[Congressional Bills 111th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 5344 Introduced in House (IH)]
111th CONGRESS
2d Session
H. R. 5344
To authorize the Secretary of the Interior, through the Coastal Program
of the United States Fish and Wildlife Service, to work with willing
partners and provide support to efforts to assess, protect, restore,
and enhance important coastal areas that provide fish and wildlife
habitat on which Federal trust species depend.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
May 19, 2010
Mr. Kratovil introduced the following bill; which was referred to the
Committee on Natural Resources
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To authorize the Secretary of the Interior, through the Coastal Program
of the United States Fish and Wildlife Service, to work with willing
partners and provide support to efforts to assess, protect, restore,
and enhance important coastal areas that provide fish and wildlife
habitat on which Federal trust species depend.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``Coastal Habitat Conservation Act''.
SEC. 2. FINDINGS AND PURPOSE.
(a) Findings.--Congress finds that--
(1) an effective means of conserving and recovering Federal
trust species and promoting self-sustaining populations of
those species is to protect, conserve, restore, and enhance the
habitats of the species;
(2) coastal ecosystems are highly dynamic areas that
provide valuable breeding, nursery, staging, and resting areas
for a rich diversity of fish, shellfish, migratory birds, and
mammals;
(3) coastal areas support 40 percent of the refuges within
the National Wildlife Refuge System, 40 percent of the
endangered and threatened species (including 75 percent of the
listed mammals and birds), and 50 percent of the fisheries
conservation activities of the Service;
(4) although coastal counties make up only 17 percent of
total contiguous United States land area, coastal areas are
home to more than 53 percent of the human population of the
United States, which is placing enormous pressure on coastal
ecosystems;
(5) during the 2 decades after the date of enactment of
this Act, human populations in coastal areas are projected to
increase by approximately 25 percent, along with associated
development and activities that threaten the health of coastal
ecosystems;
(6) because coastal deterioration can cause fragmentation
and landward migration of coastal ecosystems as well as create
new habitats along shorelines, it has become necessary to
incorporate adaptation assistance into coastal ecosystem
management strategies;
(7) in addition to value as fish and wildlife habitat,
coastal ecosystems--
(A) serve as an important source of food;
(B) protect coastal communities against floods;
(C) filter polluted runoff; and
(D) provide valuable commercial and recreational
benefits to coastal communities and the United States;
(8)(A) fish and wildlife conservation is a responsibility
shared by citizens and government; and
(B) public-private partnerships should be supported through
technical and financial assistance to conduct assessment,
protection, planning, restoration, and enhancement of coastal
ecosystems;
(9) successful fish and wildlife conservation increasingly
relies on interdependent partnerships in which priority
setting, planning, and conservation delivery are collaborative
endeavors;
(10) since 1985, the Service has administered a coastal
program through which the Service has worked with willing
partners to assess, protect, plan, restore, and enhance coastal
ecosystems, including coastal wetland and watersheds, upland,
and riparian and in-stream habitats, that provide significant
benefits to Federal trust species;
(11) through that coastal program, the Service provides
strategic conservation planning and design at the regional and
landscape scales, and integrates the resources of the Service
to address priorities identified by partners; and
(12) the coastal program of the Service complements and
enhances the National Coastal Wetlands Conservation Grant
Program under section 305 of the Coastal Wetlands Planning,
Protection and Restoration Act (16 U.S.C. 3954), which provides
matching grants to coastal States to support long-term
conservation of coastal wetland and associated habitats.
(b) Purpose.--The purpose of this Act is to legislatively authorize
the coastal program of the Service in effect as of the date of
enactment of this Act to conduct collaborative, long-term, landscape-
level planning and on-the-ground habitat protection, restoration, and
enhancement projects in priority coastal areas to conserve and recover
Federal trust species.
SEC. 3. DEFINITIONS.
In this Act:
(1) Coastal area.--The term ``coastal area'' includes--
(A) a coastal wetland or watershed;
(B) coastal water;
(C) a coastline; and
(D) an estuary and associated upland.
(2) Coastal ecosystem.--The term ``coastal ecosystem''
means an ecological community that provides fish and wildlife
habitat in coastal areas.
(3) Coastal habitat assessment.--The term ``coastal habitat
assessment'' means the process of evaluating the physical,
chemical, and biological function of a coastal site to
determine the value of the site to fish and wildlife.
(4) Coastal habitat enhancement.--The term ``coastal
habitat enhancement'' means the manipulation of the physical,
chemical, or biological characteristics of a coastal ecosystem
to increase or decrease specific biological functions that make
the ecosystem valuable to fish and wildlife.
(5) Coastal habitat planning.--The term ``coastal habitat
planning'' means the process of developing a comprehensive plan
that--
(A) characterizes a coastal ecosystem;
(B) sets long-term protection, restoration, or
enhancement goals;
(C) describes conservation strategies and
methodologies;
(D) establishes a timetable for implementation of
the plan; and
(E) identifies roles of sponsors and participants.
(6) Coastal habitat protection.--
(A) In general.--The term ``coastal habitat
protection'' means a long-term action to safeguard
habitats of importance to fish and wildlife species in
a coastal ecosystem.
(B) Inclusion.--The term ``coastal habitat
protection'' includes activities to support
establishment of conservation easements or fee-title
acquisition by Federal and non-Federal partners.
(7) Coastal habitat restoration.--The term ``coastal
habitat restoration'' means the manipulation of the physical,
chemical, or biological characteristics of a coastal ecosystem
with the goal of returning, to the maximum extent practicable,
the full natural biological functions to lost or degraded
native habitat.
(8) Federal trust species.--The term ``Federal trust
species'' means--
(A) a species listed as threatened or endangered
under the Endangered Species Act of 1973 (16 U.S.C.
1531 et seq.);
(B) a species of migratory bird;
(C) a species of interjurisdictional fish;
(D) any species of marine mammal identified by the
Secretary; and
(E) any other species of concern, as determined by
the Secretary.
(9) Financial assistance.--The term ``financial
assistance'' means Federal funding support provided to eligible
recipients through a grant or cooperative agreement.
(10) Secretary.--The term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary
of the Interior.
(11) Service.--The term ``Service'' means the United States
Fish and Wildlife Service.
(12) Technical assistance.--The term ``technical
assistance'' means a collaboration, facilitation, or consulting
action relating to a habitat protection, planning, restoration,
or enhancement project or initiative in which the Service
contributes scientific knowledge, skills, and expertise to a
project or program.
(13) Volunteer.--The term ``volunteer'' means a person that
is committed to performing a task without remuneration.
SEC. 4. COASTAL PROGRAM.
The Secretary shall carry out the Coastal Program within the
Service--
(1) to identify the most important natural resource
problems and solutions in priority coastal ecosystems in
partnership with--
(A) Federal, State, local, and tribal governments;
(B) nongovernmental institutions;
(C) nonprofit organizations; and
(D) private individuals or corporate entities;
(2) to provide technical and financial support through
partnerships with Federal, State, local, and tribal
governments, nongovernmental institutions, nonprofit
organizations, and private individuals for the conduct of
voluntary habitat assessment, protection, planning,
restoration, and enhancement projects on public or private
land;
(3) to assist in the development and implementation of
monitoring protocols and adaptive management procedures to
ensure the long-term success of coastal ecosystem conservation
and restoration measures; and
(4) to collaborate and share information with partners and
the public regarding methods and models for the conservation,
restoration, and enhancement of coastal ecosystems.
SEC. 5. YOUTH INVOLVEMENT.
In administering the Coastal Program, the Secretary shall, to the
maximum extent practicable (including consideration of cost-
effectiveness), employ youth volunteers and organizations that provide
service opportunities to youths to carry out nonhazardous habitat
restoration and enhancement activities.
SEC. 6. REPORTS.
(a) In General.--Not later than 1 year after the date of enactment
of this Act and biennially thereafter, the Secretary shall submit to
the Committees on Appropriations and Environment and Public Works of
the Senate, and the Committees on Appropriations and Natural Resources
of the House of Representatives, and make available to the public, a
report on the Coastal Program carried out under this Act.
(b) Requirements.--The report shall assess, as of the date of
submission of the report, on statewide and nationwide bases--
(1) the state of coastal ecosystems;
(2) progress made toward identifying the most important
natural resource problems and solutions in priority ecosystems;
and
(3) long-term prospects for and success of protecting,
restoring, and enhancing coastal ecosystems.
(c) Inclusions.--The report shall include--
(1) quantitative information on areas protected, restored,
or enhanced;
(2) Federal funds expended or leveraged;
(3) a description of adaptive management practices
implemented;
(4) a description of the number of volunteers and
contributions of those volunteers; and
(5) recommendations of the Secretary, if any, for
additional research, management, or legislation needed to
fully--
(A) address problems and implement solutions in
coastal ecosystems; and
(B) achieve the objectives of this Act.
SEC. 7. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.
There are authorized to be appropriated to carry out this Act such
sums as are necessary for each of fiscal years 2011 through 2015.
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