Coral Reef Conservation Reauthorization Act of 2020

I 116TH CONGRESS 2D SESSION H. R. 6738 To reauthorize and amend the Coral Reef Conservation Act of 2000, and for other purposes. IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES MAY 8, 2020 Mr. CASE (for himself, Mr. HASTINGS, Ms. GABBARD, Mr. HUFFMAN, Mr. SABLAN, Mrs. RADEWAGEN, Mr. YOHO, Ms. CASTOR of Florida, Mr. CRIST, and Mr. POSEY) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Natural Resources, and in addition to the Com- mittee on Science, Space, and Technology, 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 reauthorize and amend the Coral Reef Conservation Act of 2000, 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; TABLE OF CONTENTS. 3 (a) SHORT TITLE.—This Act may be cited as the 4 ‘‘Coral Reef Conservation Reauthorization Act of 2020’’. 5 (b) TABLE OF CONTENTS.—The table of contents for 6 this Act is as follows: 7 Sec. 1. Short title; table of contents. VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:55 May 19, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6211 E:\BILLS\H6738.IH H6738 dlhill on DSK120RN23PROD with BILLS 2 •HR 6738 IH TITLE I—AMENDMENTS TO CORAL REEF CONSERVATION ACT OF 2000 Sec. 101. Revisions to purposes of Coral Reef Conservation Act of 2000. Sec. 102. Revisions to national coral reef action strategy. Sec. 103. Revisions to Coral Reef Conservation Grant Program. Sec. 104. Coral reef public-private partnership. Sec. 105. Revisions to emergency assistance. Sec. 106. Revisions to national program. Sec. 107. Revisions to effectiveness reports. Sec. 108. Revisions to authorization of appropriations. Sec. 109. Revisions to definitions. Sec. 110. Establishment of United States Coral Reef Task Force. Sec. 111. Agreements. Sec. 112. Permits. Sec. 113. Regulations. Sec. 114. Use of recovered amounts. Sec. 115. Prize competitions to promote innovation in coral reef research and conservation. Sec. 116. Conforming and clerical amendments. TITLE II—DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR CORAL REEF AUTHORITIES Sec. 201. Coral reef conservation and assistance. Sec. 202. United States Geological Survey Coral Reef Ecosystem Studies Pro- gram. Sec. 203. Use of recovered amounts. Sec. 204. Authorization of appropriations. Sec. 205. Definitions. TITLE III—NATIONAL CORAL REEF MANAGEMENT FELLOWSHIP Sec. 301. Short title. Sec. 302. Definitions. Sec. 303. Fellowship program. Sec. 304. Fellowship awards. TITLE IV—ASSESSING THE THREATS AND VALUES OF CORAL REEF ECOSYSTEMS Sec. 401. Definitions. Sec. 402. Study examining the impact of ultraviolet filters on coral reef eco- systems. Sec. 403. Study to determine the economic, societal, and ecological value of coral reef ecosystems in the United States and territories of the United States. TITLE V—MISCELLANEOUS PROVISIONS Sec. 501. Stock assessments under Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act. Sec. 502. Deep Sea Coral Research and Technology Program. VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:55 May 19, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6211 E:\BILLS\H6738.IH H6738 dlhill on DSK120RN23PROD with BILLS 3 •HR 6738 IH TITLE I—AMENDMENTS TO 1 CORAL REEF CONSERVATION 2 ACT OF 2000 3 SEC. 101. REVISIONS TO PURPOSES OF CORAL REEF CON- 4 SERVATION ACT OF 2000. 5 Section 202 of the Coral Reef Conservation Act of 6 2000 (16 U.S.C. 6401) is amended— 7 (1) in paragraph (5), by striking ‘‘and’’ at the 8 end; 9 (2) in paragraph (6), by striking the period at 10 the end and inserting ‘‘; and’’; and 11 (3) by adding at the end the following: 12 ‘‘(7) to ensure healthy and resilient coral 13 reefs for the benefit of island and coastal com- 14 munities and the United States.’’. 15 SEC. 102. REVISIONS TO NATIONAL CORAL REEF ACTION 16 STRATEGY. 17 (a) IN GENERAL.—Section 203 of the Coral Reef 18 Conservation Act of 2000 (16 U.S.C. 6402) is amended— 19 (1) in subsection (a)— 20 (A) by inserting ‘‘Natural’’ before ‘‘Re- 21 sources’’; 22 (B) by inserting ‘‘, in consultation with the 23 Secretary of the Interior,’’ before ‘‘shall periodi- 24 cally review and revise’’; 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:55 May 19, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H6738.IH H6738 dlhill on DSK120RN23PROD with BILLS 4 •HR 6738 IH (C) by striking ‘‘this national strategy’’ 1 and inserting ‘‘the national coral reef action 2 strategy or any review or revision to such strat- 3 egy’’; 4 (D) by striking ‘‘may consult’’ and insert- 5 ing ‘‘shall consult’’; and 6 (E) by striking ‘‘Executive Order 13089 7 (June 11, 1998)’’ and inserting ‘‘section 209’’; 8 and 9 (2) in subsection (b)— 10 (A) in the matter preceding paragraph (1), 11 by striking ‘‘goals and objectives as well as an 12 implementation plan’’ and inserting ‘‘goals, ob- 13 jectives, and an implementation plan’’; 14 (B) in paragraph (7), by striking ‘‘includ- 15 ing regional fishery management councils; and’’ 16 at the end; 17 (C) by amending paragraph (8) to read as 18 follows: 19 ‘‘(8) conservation, including how the use of ma- 20 rine protected areas to serve as replenishment zones 21 will be developed consistent with local practices and 22 traditions and in cooperation with, and with respect 23 for the scientific, technical, and management exper- 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:55 May 19, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H6738.IH H6738 dlhill on DSK120RN23PROD with BILLS 5 •HR 6738 IH tise and responsibilities of, State fish and wildlife 1 management agencies;’’; and 2 (D) by adding at the end the following: 3 ‘‘(9) the condition of coral reefs located within 4 maritime areas and zones subject to the jurisdiction 5 or control of the United States; 6 ‘‘(10) emerging threats to coral health, includ- 7 ing changes in ocean temperature and chemistry and 8 threats identified under section 204(d)(3); 9 ‘‘(11) adaptive management approaches with 10 clearly identifiable, measurable, and science-based 11 goals; and 12 ‘‘(12) restoration efforts, including improving 13 coral reef resiliency.’’. 14 (b) DEADLINE.—Not later than 2 years after the 15 date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall review 16 and revise the national coral reef action strategy developed 17 under such section. 18 SEC. 103. REVISIONS TO CORAL REEF CONSERVATION 19 GRANT PROGRAM. 20 Section 204 of the Coral Reef Conservation Act of 21 2000 (16 U.S.C. 6403) is amended— 22 (1) in the heading, by inserting ‘‘GRANT’’ be- 23 fore ‘‘PROGRAM’’; 24 (2) in subsection (d)— 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:55 May 19, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00005 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H6738.IH H6738 dlhill on DSK120RN23PROD with BILLS 6 •HR 6738 IH (A) in the heading, by striking ‘‘GEO- 1 GRAPHIC AND BIOLOGICAL DIVERSITY’’ and in- 2 serting ‘‘DISTRIBUTION OF GRANTS’’; 3 (B) in the language preceding paragraph 4 (1), by striking ‘‘subsection (b)’’ and inserting 5 ‘‘subsection (a)’’; and 6 (C) by amending paragraph (3) to read as 7 follows: 8 ‘‘(3) Remaining funds shall be awarded for 9 projects that address— 10 ‘‘(A) bleaching; 11 ‘‘(B) mortality events; 12 ‘‘(C) disease outbreaks; 13 ‘‘(D) harmful algal blooms; 14 ‘‘(E) invasive or nuisance species out- 15 breaks; 16 ‘‘(F) land-based sources of pollution; 17 ‘‘(G) overfishing; 18 ‘‘(H) ocean acidification; 19 ‘‘(I) coral reef restoration efforts; 20 ‘‘(J) regional or international priorities or 21 threats; 22 ‘‘(K) physical impacts; 23 ‘‘(L) thermal events; and 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:55 May 19, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00006 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H6738.IH H6738 dlhill on DSK120RN23PROD with BILLS 7 •HR 6738 IH ‘‘(M) such other priorities or emerging 1 threats as the Secretary, in consultation with 2 the United States Coral Reef Task Force, may 3 identify. 4 ‘‘(4) To the extent practicable, the Secretary 5 shall prioritize grants to a natural resource manage- 6 ment authority of a State that is represented on the 7 United States Coral Reef Task Force.’’; 8 (3) in subsection (f), by adding at the end the 9 following: 10 ‘‘(3) APPLICANTS SEEKING EMERGENCY CON- 11 SIDERATION.— 12 ‘‘(A) REQUEST.—An applicant for assist- 13 ance under this section may request emergency 14 consideration of such applicant’s proposal under 15 this subsection. 16 ‘‘(B) CONSIDERATION.—The Secretary 17 shall, not later than 15 days after the date of 18 receipt of a request under subparagraph (A), 19 conduct a preliminary review of the proposed 20 project. The Secretary may issue not more than 21 50 percent of the total amount of assistance for 22 which the Secretary estimates the project will 23 qualify.’’; 24 (4) in subsection (g)— 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:55 May 19, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00007 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H6738.IH H6738 dlhill on DSK120RN23PROD with BILLS 8 •HR 6738 IH (A) in paragraph (1), by inserting ‘‘and re- 1 silient coral reef ecosystems’’ after ‘‘coral 2 reefs’’; 3 (B) by amending paragraph (4) to read as 4 follows: 5 ‘‘(4) developing sound scientific information on 6 the condition of coral reef ecosystems, threats to 7 such ecosystems or the biodiversity of such eco- 8 systems, the impacts of such threats, and potential 9 interventions to address such threats;’’; 10 (C) in paragraph (5), by striking ‘‘to im- 11 plement’’ and inserting ‘‘the implementation 12 of’’; 13 (D) in paragraph (6), by inserting ‘‘, in- 14 cluding how coral reefs function to protect is- 15 land and coastal communities’’ after ‘‘conserva- 16 tion’’; 17 (E) by amending paragraph (7) to read as 18 follows: 19 ‘‘(7) mapping the location, distribution, and 20 biodiversity, including taxonomic classification and 21 related research, of coral reefs and coral reef eco- 22 systems;’’; 23 (F) in paragraph (8), by inserting ‘‘and 24 coral reef ecosystems’’ after ‘‘reefs’’; 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:55 May 19, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00008 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H6738.IH H6738 dlhill on DSK120RN23PROD with BILLS 9 •HR 6738 IH (G) in paragraph (9), by striking ‘‘or’’; 1 (H) by amending paragraph (10) to read 2 as follows: 3 ‘‘(10) preventing or minimizing the likelihood of 4 vessel impacts on coral reefs, particularly those 5 areas and any at-risk reefs identified under section 6 207(d), including by promoting ecologically sound 7 navigation and anchorages near coral reefs;’’; and 8 (I) by adding at the end the following: 9 ‘‘(11) responding to, or taking action to miti- 10 gate the effects of, coral bleaching, disease, harmful 11 algal blooms, ocean acidification, or other changes in 12 ocean temperature and chemistry; 13 ‘‘(12) developing and implementing innovative 14 ecological interventions to build or maintain coral 15 reef resistance and resilience to stressors; 16 ‘‘(13) developing and implementing innovative 17 invasive or nuisance species capture, collection, re- 18 moval, or trapping methods for use around coral 19 reefs; 20 ‘‘(14) developing and implementing cost-effec- 21 tive methods to restore degraded native coral reef 22 ecosystems with an emphasis on techniques to ad- 23 vance coral recovery, growth, or resiliency; 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:55 May 19, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00009 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H6738.IH H6738 dlhill on DSK120RN23PROD with BILLS 10 •HR 6738 IH ‘‘(15) research on coral diseases, including the 1 prevention and treatment of such diseases; 2 ‘‘(16) understanding and cataloging coral ge- 3 netic diversity, including research into traits that 4 promote resilience and applying such research to 5 coral reef restoration efforts; 6 ‘‘(17) developing in situ native coral propaga- 7 tion sites for use in coral reef restoration projects; 8 ‘‘(18) developing networks of ex situ coral prop- 9 agation nurseries for conservation, including holding 10 coral in aquarium systems and genetic banking, cap- 11 tive breeding of rare species, and captive breeding of 12 resilient coral populations for use in coral reef res- 13 toration projects; 14 ‘‘(19) developing networks of improved, real- 15 time water quality monitoring along coral reefs, es- 16 pecially reefs impacted by land-based sources of pol- 17 lution including coastal runoff, sediment erosion and 18 turbidity, and harmful algal blooms; 19 ‘‘(20) implementing research and restoration 20 projects that help ensure the population viability of 21 coral species listed pursuant to the Endangered Spe- 22 cies Act of 1973 (16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.) in United 23 States waters as detailed in the population-based re- 24 covery criteria included in species-specific recovery 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 03:33 May 20, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00010 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H6738.IH H6738 dlhill on DSK120RN23PROD with BILLS 11 •HR 6738 IH plans developed under the Endangered Species Act 1 of 1973 (16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.); or 2 ‘‘(21) supporting community-based planning 3 and management initiatives for the protection of 4 coral reef ecosystems identified by the States, sci- 5 entific experts, or the United States Coral Reef Task 6 Force as a high priority that— 7 ‘‘(A) support attainment of criteria de- 8 scribed in paragraphs (1) through (20); 9 ‘‘(B) use, where applicable, watershed- 10 based or ecosystem-based approaches; 11 ‘‘(C) provide for coordination with Federal 12 and State experts and managers; 13 ‘‘(D) build upon local approaches or mod- 14 els, including traditional resource management 15 concepts; and 16 ‘‘(E) complement local action strategies or 17 regional plans for coral reef conservation ef- 18 forts, as applicable.’’; and 19 (5) in subsection (j), by striking ‘‘this Act’’ and 20 inserting ‘‘Coral Reef Conservation Reauthorization 21 Act of 2020’’. 22 SEC. 104. CORAL REEF PUBLIC-PRIVATE PARTNERSHIP. 23 Section 205 of the Coral Reef Conservation Act of 24 2000 (16 U.S.C. 6404) is amended— 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 03:33 May 20, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00011 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H6738.IH H6738 dlhill on DSK120RN23PROD with BILLS 12 •HR 6738 IH (1) in the heading, by striking ‘‘CORAL REEF 1 CONSERVATION FUND’’ and inserting ‘‘CORAL 2 REEF PUBLIC-PRIVATE PARTNERSHIP’’; 3 (2) in subsection (a)— 4 (A) by striking ‘‘FUND’’ and inserting 5 ‘‘PUBLIC-PRIVATE PARTNERSHIP’’; 6 (B) by striking ‘‘, hereafter referred to as 7 the Fund,’’; and 8 (C) by striking ‘‘organization solely’’ and 9 all that follows and inserting ‘‘organization— 10 ‘‘(A) to support public-private partnerships 11 that further the purposes of this title and are 12 consistent with the national coral reef action 13 strategy under section 203; 14 ‘‘(B) to address emergency response ac- 15 tions undertaken or authorized under section 16 206; and 17 ‘‘(C) to su [Text truncated for display. 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