[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 2786 Introduced in House (IH)]
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119th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. R. 2786
To allow the Secretary of Commerce to establish a Coastal and Estuarine
Resilience and Restoration Program, and for other purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
April 9, 2025
Mr. Levin (for himself, Mrs. Kiggans of Virginia, Ms. Bonamici, Mr.
Mast, Mr. Larsen of Washington, and Mr. Carter of Georgia) introduced
the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Natural
Resources
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To allow the Secretary of Commerce to establish a Coastal and Estuarine
Resilience and Restoration Program, 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 ``Resilient Coasts and Estuaries Act
of 2025''.
SEC. 2. COASTAL AND ESTUARINE RESILIENCE AND RESTORATION PROGRAM.
Section 307A of the Coastal Zone Management Act of 1972 (16 U.S.C.
1456-1) is amended--
(1) by striking the heading and inserting ``coastal and
estuarine resilience and restoration program'';
(2) by amending subsection (a) to read as follows:
``(a) In General.--The Secretary may conduct a Coastal and
Estuarine Resilience and Restoration Program in cooperation with State,
regional, and other units of government, the National Estuarine
Research Reserves, and non-governmental organizations for the purposes
of--
``(1) protecting important coastal and estuarine areas
that--
``(A) have significant conservation, recreational,
coastal access, ecological, historical, community
protection, or aesthetic value;
``(B) are threatened by conversion from their
natural, undeveloped, or recreational state to other
uses; or
``(C) could be managed or restored to effectively
conserve, enhance, or restore ecological function or
mitigate climate change; and
``(2) restoring developed or degraded property in
vulnerable coastal and estuarine areas to a natural state to
restore ecological function, allow for shoreline migration, and
protect coastal communities.'';
(3) in subsection (b), by striking ``or National Estuarine
Research Reserve units'' and inserting ``, National Estuarine
Research Reserves, or non-governmental organizations that meet
the requirements of subsection (k)'';
(4) in subsection (c)--
(A) by striking ``or National Estuarine Research
Reserves'' and inserting ``, National Estuarine
Research Reserves, or non-governmental organizations
that meet the requirements of subsection (k)'';
(B) in paragraph (2)--
(i) by striking ``after consultation'' and
inserting ``in coordination''; and
(ii) by striking ``shall identify'' and
inserting ``may identify'';
(C) by amending paragraph (7) to read as follows:
``(7)(A) Priority shall be given to lands that--
``(i) can be effectively managed and protected and
are described in subsection (a)(1)(A);
``(ii) to the maximum extent practicable, benefit
communities that may not have adequate resources to
prepare for or respond to coastal hazards or to access
coastline, including low-income communities;
``(iii) are under an imminent threat of conversion
to a use that will degrade or otherwise diminish their
natural, undeveloped, or recreational state;
``(iv) serve to mitigate the adverse impacts caused
by coastal population growth on the coastal
environment;
``(v) benefit a National Estuarine Research Reserve
or a national estuarine reserve proposed to be
designated under section 315;
``(vi) are within or adjacent to a national estuary
program or other such protected area;
``(vii) are under threat due to climate change; or
``(viii) may serve to mitigate the adverse effects
of climate change, including through long-term carbon
storage or facilitating inland migration of coastal
ecosystems in response to sea level rise.
``(B) Of the lands that are given priority under
subparagraph (A), priority shall be given to lands that reflect
conservation priorities identified pursuant to paragraphs (1)
through (4).''; and
(D) in paragraph (10), by striking ``triennially''
and inserting ``every 5 years'';
(5) in subsection (f)--
(A) in paragraph (2)(B), by inserting ``for any
territory of the United States that is unable to
provide such match,'' after ``community,''; and
(B) in paragraph (4)--
(i) in subparagraph (A)(i), by striking
``the land meets the criteria set forth in
section 2(b) and'' and inserting ``such use
will further the goals described in subsection
(b) and such interest in land'';
(ii) by striking subparagraph (B) and
redesignating subparagraph (C) as subparagraph
(B);
(iii) in subparagraph (B) (as so
redesignated), by striking ``described in (A)''
and inserting ``described in subparagraph
(A)''; and
(iv) by inserting at the end the following
new subparagraph:
``(C) The value of ecosystem services that such
interest in land provides, including as a buffer for
storm surge, as a habitat for economically valuable
species, and as a long-term carbon store.'';
(6) in subsection (g)--
(A) by striking ``15'' and inserting ``20''; and
(B) by inserting ``unless no such acquisition is
available, in which case all such funds may be used for
other acquisitions that do not benefit a National
Estuarine Research Reserve'' before the period at the
end;
(7) in subsection (i)(1)(A), by inserting ``unless approved
to be held by a qualified non-governmental organization that
meets the requirements of subsection (k)'' after ``in
perpetuity'';
(8) by redesignating subsections (k) and (l) as subsections
(l) and (m), respectively;
(9) by inserting after subsection (j) the following:
``(k) Non-Governmental Organizations.--
``(1) In general.--A non-governmental organization that
applies for a grant under this section may only be awarded a
grant under subsection (b) to acquire property or an interest
in property if such organization, with respect to the property
or interest in property--
``(A) provides such documentation as the Secretary
determines appropriate to demonstrate that the agency
that is primarily responsible for managing the Coastal
and Estuarine Resilience and Restoration Program of the
State in which the property or interest in property is
located has provided written support of such agency for
the grant application of such organization;
``(B) either--
``(i) ensures that the property or interest
in property is, or will be made, accessible to
the public; or
``(ii) provides documentation showing that
public access to the property or interest in
property is required to be restricted to
maintain the biological integrity, biological
diversity, or environmental health of the
property or interest in property; and
``(C) includes in the deed for the property or
interest in property a clear statement regarding how
the property or interest in property will be
transferred to another entity described in subsection
(b) if such organization becomes nonviable after the
date on which such organization acquires such property
or interest in property.
``(2) Compliance.--The Secretary shall develop objective
measures that each non-governmental organization that applies
for a grant under this section shall use to demonstrate the
compliance of such organization with the requirements of
paragraph (1).''; and
(10) in subsection (m), as so redesignated, by striking
``fiscal years 2009 through 2013'' and inserting ``fiscal years
2025 through 2029''.
SEC. 3. AMENDMENTS TO NATIONAL ESTUARINE RESEARCH RESERVE SYSTEM.
(a) Designation of Additional National Estuarine Research
Reserves.--
(1) In general.--
(A) Initiation.--Not later than 5 years after the
date of the enactment of this section, the Secretary
shall have initiated the designation process for not
less than 5 new National Estuarine Research Reserves in
the System.
(B) Designation.--Not later than 8 years after the
date of the enactment of this section, the Secretary
shall designate not less than 5 new National Estuarine
Research Reserves in the System.
(2) Prioritization.--In making each designation under
paragraph (1), the Secretary shall prioritize nominated
estuarine areas that will promote the following with respect to
the System:
(A) The presence of a National Estuarine Research
Reserve in each coastal State.
(B) Full representation of biogeographic regions to
ensure research in areas with distinct biodiversity or
estuarine geography.
(3) Report.--Not later than 1 year after the date of the
enactment of this section and annually thereafter, the
Secretary shall submit to Congress a report regarding the
status of ongoing efforts to achieve the requirements under
this subsection.
(b) Guidelines for Tracking and Modeling Impacts of Climate
Change.--Section 315(c) of the Coastal Zone Management Act of 1972 (16
U.S.C. 1461(c)) is amended--
(1) by redesignating paragraphs (3) through (5) as
paragraphs (4) through (6), respectively; and
(2) by inserting after paragraph (2) the following:
``(3) the establishment of coordinated long-term data
monitoring and methods throughout the System for tracking the
impacts of climate change and other stressors on estuarine
systems, including impacts on lake levels and sea levels;''.
(c) Financial Assistance.--Section 315(e)(1) of the Coastal Zone
Management Act of 1972 (16 U.S.C. 1461(f)(1)) is amended--
(1) in subparagraph (A)--
(A) in clause (ii), by inserting ``and
maintaining'' after ``constructing''; and
(B) in clause (iii), by inserting ``research,
monitoring, stewardship, training, and'' after
``conducting''; and
(2) in subparagraph (B)--
(A) by striking ``research and'' and inserting
``research,''; and
(B) by inserting ``, stewardship, education, and
training'' after ``monitoring''.
(d) Program Elements.--Section 315 of the Coastal Zone Management
Act of 1972 (16 U.S.C. 1461) is amended by adding at the end the
following:
``(h) System-Wide Elements of National Estuarine Research Reserve
System.--The Secretary shall coordinate System-wide programs and
activities in the System, including--
``(1) the centralized management and dissemination of data
from System observation and monitoring networks;
``(2) employment, through a grant program, of the
collaborative research model on coastal research and management
priorities to be conducted at National Estuarine Research
Reserves, focused on the priorities determined by the
Secretary;
``(3) use of National Estuarine Research Reserves as living
laboratories and as preferred locations for placements for
fellowship and research positions for the National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration; and
``(4) establishing the Margaret A. Davidson Graduate
Research Fellowship Program to address key coastal management
questions and the coastal research and management priorities of
the System and its place-based sites to help scientists and
communities understand the coastal challenges that may
influence future policy and management strategies.
``(i) Place-Based Program Elements of National Estuarine Research
Reserve System.--Each National Estuarine Research Reserve shall
establish and maintain place-based program elements commensurate with
available funding that include--
``(1) a research, monitoring, and observation network that
detects environmental change and informs suitable adaptation
and mitigation strategies to address coastal hazards and
environmental change;
``(2) living laboratories and preferred places for research
on environmental change detection and development of adaptation
strategies to the impacts of such change;
``(3) education, outreach, training, and interpretive
programs that communicate the value and changing dynamics of
coastal systems;
``(4) stewardship programs that provide science-based
tools, habitat management, and restoration and that provide
resources and information to inform coastal management;
``(5) coastal training programs that provide technical
assistance to coastal communities, resource managers, and
coastal decisionmakers;
``(6) identifying priority land for acquisition to enhance
ecosystem and community resilience to the negative effects of
climate change;
``(7) the lands and facilities that support such accessible
research, monitoring, stewardship, education, and coastal
training activities; and
``(8) the engagement of a wide variety of community
members, including Tribal nations, Indigenous communities, and
Historic Heritage communities to inform the programs above.
``(j) Existing Uses.--Except as otherwise explicitly provided in a
management plan of a National Estuarine Research Reserve, any activity
allowed at the time the National Estuarine Research Reserve is
designated may be allowed to continue, including, as applicable--
``(1) commercial and recreational fishing;
``(2) hunting; and
``(3) cultural uses.''.
(e) Authorization of Appropriations.--Section 318(a)(2) of the
Coastal Zone Management Act of 1972 (16 U.S.C. 1464(a)(2)) is amended
to read as follows:
``(2) for grants under section 315, $47,000,000 for each of
fiscal years 2025 through 2029.''.
(f) Conforming Amendments.--The Coastal Zone Management Act of 1972
(16 U.S.C. 1451 et seq.) is amended--
(1) in section 304 (16 U.S.C. 1453)--
(A) by redesignating paragraphs (13) through (18)
as paragraphs (14) through (19), respectively; and
(B) by inserting after paragraph (12) the
following:
``(13) The term `National Estuarine Research Reserve' means a
national estuarine reserve designated under section 315.'';
(2) in section 312(c)(1) (16 U.S.C. 1458(c)(1)), by
striking ``national estuarine reserve established under section
315 of this title'' and inserting ``National Estuarine Research
Reserve''; and
(3) in section 315 (16 U.S.C. 1461)--
(A) in subsection (a), by striking ``a national
estuarine reserve'' each place it appears and inserting
``a National Estuarine Research Reserve'';
(B) in subsection (b)--
(i) in the heading, by striking ``National
Estuarine Reserves'' and inserting ``National
Estuarine Research Reserves''; and
(ii) by striking ``a national estuarine
reserve'' and inserting ``a National Estuarine
Research Reserve'';
(C) in subsection (e), by striking ``national
estuarine reserve'' each place it appears and inserting
``National Estuarine Research Reserve'';
(D) in subsection (f), by striking ``national
estuarine reserve'' each place it appears and inserting
``National Estuarine Research Reserve''; and
(E) in subsection (g), by striking ``national
estuarine reserves'' each place it appears and
inserting ``National Estuarine Research Reserves''.
(g) Definitions.--In this section:
(1) Coastal state.--The term ``coastal State'' has the
meaning given the term ``coastal state'' in section 304 of
title III of the Coastal Zone Management Act of 1972 (16 U.S.C.
1453), as applicable to such title.
(2) National estuarine research reserve.--The term
``National Estuarine Research Reserve'' means a national
estuarine reserve designated under section 315 of the Coastal
Zone Management Act of 1972 (16 U.S.C. 1461).
(3) Secretary.--The term ``Secretary'' has the meaning
given the term in section 304 of the Coastal Zone Management
Act of 1972 (16 U.S.C. 1453).
(4) System.--The term ``System'' means the National
Estuarine Research Reserve System established by section 315 of
the Coastal Zone Management Act of 1972 (16 U.S.C. 1461).
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