such assistance to study or respond to an emerging 
threat or emergency, the Administrator— 
‘‘(A) shall by not later than 15 days after 
the date of receipt of the application for assist-
ance, conduct a preliminary review of the pro-
posed project and determine whether it qualifies 
for such a release; and 
‘‘(B) if the project so qualifies, may— 
‘‘(i) immediately release up to 50 per-
cent of the total amount of assistance for 
which the Administrator estimates the 
project will qualify; and 
‘‘(ii) release the remainder of the total 
amount for which the project qualifies 
after providing written notification of ap-
proval of the project in accordance with 
paragraph (2)(D).’’. 
(c) APPROVAL CRITERIA.—Section 204(g) (16 U.S.C. 
6403(g)) is amended by striking paragraphs (9) and (10) 
and inserting the following: 
‘‘(9) understanding the factors that contribute 
to coral diseases, and the prevention and treatment 
of coral diseases; 
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‘‘(10) developing innovative invasive species 
capture, collection, removal, and trapping methods 
for use around coral reefs; 
‘‘(11) developing and implementing cost-effec-
tive methods to restore degraded coral reef eco-
systems and to create native coral reef ecosystems in 
suitable waters, with an emphasis on novel restora-
tion strategies and techniques to advance coral reef 
recovery and growth in regions threatened by rising 
sea levels and storm surge; 
‘‘(12) understanding and cataloging coral ge-
netic diversity, including research into traits that 
promote resilience, especially to warming sea tem-
peratures, ocean acidification, coral bleaching, coral 
diseases, and invasive species, and applying such re-
search to coral reef restoration efforts; 
‘‘(13) developing in situ native coral propaga-
tion sites for use in coral reef restoration projects; 
‘‘(14) developing networks of ex situ coral prop-
agation nurseries for conservation including genetic 
banking, captive breeding of rare species, and cap-
tive breeding of coral populations resilient to stress 
from warming sea temperatures, ocean acidification, 
coral bleaching, and coral diseases for use in coral 
reef restoration projects; 
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‘‘(15) developing ‘reef-safe’ sunscreen products; 
‘‘(16) developing networks of improved, real- 
time water quality monitoring along coral reefs im-
pacted by agriculture or urban development; 
‘‘(17) developing improved, real-time reef moni-
toring methods and protocols for coastal construc-
tion and dredging projects with direct or indirect 
coral reef impacts, including improved standards for 
sediment deposition and turbidity measurements; 
‘‘(18) promoting ecologically sound navigation 
and anchorages, including mooring buoy systems, 
near coral reefs; 
‘‘(19) promoting and assisting entities to work 
with local communities, and all appropriate govern-
mental and nongovernmental organizations, to sup-
port consensus-driven, community-based planning 
and management initiatives for the protection of 
coral reef ecosystems; and 
‘‘(20) implementing research and restoration 
projects that help ensure the population viability of 
listed coral species in United States waters as de-
tailed in the population-based recovery criteria in-
cluded in species-specific recovery plans consistent 
with the Endangered Species Act of 1973 (16 
U.S.C. 1531 et seq.).’’. 
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SEC. 102. NATIONAL PROGRAM. 
(a) PURPOSE
OF ACT.—Section 202 (16 U.S.C. 
6401) is amended— 
(1) by redesignating paragraphs (2) through 
(6) as paragraphs (3) through (7), respectively, and 
by inserting after paragraph (1) the following: 
‘‘(2) to promote the resilience of coral reef eco-
systems, especially with respect to warming sea tem-
peratures, ocean acidification, coral bleaching, coral 
diseases, and invasive species;’’; 
(2) by amending paragraph (4), as so redesig-
nated, to read as follows: 
‘‘(4) to develop sound scientific information on 
the condition of coral reef ecosystems and the 
threats to such ecosystems including warming sea 
temperatures, coral bleaching, coral diseases, and 
ocean acidification, to benefit local communities and 
the Nation, and to the extent practicable to support 
and enhance management and research capabilities 
at local management agencies and local research and 
academic institutions;’’; 
(3) by amending paragraph (5), as so redesig-
nated, to read as follows: 
‘‘(5) to assist in the preservation of coral reefs 
by supporting consensus-driven conservation and 
restoration programs, including those that involve 
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affected local communities, businesses, and non-
governmental organizations;’’; and 
(4) by striking paragraph (7), as so redesig-
nated, and inserting the following: 
‘‘(7) to recognize the benefits of healthy coral 
reefs to island and coastal communities and to en-
courage Federal, State, territorial, and local commu-
nity cooperation to ensure, to the maximum extent 
practicable, the continued availability of those bene-
fits.’’. 
(b) AMENDMENTS RELATING
TO ACTIVITIES TO 
CONSERVE
CORAL
REEFS
AND
CORAL
REEF
ECO-
SYSTEMS.—Section 207(b) (16 U.S.C. 6406(b)) is amend-
ed— 
(1) in paragraph (3) by striking ‘‘and’’ after 
the semicolon; 
(2) in paragraph (4)— 
(A) by striking ‘‘cooperative conservation 
and management’’ and inserting ‘‘cooperative 
research, conservation, management, and res-
toration’’; and 
(B) by striking ‘‘partners.’’ and inserting 
‘‘partners, including academic institutions lo-
cated in States and United States territories; 
and’’; and 
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(3) by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘(5) improving and promoting the resilience of 
coral reefs, especially to warming sea temperatures, 
ocean acidification, coral bleaching, coral diseases, 
and invasive species.’’. 
SEC. 103. REPORT TO CONGRESS. 
Section 208 (16 U.S.C. 6407) is amended to read as 
follows: 
‘‘SEC. 208. REPORT TO CONGRESS. 
‘‘Not later than March 1, 2017, and every 5 years 
thereafter, the Administrator shall submit to the Com-
mittee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation of the 
Senate and the Committee on Natural Resources of the 
House of Representatives a report describing all activities 
undertaken to implement the strategy, including— 
‘‘(1) a description of the funds obligated by 
each participating Federal agency to advance coral 
reef conservation and restoration during each fiscal 
year of the 5-fiscal-year period preceding the fiscal 
year in which the report is submitted; 
‘‘(2) a description of Federal interagency and 
cooperative efforts with States, United States terri-
tories, and nongovernmental partner organizations 
to prevent or address overharvesting, coastal runoff, 
or other anthropogenic impacts on coral reef eco-
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systems, including projects undertaken with the De-
partment of the Interior, the Department of Agri-
culture, the Department of Transportation, the En-
vironmental Protection Agency, and the Army Corps 
of Engineers; 
‘‘(3) a summary of the information contained in 
the vessel grounding inventory established under sec-
tion 210, including additional authorization or fund-
ing, needed for response and removal of such vessels; 
‘‘(4) a description of Federal disaster response 
actions taken pursuant to the National Response 
Plan to address damage to coral reefs and coral reef 
ecosystems; and 
‘‘(5) an assessment of the condition of United 
States coral reefs, accomplishments under this Act, 
and the effectiveness of management actions to ad-
dress threats to coral reefs, including actions taken 
to address large-scale threats to coral reef eco-
systems related to warming sea temperatures, coral 
bleaching, coral diseases, and ocean acidification.’’. 
SEC. 104. RENAMING OF FUND. 
Section 205 (16 U.S.C. 6404) is amended— 
(1) in the section heading, by striking ‘‘REEF 
CONSERVATION’’ and inserting ‘‘REEF
CON-
SERVATION AND RESTORATION’’; and 
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(2) in subsections (a) and (b), by striking 
‘‘Fund’’ and inserting ‘‘Coral Reef Conservation and 
Restoration Fund’’. 
SEC. 105. VESSEL GROUNDING INVENTORY; AGREEMENTS; 
REGULATIONS; 
APPLICATION 
IN 
ACCORD-
ANCE WITH INTERNATIONAL LAW. 
The Act is further amended by redesignating sections 
209 and 210 (16 U.S.C. 6409 and 6410) as sections 213 
and 214, respectively, and by inserting after section 208 
the following: 
‘‘SEC. 209. VESSEL GROUNDING INVENTORY. 
‘‘The Administrator, in coordination with other Fed-
eral agencies, may maintain an inventory of all vessel 
grounding incidents involving coral reefs, including a de-
scription of— 
‘‘(1) the impacts to such resources; 
‘‘(2) vessel and ownership information, if avail-
able; 
‘‘(3) the estimated cost of removal, mitigation, 
or restoration; 
‘‘(4) the response action taken by the owner, 
the Administrator, the Commandant of the Coast 
Guard, or other Federal, State, or territorial agency 
representatives; 
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‘‘(5) the status of the response action, including 
the dates of vessel removal and mitigation or res-
toration and any actions taken to prevent future 
grounding incidents; and 
‘‘(6) recommendations for additional naviga-
tional aids or other mechanisms for preventing fu-
ture grounding incidents. 
‘‘SEC. 210. AGREEMENTS. 
‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—The Administrator may execute 
and perform such contracts, leases, grants, or cooperative 
agreements as may be necessary to carry out the purposes 
of this title. 
‘‘(b) FUNDING.—Under an agreement entered into 
under subsection (a), the Secretary may fulfill the terms 
of the agreement by reimbursing or providing appro-
priated funds to, and may receive funds or reimburse-
ments from, Federal agencies, instrumentalities and lab-
oratories; State, local, and territorial governments; Native 
American tribes and organizations; international organiza-
tions; foreign governments; universities and research cen-
ters; educational institutions; nonprofit organizations; 
commercial organizations; and other public and private 
persons or entities, as necessary for purposes identified 
in section 202 and actions taken under section 206. 
‘‘(c) COOPERATIVE INSTITUTE.— 
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‘‘(1) ESTABLISHMENT.—In addition to the gen-
eral authority provided by subsection (a), the Sec-
retary shall establish a cooperative institute for the 
purpose of advancing and sustaining essential capa-
bility in coral reef research, to be known as the Cen-
ter of Excellence in Coral Reef Ecosystem Science 
Cooperative Institute. Such Institute shall include 
university-based research centers that have estab-
lished management-driven national or regional coral 
reef research institutes, and are located in States 
and United States territories with coral reef eco-
systems. 
‘‘(2) FUNCTIONS.—The Cooperative Institute 
shall— 
‘‘(A) conduct ecological research and moni-
toring explicitly aimed at building capacity for 
more effective resource management and coral 
reef restoration; and 
‘‘(B) through agreements with centers re-
ferred to in paragraph (1)— 
‘‘(i) collaborate directly with govern-
mental resource management agencies, 
nonprofit organizations, academic research 
institutions, and other research organiza-
tions; 
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‘‘(ii) build capacity within resource 
management agencies to establish research 
priorities, plan interdisciplinary research 
projects, and make effective use of re-
search results; and 
‘‘(iii) conduct public education and 
awareness programs for policymakers, re-
source managers, and the general public on 
coral reef ecosystems, best practices for 
coral reef and ecosystem management, con-
servation, and restoration, their value, and 
threats to their sustainability. 
‘‘(d) MULTIYEAR COOPERATIVE AGREEMENTS.—The 
Administrator may enter into multiyear cooperative agree-
ments with the heads of other Federal agencies, States, 
United States territories, local governments, academic in-
stitutions, including marine laboratories and coral reef in-
stitutes, and nongovernmental organizations to carry out 
the activities of the national coral reef action strategy de-
veloped under section 203. 
‘‘(e) USE OF OTHER AGENCIES’ RESOURCES.—For 
purposes related to the conservation, preservation, protec-
tion, restoration, or replacement of coral reefs or coral reef 
ecosystems and the enforcement of this title, the Adminis-
trator is authorized to use, with their consent and with 
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