260 
(3) to further the ability to research, forecast, 
and monitor harmful algal blooms; 
(4) to formalize and enhance existing partner-
ships and collaborations among institutions of higher 
education, research entities, local, State, Territorial, 
and Tribal agencies, and the Federal Government; 
(5) to further the prevention, control, and miti-
gation of harmful algal blooms; 
(6) to transition harmful algal bloom research 
and forecasting from observational to operational 
use; and 
(7) to address existing and emerging harmful 
algal bloom issues as the Administrator considers 
appropriate. 
(c) ELIGIBILITY FOR DESIGNATIONS.—To be eligible 
for designation under this section, an organization must— 
(1) be an institution of higher education, as 
that term is defined in section 101(a) of the Higher 
Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1001(a)); a 
State, Territorial, or Tribal research agency; a non-
profit laboratory or other research entity; or a con-
sortium of such eligible institutions; 
(2) have demonstrated expertise and success in 
harmful algal bloom research, monitoring, fore-
casting, prevention, or response efforts; 
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(3) have demonstrated ability to collaborate 
with local, State, Territorial, and Tribal govern-
ments and Federal agencies on harmful algal 
blooms; and 
(4) be located in an area that is economically 
and environmentally impacted by harmful algal 
blooms. 
(d) REQUIREMENTS FOR DESIGNATIONS.—In desig-
nating National Centers of Excellence under this section 
the Administrator shall— 
(1) consult with the Inter-Agency Task Force 
on Harmful Algal Blooms and Hypoxia; 
(2) ensure regional balance by designating Na-
tional Centers in a variety of locations throughout 
the United States, including the District of Colum-
bia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, American 
Samoa, Guam, the Commonwealth of the Northern 
Mariana Islands, the United States Virgin Islands, 
and other Territories and possessions of the United 
States; and 
(3) avoid duplication of other harmful algal 
bloom research. 
(e) EFFECTIVE PERIOD, REVIEW, AND RENEWAL.— 
Each designation of an organization as a National Center 
of Excellence under this section— 
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(1) shall be effective for 5 years; 
(2) shall be reviewed by the Secretary, acting 
through the Administrator of the National Oceanic 
and Atmospheric Administration, in the fourth year 
of such effective period; and 
(3) following such review, may be renewed for 
an additional 5-year period. 
(f) ANNUAL REPORTS.—The Secretary shall require 
and publish an annual activity report from each National 
Center of Excellence. 
(g) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—To carry 
out this section, including for providing funding to Na-
tional Centers of Excellence designated under this section, 
there is authorized to be appropriated to the National Oce-
anic and Atmospheric Administration $12,500,000 for 
each of fiscal years 2021 through 2025, of which not more 
than 5 percent may be available each fiscal year for ad-
ministrative expenses. 
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TITLE 
XII—NATIONAL 
OCEAN 
POLICY, DATA, AND COORDI-
NATED WEBSITE FOR GRANT 
PROGRAMS 
Subtitle A—Regional Ocean 
Partnerships 
SEC. 1201. FINDINGS; SENSE OF CONGRESS; PURPOSES. 
(a) FINDINGS.—Congress makes the following find-
ings: 
(1) The ocean and coastal waters of the United 
States are foundational to the economy, security, 
global competitiveness, and well-being of the United 
States and continuously serve the people of the 
United States and other countries as an important 
source of food, energy, economic productivity, recre-
ation, culture, beauty, and enjoyment. 
(2) Over many years, the resource productivity 
and water quality of the ocean and coastal areas of 
the United States have been diminished by pollution, 
increasing population demands, economic develop-
ment, and natural and man-made hazard events, 
both acute and chronic. 
(3) Ocean and coastal areas of the United 
States are managed by State and Federal resource 
agencies and regulated on an interstate and regional 
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scale by various overlapping Federal authorities, 
thereby creating a significant need for interstate co-
ordination to enhance regional priorities, including 
the ecological and economic health of those areas. 
(4) Regional Ocean Partnerships, established by 
coastal states working in close coordination with 
Federal agencies, regional fisheries managers, and 
Tribal governments, help coordinate interstate re-
sponses to critical ocean issues that extend beyond 
individual State boundaries. 
(5) Regional Ocean Partnerships have improved 
understanding of climate change’s impact on fish 
and shellfish populations, have invested in identi-
fying indicators of ocean health and addressing 
coastal mitigation, and have played leading roles in 
the creation and upkeep of regional ocean data por-
tals that allow for improved understanding of ocean 
use synergies and trade-offs. 
(6) Regional Ocean Partnerships engage in co-
ordinated efforts to protect and enhance the health 
of living resources and engage the public in steward-
ship of ocean and coastal areas. 
(7) The coordination offered by Regional Ocean 
Partnerships is particularly critical in the era of cli-
mate change, with coastal and ocean resources under 
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threat and as demand for offshore resources in-
creases. 
(b) PURPOSES.—The purposes of this subtitle are as 
follows: 
(1) To complement and expand cooperative vol-
untary efforts intended to manage and restore ocean 
and coastal areas spanning across multiple State 
boundaries. 
(2) To expand Federal support for monitoring, 
data management, and restoration activities in ocean 
and coastal areas. 
(3) To commit the United States to a com-
prehensive cooperative program to achieve improved 
water quality in, and improvements in the produc-
tivity of living resources of, all coastal ecosystems. 
(4) To authorize Regional Ocean Partnerships 
as intergovernmental coordinators for shared inter-
state and regional priorities relating to the collabo-
rative management of the large marine ecosystems, 
thereby reducing duplication of efforts and maxi-
mizing opportunities to leverage support in the 
ocean and coastal regions. 
(5) To enable Regional Ocean Partnerships, or 
designated fiscal management entities of such part-
nerships, to receive Federal funding to conduct the 
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scientific research, conservation and restoration ac-
tivities, and priority coordination on shared regional 
priorities necessary to achieve the purposes described 
in paragraphs (1) through (4). 
SEC. 1202. REGIONAL OCEAN PARTNERSHIPS. 
(a) DEFINITIONS.—In this subtitle: 
(1) COASTAL STATE.—The term ‘‘coastal state’’ 
has the meaning given that term in section 304 of 
the Coastal Zone Management Act of 1972 (16 
U.S.C. 1453). 
(2) INDIAN TRIBE.—The term ‘‘Indian Tribe’’ 
has the meaning given to the term ‘‘Indian tribe’’ in 
section 4 of the Indian Self-Determination and Edu-
cation Assistance Act (25 U.S.C. 5304). 
(b) REGIONAL OCEAN PARTNERSHIPS.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—A coastal state may partici-
pate in a Regional Ocean Partnership with 1 or 
more other coastal states that share a common 
ocean or coastal area with the coastal state, without 
regard to whether the coastal states are contiguous. 
(2) APPLICATION.—The Governor of a coastal 
state or the Governors of a group of coastal states 
may apply to the Secretary of Commerce, on behalf 
of a partnership, for the partnership to receive des-
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ignation as a Regional Ocean Partnership if the 
partnership— 
(A) meets the requirements under para-
graph (3); and 
(B) submits an application for such des-
ignation in such manner, in such form, and 
containing such information as the Secretary 
may require. 
(3) REQUIREMENTS.—A partnership is eligible 
for designation as a Regional Ocean Partnership by 
the Secretary under paragraph (2) if the partner-
ship— 
(A) is established to coordinate the inter-
state management of coastal resources; 
(B) focuses on the environmental issues af-
fecting the ocean and coastal areas of the mem-
bers participating in the partnership; 
(C) complements existing State coastal and 
ocean management efforts on an interstate 
scale, focusing on shared regional priorities; 
(D) does not have a regulatory function; 
and 
(E) is not duplicative of an existing Re-
gional Ocean Partnership designated under 
paragraph (4), as determined by the Secretary. 
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(4) DESIGNATION OF CERTAIN ENTITIES AS RE-
GIONAL
OCEAN
PARTNERSHIPS.—Notwithstanding 
paragraph (2) or (3), the following entities are des-
ignated as Regional Ocean Partnerships: 
(A) The Gulf of Mexico Alliance, comprised 
of the States of Alabama, Florida, Louisiana, 
Mississippi, and Texas. 
(B) The Northeast Regional Ocean Coun-
cil, comprised of the States of Maine, Vermont, 
New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Connecticut, 
and Rhode Island. 
(C) The Mid-Atlantic Regional Council on 
the Ocean, comprised of the States of New 
York, New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland, and 
Virginia. 
(D) The West Coast Ocean Alliance, com-
prised of the States of California, Oregon, and 
Washington and the coastal Indian Tribes 
therein. 
(c) GOVERNING BODIES OF REGIONAL OCEAN PART-
NERSHIPS.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—A Regional Ocean Partner-
ship designated under subsection (b) shall be gov-
erned by a governing body. 
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(2) MEMBERSHIP.—A governing body described 
in paragraph (1)— 
(A) shall be comprised, at a minimum, of 
voting members from each coastal state partici-
pating in the Regional Ocean Partnership, des-
ignated by the Governor of the coastal state; 
and 
(B) may include such other members as 
the partnership considers appropriate. 
(d) FUNCTIONS.—A Regional Ocean Partnership des-
ignated under subsection (b) may perform the following 
functions: 
(1) Promote coordination of the actions of the 
agencies of coastal states participating in the part-
nership with the actions of the appropriate officials 
of Federal agencies and State and Tribal govern-
ments in developing strategies— 
(A) to conserve living resources, expand 
and protect valuable habitats, enhance coastal 
resilience, and address such other issues related 
to the shared ocean or coastal area as are de-
termined to be a shared, regional priority by 
those States; and 
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(B) to manage regional data portals and 
develop associated data products for purposes 
that support the priorities of the partnership. 
(2) In cooperation with appropriate Federal and 
State agencies, Tribal governments, and local au-
thorities, develop and implement specific action 
plans to carry out coordination goals. 
(3) Coordinate and implement priority plans 
and projects, and facilitate science, research, mod-
eling, monitoring, data collection, and other activi-
ties that support the goals of the partnership 
through the provision of grants and contracts under 
subsection (e). 
(4) Engage, coordinate, and collaborate with 
relevant governmental entities and stakeholders to 
address ocean and coastal related matters that re-
quire interagency or intergovernmental solutions. 
(5) Implement engagement programs for public 
information, education, and participation to foster 
stewardship of the resources of the ocean and coast-
al areas, as relevant. 
(6) Develop and make available, through publi-
cations, technical assistance, and other appropriate 
means, information pertaining to cross-jurisdictional 
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issues being addressed through the coordinated ac-
tivities of the partnership. 
(7) Serve as a liaison with, and provide infor-
mation to, international counterparts, as appropriate 
on priority issues for the partnership. 
(e) GRANTS AND CONTRACTS.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—A Regional Ocean Partner-
ship designated under subsection (b) may, in coordi-
nation with existing Federal and State management 
programs, from amounts made available to the part-
nership by the Administrator or the head of another 
Federal agency— 
(A) provide grants to eligible persons de-
scribed in paragraph (2) for the purposes de-
scribed in paragraph (3); and 
(B) enter into contracts with such persons 
for such purposes. 
(2) ELIGIBLE PERSONS.—The eligible persons 
described in this paragraph are the following: 
(A) Indian Tribes. 
(B) State and local governments. 
(C) Nongovernmental organizations. 
(D) Institutions of higher education. 
(E) Individuals. 
(F) Private entities. 
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(3) PURPOSES.—The purposes described in this 
paragraph include any of the following: 
(A) Monitoring the water quality and living 
resources of multi-State ocean and coastal eco-
systems and to coastal communities. 
(B) Researching and addressing the effects 
of natural and human-induced environmental 
changes to— 
(i) ocean and coastal ecosystems; and 
(ii) coastal communities. 
(C) Developing and executing cooperative 
strategies that— 
(i) address regional data issues identi-
fied by the partnership; and 
(ii) will result in more effective man-
agement of common ocean and coastal 
areas. 
(f) REPORTS AND ASSESSMENTS.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 5 years after 
the date of the enactment of this Act, and every 5 
years thereafter until 2040, the Administrator, in 
coordination with the Regional Ocean Partnerships 
designated under subsection (b), shall— 
(A) assess the effectiveness of the partner-
ships in supporting regional priorities relating 
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to the management of common ocean and coast-
al areas; and 
(B) submit to Congress a report on that 
assessment. 
(2) REPORT REQUIREMENTS.—The report re-
quired under paragraph (1)(B) shall include the fol-
lowing: 
(A) An assessment of the overall status of 
the work of the Regional Ocean Partnerships 
designated under subsection (b). 
(B) An assessment of the effectiveness of 
the strategies that the Regional Ocean Partner-
ships are supporting or implementing and the 
extent to which the priority needs of the regions 
covered by such partnerships are being met 
through such strategies. 
(C) Such recommendations as the Admin-
istrator may have for the improvement of ef-
forts of the Regional Ocean Partnerships to 
support the purposes of this Act. 
(D) An assessment of how the efforts of 
the Regional Ocean Partnerships support or en-
hance Federal and State efforts in line with the 
purposes of this Act. 
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(E) Recommendations for improvements to 
the collective strategies that support the pur-
poses of this Act in coordination and consulta-
tion with all relevant Federal, State, and Tribal 
entities. 
(g) AVAILABILITY OF FEDERAL FUNDS.—In addition 
to amounts made available to Regional Ocean Partner-
ships designated under subsection (b) by the Adminis-
trator under this section, the head of any other Federal 
agency may provide grants to, enter into contracts with, 
or otherwise provide funding to such partnerships. 
(h) AUTHORITIES.—Nothing in this section estab-
lishes any new legal or regulatory authority of the Na-
tional Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration or of the 
Regional Ocean Partnerships designated under subsection 
(b), other than— 
(1) the authority of the Administrator to pro-
vide amounts to the partnerships; and 
(2) the authority of the partnerships to provide 
grants and enter into contracts under subsection (e). 
(i) FUNDING.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—Of amounts authorized to be 
appropriated to the National Oceanic and Atmos-
pheric Administration, the Administrator may make 
the following amounts available to Regional Ocean 
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Partnerships designated under subsection (b) or des-
ignated fiscal management entities of such partner-
ships to carry out activities of the partnerships 
under this Act: 
(A) $10,000,000 for fiscal year 2021. 
(B) $10,100,000 for fiscal year 2022. 
(C) $10,202,000 for fiscal year 2023. 
(D) $10,306,040 for fiscal year 2024. 
(E) $10,412,160 for fiscal year 2025. 
(F) $10,520,404 for fiscal year 2026. 
(2) DISTRIBUTION
OF
AMOUNTS.—Amounts 
made available under paragraph (1) shall be divided 
evenly among the Regional Ocean Partnerships des-
ignated under subsection (b). 
(3) AVAILABILITY
OF
AMOUNTS.—Amounts 
made available under paragraph (1) shall remain 
available until expended. 
Subtitle B—Data and Scientific 
Coordination 
SEC. 1211. INCREASED COORDINATION AMONG AGENCIES 
WITH RESPECT TO DATA AND MONITORING. 
(a) INTERAGENCY
OCEAN
OBSERVATION
COM-
MITTEE.—In addition to its responsibilities as of the date 
of the enactment of this Act, and in consultation with the 
associated advisory committee authorized by section 
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12304(d) of the Integrated Coastal and Ocean Observa-
tion System Act of 2009 (33 U.S.C. 3603(d)), the Inter-
agency Ocean Observation Committee shall— 
(1) work with international coordinating bodies, 
as necessary, to ensure robust, direct measurements 
of the Great Lakes, oceans, bays, estuaries, and 
coasts, including oceanographic data; 
(2) coordinate supercomputing capacity, data 
storage capacity, and public access across agencies; 
and 
(3) support cross-agency and multi-platform 
synergy, by coordinating overlapping data collection 
by satellites, buoys, submarines, gliders, vessels, and 
other data collection vehicles and technologies. 
(b) FEDERAL GEOGRAPHIC DATA COMMITTEE.—In 
addition to its responsibilities as of the date of the enact-
ment of this Act, and in consultation with the National 
Geospatial Advisory Committee, the Federal Geographic 
Data Committee shall— 
(1) work with international coordinating bodies, 
as necessary, to ensure robust, continuous measure-
ments of the Great Lakes, oceans, bays, estuaries, 
and coasts, including satellite and geospatial data; 
(2) coordinate supercomputing capacity, data 
storage capacity, and public access across agencies; 
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(3) develop and deploy cross-agency, real-time, 
standardized, centralized, archived, open-source, and 
publicly available databases (using declassified infor-
mation to the extent possible) for all federally fund-
ed observational and model data, using the example 
of the World Ocean Database; and 
(4) support new and old data and metadata cer-
tification, quality assurance, quality control, integra-
tion, and archiving. 
(c) INTERAGENCY
COMMITTEE
ON
OCEAN
AND 
COASTAL MAPPING.—In addition to its responsibilities as 
of the date of the enactment of this Act, and in consulta-
tion with its associated advisory panel authorized by sec-
tion 12203(g) of the Ocean and Coastal Mapping Integra-
tion Act (33 U.S.C. 3502(g)), the Interagency Committee 
on Ocean and Coastal Mapping shall— 
(1) work with international coordinating bodies, 
as necessary, to ensure robust, continuous satellite 
and direct measurements of the Great Lakes, 
oceans, bays, estuaries, and coasts, including bathy-
metric data; 
(2) coordinate supercomputing capacity, data 
storage capacity, and public access across agencies; 
(3) make recommendations on how to make 
data, metadata, and model output accessible to a 
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broader public audience, including through geo-
graphic information system layers, graphics, and 
other visuals; and 
(4) develop and initiate a research agenda to 
improve understanding of inundation risks to coastal 
areas as a result of the climate crisis and to meet 
the information needs of decision-makers as such de-
cision-makers consider how to appropriately adapt 
and increase resilience to such effects. 
SEC. 1212. INTERAGENCY OCEAN EXPLORATION COM-
MITTEE. 
(a) ESTABLISHMENT.—The President shall establish 
a committee to promote the exploration and improved un-
derstanding of the oceans, to be known as the ‘‘Inter-
agency Ocean Exploration Committee’’. 
(b) MEMBERSHIP.—The Interagency Ocean Explo-
ration Committee shall be composed of not fewer than 1 
senior-level representative from each of the following Fed-
eral agencies: 
(1) The Department of the Navy. 
(2) The Department of the Interior. 
(3) The Department of Commerce. 
(4) The Coast Guard. 
(5) The Office of Management and Budget. 
(6) The Council on Environmental Quality. 
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(7) The Office of Science and Technology Pol-
icy. 
(8) The Department of State. 
(9) The National Science Foundation. 
(10) The National Aeronautics and Space Ad-
ministration. 
(11) The Subcommittee on Ocean Science and 
Technology of the National Science and Technology 
Council. 
(12) The elements of the intelligence commu-
nity (as defined in section 3 of the National Security 
Act of 1947 (50 U.S.C. 3003)), as the President 
considers appropriate. 
(c) DUTIES.—The Interagency Ocean Exploration 
Committee shall— 
(1) cultivate public-private partnerships, includ-
ing with Federal agencies, academic institutions, 
nongovernmental organizations, technology compa-
nies, and international partners, to develop and de-
ploy advanced technologies to explore and charac-
terize the oceans; and 
(2) coordinate the application of existing inno-
vative technologies and development of emerging 
technologies to promote the understanding, mapping, 
and collection of data describing the oceans and the 
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changes the oceans are experiencing and are antici-
pated to experience in the future, such as changes 
in temperature, salinity, oxygenation, and acidity, 
and the biological consequences of those changes. 
SEC. 1213. COMMITTEE ON OCEAN POLICY. 
(a) ESTABLISHMENT.—There is established in the 
Executive Office of the President a Committee on Ocean 
Policy, which— 
(1) succeeds the Ocean Policy Committee estab-
lished on June 19, 2018, by Executive Order 13840 
(83 Fed. Reg. 29431; relating to ocean policy); 
(2) shall continue the activities of that com-
mittee as it was in existence on the day before the 
date of the enactment of this Act; and 
(3) shall carry out the functions described in 
subsection (b). 
(b) FUNCTIONS.—The Committee on Ocean Policy 
shall— 
(1) facilitate coordination and integration of 
Federal activities in ocean and coastal waters to in-
form ocean policy and identify priority ocean re-
search, technology, and data needs; 
(2) engage and collaborate with stakeholders, 
including Regional Ocean Partnerships, to address 
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ocean-related matters that may require interagency 
or intergovernmental solutions; 
(3) evaluate threats to coastal communities 
from storm and sea level rise and define, implement, 
and coordinate needed policies and programs to ad-
vance national preparedness for and resilience to 
more severe storms and rising sea levels; and 
(4) coordinate Federal agencies to ensure Fed-
eral activities in ocean and coastal waters promote 
healthy ecosystems for fisheries and wildlife con-
servation that are resilient to the impacts of climate 
change and provide for climate benefits. 
SEC. 1214. BUILDING DATA SOURCES. 
(a) ENGAGING
INDIGENOUS, SUBSISTENCE, AND 
FISHING COMMUNITIES.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—The Administrator shall es-
tablish opportunities to engage Indigenous, subsist-
ence, and fishing communities to understand the 
needs of those communities and to provide improved 
products and services that are practical and useful 
to those communities, including collecting and inte-
grating traditional ecological data and narrative 
records into national and regional datasets. 
(2) DATA RIGHTS.—In carrying out paragraph 
(1), the Administrator shall— 
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damaged, vulnerable, or destroyed wetlands to im-
prove the long-term ecosystem function and resil-
ience through active human intervention and action, 
such as— 
(A) 
improving 
hydrological 
conditions 
(such as by removing tidal barriers, improving 
connectivity, or changing water levels); 
(B) altering sediment supply (such as 
through the beneficial use of dredge material, 
thin-layer spraying, or reconnecting river sedi-
ment); 
(C) changing salinity characteristics; 
(D) improving water quality (such as by 
reducing excess nutrients, sedimentation, or 
contaminants); 
(E) planting of native plants, removal of 
invasive species, and other improved manage-
ment practices; 
(F) controlling erosion of wetland edges; 
and 
(G) enabling future inland migration as 
sea levels rise, including through the enhance-
ment of adjacent fresh-water wetlands. 
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
19:26 Nov 17, 2020
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E:\BILLS\H8632.IH
H8632
pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS