I 
116TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 1716 
To direct the Secretary of Commerce, acting through the Administrator of 
the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, to conduct coastal 
community vulnerability assessments related to ocean acidification, and 
for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
MARCH 13, 2019 
Ms. PINGREE (for herself, Mr. ROONEY of Florida, Mr. HUFFMAN, Ms. 
BONAMICI, Mr. KING of New York, Mr. YOUNG, and Mr. THOMPSON of 
California) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Com-
mittee on Science, Space, and Technology 
A BILL 
To direct the Secretary of Commerce, acting through the 
Administrator of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric 
Administration, to conduct coastal community vulner-
ability assessments related to ocean acidification, 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 ‘‘Coastal Communities 
Ocean Acidification Act of 2019’’. 
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SEC. 2. COASTAL COMMUNITY VULNERABILITY ASSESS-
MENT. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Section 12406 of the Federal 
Ocean Acidification Research And Monitoring Act of 2009 
(33 U.S.C. 3705) is amended— 
(1) by redesignating subsection (b) as sub-
section (d); and 
(2) by inserting after subsection (a) the fol-
lowing: 
‘‘(b) COMMUNITY VULNERABILITY ASSESSMENT.— 
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary, through the 
program established under subsection (a), shall con-
duct an ocean acidification coastal community vul-
nerability assessment, and issue a corresponding 
public report, that shall be updated at least once 
every 7 years. 
‘‘(2) REQUIREMENTS.—The assessment con-
ducted under paragraph (1) shall— 
‘‘(A) identify the United States coastal 
communities, including island communities, low- 
population rural communities, and subsistence 
communities, that are most dependent on coast-
al and ocean resources that may be impacted by 
ocean acidification; 
‘‘(B) assess the nature of those commu-
nities’ social and economic vulnerabilities; 
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‘‘(C) identify the ocean acidification im-
pacts that might harm those communities, in-
cluding impacts from changes in ocean and 
coastal marine resources that are not managed 
by the Federal Government; 
‘‘(D) identify key knowledge gaps where 
research could be devoted to better understand 
the possible impacts of ocean acidification on 
these vulnerable communities, the risks and 
threats facing these communities, and possible 
adaptation strategies for these communities; 
and 
‘‘(E) be conducted in collaboration with ex-
perts who are familiar with the unique eco-
nomic, social, ecological, geographic, and re-
source concerns of the Nation’s coastal commu-
nities, including representatives from the Na-
tional Oceanic and Atmospheric Administra-
tion’s National Marine Fisheries Service and 
the Office for Coastal Management. 
‘‘(c) SUPPORT
FOR STATE
AND LOCAL VULNER-
ABILITY
ASSESSMENTS
AND
STRATEGIC
RESEARCH 
PLANNING.—In carrying out the program established 
under subsection (a), the Secretary shall collaborate with 
State and local government entities that are conducting 
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or have completed vulnerability assessments, strategic re-
search planning, or other similar activities related to ocean 
acidification and its impacts on coastal communities, for 
the purpose of— 
‘‘(1) determining whether such activities can be 
used as a model for other communities; and 
‘‘(2) identifying opportunities for the National 
Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to support 
such activities.’’. 
(b) 
ONGOING
INPUT
MECHANISM.—Section 
12404(b)(5) of the Federal Ocean Acidification Research 
And Monitoring Act of 2009 (33 U.S.C. 3703(b)(5)) is 
amended by adding at the end before the period the fol-
lowing: ‘‘, also including an ongoing mechanism that al-
lows affected industry members, coastal stakeholders, non- 
Federal resource managers, coastal acidification networks, 
and scientific experts not employed by the Federal Govern-
ment to provide input on research, data, and monitoring 
that is necessary to support on-the-ground management, 
decisionmaking, and adaptation related to ocean acidifica-
tion and its impacts’’. 
(c) STRATEGIC RESEARCH PLAN.—Section 12405(b) 
of the Federal Ocean Acidification Research And Moni-
toring Act of 2009 (33 U.S.C. 3704(b)) is amended— 
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(1) in paragraph (8), by striking ‘‘and’’ after 
the semicolon; 
(2) in paragraph (9), by striking the period at 
the end and inserting ‘‘; and’’; and 
(3) by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘(10) make recommendations for research that 
should be conducted, including in the social sciences 
and economics, to address the key knowledge gaps 
identified in the community vulnerability assessment 
report conducted under subsection (b) of section 
12406.’’. 
(d) REPORT ON SUPPORT FOR STATE AND LOCAL 
VULNERABILITY
ASSESSMENTS
AND
STRATEGIC
RE-
SEARCH PLANNING.—Not later than 180 days after the 
date of the enactment of this Act, the Administrator of 
the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration 
shall submit to Congress a report on the efforts of the 
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to sup-
port State and local community vulnerability assessments 
and strategic research planning, pursuant to section 
12406(c) of the Federal Ocean Acidification Research And 
Monitoring Act of 2009 (as added by subsection (a) of 
this section). 
Æ 
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