No official summary available for this bill.
[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 10292 Introduced in House (IH)]
<DOC>
118th CONGRESS
2d Session
H. R. 10292
To require the Secretary of Commerce to produce distribution maps for
certain species of whales, and for other purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
December 4, 2024
Ms. Matsui (for herself, Ms. Malliotakis, Mr. Huffman, and Mr.
Buchanan) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the
Committee on Natural Resources
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To require the Secretary of Commerce to produce distribution maps for
certain species of whales, and for other purposes.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``Whale Conservation Habitat Analysis,
Research, and Technical Strategies Act of 2024'' or ``Whale CHARTS Act
of 2024''.
SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS.
In this Act:
(1) Baleen whale.--The term ``baleen whale'' means each
species within the suborder Mysticeti.
(2) Marine mammal commission.--The term ``Marine Mammal
Commission'' means the Marine Mammal Commission established by
section 201(a) of the Marine Mammal Protection Act of 1972 (16
U.S.C. 1401(a)).
(3) Secretary.--The term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary
of Commerce, acting through the Administrator of the National
Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
(4) Sperm whale.--The term ``sperm whale'' means the
species Physeter macrocephalus.
(5) Waters under the jurisdiction of the united states.--
The term ``waters under the jurisdiction of the United States''
has the meaning given the term in section 3 of the Marine
Mammal Protection Act of 1972 (16 U.S.C. 1362).
SEC. 3. DISTRIBUTION MAPPING OF CERTAIN SPECIES OF WHALES.
(a) In General.--The Secretary, in consultation with the Marine
Mammal Commission, shall produce for stocks, populations, or species,
as the Secretary determines appropriate, of baleen whale and sperm
whale within waters under the jurisdiction of the United States--
(1) distribution maps of high accuracy and spatial and
temporal resolution; and
(2) predictive distribution maps of high accuracy and
spatial and temporal resolution that take into account expected
future environmental conditions.
(b) Duties.--In carrying out subsection (a), the Secretary--
(1) shall--
(A) use the best scientific information available;
(B) conduct or support, including through grants or
other financial assistance, research to fill knowledge
gaps, which may include--
(i) developing novel sources of data, such
as passive acoustic monitoring or detection
through satellite and drone imagery; and
(ii) developing innovative methodologies to
combine different sources of whale detection
data and to improve marine mammal distribution
and habitat modeling;
(C) include in each map produced under such
subsection, as applicable--
(i) calving grounds;
(ii) feeding grounds;
(iii) migration routes; and
(iv) other habitat uses;
(D) as needed, use current and novel sources of
data, such as passive acoustic monitoring and detection
through satellite or drone imagery;
(E) make each map produced under such subsection
available--
(i) through--
(I) electronic and machine readable
formats that can be integrated into on-
board vessel navigation systems,
including--
(aa) electronic
navigational products of the
National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration, as
appropriate;
(bb) an online platform for
the general public; and
(cc) in coordination with
the Commandant of the Coast
Guard, carriage requirements
set by the Commandant of the
Coast Guard for commercial or
recreational vessels;
(II) in coordination with the
Commandant of the Coast Guard, other
formats not specified under subclause
(I) that may be required in carriage
requirements set by the Commandant of
the Coast Guard for commercial or
recreational vessels, as appropriate;
and
(III) other formats the Secretary
determines appropriate; and
(ii) to other entities that produce
products or publications included in the
carriage requirements set by the Commandant of
the Coast Guard for commercial or recreational
vessels, as appropriate; and
(F) require the heads of the National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration line offices to coordinate
the work of such offices, as needed; and
(2) may, in making use of amounts appropriated to carry out
this section pursuant to section 7 and in consultation with the
Marine Mammal Commission, determine--
(A) which stocks, populations, or species of baleen
whale and sperm whale to prioritize; and
(B) whether to prioritize the collection and
aggregation of new data or the processing, analysis,
aggregation and modeling of existing data.
SEC. 4. UNDERSTUDIED SPECIES SURVEYS.
(a) In General.--The Secretary, in consultation with the Marine
Mammal Commission, shall conduct surveys specific to understudied
stocks, populations, or species, as the Secretary determines
appropriate, of baleen whale within waters under the jurisdiction of
the United States to estimate the abundance and distribution of each
such stock, population, or species.
(b) Duties.--In carrying out subsection (a), the Secretary--
(1) shall--
(A) include in each map produced under such
subsection, as applicable, potential--
(i) calving grounds;
(ii) feeding grounds;
(iii) migration routes; and
(iv) other habitat uses; and
(B) as needed, use current and novel sources of
data; and
(2) may--
(A) as the Secretary determines appropriate,
collect opportunistic data on other marine species; and
(B) in making use of amounts appropriated to carry
out this section pursuant to section 7 and in
consultation with the Marine Mammal Commission,
determine which stocks, populations, or species of
baleen whale to prioritize.
SEC. 5. REPORT.
Not later than 2 years after the date of the enactment of this Act,
and every 3 years thereafter, the Secretary, in consultation with the
Marine Mammal Commission, shall submit to Congress and make available
to the public a report regarding--
(1) activities carried out under sections 3 and 4;
(2) knowledge gaps identified in carrying out section 3;
and
(3) progress made in filling knowledge gaps identified in
carrying out section 3.
SEC. 6. EFFECT ON AND OF OTHER ACTIONS.
The Secretary--
(1) shall carry out sections 3, 4, and 5 notwithstanding
any ongoing rulemakings; and
(2) may not delay any action, order, or rulemaking because
of the requirements of this Act.
SEC. 7. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.
(a) In General.--There are authorized to be appropriated to the
Secretary for each of fiscal years 2025 through 2029--
(1) to carry out section 3, $2,000,000; and
(2) to carry out section 4, $1,000,000.
(b) Additional Sources of Funding.--Subject to the availability of
appropriations, the Secretary may coordinate with the Secretary of
Defense, the Secretary of the Interior, and the head of any other
Federal agency for any additional sources of funding to carry out
sections 3 and 4.
<all>
Introduced in House
Introduced in House
Referred to the House Committee on Natural Resources.
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