I 
115TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 4525 
To direct the Administrator of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Admin-
istration to make grants to States and local governments and nongovern-
mental organizations for purposes of carrying out shoreline stabilization 
projects utilizing natural materials. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
DECEMBER 1, 2017 
Mr. PALLONE introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
Committee on Natural Resources 
A BILL 
To direct the Administrator of the National Oceanic and 
Atmospheric Administration to make grants to States 
and local governments and nongovernmental organiza-
tions for purposes of carrying out shoreline stabilization 
projects utilizing natural materials. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Living Shorelines Act 
of 2017’’. 
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
03:50 Dec 05, 2017
Jkt 079200
PO 00000
Frm 00001
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H4525.IH
H4525
lotter on DSKBCFDHB2PROD with BILLS
SEC. 2. LIVING SHORELINE GRANT PROGRAM. 
(a) ESTABLISHMENT.—The Administrator of the Na-
tional Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration shall 
make grants to eligible entities for purposes of— 
(1) carrying out large- and small-scale, climate- 
resilient living shoreline projects; and 
(2) encouraging innovation in the use of natural 
materials to protect coastal communities. 
(b) PROJECT AND SELECTION.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—To be eligible to receive a 
grant under this section, an eligible entity shall sub-
mit to the Administrator a proposed living shoreline 
project, including monitoring and data collection 
with respect to the project. 
(2) SELECTION.— 
(A) IN
GENERAL.—The Administrator 
shall select recipients based on criteria to be 
prescribed by the Administrator in consultation 
with relevant National Oceanic and Atmos-
pheric Administration offices, such as the Office 
of Habitat Conservation, the Office for Coastal 
Management, and the Restoration Center, and 
taking into account the potential of proposed 
projects submitted under this subsection to pro-
tect communities and maintain the viability of 
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
03:50 Dec 05, 2017
Jkt 079200
PO 00000
Frm 00002
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H4525.IH
H4525
lotter on DSKBCFDHB2PROD with BILLS
the environment in areas where such proposed 
projects are to be carried out. 
(B) PRIORITY.—In selecting recipients the 
Administrator shall give priority consideration 
to a proposed project to be conducted in an 
area for which the President has declared, with-
in the 10-year period preceding the submission 
of a proposed project, that a major disaster ex-
ists pursuant to section 401 of the Robert T. 
Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assist-
ance Act (42 U.S.C. 5170) due to a hurricane, 
tropical storm, coastal storm, or flooding. 
(3) MINIMUM LEVEL OF PROTECTION.— 
(A) IN
GENERAL.—The Administrator 
shall select proposed projects for grants under 
this section that— 
(i) are primarily focused on providing 
protection for a coastal community; and 
(ii) demonstrate and quantify the abil-
ity of the project to meet a minimal level 
of such protection. 
(B) PROTECTION DEFINED.—In this para-
graph the term ‘‘protection’’ includes— 
(i) mitigating the effects of erosion; 
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
03:50 Dec 05, 2017
Jkt 079200
PO 00000
Frm 00003
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H4525.IH
H4525
lotter on DSKBCFDHB2PROD with BILLS
value of properties in the community, and eco-
logical benefits of a proposed project. 
(c) USE OF FUNDS.—Grants made under this section 
may be used by recipients only to— 
(1) carry out living shoreline projects; and 
(2) monitor and collect data on the success and 
deficiencies of projects, in accordance with standards 
issued by the Administrator under subsection (e)(2). 
(d) COST-SHARING.—An eligible entity that receives 
a grant under this section shall provide, from non-Federal 
sources, not less than 50 percent of the funds towards the 
total cost, including administrative costs, of each living 
shoreline project funded by such grant. 
(e) MONITORING AND REPORT.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—The Administrator shall re-
quire each recipient of a grant under this section (or 
their representative) to— 
(A) transmit to the Administrator data col-
lected with the grant; 
(B) monitor approved projects conducted 
with grants under this section and collect data 
on the protection provided by such projects and 
the success and deficiencies of such projects in 
providing such protection; 
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
03:50 Dec 05, 2017
Jkt 079200
PO 00000
Frm 00005
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H4525.IH
H4525
lotter on DSKBCFDHB2PROD with BILLS
(C) make such data available to the public 
through the website of the National Oceanic 
and Atmospheric Administration; and 
(D) by not later than December 31, 2022, 
publish a report on the effectiveness of the pro-
gram under this section in increasing protection 
of coastal communities through living shorelines 
techniques, including— 
(i) descriptions of— 
(I) the projects that were award-
ed grants; 
(II) the construction carried out 
under such projects; and 
(III) what techniques and mate-
rials were used in such projects; and 
(ii) data on the performance of such 
projects in providing such protection. 
(2) STANDARDS.— 
(A) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 90 days 
after the date of the enactment of this Act the 
Administrator shall, in consultation with rel-
evant offices of the National Oceanic and At-
mospheric Administration and nongovernmental 
organizations, issue standards for the collection 
under subsection (c) and this subsection of data 
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
03:50 Dec 05, 2017
Jkt 079200
PO 00000
Frm 00006
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H4525.IH
H4525
lotter on DSKBCFDHB2PROD with BILLS
regarding the success and deficiencies of 
projects conducted with grants under this sec-
tion. 
(B) REPORTING.—The standards shall re-
quire reporting of such data to the Administra-
tion on a regular basis. 
(f) DEFINITIONS.—For purposes of this section: 
(1) ADMINISTRATOR.—The term ‘‘Adminis-
trator’’ means the Administrator of the National 
Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. 
(2) ELIGIBLE ENTITY.—The term ‘‘eligible enti-
ty’’ means each of the following: 
(A) A State or a unit of general local gov-
ernment in a State. 
(B) Nongovernmental organizations that 
are described in section 501(c)(3) of the Inter-
nal Revenue Code of 1986 and exempt from tax 
under section 501(a) of such Code. 
(3) LIVING
SHORELINE
PROJECT.—The term 
‘‘living shoreline project’’— 
(A) means a project to mitigate the effects 
of erosion caused by shoreline flooding or 
innundation, 
currents, 
and 
wave 
energy, 
through project design that stabilizes a shore-
line by using natural materials to create buffers 
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
03:50 Dec 05, 2017
Jkt 079200
PO 00000
Frm 00007
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H4525.IH
H4525
lotter on DSKBCFDHB2PROD with BILLS
to absorb the impact of coastal storms, flood-
ing, and wave energy and to prevent or mini-
mize (or both) shoreline erosion, that— 
(i) incorporates as many natural ele-
ments as possible, such as native wetlands, 
submerged aquatic plants, native grasses, 
shrubs, or trees; 
(ii) utilizes techniques that incor-
porate ecological and coastal engineering 
principles in shoreline stabilization; and 
(iii) to the extent possible, maintains 
or restores existing natural slopes and con-
nections between uplands and adjacent 
wetlands or surface waters; and 
(B) may include, but not be limited to, the 
use of— 
(i) natural elements, such as sand, 
wetland plants, logs, oysters or other shell-
fish, submerged aquatic vegetation, native 
grasses, shrubs, trees, or coir fiber logs; 
and 
(ii) structural materials, such as 
stone, concrete, wood, vinyl, oyster domes, 
or other approved engineered structures. 
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
03:50 Dec 05, 2017
Jkt 079200
PO 00000
Frm 00008
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H4525.IH
H4525
lotter on DSKBCFDHB2PROD with BILLS
(4) STATE.—The term ‘‘State’’ means each of 
the several States, the Commonwealth of Puerto 
Rico, the United States Virgin Islands, Guam, 
American Samoa, the Commonwealth of the North-
ern Mariana Islands, and each Federally recognized 
Indian Tribe. 
(g) AUTHORIZATION
OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There 
are authorized to be appropriated $20,000,000 to the Ad-
ministrator for each of fiscal years 2018 through 2023 
for purposes of carrying out this section. 
Æ 
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
03:50 Dec 05, 2017
Jkt 079200
PO 00000
Frm 00009
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6301
E:\BILLS\H4525.IH
H4525
lotter on DSKBCFDHB2PROD with BILLS