Title: Blue Whales and Blue Skies Act
Policy area: Environmental Protection

Summary:
Blue Whales and Blue Skies Act
This bill requires the Office of National Marine Sanctuaries of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to establish the Blue Whales and Blue Skies Program and annually award Blue Whales and Blue Skies Excellence Awards to owners of certain vessels for successfully participating in, and complying with, the program. The program encourages the reduction in the speed of certain vessels transiting the Greater Santa Barbara Channel Region in California in order to reduce air pollution, harmful underwater acoustic impacts, and the risk of fatal whale strikes.
The program must be modeled after the pilot Vessel Speed Reduction Program, except financial incentives for participation in the program may not be provided. The program must require, at a minimum, that each vessel of the awardee transit that region at speeds of 12 knots or lower. In addition, the program must require vessels to participate in the Port of Los Angeles or Port of Long Beach vessel speed reduction programs if the vessels call at those ports.
The Office must create an official seal to be recognized as the symbol of excellence in compliance with the program.
Within four years after this bill's enactment, the Office must consider and report on the feasibility of extending the program to encompass all shipping channels along the U.S. Pacific Coast between Canada and Mexico.

[Congressional Bills 115th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 3682 Introduced in House (IH)]

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115th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 3682

To direct the Director of the Office of National Marine Sanctuaries of 
 the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to create a Blue 
   Whales and Blue Skies Program to reduce air pollution and harmful 
underwater acoustic impacts and the risk of fatal vessel whale strikes 
by recognizing voluntary reductions in the speed of vessels transiting 
  the Greater Santa Barbara Channel Region, California, and for other 
                               purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                           September 6, 2017

 Mr. Lowenthal (for himself, Ms. Brownley of California, Mr. Carbajal, 
 and Mr. Khanna) introduced the following bill; which was referred to 
           the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
To direct the Director of the Office of National Marine Sanctuaries of 
 the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to create a Blue 
   Whales and Blue Skies Program to reduce air pollution and harmful 
underwater acoustic impacts and the risk of fatal vessel whale strikes 
by recognizing voluntary reductions in the speed of vessels transiting 
  the Greater Santa Barbara Channel Region, California, 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 ``Blue Whales and Blue Skies Act''.

SEC. 2. BLUE WHALES AND BLUE SKIES PROGRAM.

    (a) In General.--Not later than 12 months after the date of the 
enactment of this Act, the Director of the Office of National Marine 
Sanctuaries of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, in 
consultation with the Commandant of the Coast Guard, shall establish 
the Blue Whales and Blue Skies Program, to--
            (1) reduce air pollution and harmful underwater acoustic 
        impacts and the risk of fatal whale strikes by encouraging 
        voluntary reduction in the speed of eligible vessels transiting 
        the Greater Santa Barbara Channel Region; and
            (2) annually award Blue Whales and Blue Skies Excellence 
        Awards for verified successful participation in, and compliance 
        with, the program by eligible vessels.
    (b) Program Requirements.--The Director shall--
            (1) model the program after the pilot Vessel Speed 
        Reduction Program administered by the Santa Barbara County Air 
        Pollution Control District, the Ventura County Air Pollution 
        Control District, the Channel Islands National Marine 
        Sanctuary, the Environmental Defense Center (a nonprofit 
        corporation established under the laws of the State of 
        California as in effect on the date of the enactment of this 
        Act), and the National Marine Sanctuary Foundation, except the 
        Director may not provide a financial incentive for 
        participation in the program; and
            (2) develop the program in consultation with the entities 
        referred to in paragraph (1).
    (c) Annual Awards.--
            (1) In general.--Under the program, the Director shall 
        annually award Blue Whales and Blue Skies Excellence Awards to 
        owners of eligible vessels that have complied with the program 
        during the preceding year.
            (2) Award conditions.--As a condition of an award under 
        this subsection, the Director shall require, at a minimum, that 
        each eligible vessel of the awardee--
                    (A) transit the Greater Santa Barbara Channel 
                Region at speeds of 12 knots or lower, or at a lower 
                maximum speed as provided in guidance established under 
                the program; and
                    (B) participate in the Port of Los Angeles or Port 
                of Long Beach vessel speed reduction program, 
                respectively, if the vessel calls at that port in the 
                transit for which the award is considered.
    (d) Official Seal.--The Director shall create an official seal to 
be recognized as the symbol of excellence in compliance with the 
program, that--
            (1) may be used by shipping companies with eligible vessels 
        for which a Blue Whales and Blue Skies Excellence Award is 
        awarded under this section;
            (2) includes the name of the shipping company;
            (3) includes the year for which such award was made; and
            (4) includes the percentage of transits through the Greater 
        Santa Barbara Channel Region by eligible vessels of the 
        shipping company in such year that were in compliance with the 
        program, calculated as--
                    (A) the number of such transits, divided by
                    (B) the total number of transits through the 
                Greater Santa Barbara Channel Region by all vessels of 
                the shipping company in such year, excluding transits 
                directed by the Coast Guard to proceed in excess of the 
                speed requirements of the program.
    (e) Extension of Program.--No later than 4 years after the date of 
the enactment of this Act, the Director shall--
            (1) consider the feasibility of extending the program to 
        encompass all shipping channels along the United States Pacific 
        coast between Canada and Mexico; and
            (2) report the findings and recommendations under paragraph 
        (1) to the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure and 
        the Committee on Natural Resources of the House of 
        Representatives, and to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and 
        Transportation of the Senate.
    (f) Limitations.--Nothing in this section shall be construed--
            (1) to require participation in the program;
            (2) to authorize appropriations for, or the provision of, 
        any financial incentive for participation in the program; or
            (3) to authorize any action that affects navigation safety.
    (g) Definitions.--In this section:
            (1) Eligible vessel.--The term ``eligible vessel'' means a 
        vessel that has been approved by the Director to participate in 
        the program.
            (2) Program.--The term ``program'' means the Blue Whales 
        and Blue Skies Program established under this section.
            (3) Greater santa barbara channel region.--The term 
        ``Greater Santa Barbara Channel Region''--
                    (A) means such portion of the geographic zone used 
                by vessels transporting goods to transit the area 
                surrounding the Channel Islands, including the Santa 
                Barbara Channel, California, as is designated by the 
                Director for purposes of this section; and
                    (B) includes, at a minimum, the geographic area 
                identified in the pilot Vessel Speed Reduction Program 
                referred to in subsection (b)(1).
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