[Congressional Bills 111th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 1562 Reported in Senate (RS)]
Calendar No. 401
111th CONGRESS
2d Session
S. 1562
[Report No. 111-193]
To provide for a study and report on research on the United States
Arctic Ocean and for other purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
August 3, 2009
Mr. Begich introduced the following bill; which was read twice and
referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation
May 24, 2010
Reported by Mr. Rockefeller, with an amendment
[Strike all after the enacting clause and insert the part printed in
italic]
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To provide for a study and report on research on the United States
Arctic Ocean 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 ``Arctic Ocean Research and
Science Policy Review Act of 2009''.</DELETED>
<DELETED>SEC. 2. FINDINGS.</DELETED>
<DELETED> Congress finds the following:</DELETED>
<DELETED> (1) The United States is an Arctic nation with--
</DELETED>
<DELETED> (A) an approximately 700-mile border with
the Arctic Ocean;</DELETED>
<DELETED> (B) more than 100,000,000 acres of land
above the Arctic Circle; and</DELETED>
<DELETED> (C) an even broader area defined as Arctic
by temperature which includes the Bering Sea and
Aleutian Islands.</DELETED>
<DELETED> (2) The Arctic region of the United States--
</DELETED>
<DELETED> (A) is home to an indigenous population
which has subsisted for millennia on the abundance in
marine mammals, fish, and wildlife, many of which are
unique to the region;</DELETED>
<DELETED> (B) is known to the indigenous population
as Inuvikput or the ``place where we live'';
and</DELETED>
<DELETED> (C) has produced more than 16,000,000,000
barrels of oil and, according to the United States
Geological Survey, may hold an additional
30,000,000,000 barrels of oil and 220,000,000,000,000
cubic feet of natural gas, making the region of
fundamental importance to the national interest of the
United States.</DELETED>
<DELETED> (3) Temperatures in the United States Arctic
region have warmed by 3 to 4 degrees Celsius over the past
half-century, a rate of increase that is twice the global
average.</DELETED>
<DELETED> (4) The Arctic ice pack is rapidly diminishing and
thinning, and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration estimates the Arctic Ocean may be ice free
during summer months in as few as 30 years.</DELETED>
<DELETED> (5) Such changes to the Arctic region are having a
significant impact on the indigenous people of the Arctic,
their communities and ecosystems, as well as the marine
mammals, fish, and wildlife upon which they depend.</DELETED>
<DELETED> (6) Such changes are opening new portions of the
United States Arctic continental shelf to possible development
for offshore oil and gas, commercial fishing, marine shipping,
and tourism.</DELETED>
<DELETED> (7) Existing Federal research and science advisory
programs focused on the environmental and socioeconomic impacts
of a changing Arctic Ocean lack a cohesive, coordinated, and
integrated approach and are not adequately coordinated with
State, local, and private sector Arctic Ocean research
programs.</DELETED>
<DELETED> (8) The lack of research integration and synthesis
of findings of Arctic Ocean research has impeded the progress
of the United States and international community in
understanding climate change impacts and feedback mechanisms in
the Arctic Ocean.</DELETED>
<DELETED> (9) An improved scientific understanding of the
changing Arctic Ocean is critical to the development of
appropriate and effective regional, national, and global
climate change adaptation strategies.</DELETED>
<DELETED>SEC. 3. UNITED STATES ARCTIC OCEAN DEFINED.</DELETED>
<DELETED> In this Act, the term ``United States Arctic Ocean'' means
the United States zone of the Chukchi and Beaufort seas north of Cape
Prince of Wales, Alaska.</DELETED>
<DELETED>SEC. 4. STUDY OF THE UNITED STATES ARCTIC OCEAN.</DELETED>
<DELETED> (a) Study.--Not later than 120 days after the date of the
enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Commerce shall request that the
National Research Council conduct a study on the existing research and
research advisory entities of the United States Arctic Ocean. Such
study shall--</DELETED>
<DELETED> (1) include a review of the breadth, relationship,
and overlap of existing research programs and research advisory
entities engaged in or advising on United States Arctic Ocean
research, including research related to any coastal or
atmospheric research of United States Arctic Ocean, including
the operating budgets of such entities;</DELETED>
<DELETED> (2) assess the gaps in the research and research
programs referred to in paragraph (1) and in the coordination,
integration, and synthesis of research activities and research
data;</DELETED>
<DELETED> (3) assess existing scientific information and
identify additional information necessary, including local and
traditional knowledge, to ensure adequate Federal agency
environmental reviews;</DELETED>
<DELETED> (4) recommend a comprehensive strategy--</DELETED>
<DELETED> (A) to develop priorities for, and
coordination, integration, and synthesis of, research
and monitoring carried out on United States Arctic
Ocean; and</DELETED>
<DELETED> (B) to coordinate and integrate such
research with pan-Arctic research; and</DELETED>
<DELETED> (5) provide a comprehensive, 10- to 20-year long-
range United States Arctic Ocean research and monitoring plan
with applied emphasis on climate impacts, adaption, including
response to coastal inundation issues, resource management,
ecosystem function, marine transportation, pollution, ocean
acidification, and coastal and offshore oil and gas
development, including cold water oil spill response and marine
mammal noise issues.</DELETED>
<DELETED> (b) Coordination.--The Secretary of Commerce shall consult
with the heads of other agencies and departments of the United States
with appropriate Arctic science expertise or regulatory
responsibilities in preparing the specifications for the study
requested under subsection (a).</DELETED>
<DELETED>SEC. 5. REPORTS TO CONGRESS.</DELETED>
<DELETED> (a) Requirement for Report.--Not later than 18 months
after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Commerce
shall submit to Congress a report on the study described in section
4(a). Such report shall include--</DELETED>
<DELETED> (1) a description of the findings of such
study;</DELETED>
<DELETED> (2) the recommendations of the National Research
Council to improve the coordination, integration, and synthesis
of current Arctic research activities and research data;
and</DELETED>
<DELETED> (3) a prioritized and scalable research plan for
the United States Arctic Ocean that is arranged thematically
and includes budget estimates for research under such
plan.</DELETED>
<DELETED> (b) Interim Reports.--Not less frequently than once every
180-day period until the report described in subsection (a) is
submitted, the Secretary of Commerce shall submit to Congress a report
on the progress made to carry out the study described in section
4(a).</DELETED>
<DELETED>SEC. 6. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.</DELETED>
<DELETED> There is authorized to be appropriated to the
Administrator of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
$2,000,000 for fiscal year 2010 to carry out this Act.</DELETED>
TITLE I--ARCTIC OCEAN RESEARCH
SEC. 101. SHORT TITLE.
This title may be cited as the ``Arctic Ocean Research and Science
Policy Review Act of 2009''.
SEC. 102. FINDINGS.
Congress finds the following:
(1) The United States is an Arctic nation with--
(A) an approximately 700-mile border with the
Arctic Ocean;
(B) more than 100,000,000 acres of land above the
Arctic Circle; and
(C) an even broader area defined as Arctic by
temperature which includes the Bering Sea and Aleutian
Islands.
(2) The Arctic region of the United States--
(A) is home to an indigenous population which has
subsisted for millennia on the abundance in marine
mammals, fish, and wildlife, many of which are unique
to the region;
(B) is known to the indigenous population as
Inuvikput or the `place where we live'; and
(C) has produced more than 16,000,000,000 barrels
of oil and, according to the United States Geological
Survey, may hold an additional 30,000,000,000 barrels
of oil and 220,000,000,000,000 cubic feet of natural
gas, making the region of fundamental importance to the
national interest of the United States.
(3) The Arctic Sea ice cover is rapidly diminishing and
thinning, and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration estimates the Arctic Ocean may be ice free
during summer months in as few as 30 years.
(4) Such changes to the Arctic region are having a
significant impact on the indigenous people of the Arctic,
their communities and ecosystems, as well as the marine
mammals, fish, and wildlife upon which they depend.
(5) Such changes are opening new portions of the United
States Arctic continental shelf to possible development for
offshore oil and gas, commercial fishing, marine shipping, and
tourism.
(6) Existing Federal research and science advisory programs
focused on the environmental and socioeconomic impacts of a
changing Arctic Ocean lack a cohesive, coordinated, and
integrated approach and are not adequately coordinated with
State, local, and private sector Arctic Ocean research
programs.
(7) The lack of research integration and synthesis of
findings of Arctic Ocean research has impeded the progress of
the United States and international community in understanding
climate change impacts and feedback mechanisms in the Arctic
Ocean.
(8) An improved scientific understanding of the changing
Arctic Ocean and its influence on, and feedbacks with, the
atmosphere and coasts is critical to the development of
appropriate and effective regional, national, and global
climate change adaptation strategies.
SEC. 103. UNITED STATES ARCTIC OCEAN DEFINED.
In this title, the term ``United States Arctic Ocean'' means the
United States zone of the Chukchi and Beaufort seas north of Cape
Prince of Wales, Alaska, and adjacent marine environments.
SEC. 104. STUDY OF THE UNITED STATES ARCTIC OCEAN.
(a) Study.-- Not later than 120 days after the date of the
enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Commerce shall request that the
National Research Council conduct a study on the existing research and
research advisory entities of the United States Arctic Ocean. Such
study shall--
(1) include a review of the breadth, relationship, and
overlap of existing research programs and research advisory
entities engaged in or advising on United States Arctic Ocean
research, including research related to any coastal or
atmospheric research of United States Arctic Ocean, including
the operating budgets of such entities;
(2) assess the gaps in the research and research programs
referred to in paragraph (1) and in the coordination,
integration, and synthesis of research activities and research
data, including gaps in infrastructure and a common Arctic
scientific database;
(3) assess existing scientific information and identify
additional information necessary, including local and
traditional knowledge, to improve the scientific basis for
Federal agency environmental reviews; and
(4) provide a comprehensive plan--
(A) for 10- to 20-year long-range U.S. Arctic Ocean
research and monitoring with applied emphasis on
climate impacts, including potentially enhanced
emissions of methane and other greenhouse gases,
adaptation, including response to coastal inundation
and erosion issues, resource management, ecosystem
function, marine transportation, pollution, ocean
acidification, and coastal and offshore oil and gas
development, including oil spill response in cold water
and waters that contain sea ice, and the potential
impacts of anthropogenic sound on marine mammals and on
the peoples that rely on them for subsistence, and any
other information identified as necessary under
subsection (a)(3);
(B) for coordination, integration, and synthesis of
research and monitoring carried out on U.S. Arctic
Ocean and coastal areas, along with priorities for
research and monitoring; and
(C) for coordination and integration of such
research with pan-Arctic research, particularly that
pertaining to atmosphere and coasts.
(b) Coordination.--The Secretary of Commerce shall consult with the
heads of other agencies and departments of the United States with
appropriate Arctic science expertise or regulatory responsibilities in
preparing the specifications for the study requested under subsection
(a).
(c) Evaluation.--The Secretary of Commerce shall evaluate the
National Research Council study and develop a long-term strategy to
implement, as appropriate, its recommendations, including necessary
funding. The strategy should be designed to ensure the study's
recommendations are integrated into existing agency research and
science advisory programs to the extent practicable.
SEC. 105. REPORTS TO CONGRESS.
(a) Requirement for Report.--Not later than 18 months after the
date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Commerce shall
submit to Congress a report on the study described in section 104(a).
the report shall include--
(1) a description of the findings of such study;
(2) the recommendations of the National Research Council to
improve the coordination, integration, and synthesis of current
Arctic ocean and coastal research activities and research data;
and
(3) a prioritized and scalable research plan for the United
States Arctic Ocean that is arranged thematically and includes
budget estimates for research under such plan.
(b) Interim Reports.--Not less frequently than once every 180-day
period until the report described in subsection (a) is submitted, the
Secretary of Commerce shall submit to Congress a report on the progress
made to carry out the study described in section 104(a).
SEC. 106. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.
There are authorized to be appropriated to the Administrator of the
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration $2,000,000 for fiscal
year 2010 to carry out this title.
TITLE II--BLACK CARBON
SEC. 201. SHORT TITLE.
This title may be cited as the ``Black Carbon and Other Aerosols
Research Act of 2009''.
SEC. 202. PURPOSES.
The purposes of this title are--
(1) to develop a monitoring and research plan--
(A) to identify natural and anthropogenic sources
of black carbon and other aerosols and to monitor their
atmospheric and deposited concentrations on both a
temporal and a spatial scale;
(B) to measure, monitor, model, and assess black
carbon and other aerosols in regard to their
atmospheric concentrations and deposited forms--
(i) to establish how these substances
impact regional- and global-scale climate and
air quality;
(ii) to determine their regional impacts,
with a focus on the polar regions and other
snow and ice covered areas; and
(iii) to estimate, in the United States and
globally, spatial and temporal black carbon and
other aerosol concentrations, and deposition
trends in collaboration with the National
Institute of Standards and Technology and other
appropriate partners; and
(C) to develop models to assist policy makers and
to increase understanding of--
(i) the transport and transformation of
black carbon and other aerosols to improve
knowledge of their distributions and climate-
forcing properties; and
(ii) the individual and combined roles of
black carbon and other aerosols on regional and
global climate on both a temporal and a spatial
scale; and
(2) to establish a black carbon and other aerosols
monitoring and research program within the National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration.
SEC. 203. DEFINITIONS.
In this title:
(1) Administrator.--The term ``Administrator'' means the
Administrator of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration.
(2) Black carbon.--The term ``black carbon'' means the
strongly light absorbing aerosol that--
(A) is composed of fine particles containing carbon
produced by the incomplete combustion of fossil fuels,
biofuel, and biomass and other activities; and
(B) exists in both atmospheric and deposited forms.
(3) Other aerosols.--The term ``other aerosols'' means the
components of atmospheric aerosols, fine particles suspended in
air, including inorganic, organic, dust, and carbonaceous
substances, either separately or in combination.
SEC. 204. BLACK CARBON AND OTHER AEROSOLS MONITORING AND RESEARCH PLAN.
(a) In General.--The Administrator shall develop an observation,
monitoring, modeling, and research plan for black carbon and other
aerosols in support of the United States Global Change Research Program
that includes--
(1) analysis of gaps in scientific methods and research
on--
(A) black carbon and other aerosols; and
(B) the effect of black carbon, both singly and in
combination with other factors, on climate and air
quality on both a regional and a global scale; and
(2) identification of priorities for Federal research on
black carbon and other aerosols necessary to understand their
role on climate and air quality on both a regional and a global
scale;
(3) a framework for--
(A) the temporal and spatial effects of black
carbon and other aerosols on climate, both singly and
in combination, on regional and global scales and
processes;
(B) the transportation and transformation of black
carbon and other aerosols to gain insight into their
distribution and climate-forcing properties; and
(C) the influence of black carbon on clouds and
cloud particles to understand and quantify their role
in large-scale circulation and the hydrologic cycle;
(4) appropriate methods that--
(A) identify sources of black carbon and other
aerosols, both anthropogenic and naturally occurring,
and
(B) measure, monitor, and increase understanding of
the atmospheric concentrations and properties as well
as the deposited forms,
on both a temporal and a spatial scale;
(5) a comparative evaluation of the global and regional
climate-forcing properties of black carbon and other aerosols
and their effect on regional and global climate and the loss of
Arctic sea ice; and
(6) observation systems, needs, and assets necessary to
develop and implement a black carbon and other aerosols
monitoring and research program within the National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration.
(b) Advisory Panel.--The Administrator shall establish a Black
Carbon and Other Aerosols Advisory Panel to assist in the development
and implementation of the plan.
(c) Report.--No later than 270 days after the date of enactment of
this Act, the Administrator shall submit a report to the Senate
Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation and the House of
Representatives Committee on Science and Technology describing the plan
required by subsection (a).
SEC. 205. BLACK CARBON AND OTHER AEROSOLS RESEARCH AND MONITORING
PROGRAM.
(a) In General.--The Administrator shall establish and maintain a
black carbon and other aerosols monitoring and research program that
combines observations, research, monitoring, modeling, and other
activities within the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration,
consistent with the plan required by section 204(a), and in support of
the United States Global Change Research Program, that includes--
(1) coordinated monitoring and research activities to
improve understanding of the sources, atmospheric
concentrations, deposited forms, and interactions among black
carbon and other aerosols that influence their contribution to
climate processes on both a regional and a global scale;
(2) strategic modeling activities that improve
understanding of--
(A) the transportation and transformation of
aerosols, to improve knowledge of their distributions
and climate-forcing properties; and
(B) the separate and combined roles of black carbon
and other aerosols in regional and global climate and
air quality, on regional, global and temporal scales,
to improve understanding of these substances and their
roles on climate;
(3) educational opportunities that--
(A) encourage an interdisciplinary and
international approach to exploring the associated
sources and impacts of black carbon and other aerosols;
and
(B) increase interactions between the measurement
and modeling communities in order to optimize use of
available data;
(4) public outreach activities that improve understanding
of the current scientific knowledge of black carbon and other
aerosols and their impact on climate;
(5) coordination of black carbon and other aerosols
monitoring research with the National Institute of Standards
and Technology and other appropriate international and national
government agencies, private entities, and others; and
(6) an assessment of the role black carbon and other
aerosols have in regional and global climate and air quality.
(b) Grant Program.--
(1) In general.--The Administrator shall establish a grant
program to provide grants for critical research and projects
that improve the ability to measure, monitor, and assess black
carbon and other aerosols with respect to their atmospheric
concentrations and deposited forms, including research that
supports means of reducing the impacts of black carbon and
other aerosols on climate.
(2) Consultation with panel.--The Administrator shall
consult with the Black Carbon and Other Aerosols Advisory
Panel, and shall work cooperatively with the National Institute
of Standards and Technology and other Federal agencies, to
establish criteria for such research and projects.
(3) Participation by federal agencies.--Federal agencies
may collaborate with, and participate in, such research and
projects to the extent requested by the grant recipient.
(4) Award process.--Grants under this subsection shall be
awarded extramurally through a competitive peer-reviewed,
merit-based process that may be conducted jointly with other
Federal agencies working on black carbon and aerosols and their
role in and relationship to climate.
(c) Coordination with Other Agencies.--The Administrator shall
coordinate development of the plan under section 204 and the monitoring
and research program under subsection (a) of this section with the
Office of Science and Technology Policy, the National Aeronautics and
Space Administration, the National Institute of Standards and
Technology, and other relevant Federal agencies.
(d) Additional Authority.--In conducting the program, the
Administrator may execute and perform such contracts, leases, grants,
or cooperative agreements as may be necessary to carry out the purposes
of this title on such terms as the Administrator considers appropriate.
SEC. 206. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.
There are authorized to be appropriated to the Administrator for
each of fiscal years 2010 through 2015--
(1) $10,000,000 for grants under section 205(b); and
(2) $10,000,000 for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration to carry out the other provisions of this title.
Calendar No. 401
111th CONGRESS
2d Session
S. 1562
[Report No. 111-193]
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To provide for a study and report on research on the United States
Arctic Ocean and for other purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
May 24, 2009
Reported with an amendment