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‘‘(5) integrate technology improvements as such 
improvements become available. 
‘‘(d) AUTHORITY.—The Administrator may make 
grants or enter into and contracts, leases, or cooperative 
agreements as may be necessary to carry out the purposes 
of this section on such terms as the Administrator con-
siders appropriate, consistent with Federal acquisition 
regulations. 
‘‘§ 50702. Pilot project 
‘‘(a) ESTABLISHMENT.—The Administrator of the 
Maritime Administration shall carry out a pilot monitoring 
and mitigation project for North Atlantic right whales (in 
this section referred to as the ‘Pilot Program’) for pur-
poses of informing a cost-effective, efficient, and results- 
oriented near real-time monitoring and mitigation pro-
gram for large whales under 50701. 
‘‘(b) PILOT PROJECT REQUIREMENTS.—In carrying 
out the pilot program, the Administrator, in coordination 
with the Commandant of the Coast Guard, using best 
available scientific information, shall identify and ensure 
coverage of— 
‘‘(1) core foraging habitats of North Atlantic 
right whales, including— 
‘‘(A) the South of the Islands core foraging 
habitat; 
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‘‘(B) the Cape Cod Bay Area core foraging 
habitat; 
‘‘(C) the Great South Channel core for-
aging habitat; and 
‘‘(D) the Gulf of Maine; and 
‘‘(2) important feeding, breeding, calving, 
rearing, or migratory habitats of North Atlantic 
right whales that co-occur with areas of high risk of 
mortality, serious injury, or other impacts to such 
whales, including from vessels or vessel strikes. 
‘‘(c) PILOT PROJECT COMPONENTS.— 
‘‘(1) IN
GENERAL.—Not later than 3 years 
after the date of enactment of the Don Young Coast 
Guard Authorization Act of 2022, the Adminis-
trator, in consultation with the Commandant, Tribal 
governments, and with input from affected stake-
holders, shall design and deploy a near real-time 
monitoring system for North Atlantic right whales 
that— 
‘‘(A) comprises the best available detection 
and survey technologies to detect North Atlan-
tic right whales within core foraging habitats; 
‘‘(B) uses dynamic habitat suitability mod-
els to inform the likelihood of North Atlantic 
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right whale occurrence in core foraging habitat 
at any given time; 
‘‘(C) coordinates with the Integrated 
Ocean Observing System and Coast Guard ves-
sel traffic service centers, and may coordinate 
with Regional Ocean Partnerships to leverage 
monitoring assets; 
‘‘(D) integrates historical data; 
‘‘(E) integrates new near real-time moni-
toring methods and technologies as they become 
available; 
‘‘(F) accurately verifies and rapidly com-
municates detection data; 
‘‘(G) creates standards for allowing ocean 
users to contribute data to the monitoring sys-
tem using comparable near real-time monitoring 
methods and technologies; and 
‘‘(H) communicates the risks of injury to 
large whales to ocean users in a way that is 
most likely to result in informed decision mak-
ing regarding the mitigation of those risks. 
‘‘(2) NATIONAL SECURITY CONSIDERATIONS.— 
All monitoring methods, technologies, and protocols 
under this section shall be consistent with national 
security considerations and interests. 
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‘‘(3) ACCESS
TO
DATA.—The Administrator 
shall provide access to data generated by the moni-
toring system deployed under paragraph (1) for pur-
poses of scientific research and evaluation, and pub-
lic awareness and education, including through the 
NOAA Right Whale Sighting Advisory System and 
WhaleMap or other successive public web portals, 
subject to review for national security consider-
ations. 
‘‘(d) MITIGATION PROTOCOLS.—The Administrator, 
in consultation with the Commandant, and with input 
from affected stakeholders, develop and deploy mitigation 
protocols that make use of the near real-time monitoring 
system deployed under subsection (c) to direct sector-spe-
cific mitigation measures that avoid and significantly re-
duce risk of serious injury and mortality to North Atlantic 
right whales. 
‘‘(e) REPORTING.— 
‘‘(1) PRELIMINARY REPORT.—Not later than 2 
years after the date of the enactment of the Don 
Young Coast Guard Authorization Act of 2022, the 
Administrator, in consultation with the Com-
mandant, shall submit to the appropriate Congres-
sional Committees and make available to the public 
a preliminary report which shall include— 
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