Title: South Florida Clean Coastal Waters Act of 2017
Policy area: Environmental Protection

Summary:
South Florida Clean Coastal Waters Act of 2017
This bill addresses harmful algal blooms and hypoxia in the Greater Everglades region of Florida. An algal bloom is a rapid growth of algae that may create toxic or hypoxic (severely low-oxygen) conditions that are harmful to humans, animals, aquatic ecosystems, and the economy.
The Inter-Agency Task Force on Harmful Algal Blooms and Hypoxia must assess potential approaches to reduce harmful algal blooms and hypoxia in the region. The task force must also submit a plan, based on the assessment, for reducing, mitigating, and controlling harmful algal blooms and hypoxia in the region.

[Congressional Bills 115th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 3665 Introduced in House (IH)]

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115th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 3665

  To require the Inter-Agency Task Force on Harmful Algal Blooms and 
  Hypoxia to develop a plan for reducing, mitigating, and controlling 
harmful algal blooms and hypoxia in the Greater Everglades region, and 
                          for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                            August 25, 2017

   Mr. Mast introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
  Committee on Science, Space, and Technology, and in addition to the 
    Committee on Natural Resources, for a period to be subsequently 
   determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such 
 provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
  To require the Inter-Agency Task Force on Harmful Algal Blooms and 
  Hypoxia to develop a plan for reducing, mitigating, and controlling 
harmful algal blooms and hypoxia in the Greater Everglades region, 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 ``South Florida Clean Coastal Waters 
Act of 2017''.

SEC. 2. GREATER EVERGLADES HARMFUL ALGAL BLOOMS AND HYPOXIA ASSESSMENT 
              AND ACTION PLAN.

    (a) In General.--The Harmful Algal Bloom and Hypoxia Research and 
Control Act of 1998 (Public Law 105-383; 16 U.S.C. 1451 note) is 
amended--
            (1) by redesignating sections 605 through 609 as sections 
        606 through 610, respectively; and
            (2) by inserting after section 604 the following:

``SEC. 605. GREATER EVERGLADES HARMFUL ALGAL BLOOMS AND HYPOXIA.

    ``(a) Integrated Assessment.--Not later than 18 months after the 
date of enactment of South Florida Clean Coastal Waters Act of 2017, 
the Task Force, in accordance with the authority under section 603, 
shall complete and submit to Congress and the President an integrated 
assessment that examines the causes, consequences, and potential 
approaches to reduce harmful algal blooms and hypoxia in the Greater 
Everglades region, and the status of, and gaps within, current harmful 
algal bloom and hypoxia research, monitoring, management, prevention, 
response, and control activities that directly impact the region by--
            ``(1) Federal agencies;
            ``(2) State agencies;
            ``(3) regional research consortia;
            ``(4) academia;
            ``(5) private industry; and
            ``(6) nongovernmental organizations.
    ``(b) Plan.--
            ``(1) In general.--Not later than 2 years after the date of 
        enactment of the South Florida Clean Coastal Waters Act of 
        2017, the Task Force shall develop and submit to Congress a 
        plan, based on the integrated assessment under subsection (a), 
        for reducing, mitigating, and controlling harmful algal blooms 
        and hypoxia in the Greater Everglades region.
            ``(2) Contents.--The plan shall--
                    ``(A) address the monitoring needs identified in 
                the integrated assessment under subsection (a);
                    ``(B) develop a timeline and budgetary requirements 
                for deployment of future assets;
                    ``(C) comprehensively analyze how South Florida 
                Ecosystem Restoration efforts may affect the 
                distribution, magnitude, duration, and frequency of 
                harmful algal blooms and hypoxia events within the 
                region;
                    ``(D) assess the effect of the Lake Okeechobee 
                Regulation Schedule and the Army Corps of Engineers' 
                management of lake levels, including release timing, 
                duration, and flow rates, on the distribution, 
                magnitude, duration, and frequency of harmful algal 
                blooms and hypoxia events within the region;
                    ``(E) identify requirements for the development and 
                verification of Greater Everglades harmful algal bloom 
                and hypoxia models, including--
                            ``(i) all assumptions built into the 
                        models; and
                            ``(ii) data quality methods used to ensure 
                        the best available data are utilized; and
                    ``(F) propose a plan to implement a remote 
                monitoring network and early warning system for 
                alerting local communities in the region to harmful 
                algal bloom risks that may impact human health.
            ``(3) Requirements.--In developing the plan, the Task Force 
        shall--
                    ``(A) coordinate and consult with the State of 
                Florida, and affected local and tribal governments;
                    ``(B) consult with representatives from regional 
                academic, agricultural, industry, and other stakeholder 
                groups;
                    ``(C) ensure that the plan complements and does not 
                duplicate activities conducted by other Federal or 
                State agencies, including the South Florida Ecosystem 
                Restoration Task Force;
                    ``(D) identify critical research for reducing, 
                mitigating, and controlling harmful algal bloom events 
                and their effects;
                    ``(E) evaluate cost-effective, incentive-based 
                partnership approaches;
                    ``(F) ensure that the plan is technically sound and 
                cost-effective;
                    ``(G) utilize existing research, assessments, 
                reports, and program activities;
                    ``(H) publish a summary of the proposed plan in the 
                Federal Register at least 180 days prior to submitting 
                the completed plan to Congress; and
                    ``(I) after submitting the completed plan to 
                Congress, provide biennial progress reports on the 
                activities toward achieving the objectives of the plan.
    ``(c) Greater Everglades.--In this section, the term `Greater 
Everglades' means--
            ``(1) all lands and waters within the administrative 
        boundaries of the South Florida Water Management District;
            ``(2) regional coastal waters including, but not limited 
        to, Biscayne Bay, the Caloosahatchee Estuary, Florida Bay, and 
        the Indian River Lagoon; and
            ``(3) the Florida Reef Tract.''.
    (b) Clerical Amendment and Correction.--The table of contents in 
section 2 of the Coast Guard Authorization Act of 1998 (Public Law 105-
383) is amended by striking the items relating to title VI and 
inserting the following new items:

              ``TITLE VI--HARMFUL ALGAL BLOOMS AND HYPOXIA

``Sec. 601. Short title.
``Sec. 602. Findings.
``Sec. 603. Assessments.
``Sec. 603A. National Harmful Algal Bloom and Hypoxia Program.
``Sec. 603B. Comprehensive research plan and action strategy.
``Sec. 604. Northern Gulf of Mexico hypoxia.
``Sec. 605. Greater Everglades harmful algal blooms and hypoxia.
``Sec. 606. Great Lakes hypoxia and harmful algal blooms.
``Sec. 607. Effect on other Federal authority.
``Sec. 608. Definitions.
``Sec. 609. Authorization of appropriations.''.
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