To reauthorize the Harmful Algal Bloom and Hypoxia Research and Control Act of 1998, and for other purposes.

April 29, 2003

Mr. VOINOVICH (for himself, Mr. DEWINE, and Mr. LEVIN) introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation

To reauthorize the Harmful Algal Bloom and Hypoxia Research and Control Act of 1998, 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 `Harmful Algal Bloom and Hypoxia Research Amendments Act of 2003'.

SEC. 2. RETENTION OF TASK FORCE.

Section 603 of the Harmful Algal Bloom and Hypoxia Research and Control Act of 1998 (16 U.S.C. 1451 note) is amended by striking subsection (e).

SEC. 3. SCIENTIFIC ASSESSMENTS AND RESEARCH PLANS.

Such section 603 is further amended--

(1) in subsection (a) by adding at the end the following:

`In developing the assessments and research plans described in subsections (b), (c), (d), (e), and (f), the Task Force shall work with appropriate State, Indian tribe, and local governments to ensure that the assessments and research plans fulfill the requirements of subsections (b)(2), (c)(2), (d)(2), (e)(2), and (f)(2). Additionally, the Task Force shall consult with appropriate industry, academic institutions, and non-governmental organizations throughout the development of the assessments and research plans.'; and

(2) by striking subsections (b) and (c) and inserting the following:

`(b) SCIENTIFIC ASSESSMENTS OF HARMFUL ALGAL BLOOMS- (1) Not less than once every 5 years the Task Force shall complete and submit to the Committee on Science of the House of Representatives and the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation of the Senate a scientific assessment of harmful algal blooms in United States coastal waters. The first such assessment shall be completed not later than 24 months after the date of enactment of the Harmful Algal Bloom and Hypoxia Research Amendments Act of 2003 and should consider only marine harmful algal blooms. All subsequent assessments shall examine both marine and freshwater harmful algal blooms, including those in the Great Lakes and upper reaches of estuaries.

`(2) The assessments under this subsection shall--

`(A) examine the causes and ecological consequences, and economic costs, of harmful algal blooms;

`(B) describe the potential ecological and economic costs and benefits of possible policy and management actions for preventing, controlling, and mitigating harmful algal blooms;

`(C) evaluate progress made by, and the needs of, Federal research programs on the causes, characteristics, and impacts of harmful algal blooms; and

`(D) identify ways to improve coordination and to prevent unnecessary duplication of effort among Federal agencies and departments with respect to research on harmful algal blooms.

`(c) SCIENTIFIC ASSESSMENT OF FRESHWATER HARMFUL ALGAL BLOOMS- (1) Not later than 24 months after the date of enactment of the Harmful Algal Bloom and Hypoxia Research Amendments Act of 2003 the Task Force shall complete and submit to the Committee on Science of the House of Representatives and the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation of the Senate a scientific assessment of current knowledge about harmful algal blooms in freshwater locations such as the Great Lakes and upper reaches of estuaries, including a research plan for coordinating Federal efforts to better understand freshwater harmful algal blooms.

`(2) The freshwater harmful algal bloom scientific assessment shall--

`(A) examine the causes and ecological consequences, and the economic costs, of harmful algal blooms with significant effects on freshwater locations, including estimations of the frequency and occurrence of significant events;

`(B) establish priorities and guidelines for a competitive, peer-reviewed, merit-based interagency research program, as part of the Ecology and Oceanography of Harmful Algal Blooms (ECOHAB) project, to better understand the causes, characteristics, and impacts of harmful algal blooms in freshwater locations; and

`(C) identify ways to improve coordination and to prevent unnecessary duplication of effort among Federal agencies and departments with respect to research on harmful algal blooms in freshwater locations.

`(d) NATIONAL SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH PLAN INTO REDUCING IMPACTS FROM HARMFUL ALGAL BLOOMS- (1) Not later than 12 months after the date of enactment of the Harmful Algal Bloom and Hypoxia Research Amendments Act of 2003, the Task Force shall develop and submit to the Committee on Science of the House of Representatives and the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation of the Senate a research plan providing for a comprehensive and coordinated national research program to develop prevention, control, and mitigation methods to reduce the impacts of harmful algal blooms on coastal ecosystems (including the Great Lakes), public health, and the economy.

`(2) The research plan shall--

`(A) establish priorities and guidelines for a competitive, peer-reviewed, merit-based interagency research program on methods for the prevention, control, and mitigation of harmful algal blooms;

`(B) identify ways to improve coordination and to prevent unnecessary duplication of effort among Federal agencies and departments with respect to the actions described in paragraph (1); and

`(C) ensure, through consultation with Sea Grant Programs, that the results and findings of the research program are communicated to State, Indian tribe, and local governments, and to the general public.

`(e) SCIENTIFIC ASSESSMENTS OF HYPOXIA- (1) Not less than once every 5 years the Task Force shall complete and submit to the Committee on Science of the House of Representatives and the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation of the Senate a scientific assessment of hypoxia in United States coastal waters including the Great Lakes. The first such assessment shall be completed not less than 24 months after the date of enactment of the Harmful Algal Bloom and Hypoxia Research Amendments Act of 2003.

`(2) The assessments under this subsection shall--

`(A) examine the causes and ecological consequences, and the economic costs, of hypoxia;

`(B) describe the potential ecological and economic costs and benefits of possible policy and management actions for preventing, controlling, and mitigating hypoxia;

`(C) evaluate progress made by, and the needs of, Federal research programs on the causes, characteristics, and impacts of hypoxia, including recommendations of how to eliminate significant gaps in hypoxia modeling and monitoring data; and

`(D) identify ways to improve coordination and to prevent unnecessary duplication of effort among Federal agencies and departments with respect to research on hypoxia.

`(f) LOCAL AND REGIONAL SCIENTIFIC ASSESSMENTS- (1) The Secretary of Commerce, in coordination with the Task Force and appropriate State, Indian tribe, and local governments, shall provide for local and regional scientific assessments of hypoxia or harmful algal blooms, as requested by State, Indian tribe, or local governments, or for affected areas as identified by the Secretary. If the Secretary receives multiple requests, the Secretary shall ensure, to the extent practicable, that assessments under this subsection cover geographically and ecologically diverse locations with significant ecological and economic impacts from hypoxia or harmful algal blooms. The Secretary shall establish a procedure for reviewing requests for local and regional assessments. The Secretary shall ensure, through consultation with Sea Grant Programs, that the findings of the assessments are communicated to the appropriate State, Indian tribe, and local governments, and to the general public.

`(2) The scientific assessments under this subsection shall examine--

`(A) the causes and ecological consequences, and the economic costs, of hypoxia or harmful algal blooms in that area;

`(B) methods to prevent, control, and mitigate hypoxia or harmful algal blooms in that area and the potential ecological and economic costs and benefits of such methods; and

`(C) other topics the Task Force consider appropriate.'.

SEC. 4. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.

Section 605 of such Act is amended--

(1) by striking `and $19,000,000 for fiscal year 2001' and inserting `$19,000,000 for fiscal year 2001, $27,200,000 for fiscal year 2004, $28,700,000 for fiscal year 2005, and $29,200,000 for fiscal year 2006';

(2) in paragraph (1) by striking `and' after `2000,' and by inserting `, and $3,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2004, 2005, and 2006' after `2001';

(3) in paragraph (2) by striking `and' after `2000,' and by inserting `, and $10,200,000, of which $2,000,000 shall be used for the research program described in section 603(c)(2)(B), for each of fiscal years 2004, 2005, and 2006' after `2001';

(4) in paragraph (3) by striking `and' after `2000,' and by inserting `, $2,000,000 for fiscal year 2004, $3,000,000 for fiscal year 2005, and $3,000,000 for fiscal year 2006' after `2001';

(5) in paragraph (4) by striking `2001' and inserting `2001, and $6,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2004, 2005, and 2006,';

(6) in paragraph (4) by inserting `the Monitoring and Event Response for Harmful Algal Blooms (MERHAB) project under' after `administered by';

(7) by striking `and' after the semicolon at the end of paragraph (4);

(8) in paragraph (5) by striking `and' after `2000,' and by inserting `, $5,000,000 for fiscal year 2004, $5,500,000 for fiscal year 2005, and $6,000,000 for fiscal year 2006' after `2001';

(9) in paragraph (5) by striking `Administration.' and inserting `Administration; and'; and

(10) by adding at the end the following:

`(6) $3,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2004, 2005, and 2006 to carry out the activities described in section 603(f).'.

END