I 
118TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 6841 
To amend the Coastal Zone Management Act of 1972 to allow the Secretary 
of Commerce to establish a Coastal and Estuarine Resilience and Res-
toration Program, and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
DECEMBER 15, 2023 
Mr. LEVIN (for himself, Mr. MAST, Ms. BONAMICI, Mrs. KIGGANS of Virginia, 
Mr. HUFFMAN, Mrs. GONZA´LEZ-COLO´N, Mr. KILMER, and Mr. VAN 
DREW) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee 
on Natural Resources 
A BILL 
To amend the Coastal Zone Management Act of 1972 to 
allow the Secretary of Commerce to establish a Coastal 
and Estuarine Resilience and Restoration Program, 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. COASTAL AND ESTUARINE RESILIENCE AND 
RESTORATION PROGRAM. 
Section 307A of the Coastal Zone Management Act 
of 1972 (16 U.S.C. 1456–1) is amended— 
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(1) by striking the heading and inserting 
‘‘COASTAL AND ESTUARINE RESILIENCE AND RES-
TORATION PROGRAM’’; 
(2) by amending subsection (a) to read as fol-
lows: 
‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary may conduct a 
Coastal and Estuarine Resilience and Restoration Pro-
gram, in cooperation with State, regional, and other units 
of government, the National Estuarine Research Reserves, 
and non-governmental organizations for the purposes of— 
‘‘(1) protecting important coastal and estuarine 
areas that— 
‘‘(A) have significant conservation, rec-
reational, coastal access, ecological, historical, 
community protection, or aesthetic value; 
‘‘(B) are threatened by conversion from 
their natural, undeveloped, or recreational state 
to other uses; or 
‘‘(C) could be managed or restored to ef-
fectively conserve, enhance, or restore ecological 
function or mitigate climate change; and 
‘‘(2) restoring developed property in vulnerable 
coastal and estuarine areas to a natural state to re-
store ecological function, allow for shoreline migra-
tion, and protect coastal communities.’’; 
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(3) in subsection (b), by striking ‘‘or National 
Estuarine Research Reserve units’’ and inserting ‘‘, 
National Estuarine Research Reserves, or non-gov-
ernmental organizations that meet the requirements 
of subsection (k)’’; 
(4) in subsection (c)— 
(A) by striking ‘‘or National Estuarine Re-
search Reserves’’ and inserting ‘‘, National Es-
tuarine Research Reserves, or non-governmental 
organizations’’; 
(B) in paragraph (2), by striking ‘‘shall 
identify’’ and inserting ‘‘may identify’’; 
(C) by amending paragraph (7) to read as 
follows: 
‘‘(7)(A) Priority shall be given to lands that— 
‘‘(i) can be effectively managed and pro-
tected 
and 
are 
described 
in 
subsection 
(a)(1)(A); 
‘‘(ii) to the maximum extent practicable, 
benefit communities that may not have ade-
quate resources to prepare for or respond to 
coastal hazards or to access coastline, including 
low-income communities; or 
‘‘(iii)(I) are under an imminent threat of 
conversion to a use that will degrade or other-
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wise diminish their natural, undeveloped, or rec-
reational state; 
‘‘(II) serve to mitigate the adverse impacts 
caused by coastal population growth on the 
coastal environment; 
‘‘(III) are within or adjacent to a National 
Estuarine Research Reserve designated under 
section 315, a national wildlife refuge, or a na-
tional estuary program, or are proposed for des-
ignation as such a reserve or other such pro-
tected area; or 
‘‘(IV) are under threat due to climate 
change or may serve to mitigate the adverse ef-
fects of climate change, including through long- 
term carbon storage, and to facilitate inland 
migration of coastal ecosystems in response to 
sea level rise. 
‘‘(B) Of the projects that are given priority 
under subparagraph (A), priority shall be given to 
lands that reflect conservation priorities identified 
pursuant to paragraphs (1) through (4).’’; and 
(D) in paragraph (10), by striking ‘‘tri-
ennially’’ and inserting ‘‘every 5 years’’; 
(5) in subsection (f)— 
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(A) in paragraph (2)(B), by inserting ‘‘for 
any territory of the United States that is un-
able to provide such match,’’ after ‘‘commu-
nity,’’; and 
(B) in paragraph (4)— 
(i) in subparagraph (A)(i), by striking 
‘‘the land meets the criteria set forth in 
section 2(b) and’’ and inserting ‘‘such use 
will further the goals set forth in sub-
section (b) and such land interest’’; 
(ii) by striking subparagraph (B) and 
redesignating subparagraph (C) as sub-
paragraph (B); 
(iii) in subparagraph (B) (as so redes-
ignated), by striking ‘‘described in (A)’’ 
and inserting ‘‘described in subparagraph 
(A)’’; and 
(iv) by inserting at the end the fol-
lowing new subparagraph: 
‘‘(C) The value of ecosystem services that 
such interest in land provides, including as a 
buffer for storm surge, as a habitat for eco-
nomically valuable species, and as a long-term 
carbon store.’’; 
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(6) in subsection (g), by striking ‘‘15’’ and in-
serting ‘‘20’’; 
(7) by redesignating subsections (k) and (l) as 
subsections (l) and (m), respectively; 
(8) by inserting after subsection (j) the fol-
lowing: 
‘‘(k) NON-GOVERNMENTAL ORGANIZATIONS.— 
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—A non-governmental orga-
nization that applies for a grant under this section 
may only be awarded a grant under subsection (b) 
to acquire property or an interest in property if such 
organization, with respect to the property or interest 
in property— 
‘‘(A) provides such documentation as the 
Secretary determines appropriate to dem-
onstrate that the agency that is primarily re-
sponsible for managing coastal and estuarine 
land of the State in which the property or inter-
est in property is located has provided public 
notice of the support of such agency for the 
grant application of such organization; 
‘‘(B) either— 
‘‘(i) ensures that the property or in-
terest in property is, or will be made, ac-
cessible to the public; or 
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‘‘(ii) provides documentation showing 
that public access to the property or inter-
est in property is required to be restricted 
to maintain the biological integrity, biologi-
cal diversity, or environmental health of 
the property or interest in property; and 
‘‘(C) includes in the deed for the property 
or interest in property a clear statement regard-
ing how the property or interest in property will 
be disposed of if such organization becomes 
nonviable after the date such organization ac-
quires such property or interest in property. 
‘‘(2) COMPLIANCE.—The Secretary shall de-
velop objective measures that each non-governmental 
organization that applies for a grant under this sec-
tion shall use to demonstrate the compliance of such 
organization with the requirements of paragraph 
(1).’’; and 
(9) in subsection (m), as so redesignated, by 
striking ‘‘fiscal years 2009 through 2013’’ and in-
serting ‘‘fiscal years 2024 through 2028’’. 
SEC. 2. AMENDMENTS TO NATIONAL ESTUARINE RE-
SEARCH RESERVE SYSTEM PROGRAM. 
(a) DESIGNATION OF ADDITIONAL RESERVES.— 
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(1) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 5 years after 
the date of the enactment of this section, the Sec-
retary shall designate not less than 5 new national 
estuarine reserves in the System. 
(2) PRIORITIZATION.—In making each designa-
tion under paragraph (1), the Secretary shall 
prioritize nominated sites that will promote the fol-
lowing with respect to the System: 
(A) The presence of a National Estuarine 
Research Reserve in each coastal State. 
(B) Full representation of biogeographic 
regions to ensure research in areas with distinct 
biodiversity or estuarine geography. 
(b) 
FINANCIAL
ASSISTANCE.—Section 
315(e)(1)(A)(ii) of the Coastal Zone Management Act of 
1972 (16 U.S.C. 1461(f)(1)(A)(ii)) is amended by insert-
ing ‘‘and maintaining’’ after ‘‘constructing’’. 
(c) GUIDELINES FOR TRACKING AND MODELING THE 
IMPACTS OF CLIMATE CHANGE.—Section 315(c) of the 
Coastal Zone Management Act of 1972 (16 U.S.C. 
1461(c)) is amended— 
(1) by redesignating paragraphs (3) through 
(5) as paragraphs (4) through (6), respectively; and 
(2) by inserting after paragraph (2) the fol-
lowing: 
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‘‘(3) the establishment of coordinated long-term 
data monitoring and methods throughout the Sys-
tem for tracking and modeling the impacts of cli-
mate change on estuarine systems, including impacts 
on lake levels and sea levels;’’. 
(d) PROGRAM
ELEMENTS.—Section 315 of the 
Coastal Zone Management Act of 1972 (16 U.S.C. 1461) 
is amended by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘(h) SYSTEMWIDE ELEMENTS OF THE NATIONAL 
ESTUARINE RESEARCH RESERVE SYSTEM.—The Sec-
retary shall coordinate systemwide programs and activities 
in the System including— 
‘‘(1) the centralized management and dissemi-
nation of data from System observation and moni-
toring networks; 
‘‘(2) a grant program employing the collabo-
rative research model on coastal research and man-
agement priorities to be conducted at research re-
serve sites focused on the priorities determined by 
the Secretary; 
‘‘(3) using National Estuarine Research Re-
serves as living laboratories and as preferred place-
ments for fellowship and research positions for the 
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration; 
and 
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‘‘(4) establishing the Margaret A. Davidson 
Graduate Research Fellowship Program to address 
key coastal management questions and the coastal 
research and management priorities of the System 
and its place-based sites to help scientists and com-
munities understand the coastal challenges that may 
influence future policy and management strategies. 
‘‘(i) PLACE-BASED PROGRAM ELEMENTS
OF
THE 
NATIONAL ESTUARINE RESEARCH RESERVE SYSTEM.— 
Each National Estuarine Research Reserve shall establish 
and maintain place-based program elements that in-
clude— 
‘‘(1) a research, monitoring, and observation 
network that detects environmental change and in-
forms suitable adaptation and mitigation strategies 
to coastal hazards; 
‘‘(2) identifying and monitoring sentinel sites 
that provide an opportunity to develop and test tech-
niques for adapting to and mitigating the harmful 
effects of climate change; 
‘‘(3) education, outreach, training, and inter-
pretive programs that communicate the value and 
changing dynamics of coastal systems; 
‘‘(4) stewardship programs that provide science- 
based tools, habitat management, and restoration 
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and that provide resources and information to in-
form coastal management; 
‘‘(5) coastal training programs that provide 
technical assistance to coastal communities, resource 
managers, and coastal decisionmakers; 
‘‘(6) identifying priority land for acquisition to 
enhance ecosystem and community resilience to the 
negative effects of climate change; and 
‘‘(7) the lands and facilities that support such 
accessible research, monitoring, stewardship, edu-
cation, and coastal training activities. 
‘‘(j) EXISTING USES.—Except as otherwise explicitly 
provided in a management plan of a National Estuarine 
Research Reserve, each Reserve shall permit existing uses 
of System lands and waters, including (as applicable)— 
‘‘(1) commercial and recreational fishing; 
‘‘(2) hunting; and 
‘‘(3) cultural uses. 
‘‘(k) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There 
are authorized to be appropriated to the Secretary 
$47,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2024 through 2028 
to provide financial assistance under this section.’’. 
(e) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 
(1) 
COASTAL
STATE.—The 
term 
‘‘coastal 
State’’ has the meaning given the term ‘‘coastal 
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state’’ in section 304 of title III of the Coastal Zone 
Management Act of 1972 (16 U.S.C. 1453), as ap-
plicable to such title. 
(2) SECRETARY.—The term ‘‘Secretary’’ has 
the meaning given the term in section 304 of the 
Coastal Zone Management Act of 1972 (16 U.S.C. 
1453). 
(3) SYSTEM.—The term ‘‘System’’ means the 
National Estuarine Research Reserve System estab-
lished under section 315 of the Coastal Zone Man-
agement Act of 1972 (16 U.S.C. 1461). 
Æ 
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