Coastal and Estuarine Land Protection Act

Bill: 109-s-1215
Sponsor: Sen. Gregg, Judd [R-NH]
Introduced: 2005-06-09 in the Senate
Policy area: Public Lands and Natural Resources
Subjects: Animals
Coastal zone
Commerce
Conservation easements
Economics and Public Finance
Environmental Protection
Estuaries
Federal-local relations
Federal-state relations
Forest conservation
Government Operations and Politics
Grants-in-aid
Habitat conservation
Housing and Community Development
Land banking
Land transfers
Land use
Landscape protection
Marine and coastal resources, fisheries
Marine parks and reserves
Nonprofit organizations
Performance measurement
Public-private partnerships
Real estate development
Regional planning
Social Welfare
Water Resources Development
Water pollution control
Water quality
Watersheds
Wetlands

Summary:
action_date: 2005-06-09
text: Coastal and Estuarine Land Protection Act - Directs the Secretary of Commerce to establish a Coastal and Estuarine Land Protection Program to protect the environmental integrity of undeveloped coastal and estuarine areas. Authorizes the Secretary to make program grants to coastal States, except to ones that have lost less than one percent of their wetlands to development or conversion to other land uses, for the purpose of acquiring property that will further the goals of an approved Coastal Zone Management Plan or Program, a National Estuarine Research Reserve management plan, or a regional or state watershed protection plan.. Prohibits any more than 75 percent of the grant funding from being derived from Federal sources. 
Authorizes the Secretary to provide $5 million for a regional watershed protection demonstration project that: (1) leverages land acquisition funding from other Federal conservation or acquisition programs; (2) involves partnerships with Federal, State, and non-governmental entities; (3) creates conservation corridors; (4) protects habitats under imminent threat of development or conversion; (5) provides water quality protection for areas under the National Estuarine Research Reserve program; and (6) provides a model for future regional watershed protection projects. 
Reserves 15 percent of program funds for acquisitions benefitting the National Estuarine Research Reserve. 
Specifies that when property is acquired under this program, the grant recipient shall provide assurances that: (1) title will be held by the grant recipient; (2) property will be managed consistent with the purpose of the program; and (3) funds will be returned to the Secretary for redistribution if the property is sold, exchanged, or divested. 
Amends the Coastal Zone Management Act of 1972 to allow the Secretary to enter into contracts or other arrangements with other Federal agencies (including interagency financing of Coastal America activities) as well as any other qualified person for the purposes of carrying out technical assistance and research to support coastal zone management. (Current law allows the Secretary to enter into such arrangements only with any qualified person).
action_date: 2006-03-27
text: 
Coastal and Estuarine Land Protection Act - Directs the Secretary of Commerce to establish a Coastal and Estuarine Land Protection program to protect the environmental integrity of undeveloped coastal and estuarine areas that: (1) have significant conservation, recreation, ecological, historical, or aesthetic values; and (2) are threatened by conversion from their natural, undeveloped, or recreational state to other uses. Directs the National Ocean Service of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to administer the program.
 
Authorizes the Secretary to make program grants competitively to coastal states with approved coastal zone management plans or National Estuarine Research Reserve units for acquiring property in such areas from willing sellers.
 
Prohibits more than 75% of the funding for any project from being derived from federal sources. Authorizes the Secretary to waive such prohibition for underserved communities, for communities unable to draw on other funding because of small populations or low income, or for other appropriate reasons. Permits appraised land value and costs associated with land acquisition, land management planning, remediation, restoration, and enhancement to be used for the non-federal cost share of a project. 
 
Authorizes the Secretary to provide specified funding for a regional watershed protection demonstration project that: (1) leverages land acquisition funding from other federal conservation or acquisition programs; (2) involves funding from and participation by multiple federal, state, and nongovernmental entities; (3) creates conservation corridors and preserves unique coastal habitat; (4) protects unfragmented habitats under imminent threat of development or conversion; (5) provides water quality protection for areas under the National Estuarine Research Reserve program; and (6) provides a model for future regional watershed protection projects. 
Reserves funds for acquisitions benefiting the National Estuarine Research Reserve. 
Requires a grant recipient to provide assurances that: (1) acquired property will be held in perpetuity and managed for the purposes for which the property entered the program; or (2) if such property is divested, funds equal to its correct value will be returned to the Secretary for redistribution in the grant process. 
 
Authorizes appropriations.

Legislative actions:
action_date: 2006-03-27
text: Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders. Calendar No. 378.
action_date: 2006-03-27
text: Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation. Reported by Senator Stevens with an amendment in the nature of a substitute. With written report No. 109-224.
action_date: 2006-03-27
text: Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation. Reported by Senator Stevens with an amendment in the nature of a substitute. With written report No. 109-224.
action_date: 2006-03-16
text: Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation. Ordered to be reported with an amendment in the nature of a substitute favorably.
action_date: 2005-06-09
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation.
action_date: 2005-06-09
text: Sponsor introductory remarks on measure. (CR S6318)
action_date: 2005-06-09
text: Introduced in Senate