Ocean Regional Opportunity and Innovation Act of 2023

I 118TH CONGRESS 1ST SESSION H. R. 3873 To establish Ocean Innovation Clusters to strengthen the coastal communities and ocean economy of the United States through technological research and development, job training, and cross-sector partnerships, and for other purposes. IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES JUNE 6, 2023 Ms. PINGREE (for herself, Ms. SALAZAR, Mr. HUFFMAN, Ms. BARRAGA´N, Mr. KILMER, Ms. BROWN, and Mr. COURTNEY) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Natural Resources, and in addi- tion to the Committees on Transportation and Infrastructure, Science, Space, and Technology, and Financial Services, for a period to be subse- quently 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 Ocean Innovation Clusters to strengthen the coastal communities and ocean economy of the United States through technological research and development, job training, and cross-sector partnerships, 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 ‘‘Ocean Regional Oppor- 4 tunity and Innovation Act of 2023’’. 5 VerDate Sep 11 2014 00:14 Jun 27, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H3873.IH H3873 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 2 •HR 3873 IH SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS. 1 In this Act: 2 (1) BLUE ECONOMY.—The term ‘‘Blue Econ- 3 omy’’ means the value and impact of sustainable in- 4 dustries related to the Great Lakes, oceans, bays, es- 5 tuaries, and coasts on the economy of the United 6 States, including living resources, marine construc- 7 tion, marine transportation, offshore energy develop- 8 ment and siting including for renewable energy, off- 9 shore mineral production, ship and boat building, 10 tourism, recreation, subsistence, commercial, rec- 11 reational, and charter fishing, seafood processing, 12 and other fishery-related businesses, kelp and shell- 13 fish aquaculture, coastal resilience, and other indus- 14 tries the Secretary of Commerce considers appro- 15 priate. 16 (2) DIRECTOR OF SEA GRANT.—The term ‘‘Di- 17 rector of Sea Grant’’ means the Director of the Na- 18 tional Sea Grant College Program appointed under 19 section 204(d)(1) of the National Sea Grant College 20 Program Act (33 U.S.C. 1123(d)(1)). 21 (3) INDIAN TRIBE.—The term ‘‘Indian Tribe’’ 22 has the meaning given the term in section 4 of the 23 Indian Self-Determination and Education Assistance 24 Act (25 U.S.C. 5304). 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 00:14 Jun 27, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H3873.IH H3873 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 3 •HR 3873 IH (4) NATIVE HAWAIIAN ORGANIZATION.—The 1 term ‘‘Native Hawaiian organization’’ has the mean- 2 ing given the term in section 6207 of the Native Ha- 3 waiian Education Act (20 U.S.C. 7517). 4 (5) OCEAN INNOVATION CENTER FOR CROSS- 5 SECTOR COLLABORATION.—The term ‘‘Ocean Inno- 6 vation Center for Cross-Sector Collaboration’’ means 7 a physical space for collaboration developed and 8 managed in accordance with section 3(i). 9 (6) OCEAN INNOVATION CLUSTER.—The term 10 ‘‘Ocean Innovation Cluster’’ means an eligible entity 11 designated by the Secretary of Commerce under sec- 12 tion 3. 13 SEC. 3. OCEAN INNOVATION CLUSTERS. 14 (a) DESIGNATION.—Not later than 1 year after the 15 date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Com- 16 merce, in consultation with the Director of Sea Grant, the 17 Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Oceans and Atmos- 18 phere, and the Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Eco- 19 nomic Development, shall designate not fewer than 7 eligi- 20 ble entities as Ocean Innovation Clusters. 21 (b) ELIGIBLE ENTITIES.—For purposes of this sec- 22 tion, an eligible entity is an entity— 23 (1) that is composed, in a concentrated geo- 24 graphic region, of 1 or more— 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 00:14 Jun 27, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H3873.IH H3873 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 4 •HR 3873 IH (A) business organizations; 1 (B) academic institutions, including 2 minority- and Tribal-serving institutions; 3 (C) not-for-profit organizations; 4 (D) Federal, State, or local governmental 5 entities, agencies, or instrumentalities; 6 (E) Indian Tribes; or 7 (F) Native Hawaiian organizations; 8 (2) that is led by a not-for-profit organization; 9 and 10 (3) that works to deliver services in the con- 11 centrated geographic region where the entity is lo- 12 cated, enhance collaboration, promote innovation, 13 and contribute to the equitable and sustainable 14 growth of the Blue Economy across all sectors. 15 (c) PRIORITY.—In designating entities as Ocean In- 16 novation Clusters under subsection (a), the Secretary of 17 Commerce shall prioritize entities with a history of sup- 18 porting cross-sector growth and development of the Blue 19 Economy. 20 (d) GEOGRAPHIC DIVERSITY.—The Secretary of 21 Commerce shall designate not fewer than 1 Ocean Innova- 22 tion Cluster under subsection (a) in— 23 VerDate Sep 11 2014 00:14 Jun 27, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H3873.IH H3873 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 5 •HR 3873 IH (1) each of the regions covered by the 5 re- 1 gional offices of the National Marine Fisheries Serv- 2 ice; 3 (2) the Great Lakes region; and 4 (3) the Gulf of Mexico region. 5 (e) CONSIDERATIONS.—In designating an eligible en- 6 tity as an Ocean Innovation Cluster under subsection (a), 7 the Secretary of Commerce shall consider the following: 8 (1) The economic development potential of the 9 coastal community or region in which the entity is 10 located. 11 (2) The ability of the entity to incorporate and 12 bring growth and opportunity to broad geographic 13 areas, including urban, rural, and underserved areas. 14 (3) Whether the entity serves a diverse, 15 multigenerational, ocean-dependent population con- 16 sisting of groups with different socioeconomic and 17 educational attainment levels, industries, and Indian 18 Tribes. 19 (4) The ability of the entity to cultivate and le- 20 verage partnerships with private industry, academia, 21 nongovernmental organizations, Federal, State, and 22 local governments, and Indian Tribes to collaborate 23 on shared outcomes. 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 00:14 Jun 27, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00005 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H3873.IH H3873 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 6 •HR 3873 IH (5) The relative potential for the designation of 1 the entity as an Ocean Innovation Cluster to reverse 2 a decline, or accelerate growth, in ocean sector jobs. 3 (6) The ability of the entity to carry out 4 projects that support economic and climate resilience 5 through economic diversification and long-term re- 6 covery from natural disasters. 7 (7) The extent, rural and underserved nature, 8 and economic underutilization of the coastline and 9 ocean area that projects carried out by the entity 10 could affect. 11 (f) PARTNERSHIP MANAGEMENT.— 12 (1) PARTNERSHIP LIAISONS.— 13 (A) DESIGNATION.—The Director of Sea 14 Grant, the Assistant Secretary of Commerce for 15 Oceans and Atmosphere, and the Assistant Sec- 16 retary of Commerce for Economic Development 17 shall each designate 1 partnership manager 18 from within their respective agencies to serve as 19 a partnership liaison between each Ocean Inno- 20 vation Cluster and Sea Grant, the National 21 Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and 22 the Economic Development Administration, re- 23 spectively. 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 00:14 Jun 27, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00006 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H3873.IH H3873 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 7 •HR 3873 IH (B) FUNCTION.—Each partnership liaison 1 designated under subparagraph (A) shall ensure 2 that Ocean Innovation Clusters— 3 (i) have direct communication with 4 the agency of the liaison; and 5 (ii) allow for collaboration and align- 6 ment with Federal objectives in each re- 7 gion regarding the Blue Economy. 8 (2) INTERAGENCY COORDINATION.— 9 (A) SECRETARY OF COMMERCE AND PART- 10 NERSHIP LIAISONS.—The Secretary of Com- 11 merce shall coordinate with the Director of Sea 12 Grant, the Assistant Secretary of Commerce for 13 Oceans and Atmosphere, the Assistant Sec- 14 retary of Commerce for Economic Development, 15 the Department of Energy, the Maritime Ad- 16 ministration of the Department of Transpor- 17 tation, the Environmental Protection Agency, 18 the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management of 19 the Department of the Interior, the Department 20 of Agriculture, the Coast Guard, and such other 21 Federal agencies, including bureaus of the De- 22 partment of Commerce, as the Secretary of 23 Commerce considers appropriate to increase 24 technical knowledge exchange and opportunities 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 00:14 Jun 27, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00007 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H3873.IH H3873 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 8 •HR 3873 IH for cross-sector collaboration with those agen- 1 cies. 2 (B) SECRETARY OF ENERGY.—With re- 3 spect to matters relating to the nexus of the 4 Blue Economy and the responsibilities and ex- 5 pertise of the Department of Energy, the Sec- 6 retary of Energy— 7 (i) shall provide advice and rec- 8 ommendations to the Secretary of Com- 9 merce in order to increase technical knowl- 10 edge exchange and opportunities for cross- 11 sector collaboration; and 12 (ii) may provide such advice and rec- 13 ommendations without any formal request 14 from the Department of Commerce. 15 (g) DEVELOPMENT OF ECONOMIC IMPACT METRICS 16 OF OCEAN INNOVATION CLUSTERS.—The Administrator 17 of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, 18 the Director of the Bureau of Economic Analysis of the 19 Department of Commerce, and the heads of other relevant 20 Federal agencies shall use and refine the Marine Economy 21 Satellite Account to measure the value to and impact of 22 Ocean Innovation Clusters on the Blue Economy. 23 (h) AREAS OF FOCUS.—The Director of Sea Grant, 24 the Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Oceans and At- 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 00:14 Jun 27, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00008 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H3873.IH H3873 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 9 •HR 3873 IH mosphere, and the Assistant Secretary of Commerce for 1 Economic Development shall coordinate with each Ocean 2 Innovation Cluster in the following areas of focus: 3 (1) Increasing pathways for new entrants into 4 the Blue Economy for individuals and entities. 5 (2) Intellectual property management. 6 (3) Enhancing the sustainability of seafood sup- 7 ply chains, including with respect to food, transpor- 8 tation, processing, health and beauty products, ani- 9 mal feed, medical biotechnology, bioplastics, biofuels, 10 and other value-added products, to strive for full use 11 of harvested natural resources. 12 (4) Providing significant and sustainable eco- 13 nomic opportunity through advanced research, cross- 14 sector science, and technology development. 15 (5) Contributing new knowledge, processes, 16 technology, and support for stakeholders in the Blue 17 Economy, especially to advance sustainability in spe- 18 cific sectors. 19 (6) Working with Federal, State, local, and 20 Tribal agencies to clearly communicate laws, regula- 21 tions, and agency practices affecting industry needs, 22 planning, or growth opportunities. 23 (7) Creating investable opportunities through 24 the development of economies of scale to enhance 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 00:14 Jun 27, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00009 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H3873.IH H3873 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 10 •HR 3873 IH growth opportunities, job creation, sustainability, 1 and expansion for small businesses within the Blue 2 Economy. 3 (8) Workforce development and training, busi- 4 ness planning, identifying existing and needed tech- 5 nology and economic infrastructure, and coordinated 6 research and development among small businesses, 7 government, and industry. 8 (9) Research, development, and implementation 9 of ocean energy, bioprospecting, and other innovative 10 and sustainable ocean resource development endeav- 11 ors. 12 (i) OCEAN INNOVATION CENTERS FOR CROSS-SEC- 13 TOR COLLABORATION.— 14 (1) IN GENERAL.—In order to foster collabora- 15 tion and innovation and strengthen regional ocean 16 sector economies while creating employment oppor- 17 tunities, the Director of Sea Grant, the Assistant 18 Secretary of Commerce for Oceans and Atmosphere, 19 and the Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Eco- 20 nomic Development shall collaborate with cross-sec- 21 tor partners to jointly develop or designate at least 22 1 physical space for collaboration as an Ocean Inno- 23 vation Center for Cross-Sector Collaboration within 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 00:14 Jun 27, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00010 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H3873.IH H3873 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 11 •HR 3873 IH each of the 7 regions with an Ocean Innovation 1 Cluster. 2 (2) MANAGEMENT.—An Ocean Innovation Clus- 3 ter or a group of Ocean Innovation Clusters shall 4 manage the Ocean Innovation Center for Cross-Sec- 5 tor Collaboration of the region in which the Cluster 6 or Clusters is located. 7 (3) FUNCTIONS.—Each Ocean Innovation Cen- 8 ter for Cross-Sector Collaboration shall— 9 (A) serve as a hub for partners within 10 Ocean Innovation Clusters to work toward the 11 areas of focus in described in subsection (h); 12 (B) support a community of entrepreneurs 13 focused on strengthening vibrant marine-de- 14 pendent communities and the Blue Economy; 15 (C) create workspaces and laboratories de- 16 signed to promote collaboration, including 17 through shared meeting rooms, access to tech- 18 nology, common spaces, and offices; 19 (D) strengthen relationships among indus- 20 try sectors through shared scientific, staffing, 21 and business resources; 22 (E) develop the critical networks with 23 cross-sector partners that entrepreneurs need to 24 grow effectively; and 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 00:14 Jun 27, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00011 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H3873.IH H3873 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 12 •HR 3873 IH (F) develop the next generation of Blue 1 Economy workers by providing internships, ap- 2 prenticeships, or training, as appropriate, in- 3 cluding for underrepresented and Tribal com- 4 munities and local trade schools. 5 SEC. 4. GRANTS FOR OCEAN INNOVATION CLUSTERS. 6 The Stevenson-Wydler Technology Innovation Act of 7 1980 (15 U.S.C. 3701 et seq.) is amended by adding at 8 the end the following: 9 ‘‘SEC. 31. GRANTS FOR OCEAN INNOVATION CLUSTERS. 10 [Text truncated for display. Full text available on Congress.gov.]