[Congressional Bills 108th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 831 Introduced in Senate (IS)]
108th CONGRESS
1st Session
S. 831
To establish programs to enhance protection of the Chesapeake Bay, and
for other purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
April 9, 2003
Mr. Sarbanes (for himself, Mr. Warner, Mr. Allen, and Ms. Mikulski)
introduced the following bill; which was read twice and
referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and
TransportationYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To establish programs to enhance protection of the Chesapeake Bay, 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 ``NOAA Chesapeake Bay Watershed
Education, Training, and Restoration Act''.
SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS.
In this Act:
(1) Center.--The term ``Center'' means the Coastal
Prediction Center for the Chesapeake Bay established under
paragraph (1) of section 3(a).
(2) Chesapeake 2000 agreement.--The term ``Chesapeake 2000
agreement'' means the agreement between the United States, the
States of Maryland, Pennsylvania, and Virginia, and the
District of Columbia entered into on June 28, 2000.
(3) Chesapeake executive council.--The term ``Chesapeake
Executive Council'' has the meaning given that term in
subsection (d) of section 307 of the National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration Authorization Act of 1992 (15 U.S.C.
1511d).
(4) Director.--The term ``Director'' means the Director of
the Chesapeake Bay Office appointed under paragraph (2) of
section 307(a) of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration Authorization Act of 1992 (15 U.S.C. 1511d).
(5) Eligible entity.--The term ``eligible entity'' means a
State government, an institution of higher education, including
a community college, a not-for-profit organization, or an
appropriate private entity.
(6) Chesapeake bay office.--The term ``Chesapeake Bay
Office'' means the Chesapeake Bay Office within the National
Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration established under
paragraph (1) of section 307(a) of the National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration Authorization Act of 1992 (15 U.S.C.
1511d).
SEC. 3. COASTAL PREDICTION CENTER.
(a) Establishment.--
(1) In general.--Not later than 1 year after the date of
enactment of this Act, the Director, in collaboration with
scientific institutions located in the Chesapeake Bay
watershed, shall establish a Coastal Prediction Center for the
Chesapeake Bay.
(2) Purposes.--The purposes of the Center established under
paragraph (1) are to serve as a knowledge bank for--
(A) assembling, integrating, and modeling coastal
information and data related to the Chesapeake Bay and
the tributaries of the Chesapeake Bay from appropriate
government agencies and scientific institutions;
(B) interpreting such information and data; and
(C) organizing such information and data into
predictive products that are useful to policy makers,
resource managers, scientists, and the public.
(b) Activities.--
(1) Information and prediction system.--The Center shall
develop an Internet-based information system for integrating,
interpreting, and disseminating coastal information and
predictions concerning the Chesapeake Bay and the tributaries
of the Chesapeake Bay related to--
(A) climate;
(B) land use;
(C) coastal pollution;
(D) coastal environmental quality;
(E) ecosystem health and performance;
(F) aquatic living resources and habitat
conditions; and
(G) weather, tides, currents, and circulation that
affect the distribution of sediments, nutrients, and
organisms, coastline erosion, and related physical and
chemical events.
(2) Agreements to provide data, information, and support.--
The Director may enter into agreements with other entities of
the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, other
appropriate Federal, State, and local government agencies, and
academic institutions, to provide and interpret data and
information, and provide appropriate support, relating to the
activities of the Center.
(3) Agreements relating to information products.--The
Director may enter into grants, contracts, and interagency
agreements with eligible entities for the collection,
processing, analysis, interpretation, and electronic
publication of information products for the Center.
SEC. 4. CHESAPEAKE BAY WATERSHED EDUCATION AND TRAINING PROGRAM.
(a) Establishment.--
(1) In general.--The Director, in cooperation with the
Chesapeake Executive Council, shall establish a Chesapeake Bay
watershed education and training program.
(2) Purposes.--The program established under paragraph (1)
shall continue and expand the Chesapeake Bay watershed
education programs offered by the Chesapeake Bay Office for the
purposes of--
(A) improving the understanding of elementary and
secondary school students and teachers of the living
resources of the ecosystem of the Chesapeake Bay; and
(B) meeting the educational goals of the Chesapeake
2000 agreement.
(b) Grant Program.--
(1) Authorization.--The Director is authorized to award
grants to pay the Federal share of the cost of a project
described in paragraph (3)--
(A) to a not-for-profit institution;
(B) to a consortia of not-for-profit institutions;
(C) to an elementary or secondary school located
within the Chesapeake Bay watershed;
(D) to a teacher at a school described in
subparagraph (C); or
(E) a State Department of Education if any part of
such State is within the Chesapeake Bay watershed.
(2) Criteria.--The Director is authorized to award grants
under this section based on the experience of the applicant in
providing environmental education and training projects
regarding the Chesapeake Bay watershed to a range of
participants and in a range of settings.
(3) Functions and activities.--Grants awarded under this
section may be used to support education and training projects
that--
(A) provide classroom education, including the use
of distance learning technologies, on the issues,
science, and problems of the living resources of the
Chesapeake Bay watershed;
(B) provide meaningful outdoor experience on the
Chesapeake Bay, or on a stream or in a local watershed
of the Chesapeake Bay, in the design and implementation
of field studies, monitoring and assessments, or
restoration techniques for living resources;
(C) provide professional development for teachers
related to the science of the Chesapeake Bay watershed
and the dissemination of pertinent education materials
oriented to varying grade levels;
(D) demonstrate or disseminate environmental
educational tools and materials related to the
Chesapeake Bay watershed;
(E) demonstrate field methods, practices, and
techniques including assessment of environmental and
ecological conditions and analysis of environmental
problems; and
(F) develop or disseminate projects designed to--
(i) enhance understanding and assessment of
a specific environmental problem in the
Chesapeake Bay watershed or of a goal of the Chesapeake Bay Program; or
(ii) protect or restore living resources of
the Chesapeake Bay watershed.
(4) Federal share.--The Federal share of the cost of a
project authorized under paragraph (1) shall not exceed 75
percent of the total cost of that project.
(c) Report.--Not later than December 31, 2006, the Director, in
consultation with the Chesapeake Executive Council, shall submit to
Congress a report through the Administrator of National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration regarding the program established under
subsection (a) and, on the appropriate role of Federal, State, and
local governments in continuing such program.
SEC. 5. STOCK ENHANCEMENT AND HABITAT RESTORATION PROGRAM.
(a) Establishment.--
(1) In general.--Not later than 1 year after the date of
enactment of this Act, the Director, in cooperation with the
Chesapeake Executive Council, shall establish a Chesapeake Bay
watershed stock enhancement and habitat restoration program.
(2) Purposes.--The purposes of the program established in
paragraph (1) are to support the restoration of oysters and
submerged aquatic vegetation in the Chesapeake Bay and enhance
education programs related to aquaculture.
(b) Activities.--To carry out the purpose of the program
established in paragraph (1) of subsection (a), the Director is
authorized to enter into grants, contracts, and cooperative agreements
with an eligible entity to support--
(1) the establishment of oyster hatcheries;
(2) the establishment of submerged aquatic vegetation
propagation programs;
(3) the development of education programs related to
aquaculture; and
(4) other activities that the Director determines are
appropriate to carry out the purposes of such program.
SEC. 6. CHESAPEAKE BAY AQUACULTURE EDUCATION.
The Director is authorized to make grants and enter into contracts
with an institution of higher education, including a community college,
for the purpose of--
(1) supporting education in Chesapeake Bay aquaculture
sciences and technologies; and
(2) developing aquaculture processes and technologies to
improve production, efficiency, and sustainability of disease
free oyster spat and submerged aquatic vegetation.
SEC. 7. SHALLOW WATER MONITORING PROGRAM.
(a) Establishment.--
(1) In general.--Not later than 1 year after the date of
enactment of this Act, the Director, in cooperation with the
Chesapeake Executive Council and scientific institutions
located in the Chesapeake Bay watershed, shall establish a
program to monitor shallow water throughout the Chesapeake Bay.
(2) Purpose.--The purpose of the program established in
paragraph (1) shall be to provide data on water quality
conditions necessary for restoration of living resources in
near-shore and tidal tributary areas of the Chesapeake Bay.
(b) Activities.--To carry out the purpose of the program
established in paragraph (1) of subsection (a), the Director is
authorized to carry out, or enter into grants, contracts, and
cooperative agreements with an eligible entity to carry out
activities--
(1) to collect, analyze, and disseminate scientific
information necessary for the management of living marine
resources and the marine habitat associated with such
resources;
(2) to interpret the information described in paragraph
(1);
(3) to organize the information described in paragraph (1)
into products that are useful to policy makers, resource
managers, scientists, and the public; or
(4) that will otherwise further the purpose of such
program.
SEC. 8. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.
(a) Chesapeake Bay Office.--Subsection (e) of section 307 of the
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Authorization Act of
1992 (15 U.S.C. 1511d) is amended--
(1) by striking ``$6,000,000'' and inserting
``$8,000,000''; and
(2) by striking ``2006'' and inserting ``2008''.
(b) Programs.--There is authorized to be appropriated the following
amounts to carry out the provisions of this Act:
(1) $500,000 for each of the fiscal years 2004 through 2008
to carry out the provisions of section 3.
(2) $6,000,000 for each of the fiscal years 2004 through
2008 to carry out the provisions of section 4.
(3) $7,000,000 for each of the fiscal years 2004 through
2008 to carry out the provisions of section 5.
(4) $1,000,000 for each of the fiscal years 2004 through
2008 to carry out the provisions of section 6.
(5) $3,000,000 for each of the fiscal years 2004 through
2008 to carry out the provisions of section 7.
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