Sec. 902. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Research Programs
1,163 words·~5 min read·
/bill/117/hr/3764/rh/section-902A research copy — for the controlling text, always check the official state or federal source. Not legal advice.
In this section, the term nature-based infrastructure means a feature that is created by human design, engineering, and construction to provide risk reduction in coastal areas by acting in concert with natural processes. The Administrator shall make competitive research grants available focused on developing and assessing the effectiveness of innovative approaches to living shorelines and nature-based infrastructure and features for the purposes of— preparing more resilient, sustainable cities and resilient communities; reducing the costs associated with climate-related disasters, built infrastructure degradation, and human relocation; and accomplishing improved resilience while maintaining ecosystem functions and habitats to the greatest extent possible.
To be eligible for a grant under this subsection, an applicant must be an institution of higher education, nonprofit organization, State, local, or Tribal Government, for-profit organization, United States Territory, or Federal agency that has statutory authority to receive transfers of funds. The Administrator shall award grants for projects which focus on the following: Assessments of installed living shoreline and nature-based infrastructure, as of the date of the enactment of this Act, for their effectiveness in addressing, if applicable— coastal resilience; shoreline erosion; storm damage including windstorms; inland flooding; water quality; impact on local ecosystems; and other criteria as determined by the Administrator.
Novel approaches to nature-based infrastructure and living shorelines aimed at optimizing resilience to climate change, extreme weather, and ecosystem sustainability. Interdisciplinary research including engineering, environmental and ecosystem sciences, biology, social science, and Tribal or indigenous traditional knowledge systems. Regional, community, and industry partnerships to create locally informed solutions. Funded projects shall submit a summarized report of their findings at the conclusion of the grant to the Administrator to help inform the selection and prioritization of living shoreline and other nature-based infrastructure projects as described in section 1001 of this Act.
The Administrator may use— the National Oceanographic Partnership Program established by section 8931 of title 10, United States Code, as a venue for collaboration and coordination to leverage partnerships between public institutions of higher education and Federal agencies; the Coastlines and People initiative under the National Science Foundation as a tool to use ongoing interdisciplinary research; the National Sea Grant College Program as a resource to implement research and other projects and help foster collaboration between institutions of higher education and Federal agencies; and the National Institute of Standards and Technology
(NIST)Community Resilience Center of Excellence. There is authorized to be appropriated to the Administrator $5,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2022 through 2026 for purposes of carrying out this subsection. The Administrator shall establish an annual competitive grants program that gives priority to interdisciplinary coastal resilience research and engagement projects that focus on developing and implementing scalable best practices for— protecting life and critical infrastructure; developing and implementing decision-support tools useful to coastal communities; determining societal, ecological, and resiliency benefits of coastal restoration and protection and natural, nature-based, and man-made infrastructure, and how these benefits affect the sustainability of coastal ecosystems and communities; volunteer and community-science monitoring of coastal and marine resources as part of efforts to protect coastal communities from sea level rise and other hazards; monitoring and developing ecosystem-based approaches to managing coastal ecosystems to promote sustainability; assessing and enhancing the capacity of human communities to adapt to coastal natural disasters; assessing coastal vulnerability and risk; evaluating adaptation, protection, and restoration approaches to reduce risk, including through the use of natural, nature-based, and manmade features; minimizing costs associated with damages incurred from natural disasters, flooding, and sea level rise; developing and updating curriculum and other educational and development opportunities for programs in coastal conservation at public community colleges and within National Sea Grant college programs and universities to train the new coastal conservation workforce; evaluating potential outcomes associated with developing new commercial and recreational fishery opportunities, including aquaculture and targeting invasive and range-expanding species; and engaging in outreach, training, and education to connect actionable research to local communities, policymakers, planners, practitioners, and students. To be eligible for a grant under the Program, an applicant must be an institution of higher education, nonprofit organization, State, local, or Tribal government, for-profit organization, United States Territory, or Federal agency that has statutory authority to receive transfers of funds. In this subsection, the following definitions apply: The term critical infrastructure means infrastructure, including natural or nature-based infrastructure, the destruction or damaging of which would have a debilitating impact on national security or economic security, undermine community resiliency and adaptation, or threaten public health or safety. The term natural features or nature-based features means coastal vegetation, living reefs, beaches, dunes, marshes, oyster reefs, coastal forests, municipal green infrastructure, and living shorelines. There is authorized to be appropriated to the Administrator $5,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2022 through 2026 for purposes of carrying out this section. The Administrator shall establish a grant program (in this subsection referred to as the Program ) under which the Administrator shall award grants to eligible entities for the purpose of conducting research on the conservation, restoration, or management of oysters in estuarine ecosystems. To be eligible to receive a grant under this subsection, an eligible entity shall submit to the Administrator an application at such time, in such manner, and containing such information as the Administrator may require. The Administrator may award a grant under the Program to eligible entities that submit an application under paragraph (2). Except as provided in clause (ii), the total amount of Federal funding received under the Program by an eligible entity may not exceed 85 percent of the total cost of the research project for which the funding was awarded. For the purposes of this clause, the non-Federal share of project costs may be provided by in-kind contributions and other noncash support. The Administrator may waive all or part of the requirement in clause
(i)if the Administrator determines that no reasonable means are available through which an eligible entity applying for a grant under this subsection can meet such requirement and the probable benefit of such research project outweighs the public interest in such requirement. The Administrator shall ensure, to the maximum extent practicable, that grant funding under this subsection is apportioned according to the historic baseline oyster population of each estuary of the United States. In this subsection, the following definitions apply: The term eligible entity means a member of an institution of higher education, the seafood industry, a relevant nonprofit organization, or a relevant State agency, that is proposing or conducting a research project on the conservation, restoration, or management of oysters in an estuarine ecosystem. The term historic baseline means the estimated population of oysters in an estuary in 1850. The term nonprofit organization means an organization described in section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 and exempt from tax under section 501(a) of such Code. The term seafood industry means shellfish growers, shellfish harvesters, commercial fishermen, and recreational fishermen. There is authorized to be appropriated to the Administrator $5,000,000 for each of the fiscal years 2022 through 2026 to carry out this subsection.