Blue Carbon for Our Planet Act

II 116TH CONGRESS 2D SESSION S. 3939 To establish the Interagency Working Group on Coastal Blue Carbon, and for other purposes. IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES JUNE 11, 2020 Ms. MURKOWSKI (for herself and Mr. WHITEHOUSE) introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation A BILL To establish the 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. DEFINITIONS. 6 In this Act: 7 (1) ADMINISTRATOR.—The term ‘‘Adminis- 8 trator’’ means the Under Secretary of Commerce for 9 Oceans and Atmosphere in the Under Secretary’s 10 VerDate Sep 11 2014 23:50 Jun 25, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S3939.IS S3939 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with BILLS 2 •S 3939 IS capacity as the Administrator of the National Oce- 1 anic and Atmospheric Administration. 2 (2) COASTAL BLUE CARBON ECOSYSTEMS.— 3 (A) IN GENERAL.—The term ‘‘coastal blue 4 carbon ecosystems’’ means vegetated coastal 5 habitats, including mangroves, tidal marshes, 6 seagrasses, kelp forests, and other tidal or salt- 7 water wetlands, that have the ability to seques- 8 ter carbon from the atmosphere, accumulate 9 carbon in biomass for years to decades, and 10 store carbon in soils for centuries to millennia. 11 (B) INCLUSIONS.—The term ‘‘coastal blue 12 carbon ecosystems’’ includes autochthonous car- 13 bon and allochthonous carbon. 14 (3) COASTAL CARBON DATA CLEARINGHOUSE.— 15 The term ‘‘Coastal Carbon Data Clearinghouse’’ 16 means the Coastal Carbon Data Clearinghouse oper- 17 ated by the Smithsonian Environmental Research 18 Center. 19 (4) INTERAGENCY WORKING GROUP.—The term 20 ‘‘Interagency Working Group’’ means the Inter- 21 agency Working Group on Coastal Blue Carbon es- 22 tablished under section 3(a). 23 (5) STATE.—The term ‘‘State’’ means each 24 State of the United States, the District of Columbia, 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 23:50 Jun 25, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S3939.IS S3939 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with BILLS 3 •S 3939 IS the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, American 1 Samoa, Guam, the Commonwealth of the Northern 2 Mariana Islands, the Virgin Islands of the United 3 States, and any other territory or possession of the 4 United States. 5 SEC. 3. INTERAGENCY WORKING GROUP ON COASTAL BLUE 6 CARBON. 7 (a) ESTABLISHMENT.—The Subcommittee on Ocean 8 Science and Technology of the National Science and Tech- 9 nology Council shall establish an interagency working 10 group, to be known as the ‘‘Interagency Working Group 11 on Coastal Blue Carbon’’. 12 (b) PURPOSES.—The Interagency Working Group 13 shall— 14 (1) oversee the development of a national map 15 of coastal blue carbon ecosystems; 16 (2) establish national restoration priorities for 17 coastal blue carbon ecosystems; 18 (3) assess the biophysical, social, and economic 19 impediments to restoration of coastal blue carbon 20 ecosystems; 21 (4) study the effects of climate change and en- 22 vironmental and human stressors on sequestration 23 rates; and 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 23:50 Jun 25, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S3939.IS S3939 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with BILLS 4 •S 3939 IS (5) preserve the continuity of coastal blue car- 1 bon data. 2 (c) MEMBERSHIP.—The Interagency Working Group 3 shall be comprised of senior representatives from— 4 (1) the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Ad- 5 ministration; 6 (2) the Environmental Protection Agency; 7 (3) the National Science Foundation; 8 (4) the National Aeronautics and Space Admin- 9 istration; 10 (5) the United States Geological Survey; 11 (6) the United States Fish and Wildlife Service; 12 (7) the National Park Service; 13 (8) the Bureau of Indian Affairs; 14 (9) the Smithsonian Institution; 15 (10) the Army Corps of Engineers; 16 (11) the Department of Agriculture; 17 (12) the Department of Energy; 18 (13) the Department of Defense; 19 (14) the Department of Transportation; and 20 (15) the Federal Emergency Management 21 Agency. 22 (d) CHAIRPERSON.—The Interagency Working 23 Group shall be chaired by the Administrator. 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 23:50 Jun 25, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S3939.IS S3939 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with BILLS 5 •S 3939 IS (e) RESPONSIBILITIES.—The Interagency Working 1 Group shall— 2 (1) oversee the development, updates, and 3 maintenance of a national map and inventory of 4 coastal blue carbon ecosystems, including habitat 5 types, with a regional focus in analysis that is usable 6 for local-level protection, planning, and restoration; 7 (2) develop a strategic assessment of the bio- 8 physical, social, statutory, regulatory, and economic 9 impediments to protection and restoration of coastal 10 blue carbon ecosystems; 11 (3) develop a national strategy for foundational 12 science necessary to study, synthesize, and evaluate 13 the effects of climate change and environmental and 14 human stressors on sequestration rates and capabili- 15 ties of coastal blue carbon ecosystems protection; 16 (4) establish national protection and restoration 17 priorities for coastal blue carbon ecosystems, includ- 18 ing an assessment of Federal funding being used for 19 restoration efforts; and 20 (5) ensure the continuity, use, and interoper- 21 ability of data assets through the Coastal Carbon 22 Data Clearinghouse. 23 (f) SUBMISSIONS TO CONGRESS.— 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 23:50 Jun 25, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00005 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S3939.IS S3939 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with BILLS 6 •S 3939 IS (1) REPORT.—Not later than 1 year after the 1 date of the enactment of this Act, the Interagency 2 Working Group shall submit to the Committee on 3 Commerce, Science, and Transportation of the Sen- 4 ate, the Committee on Science, Space, and Tech- 5 nology of the House of Representatives, and the 6 Committee on Natural Resources of the House of 7 Representatives a report containing the following: 8 (A) A summary of federally funded re- 9 search, monitoring, preservation, and restora- 10 tion activities relating to coastal blue carbon 11 ecosystems, including— 12 (i) the budget for each such activity; 13 and 14 (ii) a description of the progress made 15 by each such activity in advancing the na- 16 tional priorities established under section 17 5(a)(4)(A). 18 (B) An assessment of biophysical, social, 19 statutory, regulatory, and economic impedi- 20 ments to restoration of coastal blue carbon eco- 21 systems. 22 (2) STRATEGIC PLAN.— 23 (A) IN GENERAL.—The Interagency Work- 24 ing Group shall create a strategic plan for Fed- 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 23:50 Jun 25, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00006 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S3939.IS S3939 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with BILLS 7 •S 3939 IS eral investments in basic research, development, 1 demonstration, long-term monitoring and stew- 2 ardship, and deployment of coastal blue carbon 3 ecosystem projects for the 5-year period begin- 4 ning on the date on which the first fiscal year 5 after the date on which the report is submitted 6 under paragraph (1) begins. 7 (B) ASSESSMENT.—The plan shall include 8 an assessment of the use of Federal programs 9 existing as of the date of the enactment of this 10 Act to protect and preserve coastal blue carbon 11 ecosystems. 12 (C) TIMING.—The Interagency Working 13 Group shall— 14 (i) on a date that is not later than 1 15 year after the enactment of this Act and 16 not earlier than the date on which the re- 17 port is submitted under paragraph (1), 18 submit to the Committee on Commerce, 19 Science, and Transportation of the Senate, 20 the Committee on Science, Space, and 21 Technology of the House of Representa- 22 tives, and the Committee on Natural Re- 23 sources of the House of Representatives 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 23:50 Jun 25, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00007 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S3939.IS S3939 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with BILLS 8 •S 3939 IS the strategic plan under subparagraph (A); 1 and 2 (ii) submit a revised version of such 3 plan not less frequently than once every 5 4 years thereafter. 5 (D) FEDERAL REGISTER.—Not later than 6 90 days before the date on which the strategic 7 plan or any revised version of such plan is sub- 8 mitted under subparagraph (C), the Inter- 9 agency Working Group shall— 10 (i) publish such plan in the Federal 11 Register; and 12 (ii) provide an opportunity for submis- 13 sion of public comments for a period of not 14 less than 60 days. 15 SEC. 4. NATIONAL MAP AND INVENTORY OF COASTAL BLUE 16 CARBON ECOSYSTEMS. 17 (a) IN GENERAL.—The Interagency Working Group 18 shall produce, update, and maintain a national-level map 19 and inventory of coastal blue carbon ecosystems, includ- 20 ing— 21 (1) the types of habitats and species in such 22 ecosystems; 23 VerDate Sep 11 2014 23:50 Jun 25, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00008 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S3939.IS S3939 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with BILLS 9 •S 3939 IS (2) the condition of such habitats, including 1 whether a habitat is degraded, drained, eutrophic, or 2 tidally restricted; 3 (3) the size of such ecosystems; 4 (4) the salinity boundaries of such ecosystems; 5 (5) the tidal boundaries of such ecosystems; 6 (6) an assessment of carbon sequestration po- 7 tential, methane production, and net greenhouse gas 8 reductions with respect to such ecosystems; 9 (7) an assessment of cobenefits of ecosystem 10 and carbon sequestration; 11 (8) the potential for landward migration as a 12 result of sea level rise; 13 (9) any upstream restrictions detrimental to the 14 watershed process and conditions such as dams, 15 dikes, and levees; 16 (10) the conversion of such ecosystems to other 17 land uses and the cause of such conversion; and 18 (11) a depiction of the effects of climate 19 change, including sea level rise, environmental 20 stressors, and human stressors on the sequestration 21 rate, carbon storage, and potential of such eco- 22 systems. 23 (b) DATA INCORPORATION; ENGAGEMENT.—In car- 24 rying out subsection (a), the Administrator shall— 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 23:50 Jun 25, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00009 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S3939.IS S3939 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with BILLS 10 •S 3939 IS (1) incorporate, to the extent practicable, exist- 1 ing data, as determined on the date of enactment of 2 this Act, collected through federally funded research 3 by a Federal agency, State agency, Tribe, or local 4 agency, including data collected from— 5 (A) the Coastal Change Analysis Program 6 of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Ad- 7 ministration; 8 (B) the National Wetlands Inventory of 9 the United States Fish and Wildlife Service; 10 (C) the Landcarbon program of the United 11 States Geological Survey; and 12 (D) the National Coastal Blue Carbon As- 13 sessment of the Department of Agriculture; and 14 (2) engage regional technical experts in order to 15 accurately account for regional differences in coastal 16 blue carbon ecosystems. 17 (c) USE OF MAP AND INVENTORY.—The Interagency 18 Working Group shall use the national map and inventory 19 produced under subsection (a)— 20 (1) to assess the carbon sequestration potential 21 of different coastal blue carbon ecosystems and ac- 22 count for any regional differences; 23 VerDate Sep 11 2014 00:16 Jun 30, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00010 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S3939.IS S3939 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with BILLS 11 •S 3939 IS (2) to assess and quantify emissions from de- 1 graded and destroyed coastal blue carbon eco- 2 systems; 3 (3) to develop regional assessments and to pro- 4 vide technical assistance to— 5 (A) regional, State, Tribal, and local gov- 6 ernment agencies; and 7 (B) regional information coordination enti- 8 ties (as defined in section 12303(6) of the Inte- 9 grated Coastal and Ocean Observation System 10 Act of 2009 (33 U.S.C. 3602)); 11 (4) to assess degraded coastal blue carbon eco- 12 systems and the potential for restoration of such 13 ecosystems, including developing scenario modeling 14 to identify vulnerable land areas where management, 15 protection, and restoration efforts should be focused; 16 and 17 (5) to produce predictions relating to coastal 18 blue carbon ecosystems and carbon sequestration 19 rates in the context of climate change, environmental 20 stressors, and human stressors. 21 SEC. 5. RESTORATION OF AND PROTECTIONS FOR EXIST- 22 ING COASTAL BLUE CARBON ECOSYSTEMS. 23 (a) IN GENERAL.—The Administrator shall— 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 23:50 Jun 25, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00011 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S3939.IS S3939 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with BILLS 12 •S 3939 IS (1) lead the Interagency Working Group in im- 1 plementing the strategic plan under section 3(f)(2); 2 (2) coordinate monitoring and research efforts 3 among Federal agencies in cooperation with State, 4 Tribal, and local governments, international part- 5 ners, and nongovernmental organizations; 6 (3) assess the feasibility and potential of— 7 (A) establishing a national goal of con- 8 serving at least 30 percent of the ocean and 9 coastal blue carbon ecosystems within the terri- 10 tory of the United States by 2030, including 11 the effects of climate change and sea level rise 12 on such goal; and 13 (B) as appropriate, setting targets for res- 14 toration of degraded coastal blue carbon eco- 15 systems; 16 (4) in coordination with the Interagency Work- 17 ing Group, and as informed by the report under sec- 18 tion 3(f)(1), identify— 19 (A) national protection and restoration pri- 20 orities for coastal blue carbon ecosystems that 21 would produce the highest rate of carbon se- 22 questration and greatest ecosystem benefits, 23 such as flood protection, soil and beach reten- 24 tion, erosion reduction, biodiversity, water puri- 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 23:50 Jun 25, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00012 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S3939.IS S3939 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with BILLS 13 •S 3939 IS fication, and nutrient cycling, in the context of 1 other environmental stressors and climate 2 change; and 3 (B) ways to improve coordination and to 4 prevent unnecessary duplication of effort among 5 Federal agencies and departments with respect 6 to research on coastal blue carbon ecosystems 7 through existing and new coastal management 8 networks; and 9 (5) in coordination with State, Tribal, and local 10 governments and coastal stakeholders, develop inte- 11 grated pilot programs to restore degraded coastal 12 blue c [Text truncated for display. 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