A bill to promote research, monitoring, and observation of the Arctic and for other purposes.

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Arctic Research, Monitoring, and 
Observing Act of 2012''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS AND PURPOSE.

    (a) Findings.--Congress makes the following findings:
            (1) The United States is an Arctic Nation with--
                    (A) an approximately 700-mile border with the 
                Arctic Ocean;
                    (B) more than 100,000,000 acres of land above the 
                Arctic Circle; and
                    (C) an even broader area defined as Arctic by 
                temperature, which includes the Bering Sea and Aleutian 
                Islands.
            (2) The Arctic region of the United States is home to an 
        indigenous population that has subsisted for millennia on the 
        abundance in marine mammals, fish, and wildlife, many of which 
        are unique to the region.
            (3) Temperatures in the United States Arctic region have 
        warmed by 3 to 4 degrees Celsius over the past half-century, a 
        rate of increase that is twice the global average.
            (4) The Arctic ice pack is rapidly diminishing and 
        thinning, and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric 
        Administration estimates the Arctic Ocean may be ice free 
        during summer months in as few as 30 years.
            (5) Such changes to the Arctic region are having a 
        significant impact on the indigenous people of the Arctic, 
        their communities and ecosystems, as well as the marine 
        mammals, fish, and wildlife upon which they depend.
            (6) Such changes are opening new portions of the United 
        States Arctic continental shelf to possible development for 
        offshore oil and gas, commercial fishing, marine shipping, and 
        tourism.
            (7) Existing Federal research and science advisory programs 
        focused on the environmental and socioeconomic impacts of a 
        changing Arctic lack a cohesive, coordinated, and integrated 
        approach and are not adequately coordinated with State, local, 
        academic, and private-sector Arctic research programs.
            (8) The lack of research integration and synthesis of 
        findings of Arctic research has impeded the progress of the 
        United States and international community in understanding 
        climate change impacts and feedback mechanisms in the Arctic 
        Ocean.
            (9) An improved scientific understanding of the changing 
        Arctic is critical to the development of appropriate and 
        effective regional, national, and global climate change 
        adaptation strategies.
    (b) Purpose.--The purpose of this Act is to establish a permanent 
program to conduct research, monitoring, and observation activities in 
the Arctic--
            (1) to promote and sustain a productive and resilient 
        marine, coastal, and estuarine ecosystem in the Arctic and the 
        human uses of its natural resources through greater 
        understanding of how the ecosystem works and monitoring and 
        observation of its vital signs; and
            (2) to track and evaluate the effectiveness of natural 
        resource management in the Arctic in order to facilitate 
        improved performance and adaptive management.

SEC. 3. ARCTIC RESEARCH COMMISSION.

    (a) Duties of the Arctic Research Commission.--Section 104(a) of 
the Arctic Research and Policy Act of 1984 (15 U.S.C. 4103(a)) is 
amended--
            (1) in paragraph (2), by striking ``assist in 
        establishing'' and inserting ``establish'';
            (2) by redesignating paragraphs (3) through (10) as 
        paragraphs (4) through (11), respectively; and
            (3) by inserting after paragraph (2) the following:
            ``(3) provide--
                    ``(A) grants to Federal, State, local, or tribal 
                governments and academic and private organizations to 
                conduct research on or related to the Arctic, including 
                to the marine environment of the Arctic Ocean, its 
                adjacent seas or associated lesser bodies of water; and
                    ``(B) such grants on the basis of merit in 
                accordance with such national Arctic research program 
                plan;''.
    (b) Administration of the Commission.--Section 106 of the Arctic 
Research and Policy Act of 1984 (15 U.S.C. 4105) is amended--
            (1) in paragraph (4), by striking ``and'' at the end;
            (2) in paragraph (5), by striking the period at the end and 
        inserting a semicolon and ``and''; and
            (3) by adding at the end the following:
            ``(6) enter into agreements with appropriate agencies or 
        organizations to administer grants made pursuant to this title 
        for Arctic research including reimbursement from funds of the 
        Commission to administer such grants.''.
    (c) Compensation of Commission Members.--Section 103(d)(1) of the 
Arctic Research and Policy Act of 1984 (15 U.S.C. 4102(d)(1)) is 
amended by striking ``for compensation'' in the second sentence and 
inserting ``by the Federal Government or any State or local 
government''.
    (d) Conflicts of Interest.--
            (1) Arctic research commission.--Section 103 of the Arctic 
        Research and Policy Act of 1984 (15 U.S.C. 4102) is amended by 
        adding at the end the following:
    ``(e) The Commission shall adopt conflict of interest and recusal 
provisions that apply to any decision by the Commission and to all 
members of the Commission as if each member of the Commission is an 
`affected individual' within the meaning of section 302(j) of the 
Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act (16 U.S.C. 
1852(j)), except that in addition to the disclosure requirements of 
paragraph (2) of such section 302(j), each Commission member shall 
disclose any financial interest or relationship in an organization or 
with an individual that is applying for funding from the Commission 
held by the Commission member, including an interest as an officer, 
director, trustee, partner, employee, contractor, agent, or other 
representative.''.
            (2) North pacific research board.--Subsection (e) of 
        section 401 of the Department of the Interior and Related 
        Agencies Appropriations Act, 1998 (43 U.S.C. 1474d) is 
        amended--
                    (A) in paragraph (4)(B), by striking ``15 percent'' 
                and inserting ``20 percent''; and
                    (B) by striking paragraph (5) and inserting the 
                following:
            ``(5) The Board shall adopt conflict of interest and 
        recusal provisions that apply to any decision by the Board and 
        to all members of the Board as if each member of the Board is 
        an `affected individual' within the meaning of section 302(j) 
        of the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act 
        (16 U.S.C. 1852(j)), except that in addition to the disclosure 
        requirements of paragraph (2) of such section 302(j), each 
        Board member shall disclose any financial interest or 
        relationship in an organization or with an individual that is 
        applying for funding from the Board, including an interest as 
        an officer, director, trustee, partner, employee, contractor, 
        agent, or other representative.''.

SEC. 4. ENVIRONMENTAL IMPROVEMENT AND RESTORATION FUND.

    (a) Transfer and Availability of Amounts Earned.--Subsection (c) of 
section 401 of the Department of the Interior and Related Agencies 
Appropriations Act, 1998 (43 U.S.C. 1474d) is amended--
            (1) in paragraph (1), by striking ``To the extent provided 
        in the subsequent appropriations Acts, 80 percent of such 
        amounts shall be made available'' and inserting ``40 percent of 
        such amounts shall be made available without further 
        appropriations'';
            (2) in paragraph (2), by striking ``20 percent'' and 
        inserting ``25 percent''; and
            (3) by adding at the end the following:
            ``(3) 25 percent of such amounts shall be made without 
        further appropriation to the United States Arctic Research 
        Commission for the purposes of carrying out research and 
        monitoring in the Arctic as provided in subsection (f).
            ``(4) 10 percent of such amounts shall be made available 
        without further appropriations to the Secretary of Commerce to 
        fund the Alaska Ocean Observing Program as provided in 
        subsection (g).''.
    (b) Use of Funds.--Section 401 of the Department of the Interior 
and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 1998 (43 U.S.C. 1474d) is 
amended by adding at the end the following:
    ``(f) United States Arctic Research Commission.--Funds available 
under subsection (c)(3) shall be used by the Arctic Research Commission 
established by section 103 of the Arctic Research and Policy Act of 
1984 to provide grants to Federal and State governments and academic 
and private organizations to conduct research and monitoring, including 
the identification of Important Ecological Areas, on or related to the 
Arctic, including the marine environment of the Arctic Ocean, its 
adjacent seas or associated lesser bodies of water. Not more than 20 
percent of such funds may be used to provide support for the Arctic 
Research Commission and administer grants under this subsection.''.
    ``(g) Alaska Ocean Observing System.--Funds available under 
subsection (c)(4) shall be used to support the Alaska Ocean Observing 
System in a manner consistent with the Integrated Coastal and Ocean 
Observation System Act of 2009 (33 U.S.C. 3601 et seq.), for the 
purpose of establishing long-term ocean observing systems and 
monitoring programs in waters of the United States in the North 
Pacific, Bering Sea, and Arctic Ocean. Not more than 20 percent of the 
funds made available pursuant to subsection (c)(4) may be used to 
provide administrative support under this subsection.
    ``(h) Duplication of Effort; Report.--Programs and grants funded 
pursuant to paragraphs (2), (3), and (4) of subsection (c) shall seek 
to avoid duplicating other research activities. The North Pacific 
Research Board, the Arctic Research Commission, and the Alaska Ocean 
Observing System shall--
            ``(1) meet not less than once annually to promote 
        coordination among research programs and projects; and
            ``(2) submit to Congress and the President an annual report 
        on the status of research conducted pursuant to this title.
    ``(i) Arctic Defined.--In this section, the term `Arctic' has the 
meaning given that term in section 112 of the Arctic Research and 
Policy Act of 1984 (15 U.S.C. 4111).''.

Summary: Arctic Research, Monitoring, and Observing Act of 2012 - Amends the Arctic Research and Policy Act of 1984 to direct the Arctic Research Commission to provide merit-based grants to federal, state, local, or tribal governments and academic and private organizations to conduct research on or related to the Arctic in accordance with the national Arctic research program plan.

Authorizes the Commission to enter into agreements with appropriate agencies or organizations to administer grants made pursuant to this Act for Arctic research, including reimbursement from funds of the Commission to administer such grants.

Revises the requirements for compensation of Commission members not presently employed by the federal government or any state or local government.

Instructs the Commission to adopt conflict of interest and recusal provisions that apply to decisions of the Commission and to all Commission members as if each member is an affected individual within the meaning of the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act. Includes disclosure of any financial interest in or relationship to a party that is applying for funding from the Commission held by the Commission member.

Amends the Department of the Interior and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 1998, with respect to the North Pacific Research Board, to: (1) increase the maximum percentage of funds provided to the Secretary of Commerce for grants to conduct marine research in the north Pacific Ocean, Bering Sea, and Arctic Ocean that may be used for support for the Board and to administer such grants; and (2) direct the Board to adopt conflict of interest provisions similar to those required of the Commission by this Act.

Revises the administration of the Environmental Improvement and Restoration Fund to: (1) reduce by half the amount of interest earned and covered into the Fund and make available such amount without further appropriation to the National Park Service, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), and the Forest Service for high priority deferred maintenance and modernization of facilities to enhance visitors' experience; (2) increase to 25% the amount made available to carry out marine research activities in the North Pacific; and (3) require 25% of such amounts to be made available to the Commission to carry out Arctic research and monitoring and 10% to fund the Alaska Ocean Observing System as provided in this Act.

Requires the North Pacific Research Board, the Commission, and the Alaska Ocean Observing System to meet at least once annually to promote coordination among research programs and projects and report annually on the status of the research conducted pursuant to this Act.