Federal Ocean Acidification Research And Monitoring Act of 2008 or FOARAM Act - (Sec. 3) Defines "ocean acidification," for this Act, as the decrease in pH of the Earth's oceans and changes in ocean chemistry caused by chemical inputs from the atmosphere, including carbon dioxide.
(Sec. 4) Requires that the Joint Subcommittee on Ocean Science and Technology of the National Science and Technology Council: (1) coordinate federal activities on ocean acidification; (2) report biennially to specified congressional committees; (3) transmit the strategic research plan developed under this Act to those committees; and (4) submit a revised plan at least once every five years.
(Sec. 5) Requires the Subcommittee to develop a strategic plan for federal ocean acidification research and monitoring that provides for an assessment of ocean acidification impacts on marine organisms and ecosystems and the development of adaptation and mitigation strategies to conserve marine organisms and ecosystems. Directs the Secretary of Commerce, through the administrator of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), to enter into an agreement with the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) to review the plan.
(Sec. 6) Directs the Secretary to conduct research and monitoring and authorizes the Secretary to establish an ocean acidification program in NOAA consistent with the strategic research plan, including: (1) providing grants for critical research projects exploring the effects of ocean acidification on ecosystems and the socioeconomic impacts of increased ocean acidification that are relevant to the plan's goals and priorities; and (2) incorporating a competitive merit-based process for awarding grants that may be conducted jointly with other participating agencies or under the National Oceanographic Partnership Program.
(Sec. 7) Requires the NSF director to continue to carry out ocean acidification research supporting competitive, merit-based, peer-reviewed proposals for research and monitoring of ocean acidification and its impacts.
(Sec. 8) Requires the administrator of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) to ensure that space-based monitoring assets are used in as productive a manner as possible for monitoring of ocean acidification and its impacts.
(Sec. 9) Authorizes appropriations to NOAA and to NASA to carry out this Act.
[Congressional Bills 110th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 4174 Introduced in House (IH)]
110th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. R. 4174
To establish an interagency committee to develop an ocean acidification
research and monitoring plan and to establish an ocean acidification
program within the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
November 14, 2007
Mr. Allen (for himself, Mr. Inslee, Mr. Gilchrest, Mr. Baird, Mr.
Ehlers, Ms. Bordallo, Mr. Holt, Mr. Olver, Mr. Delahunt, Mr. Klein of
Florida, Mr. Ruppersberger, and Mrs. Christensen) introduced the
following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Science and
Technology
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To establish an interagency committee to develop an ocean acidification
research and monitoring plan and to establish an ocean acidification
program within the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE; TABLE OF CONTENTS.
(a) Short Title.--This Act may be cited as the ``Federal Ocean
Acidification Research And Monitoring Act of 2007'' or the ``FOARAM
Act''.
(b) Table of Contents.--The table of contents for this Act is as
follows:
Sec. 1. Short title; table of contents.
Sec. 2. Findings and purposes.
Sec. 3. Interagency Committee on Ocean Acidification.
Sec. 4. Strategic research and implementation plan.
Sec. 5. NOAA ocean acidification program.
Sec. 6. Definitions.
Sec. 7. Authorization of appropriations.
SEC. 2. FINDINGS AND PURPOSES.
(a) Findings.--The Congress finds the following:
(1) The oceans help mitigate the effects of global warming
by absorbing atmospheric carbon dioxide. About a third of
anthropogenic carbon dioxide is currently absorbed by the
ocean.
(2) The rapid increase in atmospheric carbon dioxide due to
human induced carbon dioxide emissions is overwhelming the
natural ability of the oceans to cope with this increase.
(3) The emission of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere is
changing surface ocean carbon chemistry and lowering the pH.
These changes in ocean chemistry are detrimental to organisms
including corals, which support one of the richest habitats on
Earth, marine shells, and many other organisms that form the
base of the food chain for many fish and marine mammals.
(4) The rich biodiversity of marine organisms is an
important contribution to the national economy and the change
in ocean chemistry threatens tourism, our fisheries, and marine
environmental quality, and could result in significant social
and economic costs.
(5) Existing Federal programs support research in related
ocean chemistry, but gaps in funding, coordination, and
outreach have impeded national progress in addressing ocean
acidification.
(6) National investment in a coordinated program of
research and monitoring would improve the understanding of
ocean acidification effects on whole ecosystems, advance our
knowledge of the socioeconomic impacts of increased ocean
acidification, and strengthen the ability of marine resource
managers to assess and prepare for the harmful impacts of ocean
acidification on our marine resources.
(b) Purposes.--The purposes of this Act are to provide for--
(1) development and coordination of a comprehensive
interagency plan to monitor and conduct research on the
processes and consequences of ocean acidification on marine
organisms and ecosystems and to establish an ocean
acidification program within the National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration;
(2) assessment and consideration of regional and national
ecosystem and socioeconomic impacts of increased ocean
acidification, and integration into marine resource decisions;
and
(3) research on adaptation strategies and techniques for
effectively conserving marine ecosystems as they cope with
increased ocean acidification.
SEC. 3. INTERAGENCY COMMITTEE ON OCEAN ACIDIFICATION.
(a) Establishment.--
(1) In general.--There is hereby established an Interagency
Committee on Ocean Acidification.
(2) Membership.--The Committee shall be comprised of senior
representatives from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration, the National Science Foundation, the National
Aeronautics and Space Administration, the United States
Geological Survey, the United States Fish and Wildlife Service,
the Environmental Protection Agency, the Department of Energy,
and such other Federal agencies as the Secretary considers
appropriate.
(3) Chairman.--The Committee shall be chaired by the
representative from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration. The chairman may create subcommittees chaired
by any member agency of the committee. Working groups may be
formed by the full Committee to address issues that may require
more specialized expertise than is provided by existing
subcommittees, or to receive advice, input, or comments from
the academic community and other relevant stakeholders.
(b) Purpose.--The Committee shall oversee the planning,
establishment, and coordination of a plan designed to improve the
understanding of the role of increased ocean acidification on marine
ecosystems and to identify and develop through research adaptation
strategies and techniques to effectively conserve marine ecosystems as
they cope with increased ocean acidification.
(c) Reports to Congress.--
(1) Strategic research and implementation plan.--The
Committee shall submit the strategic research and
implementation plan established under section 4 to the
Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation of the
Senate and the Committee on Science and Technology of the House
of Representatives not later than 18 months after the date of
enactment of this Act.
(2) Triennial report.--Not later than 2 years after the
date of the enactment of this Act and every 3 years thereafter,
the Committee shall transmit a report to the Committee on
Commerce, Science, and Transportation of the Senate and the
Committee on Science and Technology of the House of
Representatives that includes--
(A) a summary of federally funded ocean
acidification research and monitoring activities,
including the budget for each of these activities; and
(B) an analysis of the progress made toward
achieving the goals and priorities for the interagency
research plan developed by the Committee under section
4 and recommendations for future activities, including
policy recommendations developed as part of this
research.
SEC. 4. STRATEGIC RESEARCH AND IMPLEMENTATION PLAN.
(a) In General.--Within 18 months after the date of enactment of
this Act, the Committee shall develop a strategic research and
implementation plan for coordinated Federal activities. In developing
the plan, the Committee shall consider and use reports and studies
conducted by Federal agencies and departments, the National Research
Council, the Ocean Research and Resources Advisory Panel, the Joint
Subcommittee on Ocean, Science, and Technology and the Climate Change
Science Program of the National Science and Technology Council, the
Joint Ocean Commission Initiative, and other expert scientific bodies.
(b) Scope.--The plan shall--
(1) provide for interdisciplinary research among the ocean
sciences, and coordinated research and activities to improve
understanding of ocean acidification that will affect marine
ecosystems and to assess the potential and realized
socioeconomic impact of ocean acidification, including--
(A) effects of atmospheric carbon dioxide on ocean
chemistry;
(B) biological impacts of ocean acidification,
including research on--
(i) commercially and recreationally
important species;
(ii) protected or endangered or threatened
species;
(iii) ecologically important calcifiers
that lie at the base of the food chain; and
(iv) physiological consequences of ocean
acidification for ocean-dwelling organisms;
(C) identification and assessment of ecosystems
most at risk from projected changes in ocean chemistry
including--
(i) coastal ecosystems, including coral
reef ecosystems;
(ii) deep sea coral ecosystems; and
(iii) polar and subpolar ecosystems;
(D) modeling the effects of changing carbon system
chemistry, including ecosystem forecasting;
(E) identifying feedback mechanisms resulting from
ocean chemistry changes and decreases in calcification
rates of organisms;
(F) socioeconomic impacts of ocean acidification;
and
(G) identifying interactions between ocean
acidification and other oceanic changes associated with
climate change, including changes in sea temperature,
ocean circulation, terrestrial runoff, and other
changes;
(2) establish, for the 10-year period beginning in the year
it is submitted, goals, priorities, and guidelines for
coordinated research activities that will--
(A) most effectively advance scientific
understanding of the characteristics and impacts of
ocean acidification;
(B) provide forecasts of ocean acidification and
the consequent impacts on marine ecosystems; and
(C) provide research that could serve as a basis
for policy decisions to reduce and manage ocean
acidification and its environmental impacts;
(3) provide an estimate of Federal funding requirements for
research and monitoring activities; and
(4) identify and strengthen relevant programs and
activities of the Federal agencies and departments that would
contribute to accomplishing the goals of the plan and prevent
unnecessary duplication of efforts, including making
recommendations for the use of observing systems and
technological research and development.
SEC. 5. NOAA OCEAN ACIDIFICATION PROGRAM.
(a) In General.--The Secretary shall establish and maintain an
ocean acidification program within the National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration to implement activities consistent with the strategic
research and implementation plan developed by the Committee under
section 4 that--
(1) includes--
(A) interdisciplinary research among the ocean and
atmospheric sciences, and coordinated research and
activities to improve understanding of ocean
acidification;
(B) the establishment of a long-term monitoring
program of ocean acidification utilizing existing
global and national ocean observing assets, and adding
instrumentation and sampling stations as appropriate to
the aims of the research program;
(C) research to identify and develop adaptation
strategies and techniques for effectively conserving
marine ecosystems as they cope with increased ocean
acidification;
(D) as an integral part of the research programs
described in this Act, educational opportunities that
encourage an interdisciplinary and international
approach to exploring the impacts of ocean
acidification;
(E) as an integral part of the research programs
described in this Act, national public outreach
activities to improve the understanding of current
scientific knowledge of ocean acidification and its
impacts on marine resources; and
(F) coordination of ocean acidification monitoring
and impacts research with other appropriate
international ocean science bodies such as the
International Oceanographic Commission, the
International Council for the Exploration of the Sea,
the North Pacific Marine Science Organization, and
others;
(2) provides grants for critical research projects that
explore the effects of ocean acidification on ecosystems and
the socioeconomic impacts of increased ocean acidification that
are relevant to the goals and priorities of the strategic
research plan; and
(3) incorporates a competitive merit-based grant process
that may be conducted jointly with other participating agencies
or under the National Oceanographic Partnership Program under
section 7901 of title 10, United States Code.
(b) Additional Authority.--In conducting the Program, the Secretary
may enter into and perform such contracts, leases, grants, or
cooperative agreements as may be necessary to carry out the purposes of
this Act on such terms as the Secretary deems appropriate.
SEC. 6. DEFINITIONS.
In this Act:
(1) Committee.--The term ``Committee'' means the
Interagency Committee on Ocean Acidification established by
section 3(a).
(2) Ocean acidification.--The term ``ocean acidification''
means the decrease in pH of the Earth's oceans caused by
chemical inputs from the atmosphere, including anthropogenic
carbon dioxide.
(3) Program.--The term ``Program'' means the National
Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Ocean Acidification
Program established under section 5.
(4) Secretary.--The term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary
of Commerce, acting through the Administrator of the National
Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
SEC. 7. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.
(a) In General.--There are authorized to be appropriated to the
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to carry out the
purposes of this Act--
(1) $6,000,000 for fiscal year 2009;
(2) $8,000,000 for fiscal year 2010;
(3) $11,000,000 for fiscal year 2011; and
(4) $30,000,000 for fiscal year 2012 and each fiscal year
thereafter.
(b) Allocation.--
(1) Of the amounts made available to carry out this Act for
a fiscal year, the Secretary shall allocate at least 60 percent
to other departments and agencies to carry out the priorities
of the plan developed by the Committee.
(2) Of the amounts made available to carry out this Act for
any fiscal year, the Secretary, and other departments and
agencies to which amounts are allocated under paragraph (1),
shall allocate at least 50 percent for competitive grants.
<all>
Introduced in House
Introduced in House
Referred to the House Committee on Science and Technology.
Referred to the Subcommittee on Energy and Environment.
Subcommittee Hearings Held.
Subcommittee Consideration and Mark-up Session Held.
Forwarded by Subcommittee to Full Committee by Voice Vote .
Committee Consideration and Mark-up Session Held.
Ordered to be Reported (Amended) by Voice Vote.
Reported (Amended) by the Committee on Science and Technology. H. Rept. 110-749.
Reported (Amended) by the Committee on Science and Technology. H. Rept. 110-749.
Placed on the Union Calendar, Calendar No. 475.
Mr. Baird moved to suspend the rules and pass the bill, as amended.
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Considered under suspension of the rules. (consideration: CR H6261-6266)
DEBATE - The House proceeded with forty minutes of debate on H.R. 4174.
Passed/agreed to in House: On motion to suspend the rules and pass the bill, as amended Agreed to by voice vote.(text: CR H6261-6263)
On motion to suspend the rules and pass the bill, as amended Agreed to by voice vote. (text: CR H6261-6263)
Motion to reconsider laid on the table Agreed to without objection.
Received in the Senate. Read twice. Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders. Calendar No. 873.