Regional Ocean Partnership Act of 2021

I 117TH CONGRESS 1ST SESSION H. R. 3817 To allow coastal States to participate in regional ocean partnerships with one or more other coastal States that share a common ocean or coastal area with the coastal State to conserve living resources, expand and protect valuable habitats, enhance coastal resilience, and address such other issues related to the shared ocean or coastal area as are determined to be a shared, regional priority by those States. IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES JUNE 11, 2021 Mr. CRIST (for himself, Mr. PALAZZO, Mr. LOWENTHAL, and Mr. SMITH of New Jersey) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Com- mittee on Natural Resources A BILL To allow coastal States to participate in regional ocean part- nerships with one or more other coastal States that share a common ocean or coastal area with the coastal State to conserve living resources, expand and protect valuable habitats, enhance coastal resilience, and address such other issues related to the shared ocean or coastal area as are determined to be a shared, regional priority by those States. Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa- 1 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 2 VerDate Sep 11 2014 17:24 Jun 29, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H3817.IH H3817 lotter on DSK11XQN23PROD with BILLS 2 •HR 3817 IH SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 1 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Regional Ocean Part- 2 nership Act of 2021’’. 3 SEC. 2. FINDINGS; SENSE OF CONGRESS; PURPOSES. 4 (a) FINDINGS.—Congress makes the following find- 5 ings: 6 (1) The ocean and coastal waters of the United 7 States are foundational to the economy, security, 8 global competitiveness, and well-being of the United 9 States and continuously serve the people of the 10 United States and other countries as an important 11 source of food, energy, economic productivity, recre- 12 ation, culture, beauty, and enjoyment. 13 (2) Over many years, the resource productivity 14 and water quality of the ocean and coastal areas of 15 the United States have been diminished by pollution, 16 increasing population demands, economic develop- 17 ment, and natural and man-made hazard events, 18 both acute and chronic. 19 (3) Ocean and coastal areas of the United 20 States are managed by State and Federal resource 21 agencies and regulated on an interstate and regional 22 scale by various overlapping Federal authorities, 23 thereby creating a significant need for interstate co- 24 ordination to enhance regional priorities, including 25 the ecological and economic health of those areas. 26 VerDate Sep 11 2014 17:24 Jun 29, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H3817.IH H3817 lotter on DSK11XQN23PROD with BILLS 3 •HR 3817 IH (4) Tribes and Indigenous communities have 1 unique expertise and knowledge important for the 2 stewardship of our ocean and coastal waters. 3 (b) SENSE OF CONGRESS.—It is the sense of Con- 4 gress that— 5 (1) the United States should seek to support 6 interstate coordination of shared regional priorities 7 relating to the management, conservation, resilience, 8 and restoration of ocean and coastal areas to maxi- 9 mize efficiencies through collaborative regional ef- 10 forts by regional ocean partnerships, in consultation 11 with Federal and State agencies, Tribal govern- 12 ments, and local authorities; 13 (2) such efforts would enhance existing and ef- 14 fective State coastal management efforts based on 15 shared regional priorities; and 16 (3) regional ocean partnerships should either 17 directly include representation from Tribal govern- 18 ments or have dedicated consultation with such gov- 19 ernments. 20 (c) PURPOSES.—The purposes of this subtitle are as 21 follows: 22 (1) To complement and expand cooperative vol- 23 untary efforts intended to manage and restore ocean 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 17:24 Jun 29, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H3817.IH H3817 lotter on DSK11XQN23PROD with BILLS 4 •HR 3817 IH and coastal areas spanning across multiple State 1 boundaries. 2 (2) To expand Federal support for monitoring, 3 data management, and restoration activities in ocean 4 and coastal areas. 5 (3) To commit the United States to a com- 6 prehensive cooperative program to achieve improved 7 water quality in, and improvements in the produc- 8 tivity of living resources of, all coastal ecosystems. 9 (4) To authorize regional ocean partnerships as 10 intergovernmental coordinators for shared interstate 11 and regional priorities relating to the collaborative 12 management of the large marine ecosystems, thereby 13 reducing duplication of efforts and maximizing op- 14 portunities to leverage support in the ocean and 15 coastal regions. 16 (5) To empower States and Tribes to take a 17 lead role in managing oceans and coasts. 18 (6) To incorporate Tribal interests in the man- 19 agement of our oceans and coasts and provide fund- 20 ing to support Tribal and Indigenous ocean and 21 coastal resiliency activities in coordination with re- 22 gional ocean partnerships. 23 (7) To enable regional ocean partnerships, or 24 designated fiscal management entities of such part- 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 17:24 Jun 29, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H3817.IH H3817 lotter on DSK11XQN23PROD with BILLS 5 •HR 3817 IH nerships, to receive Federal funding to conduct the 1 scientific research, conservation and restoration ac- 2 tivities, and priority coordination on shared regional 3 priorities necessary to achieve the purposes described 4 in paragraphs (1) through (4). 5 SEC. 3. REGIONAL OCEAN PARTNERSHIPS. 6 (a) DEFINITIONS.—In this Act— 7 (1) the term ‘‘coastal State’’ has the meaning 8 given that term in section 304 of the Coastal Zone 9 Management Act of 1972 (16 U.S.C. 1453); and 10 (2) the term ‘‘Indian Tribe’’ has the meaning 11 given such term in section 4 of the Indian Self-De- 12 termination and Education Assistance Act (25 13 U.S.C. 5304). 14 (b) REGIONAL OCEAN PARTNERSHIPS.— 15 (1) IN GENERAL.—A coastal State may partici- 16 pate in a regional ocean partnership with one or 17 more other coastal States that share a common 18 ocean or coastal area with the coastal State, without 19 regard to whether the coastal States are contiguous. 20 (2) APPLICATION.—The Governor of a coastal 21 State, or the Governors of a group of coastal states 22 may apply to the Secretary of Commerce on behalf 23 of a partnership of such States, for the partnership 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 17:24 Jun 29, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00005 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H3817.IH H3817 lotter on DSK11XQN23PROD with BILLS 6 •HR 3817 IH to receive designation as a regional ocean partner- 1 ship if the partnership— 2 (A) meets the requirements under para- 3 graph (3); and 4 (B) submits an application for such des- 5 ignation in such manner, in such form, and 6 containing such information as the Secretary 7 may require. 8 (3) REQUIREMENTS.—A partnership is eligible 9 for designation as a regional ocean partnership by 10 the Secretary under paragraph (2) if the partner- 11 ship— 12 (A) is established to coordinate the inter- 13 state management of coastal resources; 14 (B) focuses on the environmental issues af- 15 fecting the ocean and coastal areas of the mem- 16 bers participating in the partnership; 17 (C) complements existing State coastal and 18 ocean management efforts on an interstate 19 scale, focusing on shared regional priorities; 20 (D) does not have a regulatory function; 21 and 22 (E) is not duplicative of an existing re- 23 gional ocean partnership designated under 24 paragraph (4), as determined by the Secretary. 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 17:24 Jun 29, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00006 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H3817.IH H3817 lotter on DSK11XQN23PROD with BILLS 7 •HR 3817 IH (4) DESIGNATION OF CERTAIN ENTITIES AS RE- 1 GIONAL OCEAN PARTNERSHIPS.—Notwithstanding 2 paragraph (2) or (3), the following entities are des- 3 ignated as regional ocean partnerships: 4 (A) The Gulf of Mexico Alliance, comprised 5 of the States of Alabama, Florida, Louisiana, 6 Mississippi, and Texas. 7 (B) The Northeast Regional Ocean Coun- 8 cil, comprised of the States of Maine, Vermont, 9 New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Connecticut, 10 and Rhode Island. 11 (C) The Mid-Atlantic Regional Council on 12 the Ocean, comprised of the States of New 13 York, New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland, and 14 Virginia. 15 (D) The West Coast Ocean Alliance, com- 16 prised of the States of California, Oregon, and 17 Washington and the coastal Indian Tribes 18 therein. 19 (c) GOVERNING BODIES OF REGIONAL OCEAN PART- 20 NERSHIPS.— 21 (1) IN GENERAL.—A regional ocean partnership 22 designated under subsection (b) shall be governed by 23 a governing body. 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 17:24 Jun 29, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00007 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H3817.IH H3817 lotter on DSK11XQN23PROD with BILLS 8 •HR 3817 IH (2) MEMBERSHIP.—A governing body described 1 in paragraph (1)— 2 (A) shall be comprised, at a minimum, of 3 voting members from each coastal State partici- 4 pating in the regional ocean partnership, des- 5 ignated by the Governor of the coastal State; 6 and 7 (B) may include such other members as 8 the partnership considers appropriate. 9 (d) FUNCTIONS.—A regional ocean partnership des- 10 ignated under subsection (b) may perform the following 11 functions: 12 (1) Promote coordination of the actions of the 13 agencies of coastal states participating in the part- 14 nership with the actions of the appropriate officials 15 of Federal agencies and State and Tribal govern- 16 ments in developing strategies— 17 (A) to conserve living resources, expand 18 and protect valuable habitats, enhance coastal 19 resilience, and address such other issues related 20 to the shared ocean or coastal area as are de- 21 termined to be a shared, regional priority by 22 those States; and 23 VerDate Sep 11 2014 17:24 Jun 29, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00008 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H3817.IH H3817 lotter on DSK11XQN23PROD with BILLS 9 •HR 3817 IH (B) to manage regional data portals and 1 develop associated data products for purposes 2 that support the priorities of the partnership. 3 (2) In cooperation with appropriate Federal and 4 State agencies, Tribal governments, and local au- 5 thorities, develop and implement specific action 6 plans to carry out coordination goals. 7 (3) Coordinate and implement priority plans 8 and projects, and facilitate science, research, mod- 9 eling, monitoring, data collection, management and 10 sharing, and other activities that support the goals 11 of the partnership through the provision of grants 12 and contracts under subsection (f). 13 (4) Engage, coordinate, and collaborate with 14 relevant governmental entities and stakeholders to 15 address ocean and coastal related matters that re- 16 quire interagency or intergovernmental solutions. 17 (5) Implement engagement programs for public 18 information, education, and participation to foster 19 stewardship of the resources of the ocean and coast- 20 al areas, as relevant. 21 (6) Develop and make available, through publi- 22 cations, technical assistance, and other appropriate 23 means, information pertaining to cross-jurisdictional 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 17:24 Jun 29, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00009 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H3817.IH H3817 lotter on DSK11XQN23PROD with BILLS 10 •HR 3817 IH issues being addressed through the coordinated ac- 1 tivities of the partnership. 2 (7) Serve as a liaison with, and provide infor- 3 mation to, international and foreign counterparts, as 4 appropriate on priority issues for the partnership. 5 (e) CONSULTATION AND ENGAGEMENT.—A regional 6 ocean partnership designated under subsection (b) shall 7 maintain mechanisms for consultation with Federal and 8 Tribal governments as well as engagement with non- 9 governmental entities, including academic organizations, 10 nonprofit organizations, and businesses. 11 (f) GRANTS AND CONTRACTS.— 12 (1) IN GENERAL.—A regional ocean partnership 13 designated under subsection (b) may, in coordination 14 with existing Federal and State management pro- 15 grams, from amounts made available to the partner- 16 ship by the Administrator or the head of another 17 Federal agency— 18 (A) provide grants to eligible persons de- 19 scribed in paragraph (2) for the purposes de- 20 scribed in paragraph (3); and 21 (B) enter into contracts with such persons 22 for such purposes. 23 (2) ELIGIBLE PERSONS.—The eligible persons 24 described in this paragraph (1)(A) are the following: 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 17:24 Jun 29, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00010 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H3817.IH H3817 lotter on DSK11XQN23PROD with BILLS 11 •HR 3817 IH (A) Indian Tribes. 1 (B) State and local governments. 2 (C) Nongovernmental organizations. 3 (D) Institutions of higher education. 4 (E) Individuals. 5 (F) Private entities. 6 (3) PURPOSES.—The purposes described in 7 paragraph (1)(A) include any of the following: 8 (A) Monitoring the water quality and living 9 resources of multi-State ocean and coastal eco- 10 systems and to coastal communities. 11 (B) Conducting research and development 12 with respect to human-induced environmental 13 changes to— 14 (i) ocean and coastal ecosystems; and 15 (ii) coastal communities. 16 (C) Developing and executing cooperative 17 strategies that— 18 (i) address regional data issues identi- 19 fied by the partnership; and 20 (ii) will result in more effective man- 21 agement of common ocean and coastal 22 areas. 23 (g) REPORTS AND ASSESSMENTS.— 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 17:24 Jun 29, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00011 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H3817.IH H3817 lotter on DSK11XQN23PROD with BILLS 12 •HR 3817 IH (1) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 5 years after 1 the date of the enactment of this Act, and every 5 2 years thereafter until 2040, the Administrator, in 3 coordination with the regional ocean partnerships 4 designated under subsection (b), shall— 5 (A) assess the effectiveness of the partner- 6 ships in supporting regional priorities relating 7 to the management of common ocean and coast- 8 al areas; and 9 (B) submit to Congress a report on that 10 assessment. 11 (2) REPORT REQUIREMENTS.—The report re- 12 quired under paragraph (1)(B) shall include the fol- 13 lowing: 14 (A) An assessment of the overall status of 15 the work of the regional ocean partnerships des- 16 ignated under subsection (b). 17 (B) An assessment of the effectiveness of 18 the strategies that the regional ocean partner- 19 ships are supporting or implementing and the 20 extent to which the priority needs of the regions 21 covered by such partnerships are being m [Text truncated for display. 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