Blue Carbon for Our Planet Act

I 116TH CONGRESS 2D SESSION H. R. 5589 To establish an Interagency Working Group on Coastal Blue Carbon, and for other purposes. IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES JANUARY 13, 2020 Ms. BONAMICI (for herself, Mr. POSEY, Mr. BEYER, Mr. MAST, Mr. HUFFMAN, Mr. LOWENTHAL, Mr. FITZPATRICK, Mr. CASE, Mr. CASTEN of Illinois, and Ms. BROWNLEY of California) introduced 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 provisions 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 VerDate Sep 11 2014 02:34 Jan 14, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H5589.IH H5589 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 2 •HR 5589 IH SEC. 2. INTERAGENCY WORKING GROUP. 1 (a) ESTABLISHMENT.—The National Science and 2 Technology Council Subcommittee on Ocean Science and 3 Technology shall establish an Interagency Working Group 4 on Coastal Blue Carbon. 5 (b) PURPOSES.—The Interagency Working Group on 6 Coastal Blue Carbon shall oversee the development of a 7 national map of coastal blue carbon ecosystems, establish 8 national coastal blue carbon ecosystem restoration prior- 9 ities, assess the biophysical, social, and economic impedi- 10 ments to coastal blue carbon ecosystem restoration, study 11 the effects of climate change, environmental, and human 12 stressors on sequestration rates, and preserve the con- 13 tinuity of coastal blue carbon data. 14 (c) MEMBERSHIP.—The Interagency Working Group 15 on Coastal Blue Carbon shall be comprised of senior rep- 16 resentatives from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric 17 Administration, the Environmental Protection Agency, the 18 National Science Foundation, the National Aeronautics 19 and Space Administration, the United States Geological 20 Survey, the United States Fish and Wildlife Service, the 21 National Park Service, the Bureau of Indian Affairs, the 22 Smithsonian Institution, the Army Corps of Engineers, 23 the Department of Agriculture, the Department of En- 24 ergy, the Department of Defense, the Department of 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 02:34 Jan 14, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H5589.IH H5589 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 3 •HR 5589 IH Transportation, and the Federal Emergency Management 1 Agency. 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, social, statutory, regulatory, and economic 13 impediments to protection and restoration of coastal 14 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; and 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 02:34 Jan 14, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H5589.IH H5589 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 4 •HR 5589 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. 4 (f) REPORTS TO CONGRESS.— 5 (1) IN GENERAL.—Not later than one year 6 after the date of the enactment of this Act, the 7 Interagency Working Group shall provide to the 8 Committee on Science, Space, and Technology of the 9 House of Representatives, the Committee on Natural 10 Resources of the House of Representatives, and the 11 Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transpor- 12 tation of the Senate a report containing the fol- 13 lowing: 14 (A) A summary of federally funded coastal 15 blue carbon ecosystem research, monitoring, 16 preservation, and restoration activities, includ- 17 ing the budget for each of these activities and 18 describe the progress in advancing the national 19 priorities established in section 4(a)(4)(A). 20 (B) An assessment of biophysical, social, 21 and economic impediments to coastal blue car- 22 bon ecosystem restoration. 23 (2) STRATEGIC PLAN.— 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 02:34 Jan 14, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H5589.IH H5589 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 5 •HR 5589 IH (A) IN GENERAL.—The Interagency Work- 1 ing group shall create a strategic plan for Fed- 2 eral investments in basic research, development, 3 demonstration, long-term monitoring and stew- 4 ardship, and deployment of coastal blue carbon 5 ecosystem projects for the 5-year period begin- 6 ning at the start of the first fiscal year after 7 the date on which the budget assessment is sub- 8 mitted under paragraph (1). The plan shall in- 9 clude an assessment of the use of existing Fed- 10 eral programs to protect and preserve coastal 11 blue carbon ecosystems. 12 (B) TIMING.—The Interagency Working 13 Group shall— 14 (i) submit the strategic plan under 15 paragraph (A) to the Committee on 16 Science, Space, and Technology of the 17 House of Representatives, the Committee 18 on Natural Resources of the House of Rep- 19 resentatives, and the Committee on Com- 20 merce, Science, and Transportation of the 21 Senate on a date that is not later than one 22 year after the enactment of this Act and 23 not earlier than the date on which the re- 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 02:34 Jan 14, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00005 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H5589.IH H5589 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 6 •HR 5589 IH port under paragraph (1) is submitted to 1 such committees of Congress; and 2 (ii) submit a revised version of such 3 plan not less than quinquennially there- 4 after. 5 (C) FEDERAL REGISTER.—Not later than 6 90 days before the strategic plan under this 7 paragraph, or any revision thereof, is submitted 8 under subparagraph (B), the Interagency 9 Working Group shall publish such plan in the 10 Federal Register and provide an opportunity for 11 submission of public comments for a period of 12 not less than 60 days. 13 SEC. 3. NATIONAL MAP OF COASTAL BLUE CARBON ECO- 14 SYSTEMS. 15 (a) NATIONAL MAP.—The Interagency Working 16 Group shall— 17 (1) produce, update, and maintain a national 18 level map and inventory of coastal blue carbon eco- 19 systems, including— 20 (A) the types of habitats and species in the 21 ecosystem; 22 (B) the condition of such habitats includ- 23 ing whether a habitat is degraded, drained, eu- 24 trophic, or tidally restricted; 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 02:34 Jan 14, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00006 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H5589.IH H5589 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 7 •HR 5589 IH (C) the size of the ecosystem; 1 (D) the salinity boundaries; 2 (E) the tidal boundaries; 3 (F) an assessment of carbon sequestration 4 potential, methane production, and net green- 5 house gas reductions; 6 (G) an assessment of cobenefits of eco- 7 system and carbon sequestration; 8 (H) the potential for landward migration 9 as a result of sea level rise; 10 (I) any upstream restrictions detrimental 11 to the watershed process and conditions such as 12 dams, dikes, and levees; 13 (J) the conversion of coastal blue carbon 14 ecosystems to other land uses and the cause of 15 such conversion; and 16 (K) a depiction of the effects of climate 17 change, including sea level rise, environmental 18 stressors, and human stressors on the seques- 19 tration rate, carbon storage, and potential of 20 coastal blue carbon ecosystems; and 21 (2) in carrying out paragraph (1)— 22 (A) incorporate, to the extent possible, ex- 23 isting data collected through federally funded 24 research and by a Federal agency, State agen- 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 02:34 Jan 14, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00007 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H5589.IH H5589 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 8 •HR 5589 IH cy, local agency, Tribe, including data collected 1 from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric 2 Administration Coastal Change Analysis Pro- 3 gram, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service National 4 Wetlands Inventory, United States Geological 5 Survey LandCarbon program, and Department 6 of Agriculture National Coastal Blue Carbon 7 Assessment; and 8 (B) engage regional technical experts in 9 order to accurately account for regional dif- 10 ferences in coastal blue carbon ecosystems. 11 (b) USE.—The Interagency Working Group shall use 12 the national map and inventory— 13 (1) to assess the carbon sequestration potential 14 of different coastal blue carbon habitats, and ac- 15 count for any regional differences; 16 (2) to assess and quantify emissions from de- 17 graded and destroyed coastal blue carbon eco- 18 systems; 19 (3) to develop regional assessments and to pro- 20 vide technical assistance to regional, State, Tribal, 21 and local government agencies, and regional infor- 22 mation coordination entities as defined in section 23 123030(6) of the Integrated Coastal and Ocean Ob- 24 servation System Act (33 U.S.C. 3602); 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 02:34 Jan 14, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00008 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H5589.IH H5589 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 9 •HR 5589 IH (4) to assess degraded coastal blue carbon eco- 1 systems and their potential for restoration, including 2 developing scenario modeling to identify vulnerable 3 land areas where management, protection, and res- 4 toration efforts should be focused; and 5 (5) produce future predictions of coastal blue 6 carbon ecosystems and carbon sequestration rates in 7 the context of climate change, environmental 8 stressors, and human stressors. 9 SEC. 4. RESTORATION AND PROTECTIONS FOR EXISTING 10 COASTAL BLUE CARBON ECOSYSTEMS. 11 (a) IN GENERAL.—The Administrator shall— 12 (1) lead the Interagency Working Group in im- 13 plementing the strategic plan under section 2(e)(2); 14 (2) coordinate monitoring and research efforts 15 among Federal agencies in cooperation with State, 16 local, and Tribal government and international part- 17 ners and nongovernmental organizations; 18 (3) assess the feasibility and potential of estab- 19 lishing a national goal of conserving at least 30 per- 20 cent of the ocean and coastal blue carbon ecosystems 21 within the territory of the United States by 2030, 22 including the effects of climate change and sea level 23 rise on such goal, and as appropriate setting targets 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 02:34 Jan 14, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00009 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H5589.IH H5589 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 10 •HR 5589 IH for restoration of degraded coastal blue carbon eco- 1 systems; 2 (4) in coordination with the Interagency Work- 3 ing Group and as informed by the report under sec- 4 tion 2(e) on current Federal expenditures on coastal 5 blue carbon ecosystem restoration, identify— 6 (A) national coastal blue carbon ecosystem 7 protection and restoration priorities that would 8 produce the highest rate of carbon sequestra- 9 tion and greatest ecosystem benefits such as 10 flood protection, soil and beach retention, ero- 11 sion reduction, biodiversity, water purification, 12 and nutrient cycling in the context of other en- 13 vironmental stressors and climate change; and 14 (B) ways to improve coordination and to 15 prevent unnecessary duplication of effort among 16 Federal agencies and departments with respect 17 to research on coastal blue carbon ecosystems 18 through existing and new coastal management 19 networks; and 20 (5) in coordination with State, local, and Tribal 21 governments and coastal stakeholders, develop inte- 22 grated pilot programs to restore degraded coastal 23 blue carbon ecosystems in accordance with sub- 24 section (b). 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 02:34 Jan 14, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00010 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H5589.IH H5589 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 11 •HR 5589 IH (b) INTEGRATED PILOT PROGRAMS TO RESTORE 1 DEGRADED COASTAL BLUE CARBON ECOSYSTEMS.—In 2 carrying out subsection (a)(5), the Administrator shall— 3 (1) establish integrated pilot programs that de- 4 velop best management practices, including design 5 criteria and performance functions for coastal blue 6 carbon ecosystem restoration, nature-based adapta- 7 tion strategies, restoration areas that intersect with 8 the built environments as green-gray infrastructure 9 projects, management practices for landward pro- 10 gression or migration of coastal blue carbon eco- 11 systems, and identify potential barriers to restora- 12 tion efforts; 13 (2) ensure that the pilot programs cover geo- 14 graphically and ecologically diverse locations with 15 significant ecological, economic, and social benefits, 16 such as flood protection, soil and beach retention, 17 erosion reduction, biodiversity, water purification, 18 and nutrient cycling to reduce hypoxic conditions, 19 and maximum potential for greenhouse gas emission 20 reduction; 21 (3) establish a procedure for reviewing applica- 22 tions for the pilot program; 23 (4) ensure, through consultation with the Inter- 24 agency Working Group, that the goals and metrics 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 02:34 Jan 14, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00011 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H5589.IH H5589 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 12 •HR 5589 IH for the pilot programs are communicated to the ap- 1 propriate State, Tribe, and local governments, and 2 to the general public; and 3 (5) coordinate with relevant Federal agencies 4 on the Interagency Working Group to prevent un- 5 necessary duplication of effort among Federal agen- 6 cies and departments with respect to restoration 7 programs. 8 SEC. 5. COASTAL CARBON DATA CLEARINGHOUSE. 9 (a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary of the Smithso- 10 nian, in coordination with the Administrator and members 11 of the Interagency Working Group, shall provide for the 12 long-term stewardship of, and access to, data relating to 13 co [Text truncated for display. Full text available on Congress.gov.]