‘‘(i) coordinate monitoring with Fed-
eral and State agencies in the tidal portions 
of the Chesapeake Bay to understand im-
pacts of water quality on living marine re-
sources; 
‘‘(ii) identify new data collection needs 
and deploy new technologies, as appro-
priate; 
‘‘(iii) collect and analyze the scientific 
information necessary for the management 
of living marine resources and the marine 
habitat associated with such resources; and 
‘‘(iv) organize the information de-
scribed in clause (iii) into products that are 
useful to policy makers, resource managers, 
scientists, and the public. 
‘‘(C) CHESAPEAKE BAY INTERPRETIVE BUOY 
SYSTEM.—To further the development and imple-
mentation of the Chesapeake Bay Interpretive 
Buoy System and associated monitoring assets to 
improve weather and ecological forecasts, mon-
itor habitat conditions for living marine re-
sources, the Director may— 
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‘‘(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 observational 
data from the Chesapeake Bay Interpretive 
Buoy System into the Integrated Ocean Ob-
serving System regional observing system 
network. 
‘‘(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, 
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Education, and Ecosystem Enhancement 
Act of 2023; 
‘‘(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 education and career 
pathway internships; and 
‘‘(iv) meet the educational goals of the 
Chesapeake Bay Watershed 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-
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; 
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‘‘(ii) provide meaningful watershed 
educational experiences 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; 
and 
‘‘(vi) build the capacity of school dis-
tricts and their partners to deliver high 
quality environmental education programs. 
‘‘(C) COORDINATION.—The Director shall 
implement the education and training program 
in coordination with the heads of other Federal 
agencies, as the Director determines appropriate. 
‘‘(6) COASTAL AND LIVING RESOURCES MANAGE-
MENT AND HABITAT PROGRAM.— 
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‘‘(A) IN
GENERAL.—The Administrator, 
through the Director, may establish a Chesapeake 
Bay Coastal Living Resources Management and 
Habitat Program to support coordinated man-
agement, protection, characterization, and res-
toration of priority Chesapeake Bay habitats 
and living resources, including oysters, blue 
crabs, submerged aquatic vegetation, and eco-
nomically and ecologically important fish species 
such as striped bass and menhaden. 
‘‘(B) ACTIVITIES.—Under the Chesapeake 
Bay Coastal Living Resources Management and 
Habitat Program, the Director may carry out or 
enter into grants, contracts, and cooperative 
agreements and provide technical assistance to 
support— 
‘‘(i) native oyster research and restora-
tion; 
‘‘(ii) fish and shellfish aquaculture that 
is carried out in accordance with a valid 
Federal or State permit; 
‘‘(iii) 
establishment 
of 
submerged 
aquatic vegetation restoration programs; 
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‘‘(iv) the development of programs that 
restore, protect, and build the resilience of 
critical coastal habitats and communities; 
‘‘(v) habitat mapping, characteriza-
tion, and assessment techniques necessary to 
identify, assess, and monitor Chesapeake 
Bay conditions and restoration actions; 
‘‘(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; 
‘‘(viii) ecologically and economically 
important fish and shellfish research; and 
‘‘(ix) other activities that the director 
determines are appropriate to carry out the 
purposes of such program. 
‘‘(d) DELEGATION.— 
‘‘(1) AUTHORITY.—The Administrator shall dele-
gate to the Director such authority as may be nec-
essary to carry out this section. 
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‘‘(2) STAFF.—The Administrator shall delegate 
to the Director appropriate staff representing exper-
tise that covers the breadth of the duties of the Office. 
‘‘(e) 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 Bay Agreement and 
subsequent agreements. 
‘‘(f) AGREEMENTS.— 
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‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The Administrator, through 
the Director, may enter into and perform such con-
tracts, 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 
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, Indian 
Tribe, or of any political subdivision thereof. 
‘‘(g) DEFINITIONS.—In this section, the following defi-
nitions apply: 
‘‘(1) 
ADMINISTRATOR.—The 
term 
‘Adminis-
trator’ means the Administrator of the National Oce-
anic and Atmospheric Administration. 
‘‘(2) CHESAPEAKE
BAY
AGREEMENT; CHESA-
PEAKE BAY ECOSYSTEM; CHESAPEAKE BAY PROGRAM; 
CHESAPEAKE
EXECUTIVE
COUNCIL.—The 
terms 
‘Chesapeake Bay Agreement’, ‘Chesapeake Bay eco-
system’, ‘Chesapeake Bay Program’, and ‘Chesapeake 
Executive Council’ have the meanings given those 
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terms in section 117(a) of the Federal Water Pollu-
tion Control Act (33 U.S.C. 1267(a)). 
‘‘(3) DIRECTOR.—The term ‘Director’ means the 
Director of the Office. 
‘‘(4) OFFICE.—The term ‘Office’ means the 
Chesapeake Bay Office established under this sec-
tion.’’. 
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Union Calendar No. 359 
118TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. R. 4770 
[Report No. 118–434] 
A BILL 
To reauthorize the Chesapeake Bay Office of the 
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administra-
tion, and for other purposes. 
APRIL 2, 2024 
Reported with an amendment, committed to the Com-
mittee of the Whole House on the State of the Union, 
and ordered to be printed 
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