[Congressional Bills 117th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 9027 Introduced in House (IH)]
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117th CONGRESS
2d Session
H. R. 9027
To direct the Secretary of Energy to establish a pilot program on ocean
restoration research and development, and for other purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
September 29, 2022
Mr. McKinley (for himself, Mr. Michael F. Doyle of Pennsylvania, and
Mr. Carter of Georgia) introduced the following bill; which was
referred to the Committee on Science, Space, and Technology
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To direct the Secretary of Energy to establish a pilot program on ocean
restoration research and development, and for other purposes.
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 ``Ocean Restoration Research and
Development Act of 2022''.
SEC. 2. OCEAN FERTILIZATION RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT PILOT PROGRAM.
(a) Establishment.--The Secretary of Energy shall establish a pilot
program for the research and development of ocean replenishment and
restoration technologies and techniques that have the potential to
achieve regional-to-global scale ocean restoration, enhancement of
fisheries, conservation of marine mammals, and emissions reductions.
(b) Requirements.--The pilot program established under subsection
(a) shall include--
(1) a research and development program;
(2) demonstration projects, including pilot projects; and
(3) front-end engineering, design, and economic analysis.
(c) Consultation.--In carrying out the pilot program established
under subsection (a), the Secretary shall consult and collaborate with,
as necessary--
(1) the heads of other relevant Federal departments and
agencies, including--
(A) the Administrator of the National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration;
(B) the Administrator of the Environmental
Protection Agency;
(C) the Director of the Bureau of Ocean Energy
Management; and
(D) the Director of the National Science
Foundation;
(2) institutions of higher education;
(3) the National Oceanographic Partnership Program; and
(4) representatives from other relevant private and public
sector organizations.
(d) Program Goals and Objectives.--In consultation with the
entities described in subsection (c), the Secretary shall develop goals
and objectives for the pilot program established under subsection (a)
to be applied to the transformational technologies and practices
developed under such program, taking into consideration--
(1) the acceleration of the development of technologies and
practices that have transformational ocean restoration, carbon
removal, or carbon storage characteristics;
(2) the utilization of, to the maximum extent practicable,
environmental data collected by--
(A) the entities described in subsection (c);
(B) the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency
through the Ocean of Things program;
(C) the National Aeronautics and Space
Administration through the Plankton, Aerosol, Cloud,
ocean Ecosystem mission; and
(D) the United States Navy through the Marine
Mammal Program;
(3) support for sites for safe testing and demonstration;
(4) the need to enter into cooperative agreements to carry
out and expedite small-scale demonstration projects;
(5) compliance with relevant international laws and
treaties; and
(6) any benefits or barriers to the commercial deployment
of any such technologies and practices.
(e) Priorities.--In carrying out the pilot program established
under subsection (a), the Secretary shall, to the maximum extent
practicable, prioritize activities that--
(1) take place in pelagic waters; and
(2) will not stimulate phytoplankton production that causes
or accelerates harmful algal blooms in coastal waters.
(f) Report to Congress.--Not later than 3 years after the date of
enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall submit to Congress a report
describing--
(1) the program goals and objectives adopted under
subsection (d);
(2) the effectiveness of the pilot program established
under subsection (a) on reducing carbon dioxide levels in the
atmosphere and recommendations for improving such program;
(3) any results, successes, and related co-benefits to
marine mammals and fisheries, and failures of carrying out the
pilot program established under subsection (a);
(4) the potential to undertake large-scale demonstration
projects and utilize international waters for demonstration
projects; and
(5) any other information the Secretary considers relevant.
(g) Authorization of Appropriations.--There are authorized to be
appropriated to carry out this section $33,000,000 for each of fiscal
years 2023 through 2027.
(h) Definitions.--In this section:
(1) Coastal waters.--The term ``coastal waters'' means the
land and sea areas bordering the shoreline where hypoxic
conditions exist or are likely to occur due to excess
nutrients.
(2) Ocean restoration.--The term ``ocean restoration''
includes the research and development of technologies and
techniques that support the addition of nutrients to the upper
layers of the ocean for the purpose of stimulating
phytoplankton activity.
(3) Pelagic waters.--The term ``pelagic waters'' means the
part of the open sea or ocean other than coastal waters.
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