,i #aaeth ,,congress #ast ,session ,h4 ,r4 #debe ,,in ,,the ,,house ,,of ,,representatives ,december #a1 #bjag,mr4 ,pallone introduced the following bill2 which was referred to the ,committee on ,natural ,resources ,a ,,bill ,to direct the ,administrator of the ,national ,oceanic and ,atmospheric ,administration to make grants to ,states and local governments and nongovernmental organizations for purposes of carrying out shoreline stabilization projects utilizing natural materials4 #a4 ,short title ,this ,act may be cited as the ,living ,shorelines ,act of #bjag4 #b4 ,living shoreline grant program 7a7 ,establishment ,the ,administrator of the ,national ,oceanic and ,atmospheric ,administration shall make grants to eligible entities for purposes of-- 7#a7 carrying out large- and small-scale1 climate-resilient living shoreline projects2 and 7#b7 encouraging innovation in the use of natural materials to protect coastal communities4 7b7 project and selection 7#a7 ,in general ,to be eligible to receive a grant under this section1 an eligible entity shall submit to the ,administrator a proposed living shoreline project1 including monitoring and data collection with respect to the project4 7#b7 ,selection 7,a7 ,in general ,the ,administrator shall select recipients based on criteria to be prescribed by the ,administrator in consultation with relevant ,national ,oceanic and ,atmospheric ,administration offices1 such as the ,office of ,habitat ,conservation1 the ,office for ,coastal ,management1 and the ,restoration ,center1 and taking into account the potential of proposed projects submitted under this subsection to protect communities and maintain the viability of the environment in areas where such proposed projects are to be carried out4 7,b7 ,priority ,in selecting recipients the ,administrator shall give priority consideration to a proposed project to be conducted in an area for which the ,president has declared1 within the #aj-year period preceding the submission of a proposed project1 that a major disaster exists pursuant to section #dja of the ,robert ,t4 ,stafford ,disaster ,relief and ,emergency ,assistance ,act 7#db ,u4,s4,c4 #eagj7 due to a hurricane1 tropical storm1 coastal storm1 or flooding4 7#c7 ,minimum level of protection 7,a7 ,in general ,the ,administrator shall select proposed projects for grants under this section that-- 7i7 are primarily focused on providing protection for a coastal community2 and 7ii7 demonstrate and quantify the ability of the project to meet a minimal level of such protection4 7,b7 ,protection defined ,in this paragraph the term protection includes-- 7i7 mitigating the effects of erosion2 7ii7 absorbing the impact of coastal storms2 7iii7 mitigating shoreline flooding2 7iv7 mitigating the effects of sea level rise2 and 7v7 other forms of protection as determined by the ,administrator4 7#d7 ,community protection standards 7,a7 ,in general ,the ,administrator-- 7i7 shall make the determination under paragraph 7#c7 under standards established by the ,administrator in consultation with the ,corps of ,engineers and relevant ,national ,oceanic and ,atmospheric ,administration offices1 such as the ,office of ,habitat ,conservation1 the ,office for ,coastal ,management1 and the ,restoration ,center2 and 7ii7 in establishing such standards1 may consult with relevant interagency councils1 such as the ,estuary ,habitat ,restoration ,council4 7,b7 ,considerations ,such standards shall take into account historic flooding and projected flooding1 climate change1 erosion1 the value of properties in the community1 and ecological benefits of a proposed project4 7c7 ,use of funds ,grants made under this section may be used by recipients only to-- 7#a7 carry out living shoreline projects2 and 7#b7 monitor and collect data on the success and deficiencies of projects1 in accordance with standards issued by the ,administrator under subsection 7e77#b74 7d7 ,cost-,sharing ,an eligible entity that receives a grant under this section shall provide1 from non-,federal sources1 not less than #ej percent of the funds towards the total cost1 including administrative costs1 of each living shoreline project funded by such grant4 7e7 ,monitoring and report 7#a7 ,in general ,the ,administrator shall require each recipient of a grant under this section 7or their representative7 to-- 7,a7 transmit to the ,administrator data collected with the grant2 7,b7 monitor approved projects conducted with grants under this section and collect data on the protection provided by such projects and the success and deficiencies of such projects in providing such protection2 7,c7 make such data available to the public through the website of the ,national ,oceanic and ,atmospheric ,administration2 and 7,d7 by not later than ,december #ca1 #bjbb1 publish a report on the effectiveness of the program under this section in increasing protection of coastal communities through living shorelines techniques1 including-- 7i7 descriptions of-- 7,i7 the projects that were awarded grants2 7,,ii7 the construction carried out under such projects2 and 7,,iii7 what techniques and materials were used in such projects2 and 7ii7 data on the performance of such projects in providing such protection4 7#b7 ,standards 7,a7 ,in general ,not later than #ij days after the date of the enactment of this ,act the ,administrator shall1 in consultation with relevant offices of the ,national ,oceanic and ,atmospheric ,administration and nongovernmental organizations1 issue standards for the collection under subsection 7c7 and this subsection of data regarding the success and deficiencies of projects conducted with grants under this section4 7,b7 ,reporting ,the standards shall require reporting of such data to the ,administration on a regular basis4 7f7 ,definitions ,for purposes of this section3 7#a7 ,administrator ,the term ,administrator means the ,administrator of the ,national ,oceanic and ,atmospheric ,administration4 7#b7 ,eligible entity ,the term eligible entity means each of the following3 7,a7 ,a ,state or a unit of general local government in a ,state4 7,b7 ,nongovernmental organizations that are described in section #eja7;c77#c7 of the ,internal ,revenue ,code of #aihf and exempt from tax under section #eja7;a7 of such ,code4 7#c7 ,living shoreline project ,the term living shoreline project-- 7,a7 means a project to mitigate the effects of erosion caused by shoreline flooding or innundation1 currents1 and wave energy1 through project design that stabilizes a shoreline by using natural materials to create buffers to absorb the impact of coastal storms1 flooding1 and wave energy and to prevent or minimize 7or both7 shoreline erosion1 that-- 7i7 incorporates as many natural elements as possible1 such as native wetlands1 submerged aquatic plants1 native grasses1 shrubs1 or trees2 7ii7 utilizes techniques that incorporate ecological and coastal engineering principles in shoreline stabilization2 and 7iii7 to the extent possible1 maintains or restores existing natural slopes and connections between uplands and adjacent wetlands or surface waters2 and 7,b7 may include1 but not be limited to1 the use of-- 7i7 natural elements1 such as sand1 wetland plants1 logs1 oysters or other shellfish1 submerged aquatic vegetation1 native grasses1 shrubs1 trees1 or coir fiber logs2 and 7ii7 structural materials1 such as stone1 concrete1 wood1 vinyl1 oyster domes1 or other approved engineered structures4 7#d7 ,state ,the term ,state means each of the several ,states1 the ,commonwealth of ,puerto ,rico1 the ,united ,states ,virgin ,islands1 ,guam1 ,american ,samoa1 the ,commonwealth of the ,northern ,mariana ,islands1 and each ,federally recognized ,indian ,tribe4 7g7 ,authorization of appropriations ,there are authorized to be appropriated #bj1jjj1jjj to the ,administrator for each of fiscal years #bjah through #bjbc for purposes of carrying out this section4