Blue Carbon for Our Planet Act

I 117TH CONGRESS 1ST SESSION H. R. 2750 To establish an Interagency Working Group on Coastal Blue Carbon, and for other purposes. IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES APRIL 22, 2021 Ms. BONAMICI (for herself, Mr. POSEY, Mr. BEYER, and Mr. MAST) intro- duced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Natural Resources, and in addition to the Committees on Science, Space, and Technology, and House Administration, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provi- sions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned A BILL To establish an Interagency Working Group on Coastal Blue Carbon, 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 ‘‘Blue Carbon for Our 4 Planet Act’’. 5 SEC. 2. INTERAGENCY WORKING GROUP. 6 (a) ESTABLISHMENT.—The National Science and 7 Technology Council Subcommittee on Ocean Science and 8 VerDate Sep 11 2014 22:49 Jun 15, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H2750.IH H2750 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 2 •HR 2750 IH Technology shall establish an Interagency Working Group 1 on Coastal Blue Carbon. 2 (b) PURPOSES.—The Interagency Working Group on 3 Coastal Blue Carbon shall oversee the development of a 4 national map of coastal blue carbon ecosystems, establish 5 national coastal blue carbon ecosystem protection and res- 6 toration priorities, assess the biophysical, social, and eco- 7 nomic impediments to coastal blue carbon ecosystem res- 8 toration, study the effects of climate change, environ- 9 mental stressors, and human stressors on carbon seques- 10 tration rates, and preserve the continuity of coastal blue 11 carbon data. 12 (c) MEMBERSHIP.—The Interagency Working Group 13 on Coastal Blue Carbon shall be comprised of senior rep- 14 resentatives from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric 15 Administration, the Environmental Protection Agency, the 16 National Science Foundation, the National Aeronautics 17 and Space Administration, the United States Geological 18 Survey, the United States Fish and Wildlife Service, the 19 National Park Service, the Bureau of Indian Affairs, the 20 Smithsonian Institution, the Army Corps of Engineers, 21 the Department of Agriculture, the Department of En- 22 ergy, the Department of Defense, the Department of 23 Transportation, the Department of State, the Federal 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 22:49 Jun 15, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H2750.IH H2750 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 3 •HR 2750 IH Emergency Management Agency, and the Council on En- 1 vironmental Quality. 2 (d) CHAIR.—The Interagency Working Group shall 3 be chaired by the Administrator. 4 (e) RESPONSIBILITIES.—The Interagency Working 5 Group shall— 6 (1) oversee the development, update, and main- 7 tenance of a national map and inventory of coastal 8 blue carbon ecosystems, including habitat types with 9 a regional focus in analysis that is usable for local 10 level protection planning and restoration; 11 (2) develop a strategic assessment of the bio- 12 physical, chemical, social, statutory, regulatory, and 13 economic impediments to protection and restoration 14 of coastal blue carbon ecosystems; 15 (3) develop a national strategy for foundational 16 science necessary to study, synthesize, and evaluate 17 the effects of climate change, environmental, and 18 human stressors on sequestration rates and capabili- 19 ties of coastal blue carbon ecosystems protection; 20 (4) establish national coastal blue carbon eco- 21 system protection and restoration priorities, includ- 22 ing an assessment of current Federal funding being 23 used for restoration efforts; 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 22:49 Jun 15, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H2750.IH H2750 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 4 •HR 2750 IH (5) ensure the continuity, use, and interoper- 1 ability of data assets through the Smithsonian Envi- 2 ronmental Research Center’s Coastal Carbon Data 3 Clearinghouse; and 4 (6) assess current legal authorities to protect 5 and restore blue carbon ecosystems. 6 (f) REPORTS TO CONGRESS.— 7 (1) IN GENERAL.—Not later than one year 8 after the date of the enactment of this Act, the 9 Interagency Working Group shall provide to the 10 Committee on Science, Space, and Technology of the 11 House of Representatives, the Committee on Natural 12 Resources of the House of Representatives, and the 13 Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transpor- 14 tation of the Senate a report containing the fol- 15 lowing: 16 (A) A summary of federally funded coastal 17 blue carbon ecosystem research, monitoring, 18 preservation, and restoration activities, includ- 19 ing the budget for each of these activities and 20 describe the progress in advancing the national 21 priorities established in section 4(a)(4)(A). 22 (B) An assessment of biophysical, social, 23 and economic impediments to coastal blue car- 24 bon ecosystem restoration, including the vulner- 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 22:49 Jun 15, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H2750.IH H2750 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 5 •HR 2750 IH ability of coastal blue carbon ecosystems to cli- 1 mate impacts, such as sea-level rise, ocean and 2 coastal acidification, and other environmental 3 and human stressors. 4 (2) STRATEGIC PLAN.— 5 (A) IN GENERAL.—The Interagency Work- 6 ing group shall create a strategic plan for Fed- 7 eral investments in basic research, development, 8 demonstration, long-term monitoring and stew- 9 ardship, and deployment of coastal blue carbon 10 ecosystem projects for the 5-year period begin- 11 ning at the start of the first fiscal year after 12 the date on which the budget assessment is sub- 13 mitted under paragraph (1). The plan shall in- 14 clude an assessment of the use of existing Fed- 15 eral programs to protect and preserve coastal 16 blue carbon ecosystems and identify the need 17 for any additional authorities or programs. 18 (B) TIMING.—The Interagency Working 19 Group shall— 20 (i) submit the strategic plan under 21 paragraph (A) to the Committee on 22 Science, Space, and Technology of the 23 House of Representatives, the Committee 24 on Natural Resources of the House of Rep- 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 22:49 Jun 15, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00005 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H2750.IH H2750 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 6 •HR 2750 IH resentatives, and the Committee on Com- 1 merce, Science, and Transportation of the 2 Senate on a date that is not later than one 3 year after the enactment of this Act and 4 not earlier than the date on which the re- 5 port under paragraph (1) is submitted to 6 such committees of Congress; and 7 (ii) submit a revised version of such 8 plan not less than quinquennially there- 9 after. 10 (C) FEDERAL REGISTER.—Not later than 11 90 days before the strategic plan under this 12 paragraph, or any revision thereof, is submitted 13 under subparagraph (B), the Interagency 14 Working Group shall publish such plan in the 15 Federal Register and provide an opportunity for 16 submission of public comments for a period of 17 not less than 60 days. 18 SEC. 3. NATIONAL MAP OF COASTAL BLUE CARBON ECO- 19 SYSTEMS. 20 (a) NATIONAL MAP.—The Interagency Working 21 Group shall— 22 (1) produce, update at least once every five 23 years, and maintain a national level map and inven- 24 tory of coastal blue carbon ecosystems, including— 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 22:49 Jun 15, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00006 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H2750.IH H2750 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 7 •HR 2750 IH (A) the species and types of habitats and 1 species in the ecosystem; 2 (B) the condition of such habitats includ- 3 ing whether a habitat is degraded, drained, eu- 4 trophic, or tidally restricted; 5 (C) type of public or private ownership and 6 any protected status; 7 (D) the size of the ecosystem; 8 (E) the salinity boundaries; 9 (F) the tidal boundaries; 10 (G) an assessment of carbon sequestration 11 potential, methane production, and net green- 12 house gas reductions including consideration 13 of— 14 (i) quantification; 15 (ii) verifiability; 16 (iii) comparison to a historical base- 17 line, as available; and 18 (iv) permanence of those benefits; 19 (H) an assessment of cobenefits of eco- 20 system and carbon sequestration; 21 (I) the potential for landward migration as 22 a result of sea level rise; 23 VerDate Sep 11 2014 22:49 Jun 15, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00007 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H2750.IH H2750 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 8 •HR 2750 IH (J) any upstream restrictions detrimental 1 to the watershed process and conditions such as 2 dams, dikes, and levees; 3 (K) the conversion of coastal blue carbon 4 ecosystems to other land uses and the cause of 5 such conversion; and 6 (L) a depiction of the effects of climate 7 change, including sea level rise, environmental 8 stressors, and human stressors on the seques- 9 tration rate, carbon storage, and potential of 10 coastal blue carbon ecosystems; and 11 (2) in carrying out paragraph (1)— 12 (A) incorporate, to the extent possible, ex- 13 isting data collected through federally funded 14 research and by a Federal agency, State agen- 15 cy, local agency, Tribe, including data collected 16 from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric 17 Administration Coastal Change Analysis Pro- 18 gram, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service National 19 Wetlands Inventory, United States Geological 20 Survey LandCarbon program, Federal Emer- 21 gency Management Agency LiDAR information 22 coordination and knowledge program, Depart- 23 ment of Energy Biological and Environmental 24 Research program, and Department of Agri- 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 22:49 Jun 15, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00008 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H2750.IH H2750 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 9 •HR 2750 IH culture National Coastal Blue Carbon Assess- 1 ment; and 2 (B) engage regional technical experts in 3 order to accurately account for regional dif- 4 ferences in coastal blue carbon ecosystems. 5 (b) USE.—The Interagency Working Group shall use 6 the national map and inventory— 7 (1) to assess the carbon sequestration potential 8 of different coastal blue carbon habitats, and ac- 9 count for any regional differences; 10 (2) to assess and quantify emissions from de- 11 graded and destroyed coastal blue carbon eco- 12 systems; 13 (3) to develop regional assessments and to pro- 14 vide technical assistance to regional, State, Tribal, 15 and local government agencies, and regional infor- 16 mation coordination entities as defined in section 17 123030(6) of the Integrated Coastal and Ocean Ob- 18 servation System Act (33 U.S.C. 3602); 19 (4) to assess degraded coastal blue carbon eco- 20 systems and their potential for restoration, including 21 developing scenario modeling to identify vulnerable 22 areas where management, protection, and restora- 23 tion efforts should be focused; 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 22:49 Jun 15, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00009 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H2750.IH H2750 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 10 •HR 2750 IH (5) produce future predictions of coastal blue 1 carbon ecosystems and carbon sequestration rates in 2 the context of climate change, environmental 3 stressors, and human stressors; and 4 (6) use such map to inform the Administrator 5 of the Environmental Protection Agency’s creation 6 of the annual Inventory of U.S. Greenhouse Gas 7 Emissions and Sinks. 8 SEC. 4. RESTORATION AND PROTECTIONS FOR EXISTING 9 COASTAL BLUE CARBON ECOSYSTEMS. 10 (a) IN GENERAL.—The Administrator shall— 11 (1) lead the Interagency Working Group in im- 12 plementing the strategic plan under section 2(e)(2); 13 (2) coordinate monitoring and research efforts 14 among Federal agencies in cooperation with State, 15 local, and Tribal government and international part- 16 ners and nongovernmental organizations; 17 (3) establish a national goal for conserving 18 ocean and coastal blue carbon ecosystems within the 19 territory of the United States, and as appropriate 20 setting targets for restoration of degraded coastal 21 blue carbon ecosystems; 22 (4) in coordination with the Interagency Work- 23 ing Group and as informed by the report under sec- 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 22:49 Jun 15, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00010 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H2750.IH H2750 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 11 •HR 2750 IH tion 2(e) on current Federal expenditures on coastal 1 blue carbon ecosystem restoration, identify— 2 (A) national coastal blue carbon ecosystem 3 protection and restoration priorities that would 4 produce the highest rate of carbon sequestra- 5 tion and greatest ecosystem benefits such as 6 flood protection, soil and beach retention, ero- 7 sion reduction, biodiversity, water purification, 8 and nutrient cycling in the context of other en- 9 vironmental stressors and climate change; and 10 (B) ways to improve coordination and to 11 prevent unnecessary duplication of effort among 12 Federal agencies and departments with respect 13 to research on coastal blue carbon ecosystems 14 through existing and new coastal management 15 networks; and 16 (5) in coordination with State, local, and Tribal 17 governments and coastal stakeholders, develop inte- 18 grated pilot programs to restore degraded coastal 19 blue carbon ecosystems in accordance with sub- 20 section (b). 21 (b) INTEGRATED PILOT PROGRAMS TO RESTORE 22 AND PROTECT DEGRADED COASTAL BLUE CARBON ECO- 23 SYSTEMS.—In carrying out subsection (a)(5), the Admin- 24 istrator shall— 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 22:49 Jun 15, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00011 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H2750.IH H2750 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 12 •HR 2750 IH (1) establish integrated pilot programs that de- 1 velop best management practices, including design 2 criteria and performance functions for coastal blue 3 carbon ecosystem restoration and protection, nature- 4 based adaptation strategies, restoration areas that 5 intersect with the built environments as green-gray 6 infrastructure projects, management practices for 7 landward progression or migration of coastal blue 8 carbon ecosystems, and identify potential barriers to 9 restoration efforts, and increase long-term carbon 10 sequestration and storage; 11 (2) ensure that the pilot programs cover geo- 12 graphically and ecologically diverse locations with 13 significant ecological, economic, and social benefits, 14 such as flood protection, soil and beach retention, 15 erosion reduction, biodiversity, water purification, 16 and nutr [Text truncated for display. 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