Regional Ocean Partnership Act of 2021
Bill: H.R.3817 | Sponsor: Rep. Crist, Charlie (D-FL)
Policy area: Public Lands and Natural Resources

Summary:
Regional Ocean Partnership Act of 2021
This bill allows the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to designate and support Regional Ocean Partnerships between coastal states that share a common ocean or coastal area.
Specifically, NOAA may designate a partnership as a Regional Ocean Partnership if it (1) is established to coordinate the interstate management of coastal resources; (2) focuses on the environmental issues affecting the ocean and coastal areas of the coastal states participating in the partnership; (3) complements existing state coastal and ocean management efforts on an interstate scale, focusing on shared regional priorities; (4) does not have a regulatory function; and (5) is not duplicative of an existing Regional Ocean Partnership.
The bill designates the following entities as Regional Ocean Partnerships:
Each partnership must maintain mechanisms for consultation and engagement with the federal government, tribal governments, and nongovernmental entities, such as academic organizations.
A partnership may use provided federal funds to award grants and enter into contracts for certain purposes, including to monitor the water quality and living resources of multistate ocean and coastal ecosystems.

To allow coastal States to participate in regional ocean partnerships 
  with one or more other coastal States that share a common ocean or 
   coastal area with the coastal State to conserve living resources, 
 expand and protect valuable habitats, enhance coastal resilience, and 
 address such other issues related to the shared ocean or coastal area 
  as are determined to be a shared, regional priority by those States.

    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 ``Regional Ocean Partnership Act of 
2021''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS; SENSE OF CONGRESS; PURPOSES.

    (a) Findings.--Congress makes the following findings:
            (1) The ocean and coastal waters of the United States are 
        foundational to the economy, security, global competitiveness, 
        and well-being of the United States and continuously serve the 
        people of the United States and other countries as an important 
        source of food, energy, economic productivity, recreation, 
        culture, beauty, and enjoyment.
            (2) Over many years, the resource productivity and water 
        quality of the ocean and coastal areas of the United States 
        have been diminished by pollution, increasing population 
        demands, economic development, and natural and man-made hazard 
        events, both acute and chronic.
            (3) Ocean and coastal areas of the United States are 
        managed by State and Federal resource agencies and regulated on 
        an interstate and regional scale by various overlapping Federal 
        authorities, thereby creating a significant need for interstate 
        coordination to enhance regional priorities, including the 
        ecological and economic health of those areas.
            (4) Tribes and Indigenous communities have unique expertise 
        and knowledge important for the stewardship of our ocean and 
        coastal waters.
    (b) Sense of Congress.--It is the sense of Congress that--
            (1) the United States should seek to support interstate 
        coordination of shared regional priorities relating to the 
        management, conservation, resilience, and restoration of ocean 
        and coastal areas to maximize efficiencies through 
        collaborative regional efforts by regional ocean partnerships, 
        in consultation with Federal and State agencies, Tribal 
        governments, and local authorities;
            (2) such efforts would enhance existing and effective State 
        coastal management efforts based on shared regional priorities; 
        and
            (3) regional ocean partnerships should either directly 
        include representation from Tribal governments or have 
        dedicated consultation with such governments.
    (c) Purposes.--The purposes of this subtitle are as follows:
            (1) To complement and expand cooperative voluntary efforts 
        intended to manage and restore ocean and coastal areas spanning 
        across multiple State boundaries.
            (2) To expand Federal support for monitoring, data 
        management, and restoration activities in ocean and coastal 
        areas.
            (3) To commit the United States to a comprehensive 
        cooperative program to achieve improved water quality in, and 
        improvements in the productivity of living resources of, all 
        coastal ecosystems.
            (4) To authorize regional ocean partnerships as 
        intergovernmental coordinators for shared interstate and 
        regional priorities relating to the collaborative management of 
        the large marine ecosystems, thereby reducing duplication of 
        efforts and maximizing opportunities to leverage support in the 
        ocean and coastal regions.
            (5) To empower States and Tribes to take a lead role in 
        managing oceans and coasts.
            (6) To incorporate Tribal interests in the management of 
        our oceans and coasts and provide funding to support Tribal and 
        Indigenous ocean and coastal resiliency activities in 
        coordination with regional ocean partnerships.
            (7) To enable regional ocean partnerships, or designated 
        fiscal management entities of such partnerships, to receive 
        Federal funding to conduct the scientific research, 
        conservation and restoration activities, and priority 
        coordination on shared regional priorities necessary to achieve 
        the purposes described in paragraphs (1) through (4).

SEC. 3. REGIONAL OCEAN PARTNERSHIPS.

    (a) Definitions.--In this Act--
            (1) the term ``coastal State'' has the meaning given that 
        term in section 304 of the Coastal Zone Management Act of 1972 
        (16 U.S.C. 1453); and
            (2) the term ``Indian Tribe'' has the meaning given such 
        term in section 4 of the Indian Self-Determination and 
        Education Assistance Act (25 U.S.C. 5304).
    (b) Regional Ocean Partnerships.--
            (1) In general.--A coastal State may participate in a 
        regional ocean partnership with one or more other coastal 
        States that share a common ocean or coastal area with the 
        coastal State, without regard to whether the coastal States are 
        contiguous.
            (2) Application.--The Governor of a coastal State, or the 
        Governors of a group of coastal states may apply to the 
        Secretary of Commerce on behalf of a partnership of such 
        States, for the partnership to receive designation as a 
        regional ocean partnership if the partnership--
                    (A) meets the requirements under paragraph (3); and
                    (B) submits an application for such designation in 
                such manner, in such form, and containing such 
                information as the Secretary may require.
            (3) Requirements.--A partnership is eligible for 
        designation as a regional ocean partnership by the Secretary 
        under paragraph (2) if the partnership--
                    (A) is established to coordinate the interstate 
                management of coastal resources;
                    (B) focuses on the environmental issues affecting 
                the ocean and coastal areas of the members 
                participating in the partnership;
                    (C) complements existing State coastal and ocean 
                management efforts on an interstate scale, focusing on 
                shared regional priorities;
                    (D) does not have a regulatory function; and
                    (E) is not duplicative of an existing regional 
                ocean partnership designated under paragraph (4), as 
                determined by the Secretary.
            (4) Designation of certain entities as regional ocean 
        partnerships.--Notwithstanding paragraph (2) or (3), the 
        following entities are designated as regional ocean 
        partnerships:
                    (A) The Gulf of Mexico Alliance, comprised of the 
                States of Alabama, Florida, Louisiana, Mississippi, and 
                Texas.
                    (B) The Northeast Regional Ocean Council, comprised 
                of the States of Maine, Vermont, New Hampshire, 
                Massachusetts, Connecticut, and Rhode Island.
                    (C) The Mid-Atlantic Regional Council on the Ocean, 
                comprised of the States of New York, New Jersey, 
                Delaware, Maryland, and Virginia.
                    (D) The West Coast Ocean Alliance, comprised of the 
                States of California, Oregon, and Washington and the 
                coastal Indian Tribes therein.
    (c) Governing Bodies of Regional Ocean Partnerships.--
            (1) In general.--A regional ocean partnership designated 
        under subsection (b) shall be governed by a governing body.
            (2) Membership.--A governing body described in paragraph 
        (1)--
                    (A) shall be comprised, at a minimum, of voting 
                members from each coastal State participating in the 
                regional ocean partnership, designated by the Governor 
                of the coastal State; and
                    (B) may include such other members as the 
                partnership considers appropriate.
    (d) Functions.--A regional ocean partnership designated under 
subsection (b) may perform the following functions:
            (1) Promote coordination of the actions of the agencies of 
        coastal states participating in the partnership with the 
        actions of the appropriate officials of Federal agencies and 
        State and Tribal governments in developing strategies--
                    (A) to conserve living resources, expand and 
                protect valuable habitats, enhance coastal resilience, 
                and address such other issues related to the shared 
                ocean or coastal area as are determined to be a shared, 
                regional priority by those States; and
                    (B) to manage regional data portals and develop 
                associated data products for purposes that support the 
                priorities of the partnership.
            (2) In cooperation with appropriate Federal and State 
        agencies, Tribal governments, and local authorities, develop 
        and implement specific action plans to carry out coordination 
        goals.
            (3) Coordinate and implement priority plans and projects, 
        and facilitate science, research, modeling, monitoring, data 
        collection, management and sharing, and other activities that 
        support the goals of the partnership through the provision of 
        grants and contracts under subsection (f).
            (4) Engage, coordinate, and collaborate with relevant 
        governmental entities and stakeholders to address ocean and 
        coastal related matters that require interagency or 
        intergovernmental solutions.
            (5) Implement engagement programs for public information, 
        education, and participation to foster stewardship of the 
        resources of the ocean and coastal areas, as relevant.
            (6) Develop and make available, through publications, 
        technical assistance, and other appropriate means, information 
        pertaining to cross-jurisdictional issues being addressed 
        through the coordinated activities of the partnership.
            (7) Serve as a liaison with, and provide information to, 
        international and foreign counterparts, as appropriate on 
        priority issues for the partnership.
    (e) Consultation and Engagement.--A regional ocean partnership 
designated under subsection (b) shall maintain mechanisms for 
consultation with Federal and Tribal governments as well as engagement 
with nongovernmental entities, including academic organizations, 
nonprofit organizations, and businesses.
    (f) Grants and Contracts.--
            (1) In general.--A regional ocean partnership designated 
        under subsection (b) may, in coordination with existing Federal 
        and State management programs, from amounts made available to 
        the partnership by the Administrator or the head of another 
        Federal agency--
                    (A) provide grants to eligible persons described in 
                paragraph (2) for the purposes described in paragraph 
                (3); and
                    (B) enter into contracts with such persons for such 
                purposes.
            (2) Eligible persons.--The eligible persons described in 
        this paragraph (1)(A) are the following:
                    (A) Indian Tribes.
                    (B) State and local governments.
                    (C) Nongovernmental organizations.
                    (D) Institutions of higher education.
                    (E) Individuals.
                    (F) Private entities.
            (3) Purposes.--The purposes described in paragraph (1)(A) 
        include any of the following:
                    (A) Monitoring the water quality and living 
                resources of multi-State ocean and coastal ecosystems 
                and to coastal communities.
                    (B) Conducting research and development with 
                respect to human-induced environmental changes to--
                            (i) ocean and coastal ecosystems; and
                            (ii) coastal communities.
                    (C) Developing and executing cooperative strategies 
                that--
                            (i) address regional data issues identified 
                        by the partnership; and
                            (ii) will result in more effective 
                        management of common ocean and coastal areas.
    (g) Reports and Assessments.--
            (1) In general.--Not later than 5 years after the date of 
        the enactment of this Act, and every 5 years thereafter until 
        2040, the Administrator, in coordination with the regional 
        ocean partnerships designated under subsection (b), shall--
                    (A) assess the effectiveness of the partnerships in 
                supporting regional priorities relating to the 
                management of common ocean and coastal areas; and
                    (B) submit to Congress a report on that assessment.
            (2) Report requirements.--The report required under 
        paragraph (1)(B) shall include the following:
                    (A) An assessment of the overall status of the work 
                of the regional ocean partnerships designated under 
                subsection (b).
                    (B) An assessment of the effectiveness of the 
                strategies that the regional ocean partnerships are 
                supporting or implementing and the extent to which the 
                priority needs of the regions covered by such 
                partnerships are being met through such strategies.
                    (C) Such recommendations as the Administrator may 
                have for the improvement of efforts of the regional 
                ocean partnerships to support the purposes of this Act.
                    (D) An assessment of how the efforts of the 
                regional ocean partnerships support or enhance Federal 
                and State efforts in line with the purposes of this 
                Act.
                    (E) Recommendations for improvements to the 
                collective strategies that support the purposes of this 
                Act in coordination and consultation with all relevant 
                Federal, State, and Tribal entities.
    (h) Availability of Federal Funds.--In addition to amounts made 
available to regional ocean partnerships designated under subsection 
(b) by the Administrator under this section, the head of any other 
Federal agency may provide grants to, enter into contracts with, or 
otherwise provide funding to such partnerships.
    (i) Authorities.--Nothing in this section establishes any new legal 
or regulatory authority of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric 
Administration or of the regional ocean partnerships designated under 
subsection (b), other than--
            (1) the authority of the Administrator to provide amounts 
        to the partnerships; and
            (2) the authority of the partnerships to provide grants and 
        enter into contracts under subsection (e).
    (j) Funding.--
            (1) Regional ocean partnerships.--There are authorized to 
        be appropriated to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric 
        Administration the following amounts for regional ocean 
        partnerships designated under subsection (b) or designated 
        fiscal management entities of such partnerships to carry out 
        activities of the partnerships under this Act:
                    (A) $10,100,000 for fiscal year 2022.
                    (B) $10,202,000 for fiscal year 2023.
                    (C) $10,306,040 for fiscal year 2024.
                    (D) $10,412,160 for fiscal year 2025.
                    (E) $10,520,404 for fiscal year 2026.
            (2) Distribution of amounts.--Amounts made available under 
        paragraph (1) shall be divided evenly among the regional ocean 
        partnerships designated under subsection (b).
            (3) Tribal consultation.--There are authorized to be 
        appropriated $1,000,000 for each fiscal year 2021 through 2025 
        to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration for 
        Indian Tribes and Indigenous communities to be distributed for 
        purposes of participation in or engagement with the regional 
        ocean partnerships.
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