Sec. 9. Assessment of coastal blue carbon ecosystem climate contributions
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The Undersecretary, in collaboration with the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency, and in consultation with the Secretary of Energy, the Administrator of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, the Secretary of Agriculture, the Director of the National Science Foundation, and the heads of other Federal agencies the Undersecretary determines appropriate, shall conduct a measurements-based national assessment to quantify the carbon sequestration potential of coastal blue carbon ecosystems, including the net effects on and contributions to atmospheric and aquatic accumulation of greenhouse gas emissions.
In conducting the assessment required under subsection (a), the Undersecretary shall— develop standardization metrics to quantify the carbon sequestration potential of coastal blue carbon ecosystems, including— surface area of coastal blue ecosystems; soil carbon density and accumulation rate; ecosystem-specific carbon cycles; and any other metrics the Undersecretary determines appropriate; examine the climate contributions of released stored carbon dioxide, methane, and other harmful greenhouse gases by degraded coastal blue carbon ecosystems, including coastal blue carbon ecosystems degraded or damaged by— coastal development; climate change; or other human activities; measure the amount of carbon removed from the atmosphere by coastal restoration; understand measurable sensitivities of coastal blue carbon ecosystems to natural disturbances and human land use stressors; understand the complementary role that marine sediments play in contributing to organic carbon accumulation, including— relative rates of accumulation by different sediment types; the relationship between marine sediment surface area and organic carbon accumulation; and the effects of natural and human disturbances of continental shelf and slope sediments on releasing carbon dioxide, methane, and other greenhouse gases into the water column from marine sediments that are rich in organic carbon, including— the amount of greenhouse gas released; the period of time that released greenhouse gases may remain in the water column; and the amount of released greenhouse gases that may reach the atmosphere; develop standards for actionable data collection methodologies and archive that are useful to inform coastal management and policy decisions by State, local, and Tribal governments, including— carbon accounting tools; field and laboratory protocols; and valuation metrics; evaluate the barriers and opportunities to conducting data collection, assessment, project planning, and conservation and restoration work for coastal blue carbon ecosystems with State, local, and Tribal governments; determine the actions necessary to conduct national and regional research and monitoring of post-restoration coastal blue carbon ecosystems; assess the viability, barriers, and estimated environmental, social, and economic value of establishing a coastal blue carbon credit market for the purposes of supporting coastal blue carbon ecosystem restoration activities; and evaluate the current and potential opportunities to coordinate coastal blue carbon ecosystem protection and restoration activities, research, and climate impact assessments with freshwater wetland ecosystem protection and restoration activities, including swamps and marshes, in and around the Great Lakes.
The Undersecretary, in collaboration with the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency, and in consultation with the Secretary of Energy, the Administrator of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, the Secretary of Agriculture, the Director of the National Science Foundation, and the heads of other Federal agencies the Undersecretary determines appropriate, shall update the assessment required under subsection
(a)every 2 years after the date of the enactment of this section— to provide long-term data access (and archive such data), recommendations, measurements, and reporting regarding the objectives described in subsection (b); and to consider objectives beyond those described in subsection
(b)the Undersecretary determines appropriate to research the long-term climate contributions of coastal blue carbon ecosystems. Not later than 180 days after the Undersecretary completes the assessment required under subsection
(a)or updates such assessment under subsection (c), the Undersecretary shall submit to the appropriate congressional committees a report describing the findings and recommendations regarding the coastal blue carbon ecosystem climate effects based on the assessment as they relate to the objectives outlined in subsection (b).