Restoring Resilient Reefs Act of 2021

IB Union Calendar No. 450 117TH CONGRESS 2D SESSION H. R. 160 [Report No. 117–626] To reauthorize the Coral Reef Conservation Act of 2000 and to establish the United States Coral Reef Task Force, and for other purposes. IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES JANUARY 4, 2021 Mr. SOTO (for himself, Mr. CASE, Mrs. RADEWAGEN, Mr. MAST, and Miss GONZA´LEZ-COLO´N) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Natural Resources DECEMBER 14, 2022 Additional sponsors: Ms. PLASKETT, Ms. SALAZAR, Mr. CRIST, Mr. SAN NICOLAS, Mr. HASTINGS, Ms. CASTOR of Florida, Mrs. MURPHY of Flor- ida, Mr. WALTZ, Mr. LAWSON of Florida, Mrs. DEMINGS, Mr. GAETZ, Mr. POSEY, Mr. WEBSTER of Florida, Mr. BILIRAKIS, Mr. C. SCOTT FRANKLIN of Florida, Mr. BUCHANAN, Mr. STEUBE, Mr. DEUTCH, Ms. WASSERMAN SCHULTZ, Ms. WILSON of Florida, Ms. LOIS FRANKEL of Florida, Mr. DUNN, Mr. RUTHERFORD, Mr. GIMENEZ, Mrs. CAMMACK, Mr. DONALDS, Mr. CLEAVER, Mr. KAHELE, Mr. COHEN, and Mr. DIAZ- BALART DECEMBER 14, 2022 Reported with an amendment, committed to the Committee of the Whole House on the State of the Union, and ordered to be printed [Strike out all after the enacting clause and insert the part printed in italic] [For text of introduced bill, see copy of bill as introduced on January 4, 2021] VerDate Sep 11 2014 22:23 Dec 14, 2022 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6652 E:\BILLS\H160.RH H160 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 2 •HR 160 RH A BILL To reauthorize the Coral Reef Conservation Act of 2000 and to establish the United States Coral Reef Task Force, and for other purposes. VerDate Sep 11 2014 22:23 Dec 14, 2022 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6652 E:\BILLS\H160.RH H160 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 3 •HR 160 RH Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa- 1 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 2 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE; TABLE OF CONTENTS. 3 (a) SHORT TITLE.—This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Re- 4 storing Resilient Reefs Act of 2021’’. 5 (b) TABLE OF CONTENTS.—The table of contents for 6 this Act is as follows: 7 Sec. 1. Short title; table of contents. TITLE I—REAUTHORIZATION OF CORAL REEF CONSERVATION ACT OF 2000 Sec. 101. Reauthorization of Coral Reef Conservation Act of 2000. Sec. 102. Modification to section 204 of the Coral Reef Conservation Act of 2000 (16 U.S.C. 6403). TITLE II—UNITED STATES CORAL REEF TASK FORCE Sec. 201. Establishment. Sec. 202. Duties. Sec. 203. Membership. Sec. 204. Responsibilities of Federal agency members. Sec. 205. Working groups. Sec. 206. Definitions. TITLE III—DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR CORAL REEF AUTHORITIES Sec. 301. Coral reef conservation and restoration assistance. TITLE IV—SUSAN L. WILLIAMS NATIONAL CORAL REEF MANAGEMENT FELLOWSHIP Sec. 401. Short title. Sec. 402. Definitions. Sec. 403. Establishment of fellowship program. Sec. 404. Fellowship awards. Sec. 405. Matching requirement. VerDate Sep 11 2014 22:23 Dec 14, 2022 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6213 E:\BILLS\H160.RH H160 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 4 •HR 160 RH TITLE I—REAUTHORIZATION OF 1 CORAL REEF CONSERVATION 2 ACT OF 2000 3 SEC. 101. REAUTHORIZATION OF CORAL REEF CONSERVA- 4 TION ACT OF 2000. 5 (a) PURPOSES; FEDERAL CORAL REEF MANAGEMENT 6 AND RESTORATION ACTIVITIES.—The Coral Reef Conserva- 7 tion Act of 2000 (16 U.S.C. 6401 et seq.) is amended by 8 striking sections 202 and 203 and inserting the following: 9 ‘‘SEC. 202. PURPOSES. 10 ‘‘The purposes of this title are— 11 ‘‘(1) to conserve and restore the condition of 12 United States coral reef ecosystems challenged by nat- 13 ural and human-accelerated changes, including in- 14 creasing ocean temperatures, ocean acidification, 15 coral bleaching, coral diseases, water quality degrada- 16 tion, invasive species, and illegal, unreported, and 17 unregulated fishing; 18 ‘‘(2) to promote the science-based management 19 and sustainable use of coral reef ecosystems to benefit 20 local communities and the Nation, including through 21 improved integration and cooperation among Federal, 22 State, and locally managed jurisdictions with coral 23 reef equities; 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 22:23 Dec 14, 2022 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6203 E:\BILLS\H160.RH H160 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 5 •HR 160 RH ‘‘(3) to develop sound scientific information on 1 the condition of coral reef ecosystems, continuing and 2 emerging threats to such ecosystems, and the efficacy 3 of innovative tools, technologies, and strategies to 4 mitigate stressors and restore such ecosystems, includ- 5 ing evaluation criteria to determine the effectiveness 6 of management interventions, and accurate mapping 7 for coral reef restoration; 8 ‘‘(4) to assist in the preservation of coral reefs by 9 supporting science-based, consensus-driven State, 10 Tribal, Pacific Islander, and community-based coral 11 reef management, including monitoring, conservation, 12 and restoration projects that empower local commu- 13 nities, small businesses, and nongovernmental organi- 14 zations; 15 ‘‘(5) to provide financial resources, technical as- 16 sistance, and scientific expertise to supplement and 17 strengthen State, Tribal, Indigenous, and community- 18 based management programs and conservation and 19 restoration projects; 20 ‘‘(6) to establish a formal mechanism for col- 21 lecting and allocating monetary donations from the 22 private sector to be used for coral reef conservation 23 and restoration projects; 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 22:23 Dec 14, 2022 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00005 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6203 E:\BILLS\H160.RH H160 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 6 •HR 160 RH ‘‘(7) to support the rapid and effective, science- 1 based assessment and response to emergencies that im- 2 minently threaten coral reefs, such as coral disease 3 outbreaks, invasive species, hurricanes, marine heat 4 waves, coral bleaching, and other natural disasters, 5 vessel groundings or chemical spills, and other exigent 6 circumstances; and 7 ‘‘(8) to serve as a model for advancing similar 8 international efforts to monitor, conserve, and restore 9 coral reef ecosystems in the jurisdictions of United 10 States allies and trading partners. 11 ‘‘SEC. 203. FEDERAL CORAL REEF MANAGEMENT AND RES- 12 TORATION ACTIVITIES. 13 ‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—The Administrator or the Sec- 14 retary of the Interior may conduct activities described in 15 subsection (b) to conserve and restore coral reefs and coral 16 reef ecosystems that are consistent with— 17 ‘‘(1) all applicable laws governing resource man- 18 agement in Federal and State waters, including this 19 Act; 20 ‘‘(2) the national coral reef resilience strategy in 21 effect under section 204A; 22 ‘‘(3) coral reef action plans in effect under sec- 23 tion 205, as applicable; and 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 22:23 Dec 14, 2022 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00006 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6203 E:\BILLS\H160.RH H160 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 7 •HR 160 RH ‘‘(4) coral reef emergency plans in effect under 1 section 209, as applicable. 2 ‘‘(b) ACTIVITIES DESCRIBED.—Activities described in 3 this subsection are activities to conserve, research, monitor, 4 assess, and restore coral reefs and coral reef ecosystems in 5 waters managed under the jurisdiction of a Federal agency 6 specified in subsection (c) or in coordination with a State 7 in waters managed under the jurisdiction of such State, in- 8 cluding— 9 ‘‘(1) developing, including through the collection 10 of requisite data, high-quality and digitized maps re- 11 flecting— 12 ‘‘(A) current and historical live coral cover 13 data; 14 ‘‘(B) coral reef habitat quality data; 15 ‘‘(C) priority areas for coral reef conserva- 16 tion to maintain biodiversity and ecosystem 17 structure and function, including the reef matrix 18 itself, that benefit coastal communities and liv- 19 ing marine resources; 20 ‘‘(D) priority areas for coral reef restora- 21 tion to enhance biodiversity and ecosystem struc- 22 ture and function, including the reef matrix 23 itself, to benefit coastal communities and living 24 marine resources; and 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 22:23 Dec 14, 2022 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00007 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6203 E:\BILLS\H160.RH H160 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 8 •HR 160 RH ‘‘(E) areas of concern that may require en- 1 hanced monitoring of coral health and cover; 2 ‘‘(2) enhancing compliance with Federal laws 3 that prohibit or regulate— 4 ‘‘(A) the taking of coral products or species 5 associated with coral reefs; or 6 ‘‘(B) the use and management of coral reef 7 ecosystems; 8 ‘‘(3) long-term ecological monitoring of coral reef 9 ecosystems; 10 ‘‘(4) implementing species-specific recovery plans 11 for listed coral species consistent with the Endangered 12 Species Act of 1973 (16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.); 13 ‘‘(5) restoring degraded coral reef ecosystems; 14 ‘‘(6) promoting ecologically sound navigation 15 and anchorages, including mooring buoy systems to 16 promote enhanced recreational access, near coral reefs; 17 ‘‘(7) monitoring and responding to severe bleach- 18 ing or mortality events, disease outbreaks, invasive 19 species outbreaks, and significant maritime accidents, 20 including chemical spill cleanup and the removal of 21 grounded vessels; 22 ‘‘(8) conducting scientific research that contrib- 23 utes to the understanding, sustainable use, and long- 24 term conservation of coral reefs; 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 22:23 Dec 14, 2022 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00008 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6203 E:\BILLS\H160.RH H160 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 9 •HR 160 RH ‘‘(9) enhancing public awareness, understanding, 1 and appreciation of coral reefs and coral reef eco- 2 systems; 3 ‘‘(10) preventing or minimizing the likelihood of 4 vessel impacts or other physical damage to coral reefs 5 through navigational aids and expansion of reef-safe 6 anchorages; and 7 ‘‘(11) centrally archiving, managing, and dis- 8 tributing data sets and coral reef ecosystem assess- 9 ments and publishing such information on publicly 10 available internet websites of— 11 ‘‘(A) the Coral Reef Conservation Program 12 of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Ad- 13 ministration; and 14 ‘‘(B) the Task Force. 15 ‘‘(c) FEDERAL AGENCIES SPECIFIED.—A Federal 16 agency specified in this subsection is one of the following: 17 ‘‘(1) The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Ad- 18 ministration. 19 ‘‘(2) The National Park Service. 20 ‘‘(3) The United States Fish and Wildlife Serv- 21 ice. 22 ‘‘(4) The Office of Insular Affairs.’’. 23 (b) ADDITIONAL PROVISIONS.—The Coral Reef Con- 24 servation Act of 2000 (16 U.S.C. 6401 et seq.) is amended 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 22:23 Dec 14, 2022 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00009 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6203 E:\BILLS\H160.RH H160 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 10 •HR 160 RH by striking sections 205 through 210 and inserting the fol- 1 lowing: 2 ‘‘SEC. 204A. NATIONAL CORAL REEF RESILIENCE STRATEGY. 3 ‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—The Administrator shall— 4 ‘‘(1) develop a national coral reef resilience 5 strategy; and 6 ‘‘(2) periodically, but not less frequently than 7 every 15 years, review and revise the strategy. 8 ‘‘(b) ELEMENTS.—The strategy required by subsection 9 (a) shall include the following: 10 ‘‘(1) A discussion addressing— 11 ‘‘(A) continuing and emerging threats to the 12 resilience of United States coral reef ecosystems; 13 ‘‘(B) remaining gaps in coral reef ecosystem 14 research, monitoring, and assessment; 15 ‘‘(C) the status of management cooperation 16 and integration among Federal, State, Tribal, 17 and locally managed jurisdictions with coral reef 18 equities; 19 ‘‘(D) the status of efforts to manage and 20 disseminate critical information, and enhance 21 interjurisdictional data sharing, related to re- 22 search, reports, datasets, and maps; 23 ‘‘(E) areas of special focus, which may in- 24 clude— 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 22:23 Dec 14, 2022 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00010 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6203 E:\BILLS\H160.RH H160 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 11 •HR 160 RH ‘‘(i) improving natural coral recruit- 1 ment; 2 ‘‘(ii) preventing avoidable losses of cor- 3 als and their habitat; 4 ‘‘(iii) enhancing the resilience of coral 5 populations; 6 ‘‘(iv) supporting a resilience-based 7 management approach; 8 ‘‘(v) developing, coordinating, and im- 9 plementing watershed management plans; 10 ‘‘(vi) building and sustaining water- 11 shed management capacity at the local level; 12 ‘‘(vii) providing data essential for 13 coral reef fisheries management; 14 ‘‘(viii) building capacity for coral reef 15 fisheries management; 16 ‘‘(ix) increasing understanding of coral 17 reef ecosystem services; 18 ‘‘(x) educating the public on the im- 19 portance of coral reefs, threats and solu- 20 tions; and 21 ‘‘(xi) evaluating intervention efficacy; 22 ‘‘(F) the status of conservation efforts, in- 23 cluding the use of marine protected areas to serve 24 as replenishment zones developed consistent with 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 22:23 Dec 14, 2022 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00011 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6203 E:\BILLS\H160.RH H160 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 12 •HR 160 RH local practices and traditions and in cooperation 1 with, and with respect for the scientific, tech- 2 nical, and management expertise and respon- 3 sibilities of, State fish and wildlife management 4 agencies; and 5 ‘‘(G) science-based adaptive management 6 and restoration efforts. 7 ‘‘(2) A statement of national goals and objectives 8 designed to guide— 9 ‘‘(A) future Federal coral reef management 10 and restoration activities authorized under sec- 11 tion 203; 12 ‘‘(B) conservation and restoration priorities 13 for grants awarded under section 213; and 14 ‘‘(C) research priorities for the cooperative 15 institutes established under section 215(c). 16 ‘‘(3) General templates for use by covered reef 17 managers to guide the development of— 18 ‘‘(A) coral reef action plans under section 19 205; and 20 ‘‘(B) coral reef emergency plans under sec- 21 tion 209. 22 ‘‘(c) CONSULTATIONS.—In developing all elements of 23 the strategy required by subsection (a), the Administrator 24 shall— 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 22:23 Dec 14, 2022 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00012 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6203 E:\BILLS\H160.RH H160 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 13 •HR 160 RH ‘‘(1) consult with the Secretary of the Interior, 1 the Task Force, covered States, and Tribal organiza- 2 tions; 3 ‘‘(2) engage stakeholders, including coral reef 4 stewardship partnerships, coral reef institutes and re- 5 search centers described in section 215(c), and coral 6 reef conservation grant awardees; and 7 ‘‘(3) solicit public review and comment regard- 8 ing scoping and the draft strategy. 9 ‘‘(d) SUBMISSION TO CONGRESS; PUBLICATION.—The 10 Administrator shall— [Text truncated for display. Full text available on Congress.gov.]