ferred to as the ‘‘Secretary’’) shall provide competi-
tive financial assistance, including multiyear grants, 
for projects designed to reduce the lethal and sub- 
lethal effects of human activities on North Atlantic 
right whales for which project proposals are ap-
proved by the Secretary in accordance with this sec-
tion. 
(2) USE OF EXISTING AUTHORITIES.—Assist-
ance provided under this section shall be carried out 
in a manner consistent with authorities available to 
the Secretary under the Endangered Species Act of 
1973 (16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.) and the Marine 
Mammal Protection Act of 1972 (16 U.S.C. 1361 et 
seq.). 
(b) PROJECT PROPOSALS.— 
(1) ELIGIBLE APPLICANTS.—A project proposal 
may be submitted to the Secretary under this section 
by— 
(A) relevant State and tribal agencies, re-
search institutions, and nonprofit organizations 
with expertise required for the conservation of 
North Atlantic right whales; and 
(B) any other individual or entity, as de-
termined appropriate by the Secretary, with the 
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expertise required for the conservation of North 
Atlantic right whales, including— 
(i) large whale disentanglement teams 
approved by the National Oceanic and At-
mospheric Administration and members in 
good standing of the National Marine 
Mammal Health and Stranding Response 
Program; 
(ii) an owner or operator of a vessel, 
as defined under section 3 of title 1, 
United States Code; and 
(iii) participants within sectors of the 
maritime industry, such as boating, ship-
ping, fishing, fishing gear and rope manu-
facturing, and other maritime activities. 
(2) FEDERAL PARTNERSHIP OPPORTUNITIES.— 
A Federal agency may not be a lead entity or receive 
funding for a project under this section, but may be 
included as a partner or collaborator on a project 
that receives such funding. 
(c) ANNUAL GRANT PROJECT PROPOSAL SOLICITA-
TION, REVIEW, AND APPROVAL.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall annu-
ally— 
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(A) solicit project proposals for grants 
under this section; 
(B) provide to other Federal officials, as 
appropriate, copies of each proposal submitted 
in response to the solicitation; and 
(C) review each such proposal on a 
timeline that recognizes the urgency of the de-
clining North Atlantic right whale population to 
determine whether the proposal meets the cri-
teria specified in subsection (d). 
(2) 
CONSULTATION; 
APPROVAL
OR
DIS-
APPROVAL.—Subject to the availability of funds, the 
Secretary shall, with respect to each project proposal 
submitted under this section, and after consulting 
with other Federal officials, as appropriate— 
(A) consult, with respect to the proposal, 
with the government of each State and foreign 
country in which the project is to be conducted; 
(B) take into consideration any comments 
resulting from the consultation and input from 
fishing and other stakeholders on the potential 
impacts as a result of the proposal; and 
(C) approve or disapprove the proposal in 
accordance with subsections (d) and (e) and 
provide written notification of the approval or 
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