,,ii #aaeth ,,congress #b;d ,session ,s4 #cjhg ,,in ,,the ,,senate ,,of ,,the ,,united ,,states ,june #ai1 #bjah ,ms4 ,harris 7for herself1 ,mr4 ,murphy1 ,mr4 ,blumenthal1 ,mr4 ,wyden1 ,mr4 ,carper1 ,mr4 ,booker1 ,mrs4 ,feinstein1 ,mr4 ,menendez1 and ,mr4 ,merkley7 introduced the following bill2 which was read twice and referred to the ,committee on ,commerce1 ,science1 and ,transportation ,a ,,bill ,to direct the ,administrator of the ,national ,oceanic and ,atmospheric ,administration to make grants to ,state and local governments and nonprofit organizations for purposes of carrying out shoreline stabilization projects utilizing natural materials that support natural habitats and ecosystem functions1 and for other purposes4 #a4 ,short title ,this ,act may be cited as the ,living ,shorelines ,act of #bjah4 #b4 ,living shoreline grant program 7a7 ,establishment ,the ,administrator shall make grants to eligible entities for purposes of-- 7#a7 implementing large- and small-scale1 climate-resilient living shoreline projects2 and 7#b7 encouraging innovation in the use of natural materials to protect coastal communities1 habitats1 and natural system functions4 7b7 ,project proposals ,to be eligible to receive a grant under this section1 an eligible entity shall-- 7#a7 submit to the ,administrator a proposal for a living shoreline project1 including monitoring1 data collection1 and measurable performance criteria with respect to the project2 and 7#b7 demonstrate to the ,administrator that the entity has or will be able to obtain any local1 ,state1 or ,federal permits or other authorizations necessary to carry out the project4 7c7 ,project selection 7#a7 ,development of criteria ,the ,administrator shall select eligible entities to receive grants under this section based on criteria developed by the ,administrator1 in consultation with the heads of relevant offices of the ,national ,oceanic and ,atmospheric ,administration1 such as the ,office of ,habitat ,conservation1 the ,office for ,coastal ,management1 and the ,restoration ,center4 7#b7 ,considerations ,in developing criteria under paragraph 7#a7 to evaluate a proposed living shoreline project1 the ,administrator shall take into account-- 7,a7 the potential of the project to protect the community and maintain the viability of the environment1 such as through protection of ecosystem functions1 environmental benefits1 or habitat types1 in the area where the project is to be carried out2 7,b7 the historic and future environmental conditions of the project site1 particularly those environmental conditions affected by climate change2 7,c7 the ecological benefits of the project2 and 7,d7 the ability of the entity proposing the project to demonstrate and quantify the potential of the project for the protection of the coastal community where the project is to be carried out1 including through-- 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 7v7 sustaining coastal ecosystems2 and 7vi7 such other forms of coastal protection as the ,administrator considers appropriate4 7#c7 ,priority ,in selecting living shoreline projects to receive grants under this section1 the ,administrator shall give priority consideration to a proposed project to be conducted in an area-- 7,a7 for which the ,president has declared1 during the #aj-year period preceding the submission of the proposal for the project under subsection 7b71 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 because of a hurricane1 tropical storm1 coastal storm1 or flooding2 or 7,b7 that has a documented history of frequent coastal inundation or coastal erosion during that #aj-year period4 7#d7 ,minimum standards 7,a7 ,in general ,the ,administrator shall develop minimum standards to be used in selecting eligible entities to receive grants under this section1 taking into account-- 7i7 the considerations described in paragraph 7#b72 and 7ii7 the need for such standards to be general enough to accommodate concerns relating to specific project sites4 7,b7 ,consultations ,in developing standards under subparagraph 7,a71 the ,administrator-- 7i7 shall consult with the ,chief of ,engineers and the heads of relevant offices of the ,national ,oceanic and ,atmospheric ,administration1 such as the ,office of ,habitat ,conservation1 the ,office for ,coastal ,management1 and the ,restoration ,center2 and 7ii7 may consult with relevant interagency councils1 such as the ,estuary ,habitat ,restoration ,council1 and ,state coastal management agencies4 7d7 ,use of funds ,a grant awarded under this section to an eligible entity to carry out a living shoreline project may be used by the eligible entity only-- 7#a7 to carry out the project2 and 7#b7 to monitor and collect data on the successes and deficiencies of the project1 in accordance with standards issued by the ,administrator under subsection 7f77#b74 7e7 ,cost-,sharing ,an eligible entity that receives a grant under this section to carry out a living shoreline project shall provide1 from non-,federal sources1 not less than #ej percent of the funds toward the total cost1 including administrative costs1 of the project4 7f7 ,monitoring and reporting 7#a7 ,in general ,the ,administrator shall require each eligible entity receiving a grant under this section 7or a representative of the entity7 to carry out a living shoreline project-- 7,a7 to transmit to the ,administrator data collected under the project2 7,b7 to monitor the project and to collect data on-- 7i7 the protection provided by the project for the coastal community where the project is carried out2 and 7ii7 the successes and deficiencies of the project in providing such protection2 7,c7 to make data collected under the project available on a publicly accessible internet website of the ,national ,oceanic and ,atmospheric ,administration2 and 7,d7 to1 not later than ,december #ca1 #bjbb1 submit to the ,administrator a report on the effectiveness of the project in increasing protection of the coastal community where the project is carried out through living shorelines techniques1 including-- 7i7 a description of-- 7,i7 the project2 7,,ii7 the activities carried out under the project2 and 7,,iii7 the techniques and materials used in carrying out the project2 and 7ii7 data on the performance of the project in providing protection to that coastal community4 7#b7 ,standards 7,a7 ,in general ,not later than #ij days after the date of the enactment of this ,act1 the ,administrator shall1 in consultation with the heads of relevant offices of the ,national ,oceanic and ,atmospheric ,administration and nongovernmental organizations1 issue standards for the collection under paragraph 7#a7 and subsection 7d7 of data regarding the successes and deficiencies of living shoreline projects for which grants are awarded under this section4 7,b7 ,reporting ,the standards issued under subparagraph 7,a7 shall require an eligible entity receiving a grant under this section to report the data described in that subparagraph to the ,administrator on a regular basis4 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 7h7 ,definitions ,in 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 any of the following3 7,a7 ,a unit of a ,state or local government4 7,b7 ,an organization described in section #eja7;c77#c7 of the ,internal ,revenue ,code of #aihf that is exempt from taxation 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 inundation1 currents1 or 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 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 include 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 7ii7 project elements that provide benefits to coastal ecosystems in addition to shoreline protection2 and 7iii7 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 ,district of ,columbia1 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