Shovel-Ready Restoration Grants for Coastlines and Fisheries Act of 2021

I 117TH CONGRESS 1ST SESSION H. R. 660 To require the Secretary of Commerce to establish a grant program to benefit coastal habitats, resiliency, and the economy, and for other purposes. IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES FEBRUARY 1, 2021 Ms. PLASKETT (for herself and Mr. YOUNG) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Natural Resources, and in addi- tion to the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consider- ation of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned A BILL To require the Secretary of Commerce to establish a grant program to benefit coastal habitats, resiliency, and the economy, and for other purposes. 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. 3 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Shovel-Ready Restora- 4 tion Grants for Coastlines and Fisheries Act of 2021’’. 5 VerDate Sep 11 2014 18:54 Feb 21, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H660.IH H660 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 2 •HR 660 IH SEC. 2. SHOVEL-READY RESTORATION AND RESILIENCY 1 GRANT PROGRAM. 2 (a) ESTABLISHMENT.—The Secretary shall establish 3 a grant program to provide funding and technical assist- 4 ance to eligible entities for purposes of carrying out a 5 project described in subsection (d). 6 (b) PROJECT PROPOSAL.—To be considered for a 7 grant under this section, an eligible entity shall submit 8 a grant proposal to the Secretary in a time, place, and 9 manner determined by the Secretary. Such proposal shall 10 include monitoring, data collection, and measurable per- 11 formance criteria with respect to the project. 12 (c) DEVELOPMENT OF CRITERIA.—The Secretary 13 shall select eligible entities to receive grants under this 14 section based on criteria developed by the Secretary, in 15 consultation with relevant offices of the National Oceanic 16 and Atmospheric Administration, such as the Office of 17 Habitat Conservation and the Office for Coastal Manage- 18 ment. 19 (d) ELIGIBLE PROJECTS.—A project is described in 20 this subsection if— 21 (1) the purpose of the project is to restore a 22 marine, estuarine, coastal, or Great Lake habitat, 23 including— 24 (A) restoration of habitat to protect or re- 25 cover a species that is threatened, endangered, 26 VerDate Sep 11 2014 18:54 Feb 21, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H660.IH H660 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 3 •HR 660 IH or a species of concern under the Endangered 1 Species Act of 1973 (16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.); 2 (B) through the removal or remediation of 3 marine debris, including derelict vessels and 4 fishing gear, in coastal and marine habitats; 5 and 6 (C) for the benefit of— 7 (i) shellfish; 8 (ii) fish, including diadromous fish; or 9 (iii) coral reef; or 10 (2) the project provides adaptation to climate 11 change, including— 12 (A) by constructing or protecting ecological 13 features or nature-based infrastructure that 14 protects coastal communities from sea level rise, 15 coastal storms, or flooding; and 16 (B) blue carbon projects. 17 (e) PRIORITY.—In determining which projects to 18 fund under this section, the Secretary shall give priority 19 to a proposed project— 20 (1) that would stimulate the economy; 21 (2) for which the applicant can demonstrate 22 that the grant will fund work that will begin not 23 more than 90 days after the date of the award; 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 18:54 Feb 21, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H660.IH H660 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 4 •HR 660 IH (3) for which the applicant can demonstrate 1 that the grant will fund work that will employ fish- 2 ermen who have been negatively impacted by the 3 COVID–19 pandemic or pay a fisherman for the use 4 of a fishing vessel; 5 (4) for which the applicant can demonstrate 6 that any preliminary study or permit required before 7 the project can begin has been completed or can be 8 completed shortly after an award is made; or 9 (5) that includes communities that may not 10 have adequate resources, including low-income com- 11 munities, communities of color, Tribal communities, 12 Indigenous communities, and rural communities. 13 (f) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There is 14 authorized to be appropriated to the Secretary of Com- 15 merce $3,000,000,000 for fiscal year 2021, to remain 16 available until expended, to carry out this section. 17 (g) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 18 (1) ELIGIBLE ENTITY.—The term ‘‘eligible enti- 19 ty’’ means a nonprofit, a for-profit business, an in- 20 stitution of higher education (as such term is de- 21 fined in section 101(a) of the Higher Education Act 22 of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1001(a))), or a State, local, 23 Tribal, or Territorial government. 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 18:54 Feb 21, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H660.IH H660 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 5 •HR 660 IH (2) FISHERMAN.—The term ‘‘fisherman’’ 1 means a commercial or for-hire fisherman or an oys- 2 ter farmer. 3 (3) SECRETARY.—The term ‘‘Secretary’’ means 4 the Secretary of Commerce, acting through the Ad- 5 ministrator of the National Oceanic and Atmos- 6 pheric Administration. 7 Æ VerDate Sep 11 2014 18:54 Feb 21, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00005 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6301 E:\BILLS\H660.IH H660 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS