H. R. 2950 
One Hundred Eighteenth Congress 
of the 
United States of America 
AT THE SECOND SESSION 
Begun and held at the City of Washington on Wednesday, 
the third day of January, two thousand and twenty-four 
An Act 
To authorize the Secretary of the Interior, through the Coastal Program of the 
United States Fish and Wildlife Service, to work with willing partners and provide 
support to efforts to assess, protect, restore, and enhance important coastal land-
scapes that provide fish and wildlife habitat on which certain Federal trust 
species depend, and for other purposes. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of 
the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Coastal Habitat Conservation 
Act of 2023’’. 
SEC. 2. PURPOSE. 
The purpose of this Act is to legislatively authorize the Coastal 
Program of the Service in effect as of the date of the enactment 
of this Act to conduct collaborative landscape-level planning and 
on-the-ground coastal habitat assessment, coastal habitat protec-
tion, coastal habitat restoration, and coastal habitat enhancement 
projects in priority coastal landscapes to conserve and recover Fed-
eral trust species. 
SEC. 3. DEFINITIONS. 
In this Act: 
(1) COASTAL
ECOSYSTEM.—The term ‘‘coastal ecosystem’’ 
means a biological community of organisms interacting with 
each other and their habitats in a coastal landscape. 
(2) COASTAL
HABITAT
ASSESSMENT.—The term ‘‘coastal 
habitat assessment’’ means the process of evaluating the phys-
ical, chemical, and biological function of a coastal site to deter-
mine the value of the site to fish and wildlife. 
(3) COASTAL HABITAT ENHANCEMENT.—The term ‘‘coastal 
habitat enhancement’’ means the manipulation of the physical, 
chemical, or biological characteristics of a coastal ecosystem 
to increase or decrease specific biological functions that make 
the ecosystem valuable to fish and wildlife. 
(4) COASTAL HABITAT PLANNING.—The term ‘‘coastal habitat 
planning’’ means the process of developing a comprehensive 
plan that— 
(A) characterizes a coastal ecosystem; 
(B) sets protection, restoration, or enhancement goals 
and identifies the priorities of those goals; 
(C) describes conservation strategies and methodolo-
gies; 
(D) establishes a timetable for implementation of the 
plan; and
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(E) identifies roles of participants and stakeholders. 
(5) COASTAL HABITAT PROTECTION.— 
(A) IN GENERAL.—The term ‘‘coastal habitat protection’’ 
means a long-term action to safeguard habitat of value 
to fish and wildlife in a coastal ecosystem. 
(B) INCLUSION.—The term ‘‘coastal habitat protection’’ 
includes activities to support establishment of a conserva-
tion easement or fee title acquisition by Federal and non- 
Federal partners. 
(6) COASTAL
HABITAT
RESTORATION.—The term ‘‘coastal 
habitat restoration’’ means the manipulation of the physical, 
chemical, or biological characteristics of a coastal ecosystem 
with the goal of returning, to the maximum extent practicable, 
the full natural biological functions to lost or degraded native 
habitat. 
(7) COASTAL
LANDSCAPE.—The term ‘‘coastal landscape’’ 
means a portion of a coastal ecosystem within or adjacent 
to a coastal State that contains various habitat types, 
including— 
(A) a fresh or saltwater wetland in a coastal watershed; 
(B) a coastal river, stream, or waterway; 
(C) a coastal bay or estuary; 
(D) a seagrass bed, reef, or other nearshore marine 
habitat; 
(E) a beach or dune system; 
(F) a mangrove forest; and 
(G) an associated coastal upland. 
(8) COASTAL STATE.—The term ‘‘coastal State’’ means— 
(A) a State in, or bordering on, the Atlantic, Pacific, 
or Arctic Ocean, the Gulf of Mexico, the Long Island Sound, 
or 1 or more of the Great Lakes; 
(B) the District of Columbia; 
(C) the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico; 
(D) Guam; 
(E) American Samoa; 
(F) the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana 
Islands; 
(G) the Federated States of Micronesia; 
(H) the Republic of the Marshall Islands; 
(I) the Republic of Palau; and 
(J) the United States Virgin Islands. 
(9) FEDERAL TRUST SPECIES.—The term ‘‘Federal trust spe-
cies’’ means migratory birds, threatened species or endangered 
species listed under the Endangered Species Act of 1973 (16 
U.S.C. 1531 et seq.), interjurisdictional fish, and marine mam-
mals for which the Secretary has management authority. 
(10) FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE.—The term ‘‘financial assist-
ance’’ means Federal funding provided to Federal, State, local, 
or Tribal governments, nongovernmental institutions, nonprofit 
organizations, and private individuals and entities through a 
grant or cooperative agreement. 
(11) SECRETARY.—The term ‘‘Secretary’’ means the Sec-
retary of the Interior. 
(12) SERVICE.—The term ‘‘Service’’ means the United States 
Fish and Wildlife Service. 
(13) TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE.—The term ‘‘technical assist-
ance’’ means a collaboration, facilitation, or consulting action
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relating to a coastal habitat planning, coastal habitat assess-
ment, coastal habitat protection, coastal habitat restoration, 
or coastal habitat enhancement project or initiative in which 
the Service contributes scientific knowledge, skills, and exper-
tise to the project or initiative. 
SEC. 4. COASTAL PROGRAM. 
The Secretary shall carry out the Coastal Program within the 
Service to— 
(1) identify the leading threats to priority coastal land-
scapes and conservation actions to address those threats in 
partnership with Federal, State, local, and Tribal governments, 
nongovernmental institutions, nonprofit organizations, and pri-
vate individuals and entities; 
(2) provide technical assistance and financial assistance 
through partnerships with Federal, State, local, and Tribal 
governments, nongovernmental institutions, nonprofit organiza-
tions, and private individuals and entities to conduct voluntary 
coastal habitat planning, coastal habitat assessment, coastal 
habitat protection, coastal habitat restoration, and coastal 
habitat enhancement projects on public land or private land; 
(3) ensure the health and resilience of coastal ecosystems 
through adaptive management procedures based on the best 
available science; 
(4) build the capacity of Federal, State, local, and Tribal 
governments, nongovernmental institutions, nonprofit organiza-
tions, and private individuals and entities to carry out environ-
mental conservation and stewardship measures; 
(5) assist in the development and implementation of moni-
toring protocols to ensure the success of coastal ecosystem 
restoration and coastal ecosystem enhancement measures; and 
(6) collaborate and share information with partners and 
the public relating to best management practices for the con-
servation, restoration, and enhancement of coastal ecosystems. 
SEC. 5. REPORTS. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 1 year after the date of the 
enactment of this Act, and annually thereafter, the Secretary, acting 
through the Director of the Service, shall submit to the Committees 
on Appropriations and Natural Resources of the House of Represent-
atives and the Committees on Appropriations and Environment 
and Public Works of the Senate, and make available to the public 
on the website of the Service, a report on the Coastal Program 
carried out under this Act. 
(b) REQUIREMENTS.—Each report submitted under subsection 
(a) shall assess on regional and nationwide bases— 
(1) Coastal Program work on coastal ecosystems; 
(2) progress made by the Coastal Program toward identi-
fying the leading threats to priority coastal landscapes and 
conservation actions to address those threats; and 
(3) prospects for, and success of, protecting, restoring, and 
enhancing coastal ecosystems. 
(c) INCLUSIONS.—Each report submitted under subsection (a) 
shall include— 
(1) quantitative information on coastal landscapes pro-
tected, restored, or enhanced; 
(2) funds appropriated to the Coastal Program that have 
been expended or leveraged;
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(3) a description of adaptive management practices imple-
mented; and 
(4) a description of emerging challenges or data gaps that 
hinder the ability of the Coastal Program to achieve the purpose 
of this Act. 
SEC. 6. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS. 
There is authorized to be appropriated to carry out this Act 
$16,957,000 for each of fiscal years 2024 through 2028. 
Speaker of the House of Representatives. 
Vice President of the United States and
President of the Senate.