HR 4174
110th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. R. 4174
To establish an interagency committee to develop an ocean acidification
research and monitoring plan and to establish an ocean acidification program
within the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
November 14, 2007
Mr. ALLEN (for himself, Mr. INSLEE, Mr. GILCHREST, Mr. BAIRD, Mr. EHLERS,
Ms. BORDALLO, Mr. HOLT, Mr. OLVER, Mr. DELAHUNT, Mr. KLEIN of Florida,
Mr. RUPPERSBERGER, and Mrs. CHRISTENSEN) introduced the following bill;
which was referred to the Committee on Science and Technology
A BILL
To establish an interagency committee to develop an ocean acidification
research and monitoring plan and to establish an ocean acidification program
within the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United
States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE; TABLE OF CONTENTS.
(a) Short Title- This Act may be cited as the `Federal Ocean Acidification
Research And Monitoring Act of 2007' or the `FOARAM Act'.
(b) Table of Contents- The table of contents for this Act is as follows:
Sec. 1. Short title; table of contents.
Sec. 2. Findings and purposes.
Sec. 3. Interagency Committee on Ocean Acidification.
Sec. 4. Strategic research and implementation plan.
Sec. 5. NOAA ocean acidification program.
Sec. 7. Authorization of appropriations.
SEC. 2. FINDINGS AND PURPOSES.
(a) Findings- The Congress finds the following:
(1) The oceans help mitigate the effects of global warming by absorbing
atmospheric carbon dioxide. About a third of anthropogenic carbon dioxide
is currently absorbed by the ocean.
(2) The rapid increase in atmospheric carbon dioxide due to human induced
carbon dioxide emissions is overwhelming the natural ability of the
oceans to cope with this increase.
(3) The emission of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere is changing surface
ocean carbon chemistry and lowering the pH. These changes in ocean chemistry
are detrimental to organisms including corals, which support one of
the richest habitats on Earth, marine shells, and many other organisms
that form the base of the food chain for many fish and marine mammals.
(4) The rich biodiversity of marine organisms is an important contribution
to the national economy and the change in ocean chemistry threatens
tourism, our fisheries, and marine environmental quality, and could
result in significant social and economic costs.
(5) Existing Federal programs support research in related ocean chemistry,
but gaps in funding, coordination, and outreach have impeded national
progress in addressing ocean acidification.
(6) National investment in a coordinated program of research and monitoring
would improve the understanding of ocean acidification effects on whole
ecosystems, advance our knowledge of the socioeconomic impacts of increased
ocean acidification, and strengthen the ability of marine resource managers
to assess and prepare for the harmful impacts of ocean acidification
on our marine resources.
(b) Purposes- The purposes of this Act are to provide for--
(1) development and coordination of a comprehensive interagency plan
to monitor and conduct research on the processes and consequences of
ocean acidification on marine organisms and ecosystems and to establish
an ocean acidification program within the National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration;
(2) assessment and consideration of regional and national ecosystem
and socioeconomic impacts of increased ocean acidification, and integration
into marine resource decisions; and
(3) research on adaptation strategies and techniques for effectively
conserving marine ecosystems as they cope with increased ocean acidification.
SEC. 3. INTERAGENCY COMMITTEE ON OCEAN ACIDIFICATION.
(1) IN GENERAL- There is hereby established an Interagency Committee
on Ocean Acidification.
(2) MEMBERSHIP- The Committee shall be comprised of senior representatives
from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the National
Science Foundation, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration,
the United States Geological Survey, the United States Fish and Wildlife
Service, the Environmental Protection Agency, the Department of Energy,
and such other Federal agencies as the Secretary considers appropriate.
(3) CHAIRMAN- The Committee shall be chaired by the representative from
the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. The chairman may
create subcommittees chaired by any member agency of the committee.
Working groups may be formed by the full Committee to address issues
that may require more specialized expertise than is provided by existing
subcommittees, or to receive advice, input, or comments from the academic
community and other relevant stakeholders.
(b) Purpose- The Committee shall oversee the planning, establishment,
and coordination of a plan designed to improve the understanding of the
role of increased ocean acidification on marine ecosystems and to identify
and develop through research adaptation strategies and techniques to effectively
conserve marine ecosystems as they cope with increased ocean acidification.
(1) STRATEGIC RESEARCH AND IMPLEMENTATION PLAN- The Committee shall
submit the strategic research and implementation plan established under
section 4 to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation
of the Senate and the Committee on Science and Technology of the House
of Representatives not later than 18 months after the date of enactment
of this Act.
(2) TRIENNIAL REPORT- Not later than 2 years after the date of the enactment
of this Act and every 3 years thereafter, the Committee shall transmit
a report to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation of
the Senate and the Committee on Science and Technology of the House
of Representatives that includes--
(A) a summary of federally funded ocean acidification research and
monitoring activities, including the budget for each of these activities;
and
(B) an analysis of the progress made toward achieving the goals and
priorities for the interagency research plan developed by the Committee
under section 4 and recommendations for future activities, including
policy recommendations developed as part of this research.
SEC. 4. STRATEGIC RESEARCH AND IMPLEMENTATION PLAN.
(a) In General- Within 18 months after the date of enactment of this Act,
the Committee shall develop a strategic research and implementation plan
for coordinated Federal activities. In developing the plan, the Committee
shall consider and use reports and studies conducted by Federal agencies
and departments, the National Research Council, the Ocean Research and
Resources Advisory Panel, the Joint Subcommittee on Ocean, Science, and
Technology and the Climate Change Science Program of the National Science
and Technology Council, the Joint Ocean Commission Initiative, and other
expert scientific bodies.
(b) Scope- The plan shall--
(1) provide for interdisciplinary research among the ocean sciences,
and coordinated research and activities to improve understanding of
ocean acidification that will affect marine ecosystems and to assess
the potential and realized socioeconomic impact of ocean acidification,
including--
(A) effects of atmospheric carbon dioxide on ocean chemistry;
(B) biological impacts of ocean acidification, including research
on--
(i) commercially and recreationally important species;
(ii) protected or endangered or threatened species;
(iii) ecologically important calcifiers that lie at the base of
the food chain; and
(iv) physiological consequences of ocean acidification for ocean-dwelling
organisms;
(C) identification and assessment of ecosystems most at risk from
projected changes in ocean chemistry including--
(i) coastal ecosystems, including coral reef ecosystems;
(ii) deep sea coral ecosystems; and
(iii) polar and subpolar ecosystems;
(D) modeling the effects of changing carbon system chemistry, including
ecosystem forecasting;
(E) identifying feedback mechanisms resulting from ocean chemistry
changes and decreases in calcification rates of organisms;
(F) socioeconomic impacts of ocean acidification; and
(G) identifying interactions between ocean acidification and other
oceanic changes associated with climate change, including changes
in sea temperature, ocean circulation, terrestrial runoff, and other
changes;
(2) establish, for the 10-year period beginning in the year it is submitted,
goals, priorities, and guidelines for coordinated research activities
that will--
(A) most effectively advance scientific understanding of the characteristics
and impacts of ocean acidification;
(B) provide forecasts of ocean acidification and the consequent impacts
on marine ecosystems; and
(C) provide research that could serve as a basis for policy decisions
to reduce and manage ocean acidification and its environmental impacts;
(3) provide an estimate of Federal funding requirements for research
and monitoring activities; and
(4) identify and strengthen relevant programs and activities of the
Federal agencies and departments that would contribute to accomplishing
the goals of the plan and prevent unnecessary duplication of efforts,
including making recommendations for the use of observing systems and
technological research and development.
SEC. 5. NOAA OCEAN ACIDIFICATION PROGRAM.
(a) In General- The Secretary shall establish and maintain an ocean acidification
program within the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to
implement activities consistent with the strategic research and implementation
plan developed by the Committee under section 4 that--
(A) interdisciplinary research among the ocean and atmospheric sciences,
and coordinated research and activities to improve understanding of
ocean acidification;
(B) the establishment of a long-term monitoring program of ocean acidification
utilizing existing global and national ocean observing assets, and
adding instrumentation and sampling stations as appropriate to the
aims of the research program;
(C) research to identify and develop adaptation strategies and techniques
for effectively conserving marine ecosystems as they cope with increased
ocean acidification;
(D) as an integral part of the research programs described in this
Act, educational opportunities that encourage an interdisciplinary
and international approach to exploring the impacts of ocean acidification;
(E) as an integral part of the research programs described in this
Act, national public outreach activities to improve the understanding
of current scientific knowledge of ocean acidification and its impacts
on marine resources; and
(F) coordination of ocean acidification monitoring and impacts research
with other appropriate international ocean science bodies such as
the International Oceanographic Commission, the International Council
for the Exploration of the Sea, the North Pacific Marine Science Organization,
and others;
(2) provides grants for critical research projects that explore the
effects of ocean acidification on ecosystems and the socioeconomic impacts
of increased ocean acidification that are relevant to the goals and
priorities of the strategic research plan; and
(3) incorporates a competitive merit-based grant process that may be
conducted jointly with other participating agencies or under the National
Oceanographic Partnership Program under section 7901 of title 10, United
States Code.
(b) Additional Authority- In conducting the Program, the Secretary may
enter into and perform such contracts, leases, grants, or cooperative
agreements as may be necessary to carry out the purposes of this Act on
such terms as the Secretary deems appropriate.
SEC. 6. DEFINITIONS.
(1) COMMITTEE- The term `Committee' means the Interagency Committee
on Ocean Acidification established by section 3(a).
(2) OCEAN ACIDIFICATION- The term `ocean acidification' means the decrease
in pH of the Earth's oceans caused by chemical inputs from the atmosphere,
including anthropogenic carbon dioxide.
(3) PROGRAM- The term `Program' means the National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration Ocean Acidification Program established under section
5.
(4) SECRETARY- The term `Secretary' means the Secretary of Commerce,
acting through the Administrator of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration.
SEC. 7. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.
(a) In General- There are authorized to be appropriated to the National
Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to carry out the purposes of this
Act--
(1) $6,000,000 for fiscal year 2009;
(2) $8,000,000 for fiscal year 2010;
(3) $11,000,000 for fiscal year 2011; and
(4) $30,000,000 for fiscal year 2012 and each fiscal year thereafter.
(1) Of the amounts made available to carry out this Act for a fiscal
year, the Secretary shall allocate at least 60 percent to other departments
and agencies to carry out the priorities of the plan developed by the
Committee.
(2) Of the amounts made available to carry out this Act for any fiscal
year, the Secretary, and other departments and agencies to which amounts
are allocated under paragraph (1), shall allocate at least 50 percent
for competitive grants.
END
