Sec. 5. Restoration and conservation of existing coastal blue carbon ecosystems
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The Administrator shall— lead the Interagency Working Group in implementing the strategic plan under section 3(e)(2); coordinate monitoring and research efforts among Federal agencies in cooperation with State, Tribal, and local governments, academic institutions, international partners, and nongovernmental organizations; in coordination with the Interagency Working Group, and as informed by the report under section 3(e)(1), identify— national conservation and restoration priorities for coastal blue carbon ecosystems that would produce the highest rate of carbon sequestration and greatest ecosystem benefits, such as flood protection, soil and beach retention, erosion reduction, biodiversity, water purification, and nutrient cycling, in the context of other environmental stressors and climate change; and ways to improve coordination and to prevent unnecessary duplication of effort among Federal agencies and departments with respect to research on coastal blue carbon ecosystems through existing and new coastal management networks; and in coordination with State, Tribal, and local governments and coastal stakeholders, develop integrated pilot programs to restore degraded coastal blue carbon ecosystems in accordance with subsection (b).
In carrying out subsection (a)(4), the Administrator shall establish 1 or more integrated Federal pilot programs that— further develop— best management practices, including design criteria and performance functions for restoration of coastal blue carbon ecosystems; nature-based adaptation strategies; restoration areas that intersect with built environments as green-gray infrastructure projects; management practices for landward progression, migration, or loss of coastal blue carbon ecosystems; best management practices to account for latitudinal biogeographic factors; and best management practices for restoration of— hypersaline coastal ecosystems; and estuarine ecosystems; and identify potential barriers to restoration management efforts.
The Administrator shall ensure that pilot programs under paragraph
(1)cover geographically, socioeconomically, and ecologically diverse locations with— significant ecological, economic, and social benefits, such as flood protection, soil and beach retention, erosion reduction, biodiversity, water purification, and nutrient cycling to reduce hypoxic conditions; and maximum potential for greenhouse gas emission reduction, taking into account— quantification; verifiability; additionality, as compared to an appropriate historical baseline determined by the Interagency Working Group; and permanence of those benefits. The Administrator shall— establish a procedure for reviewing applications for pilot programs under paragraph (1); encourage applications from minority serving institutions; and consider proposals from institutions that may not have adequate resources. The Administrator shall ensure, through consultation with the Interagency Working Group, that the goals and metrics for pilot programs under paragraph
(1)are communicated to the appropriate State, local, and Tribal governments, coastal stakeholders, non-Federal resource managers, academia, and the general public. The Administrator shall coordinate with— relevant Federal agencies and departments specified under section 3(b) to prevent unnecessary duplication of effort among such agencies and departments with respect to restoration programs; and relevant State, Tribal, and local government entities. In carrying out pilot programs under paragraph (1), the Administrator shall give priority to proposed eligible restoration activities that would— result in long-term sequestration of carbon stored in coastal and marine environments; conserve key habitats for fish, wildlife, and the maintenance of biodiversity; provide coastal protection from storms, flooding, and land-based pollution; restore optimal salinities and chlorophyll levels in estuarine and coastal environments or lead to other improvements to water quality; and conserve coastal resources of national, historical, and cultural significance. The Administrator may accept, but shall not give priority to, offers to share the cost of a project under a pilot program under paragraph
(1)from State, Tribal, local, and nongovernmental applicants. Any project performed under a pilot program under paragraph
(1)shall be conducted within the territorial boundaries of the United States.