dian tribal government, or of any political subdivi-
sion thereof. 
‘‘(3) DONATIONS.—The Director may accept do-
nations of funds, other property, and services for use 
in understanding, protecting, and restoring the 
Chesapeake Bay. Donations accepted under this sec-
tion shall be considered as a gift or bequest to or for 
the use of the United States. 
‘‘(f) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 
‘‘(1) 
ADMINISTRATOR.—The 
term 
‘Adminis-
trator’ means the Administrator of the National Oce-
anic and Atmospheric Administration. 
‘‘(2) CHESAPEAKE BAY AGREEMENT.—The term 
‘Chesapeake Bay Agreement’ means the formal, vol-
untary agreements executed to achieve the goal of re-
storing and protecting the Chesapeake Bay ecosystem 
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Union Calendar No. 152 
111TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION 
H. R. 1771 
[Report No. 111–271] 
A BILL 
To reauthorize the Chesapeake Bay Office of the 
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administra-
tion, and for other purposes. 
SEPTEMBER 29, 2009 
Committed to the Committee of the Whole House on the 
State of the Union and ordered to be printed 
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