[Congressional Bills 111th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 1224 Reported in Senate (RS)]
Calendar No. 272
111th CONGRESS
2d Session
S. 1224
[Report No. 111-126]
To reauthorize the Chesapeake Bay Office of the National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration, and for other purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
June 10, 2009
Mr. Warner (for himself, Ms. Mikulski, Mr. Cardin, and Mr. Webb)
introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the
Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation
February 23, 2010
Reported by Mr. Rockefeller, with an amendment
[Strike all after the enacting clause and insert the part printed in
italic]
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To reauthorize the Chesapeake Bay Office of the National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration, and for other purposes.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,
<DELETED>SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.</DELETED>
<DELETED> This Act may be cited as the ``Chesapeake Bay Science,
Education, and Ecosystem Enhancement Act of 2009''.</DELETED>
<DELETED>SEC. 2. REAUTHORIZATION OF CHESAPEAKE BAY OFFICE OF NATIONAL
OCEANIC AND ATMOSPHERIC ADMINISTRATION.</DELETED>
<DELETED> Section 307 of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration Authorization Act of 1992 (15 U.S.C. 1511d) is amended--
</DELETED>
<DELETED> (1) in subsection (a)--</DELETED>
<DELETED> (A) in paragraph (1)--</DELETED>
<DELETED> (i) by striking ``(1) The
Secretary'' and inserting the
following:</DELETED>
<DELETED> ``(1) In general.--The Secretary''; and</DELETED>
<DELETED> (ii) by striking ``(in this
section'' and all that follows and inserting a
period;</DELETED>
<DELETED> (B) by amending paragraph (2) to read as
follows:</DELETED>
<DELETED> ``(2) Director.--</DELETED>
<DELETED> ``(A) In general.--The Office shall be
headed by a Director who shall be selected by the
Secretary of Commerce from among individuals who have
knowledge and experience in research or resource
management efforts in the Chesapeake Bay.</DELETED>
<DELETED> ``(B) Duties.--The duties of the Director
are as follows:</DELETED>
<DELETED> ``(i) Administration and operation
of the Office.</DELETED>
<DELETED> ``(ii) Carrying out the provisions
of this section.''; and</DELETED>
<DELETED> (C) by striking paragraph (3);</DELETED>
<DELETED> (2) in subsection (b)--</DELETED>
<DELETED> (A) by striking the matter preceding
paragraph (1) and inserting the following:</DELETED>
<DELETED> ``(b) Purpose.--The purpose of this section is to focus
the relevant science, research, and resource management capabilities of
the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration as they apply to
the Chesapeake Bay and to utilize the Office to--'';</DELETED>
<DELETED> (B) in paragraph (2), by striking
``Secretary of Commerce'' and inserting
``Administrator'';</DELETED>
<DELETED> (C) in paragraph (3)--</DELETED>
<DELETED> (i) by striking the matter
preceding subparagraph (A) and inserting the
following:</DELETED>
<DELETED> ``(3) coordinate with the programs and activities
of the various organizations within the National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration in furtherance of such
administration's coastal resource stewardship mission,
including--'';</DELETED>
<DELETED> (ii) in subparagraph (A)--
</DELETED>
<DELETED> (I) in clause (vi), by
striking ``; and'' and inserting a
semicolon; and</DELETED>
<DELETED> (II) by inserting after
clause (vii) the following:</DELETED>
<DELETED> ``(viii) coastal hazards and
climate change; and''; and</DELETED>
<DELETED> (iii) in subparagraph (B)--
</DELETED>
<DELETED> (I) in clause (iii), by
striking ``; and'' and inserting a
semicolon;</DELETED>
<DELETED> (II) in clause (iv), by
adding ``and'' at the end;
and</DELETED>
<DELETED> (III) by adding at the end
the following:</DELETED>
<DELETED> ``(v) integrated ecosystem
assessments;'';</DELETED>
<DELETED> (D) in paragraph (4), by inserting before
the semicolon at the end the following: ``as
appropriate to further the purposes of this
section'';</DELETED>
<DELETED> (E) by striking paragraphs (5) and
(7);</DELETED>
<DELETED> (F) by redesignating paragraph (6) as
paragraph (5);</DELETED>
<DELETED> (G) in paragraph (5), as redesignated by
subparagraph (F), by adding ``and'' at the end;
and</DELETED>
<DELETED> (H) by adding at the end the
following:</DELETED>
<DELETED> ``(6) perform such functions as may be necessary
to support the programs referred to in paragraph (3)'';
and</DELETED>
<DELETED> (3) by striking subsection (c) and all that
follows through the end of the section and inserting the
following:</DELETED>
<DELETED> ``(c) Program Activities.--</DELETED>
<DELETED> ``(1) In general.--The Director shall implement
the program activities required by this subsection to support
the activity of the Chesapeake Executive Council and to further
the purposes of this section.</DELETED>
<DELETED> ``(2) Ensuring scientific and technical merit.--
The Director shall--</DELETED>
<DELETED> ``(A) establish and utilize an effective
and transparent mechanism to ensure that projects
funded under this section have undergone appropriate
peer review, using, to the extent practicable, the
capabilities of the Maryland and Virginia Sea Grant
Program;</DELETED>
<DELETED> ``(B) provide other appropriate means to
determine that such projects have acceptable scientific
and technical merit for the purpose of achieving
maximum utilization of available funds and resources to
benefit the Chesapeake Bay area; and</DELETED>
<DELETED> ``(C) ensure that all data and other
products generated by any project funded under this
section be provided to the Director.</DELETED>
<DELETED> ``(3) Consultation with chesapeake executive
council.--The Director shall, in the implementation of the
program activities authorized under this section, consult with
the Chesapeake Executive Council to ensure that the activities
of the Office are consistent with the purposes and priorities
of the Chesapeake Bay Agreement and plans developed pursuant to
the Agreement.</DELETED>
<DELETED> ``(4) Integrated coastal observations.--</DELETED>
<DELETED> ``(A) In general.--The Director shall
collaborate with scientific and academic institutions,
State and Federal agencies, nongovernmental
organizations, and other constituents in the Chesapeake
Bay watershed, to support the development of an
integrated observations system for the Chesapeake
Bay.</DELETED>
<DELETED> ``(B) Specific requirements.--To support
the system referred to in subparagraph (A) and provide
a complete set of environmental information for the
Chesapeake Bay, the Director shall--</DELETED>
<DELETED> ``(i) coordinate existing
monitoring and observing activities in the
Chesapeake Bay;</DELETED>
<DELETED> ``(ii) identify new data
collection needs and deploy new technologies,
as appropriate;</DELETED>
<DELETED> ``(iii) facilitate the collection
and analysis of the scientific information
necessary for the management of living marine
resources and the marine habitat associated
with such resources;</DELETED>
<DELETED> ``(iv) coordinate with regional
partners to manage and interpret the
information described in clause (iii);
and</DELETED>
<DELETED> ``(v) support regional partners to
ensure the information described in clause
(iii) is organized into products that are
useful to policy makers, resource managers,
scientists, and the public.</DELETED>
<DELETED> ``(C) Chesapeake bay interpretive buoy
system.--To further the development and implementation
of the Chesapeake Bay Interpretive Buoy System, the
Director shall--</DELETED>
<DELETED> ``(i) support the establishment
and implementation of the Captain John Smith
Chesapeake National Historic Trail;</DELETED>
<DELETED> ``(ii) delineate key waypoints
along the trail and provide appropriate real-
time data and information for trail
users;</DELETED>
<DELETED> ``(iii) interpret data and
information for use by educators and students
to inspire stewardship of Chesapeake Bay;
and</DELETED>
<DELETED> ``(iv) incorporate the Chesapeake
Bay Interpretive Buoy System into the
Integrated Ocean Observing System regional
network of observatories.</DELETED>
<DELETED> ``(5) Chesapeake bay watershed education and
training program.--</DELETED>
<DELETED> ``(A) In general.--The Director shall
establish a Chesapeake Bay watershed education and
training program. The program shall--</DELETED>
<DELETED> ``(i) continue and expand the
Chesapeake Bay watershed education programs
offered by the Office on the day before the
date of the enactment of the Chesapeake Bay
Science, Education, and Ecosystem Enhancement
Act of 2009;</DELETED>
<DELETED> ``(ii) improve the understanding
of elementary and secondary school students and
teachers of the living resources of the
ecosystem of the Chesapeake Bay;</DELETED>
<DELETED> ``(iii) provide community
education to improve watershed protection;
and</DELETED>
<DELETED> ``(iv) meet the educational goals
of the most recent Chesapeake Bay
Agreement.</DELETED>
<DELETED> ``(B) Grant program.--The Director may
award grants to support education and training projects
that enhance understanding and assessment of a specific
environmental problem in the Chesapeake Bay watershed
or a goal of the Chesapeake Bay Program, or protect or
restore living resources of the Chesapeake Bay
watershed, including projects that--</DELETED>
<DELETED> ``(i) provide classroom education,
including the development and use of distance
learning and other innovative technologies,
related to the Chesapeake Bay
watershed;</DELETED>
<DELETED> ``(ii) provide watershed
educational experiences in the Chesapeake Bay
watershed;</DELETED>
<DELETED> ``(iii) provide professional
development for teachers related to the
Chesapeake Bay watershed and the dissemination
of pertinent education materials oriented to
varying grade levels;</DELETED>
<DELETED> ``(iv) demonstrate or disseminate
environmental educational tools and materials
related to the Chesapeake Bay
watershed;</DELETED>
<DELETED> ``(v) demonstrate field methods,
practices, and techniques including assessment
of environmental and ecological conditions and
analysis of environmental problems;</DELETED>
<DELETED> ``(vi) build the capacity of
organizations to deliver high quality
environmental education programs; and</DELETED>
<DELETED> ``(vii) educate local land use
officials and decision makers on the
relationship of land use to natural resource
and watershed protection.</DELETED>
<DELETED> ``(C) Collaboration.--The Director shall
provide technical assistance to support the education
and training program established under subparagraph (A)
in collaboration with the heads of other relevant
Federal agencies.</DELETED>
<DELETED> ``(6) Coastal and living resources management and
habitat program.--</DELETED>
<DELETED> ``(A) In general.--The Director shall
establish a Chesapeake Bay coastal living resources
management and habitat program to support coordinated
management, protection, characterization, and
restoration of priority Chesapeake Bay habitats and
living resources, including oysters, blue crabs, and
submerged aquatic vegetation.</DELETED>
<DELETED> ``(B) Activities.--Under the program
required by subparagraph (A), the Director may, subject
to the availability of appropriations, carry out or
enter into grants, contracts, and cooperative
agreements and provide technical assistance to
support--</DELETED>
<DELETED> ``(i) native oyster
restoration;</DELETED>
<DELETED> ``(ii) fish and shellfish
aquaculture;</DELETED>
<DELETED> ``(iii) establishment of submerged
aquatic vegetation propagation
programs;</DELETED>
<DELETED> ``(iv) the development of programs
that protect and restore critical coastal
habitats;</DELETED>
<DELETED> ``(v) habitat mapping,
characterization, and assessment techniques
necessary to identify, assess, and monitor
restoration actions;</DELETED>
<DELETED> ``(vi) application and transfer of
applied scientific research and ecosystem
management tools to fisheries and habitat
managers;</DELETED>
<DELETED> ``(vii) collection, synthesis, and
sharing of information to inform and influence
coastal and living resource management issues;
and</DELETED>
<DELETED> ``(viii) such other activities as
the Director considers appropriate to carry out
the program established under subparagraph
(A).</DELETED>
<DELETED> ``(d) Reports.--</DELETED>
<DELETED> ``(1) In general.--The Director shall, not less
frequently than once every 2 years, submit to Congress a report
on--</DELETED>
<DELETED> ``(A) the activities of the Office;
and</DELETED>
<DELETED> ``(B) progress made in protecting and
restoring the living resources and habitat of the
Chesapeake Bay.</DELETED>
<DELETED> ``(2) Action plan.--Each report submitted under
paragraph (1) shall include an action plan for the 2-year
period following submission of the report, consisting of--
</DELETED>
<DELETED> ``(A) a list of recommended research,
monitoring, and data collection activities necessary to
continue implementation of the strategy under
subsection (b)(2); and</DELETED>
<DELETED> ``(B) recommendations to integrate the
activities of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration with the activities of the partners in
the Chesapeake Bay Program in order to meet the
commitments of the Chesapeake Bay Agreement.</DELETED>
<DELETED> ``(e) Agreements.--</DELETED>
<DELETED> ``(1) In general.--The Director may, subject to
the availability of appropriations, enter into and perform such
contracts, leases, grants, or cooperative agreements as may be
necessary to carry out the provisions of this
section.</DELETED>
<DELETED> ``(2) Use of other resources.--For purposes of
understanding, protecting, and restoring the Chesapeake Bay,
the Director may use, with or without reimbursement, the land,
services, equipment, personnel, and facilities of any
Department, agency, or instrumentality of the United States, or
of any State, local government, Indian tribal government, or of
any political subdivision thereof if the Director receives
consent from the Department, agency, instrumentality, State,
government, or political subdivision concerned for such
use.</DELETED>
<DELETED> ``(3) Donations.--The Director may accept
donations of funds, other property, and services for use in
understanding, protecting, and restoring the Chesapeake Bay.
Donations accepted under this section shall be considered as a
gift or bequest to or for the use of the United
States.</DELETED>
<DELETED> ``(f) Definitions.--In this section:</DELETED>
<DELETED> ``(1) Administrator.--The term `Administrator'
means the Administrator of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration.</DELETED>
<DELETED> ``(2) Chesapeake bay agreement.--The term
`Chesapeake Bay Agreement' means the formal, voluntary
agreements executed to achieve the goal of restoring and
protecting the Chesapeake Bay ecosystem and the living
resources of the Chesapeake Bay ecosystem and are signed by the
Chesapeake Executive Council.</DELETED>
<DELETED> ``(3) Chesapeake bay program.--The term
`Chesapeake Bay Program' means the regional Chesapeake Bay
restoration partnership that includes Maryland, Pennsylvania,
Virginia, the District of Columbia, the Chesapeake Bay
Commission, the Environmental Protection Agency, other
appropriate Federal agencies, and participating citizen and
local elected official advisory groups.</DELETED>
<DELETED> ``(4) Chesapeake executive council.--The term
`Chesapeake Executive Council' means the representatives from
the Commonwealth of Virginia, the State of Maryland, the
Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the Environmental Protection
Agency, the District of Columbia, and the Chesapeake Bay
Commission, who are signatories to the Chesapeake Bay
Agreement, and any future signatories to that
agreement.</DELETED>
<DELETED> ``(5) Director.--The term `Director' means the
Director of the Chesapeake Bay Office.</DELETED>
<DELETED> ``(6) Office.--The term `Office' means the
Chesapeake Bay Office established under subsection
(a).</DELETED>
<DELETED> ``(g) Authorization of Appropriations.--There is
authorized to be appropriated to the Secretary to carry out this
section--</DELETED>
<DELETED> ``(1) $17,000,000 for fiscal year 2011;</DELETED>
<DELETED> ``(2) $18,700,000 for fiscal year 2012;</DELETED>
<DELETED> ``(3) $20,570,000 for fiscal year 2013;
and</DELETED>
<DELETED> ``(4) $22,627,000 for fiscal year
2014.''.</DELETED>
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``Chesapeake Bay Science, Education,
and Ecosystem Enhancement Act of 2009''.
SEC. 2. REAUTHORIZATION OF CHESAPEAKE BAY OFFICE OF NATIONAL OCEANIC
AND ATMOSPHERIC ADMINISTRATION.
Section 307 of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
Authorization Act of 1992 (15 U.S.C. 1511d) is amended--
(1) in subsection (a)--
(A) in paragraph (1)--
(i) by striking ``(1) The Secretary'' and
inserting the following:
``(1) In general.--The Secretary''; and
(ii) by striking ``(in this section'' and
all that follows and inserting a period;
(B) by striking paragraph (2) and inserting the
following:
``(2) Director.--
``(A) In general.--The Office shall be headed by a
Director who shall be selected by the Secretary of
Commerce from among individuals who have knowledge and
experience in research or resource management efforts
in the Chesapeake Bay.
``(B) Duties.--The duties of the Director are as
follows:
``(i) Administration and operation of the
Office.
``(ii) Carrying out the provisions of this
section.''; and
(C) by striking paragraph (3);
(2) in subsection (b)--
(A) by striking the matter preceding paragraph (1)
and inserting the following:
``(b) Purpose.--The purpose of this section is to focus the
relevant science, research, and resource management capabilities of the
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration as they apply to the
Chesapeake Bay and to utilize the Office to--'';
(B) in paragraph (2), by striking ``Secretary of
Commerce'' and inserting ``Administrator'';
(C) in paragraph (3)--
(i) by striking the matter preceding
subparagraph (A) and inserting the following:
``(3) coordinate with the programs and activities of the
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration in furtherance
of its coastal and ocean resource stewardship mission,
including--'';
(ii) in subparagraph (A)--
(I) by striking ``and'' after the
semicolon in clauses (vi) and (vii);
and
(II) by inserting after clause
(vii) the following:
``(viii) coastal hazards, resilient coastal
communities, and climate change; and
``(ix) research, scientific assessment, and
adaptation to climate change; and''; and
(iii) in subparagraph (B)--
(I) in clause (iii), by striking
``; and'' and inserting a semicolon;
(II) in clause (iv), by adding
``and'' at the end; and
(III) by adding at the end the
following:
``(v) integrated ecosystem assessments;'';
(D) in paragraph (4), by inserting before the
semicolon at the end the following: ``as appropriate to
further the purposes of this section'';
(E) by striking paragraphs (5) and (7);
(F) by redesignating paragraph (6) as paragraph
(5); and
(G) by adding at the end the following:
``(6) perform such functions as may be necessary to support
the programs referred to in paragraph (3).''; and
(3) by striking subsection (c) and all that follows through
the end of the section and inserting the following:
``(c) Program Activities.--
``(1) In general.--The Director shall implement the program
activities required by this subsection to support the activity
of the Chesapeake Executive Council and to further the purposes
of this section.
``(2) Ensuring scientific and technical merit.--The
Director shall--
``(A) establish and utilize an effective and
transparent mechanism to ensure that projects funded
under this section have undergone appropriate peer
review, using, to the extent practicable, the
capabilities of the Maryland and Virginia Sea Grant
Program;
``(B) provide other appropriate means to determine
that such projects have acceptable scientific and
technical merit for the purpose of achieving maximum
utilization of available funds and resources to benefit
the Chesapeake Bay area; and
``(C) ensure that all data and other products
generated by any project funded under this section be
provided to the Director.
``(3) Consultation with chesapeake executive council.--The
Director shall, in the implementation of the program activities
authorized under this section, consult with the Chesapeake
Executive Council to ensure that the activities of the Office
are consistent with the purposes and priorities of the
Chesapeake Bay Agreement and plans developed pursuant to the
Agreement.
``(4) Integrated coastal observations and mapping.--
``(A) In general.--The Director shall collaborate
with scientific and academic institutions, State and
Federal agencies, nongovernmental organizations, and
other constituents in the Chesapeake Bay watershed, to
incorporate Chesapeake Bay observations into the U.S.
integrated Ocean Observation System, and to coordinate
coastal mapping requirements and projects.
``(B) Specific requirements.--To support the
actions described in subparagraph (A) and provide a
complete set of environmental information for the
Chesapeake Bay, the Director shall--
``(i) coordinate existing monitoring,
observing, and mapping activities in the
Chesapeake Bay;
``(ii) identify new data collection needs
and deploy new technologies, as appropriate;
``(iii) facilitate the collection and
analysis of the scientific information
necessary for the management of living marine
resources and the marine habitat associated
with such resources;
``(iv) coordinate with regional partners to
manage and interpret the information described
in clause (iii); and
``(v) support regional partners to ensure
the information described in clause (iii) is
organized into products that are useful to
policy makers, resource managers, scientists,
and the public.
``(C) Chesapeake bay interpretive buoy system.--To
further the development and implementation of the
Chesapeake Bay Interpretive Buoy System, the Director
shall--
``(i) support the establishment and
implementation of the Captain John Smith
Chesapeake National Historic Trail;
``(ii) delineate key waypoints along the
trail and provide appropriate real-time data
and information for trail users;
``(iii) interpret data and information for
use by educators and students to inspire
stewardship of Chesapeake Bay; and
``(iv) incorporate the Chesapeake Bay
Interpretive Buoy System into the Integrated
Ocean Observing System regional network of
observatories, in keeping with the purposes of
the Integrated Coastal and Ocean Observation
System Act of 2009 (33 U.S.C. 3601 et seq.).
``(5) Chesapeake bay watershed education and training
program.--
``(A) In general.--The Director shall establish a
Chesapeake Bay watershed education and training
program. The program shall--
``(i) continue and expand the Chesapeake
Bay watershed education programs offered by the
Office on the day before the date of the
enactment of the Chesapeake Bay Science,
Education, and Ecosystem Enhancement Act of
2009;
``(ii) improve the understanding of
elementary and secondary school students and
teachers of the living resources of the
ecosystem of the Chesapeake Bay;
``(iii) provide community education to
improve watershed protection; and
``(iv) meet the educational goals of the
most recent Chesapeake Bay Agreement.
``(B) Grant program.--The Director shall, subject
to the availability of appropriations, award grants to
support education and training projects that enhance
understanding and assessment of a specific
environmental problem in the Chesapeake Bay watershed
or a goal of the Chesapeake Bay Program, or protect or
restore living resources of the Chesapeake Bay
watershed, including projects that--
``(i) provide classroom education,
including the development and use of distance
learning and other innovative technologies,
related to the Chesapeake Bay watershed;
``(ii) provide watershed educational
experiences in the Chesapeake Bay watershed;
``(iii) provide professional development
for teachers related to the Chesapeake Bay
watershed and the dissemination of pertinent
education materials oriented to varying grade
levels;
``(iv) demonstrate or disseminate
environmental educational tools and materials
related to the Chesapeake Bay watershed;
``(v) demonstrate field methods, practices,
and techniques including assessment of
environmental and ecological conditions and
analysis of environmental problems;
``(vi) build the capacity of organizations
to deliver high quality environmental education
programs; and
``(vii) educate local land use officials
and decision makers on the relationship of land
use to natural resource and watershed
protection.
``(C) Collaboration.--The Director shall provide
technical assistance to support the education and
training program established under subparagraph (A) in
collaboration with the heads of other relevant Federal
agencies.
``(6) Coastal and living resources management and habitat
program.--
``(A) In general.--The Director shall establish a
Chesapeake Bay coastal living resources management and
habitat program to support coordinated management,
protection, characterization, and restoration of
priority Chesapeake Bay habitats and living resources,
including oysters, blue crabs, and submerged aquatic
vegetation.
``(B) Activities.--Under the program required by
subparagraph (A), the Director may, subject to the
availability of appropriations, carry out or enter into
grants, contracts, and cooperative agreements and
provide technical assistance to support--
``(i) native oyster restoration;
``(ii) fish and shellfish aquaculture;
``(iii) establishment of submerged aquatic
vegetation propagation programs;
``(iv) the development of programs that
protect and restore critical coastal habitats;
``(v) habitat mapping, characterization,
and assessment techniques necessary to
identify, assess, and monitor restoration
actions;
``(vi) application and transfer of applied
scientific research and ecosystem management
tools to fisheries and habitat managers;
``(vii) collection, synthesis, and sharing
of information to inform and influence coastal
and living resource management issues; and
``(viii) such other activities as the
Director considers appropriate to carry out the
program established under subparagraph (A).
``(d) Reports.--
``(1) In general.--The Director shall, not less frequently
than once every 2 years, submit to Congress a report on--
``(A) the activities of the Office; and
``(B) progress made in protecting and restoring the
living resources and habitat of the Chesapeake Bay.
``(2) Action plan.--Each report submitted under paragraph
(1) shall include an action plan for the 2-year period
following submission of the report, consisting of--
``(A) a list of recommended research, monitoring,
and data collection activities necessary to continue
implementation of the strategy under subsection (b)(2);
and
``(B) recommendations to integrate the activities
of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
with the activities of the partners in the Chesapeake
Bay Program in order to meet the commitments of the
Chesapeake Bay Agreement.
``(e) Agreements.--
``(1) In general.--The Director may, subject to the
availability of appropriations, enter into and perform such
contracts, leases, grants, or cooperative agreements as may be
necessary to carry out the provisions of this section.
``(2) Use of other resources.--For purposes of
understanding, protecting, and restoring the Chesapeake Bay,
the Director may use, with or without reimbursement, the land,
services, equipment, personnel, and facilities of any
Department, agency, or instrumentality of the United States, or
of any State, local government, Indian tribal government, or of
any political subdivision thereof if the Director receives
consent from the Department, agency, instrumentality, State,
government, or political subdivision concerned for such use.
``(3) Donations.--The Director may accept donations of
funds, other property, and services for use in understanding,
protecting, and restoring the Chesapeake Bay. Donations
accepted under this section shall be considered as a gift or
bequest to or for the use of the United States.
``(f) Definitions.--In this section:
``(1) Administrator.--The term `Administrator' means the
Administrator of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration.
``(2) Chesapeake bay agreement.--The term `Chesapeake Bay
Agreement' means the formal, voluntary agreements executed to
achieve the goal of restoring and protecting the Chesapeake Bay
ecosystem and the living resources of the Chesapeake Bay
ecosystem and are signed by the Chesapeake Executive Council.
``(3) Chesapeake bay program.--The term `Chesapeake Bay
Program' means the regional Chesapeake Bay restoration
partnership that includes Maryland, Pennsylvania, Virginia, the
District of Columbia, the Chesapeake Bay Commission, the
Environmental Protection Agency, other appropriate Federal
agencies, and participating citizen and local elected official
advisory groups.
``(4) Chesapeake executive council.--The term `Chesapeake
Executive Council' means the representatives from the
Commonwealth of Virginia, the State of Maryland, the
Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the Environmental Protection
Agency, the District of Columbia, and the Chesapeake Bay
Commission, who are signatories to the Chesapeake Bay
Agreement, and any future signatories to that agreement.
``(5) Director.--The term `Director' means the Director of
the Chesapeake Bay Office.
``(6) Office.--The term `Office' means the Chesapeake Bay
Office established under subsection (a).
``(g) Authorization of Appropriations.--There is authorized to be
appropriated to the Secretary to carry out this section--
``(1) $17,000,000 for fiscal year 2011;
``(2) $18,700,000 for fiscal year 2012;
``(3) $20,570,000 for fiscal year 2013; and
``(4) $22,627,000 for fiscal year 2014.''.
Calendar No. 272
111th CONGRESS
2d Session
S. 1224
[Report No. 111-126]
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To reauthorize the Chesapeake Bay Office of the National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration, and for other purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
February 23, 2010
Reported with an amendment