Sec. 104. LOCAL AND REGIONAL SCIENTIFIC ASSESSMENTS
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## SEC. 104 LOCAL AND REGIONAL SCIENTIFIC ASSESSMENTS Section 603 of such Act, as amended by section 103, is further amended by adding at the end the following: > > ### “(e) Local and Regional Scientific Assessments > > > #### “(1) In general > > The Secretary of Commerce, in coordination with the Task Force and appropriate State, Indian tribe, and local governments, to the extent of funds available, shall provide for local and regional scientific assessments of hypoxia and harmful algal blooms, as requested by States, Indian tribes, and local governments, or for affected areas as identified by the Secretary.
If the Secretary receives multiple requests, the Secretary shall ensure, to the extent practicable, that assessments under this subsection cover geographically and ecologically diverse locations with significant ecological and economic impacts from hypoxia or harmful algal blooms. The Secretary shall establish a procedure for reviewing requests for local and regional assessments. The Secretary shall ensure, through consultation with Sea Grant Programs, that the findings of the assessments are communicated to the appropriate State, Indian tribe, and local governments, and to the general public. > > > #### “(2) Purpose > > Local and regional assessments shall examine— > > > ##### “(A) > > the causes and ecological consequences, and the economic cost, of hypoxia or harmful algal blooms in that area; > > > ##### “(B) > > potential methods to prevent, control, and mitigate hypoxia or harmful algal blooms in that area and the potential ecological and economic costs and benefits of such methods; and > > > ##### “(C) > > other topics the Task Force considers appropriate. > > > ### “(f) Scientific Assessment of Freshwater Harmful Algal Blooms > > > ####
(1)> > Not later than 24 months after the date of enactment of the Harmful Algal Bloom and Hypoxia Amendments Act of 2004 the Task Force shall complete and submit to Congress a scientific assessment of current knowledge about harmful algal blooms in freshwater, such as the Great Lakes and upper reaches of estuaries, including a research plan for coordinating Federal efforts to better understand freshwater harmful algal blooms. > > > #### “(2) > > The freshwater harmful algal bloom scientific assessment shall— > > > ##### “(A) > > examine the causes and ecological consequences, and the economic costs, of harmful algal blooms with significant effects on freshwater, including estimations of the frequency and occurrence of significant events; > > > ##### “(B) > > establish priorities and guidelines for a competitive, peer-reviewed, merit-based interagency research program, as part of the Ecology and Oceanography of Harmful Algal Blooms (ECOHAB) project, to better understand the causes, characteristics, and impacts of harmful algal blooms in freshwater locations; and > > > ##### “(C) > > identify ways to improve coordination and to prevent unnecessary duplication of effort among Federal agencies and departments with respect to research on harmful algal blooms in freshwater locations. > > > ### “(g) Scientific Assessments of Hypoxia > > > ####
(1)> > Not less than once every 5 years the Task Force shall complete and submit to the Congress a scientific assessment of hypoxia in United States coastal waters including the Great Lakes. The first such assessment shall be completed not less than 24 months after the date of enactment of the Harmful Algal Bloom and Hypoxia Amendments Act of 2004. > > > #### “(2) > > The assessments under this subsection shall— > > > ##### “(A) > > examine the causes and ecological consequences, and the economic costs, of hypoxia; > > > ##### “(B) > > describe the potential ecological and economic costs and benefits of possible policy and management actions for preventing, controlling, and mitigating hypoxia; > > > ##### “(C) > > evaluate progress made by, and the needs of, Federal research programs on the causes, characteristics, and impacts of hypoxia, including recommendations of how to eliminate significant gaps in hypoxia modeling and monitoring data; and > > > ##### “(D) > > identify ways to improve coordination and to prevent unnecessary duplication of effort among Federal agencies and departments with respect to research on hypoxia. > > > ### “(h) Scientific Assessments of Harmful Algal Blooms > > > ####
(1)> > Not less than once every 5 years the Task Force shall complete and submit to Congress a scientific assessment of harmful algal blooms in United States coastal waters. The first such assessment shall be completed not later than 24 months after the date of enactment of the Harmful Algal Bloom and Hypoxia Amendments Act of 2004 and shall consider only marine harmful algal blooms. All subsequent assessments shall examine both marine and freshwater harmful algal blooms, including those in the Great Lakes and upper reaches of estuaries. > > > #### “(2) > > The assessments under this subsection shall— > > > ##### “(A) > > examine the causes and ecological consequences, and economic costs, of harmful algal blooms; > > > ##### “(B) > > describe the potential ecological and economic costs and benefits of possible actions for preventing, controlling, and mitigating harmful algal blooms; > > > ##### “(C) > > evaluate progress made by, and the needs of, Federal research programs on the causes, characteristics, and impacts of harmful algal blooms; and > > > ##### “(D) > > identify ways to improve coordination and to prevent unnecessary duplication of effort among Federal agencies and departments with respect to research on harmful algal blooms. > > > ### “(i) National Scientific Research, Development, Demonstration, and Technology Transfer Plan on Reducing Impacts From Harmful Algal Blooms > > > ####
(1)> > Not later than 12 months after the date of enactment of the Harmful Algal Bloom and Hypoxia Amendments Act of 2004, the Task Force shall develop and submit to Congress a plan providing for a comprehensive and coordinated national research program to develop and demonstrate prevention, control, and mitigation methods to reduce the impacts of harmful algal blooms on coastal ecosystems (including the Great Lakes), public health, and the economy. > > > #### “(2) > > The plan shall— > > > ##### “(A) > > establish priorities and guidelines for a competitive, peer reviewed, merit based interagency research, development, demonstration, and technology transfer program on methods for the prevention, control, and mitigation of harmful algal blooms; > > > ##### “(B) > > identify ways to improve coordination and to prevent unnecessary duplication of effort among Federal agencies and departments with respect to the actions described in paragraph (1); and > > > ##### “(C) > > include to the maximum extent practicable diverse institutions, including Historically Black Colleges and Universities and those serving large proportions of Hispanics, Native Americans, Asian Pacific Americans, and other underrepresented populations. > > > #### “(3) > > The Secretary of Commerce, in conjunction with other appropriate Federal agencies, shall establish a research, development, demonstration, and technology transfer program that meets the priorities and guidelines established under paragraph (2)(A). The Secretary shall ensure, through consultation with Sea Grant Programs, that the results and findings of the program are communicated to State, Indian tribe, and local governments, and to the general public.” > .