,i  #aagth ,,congress  #b;d ,session    
,h4 ,r4 #fihg  ,,in ,,the ,,house ,,of  
,,representatives  ,march #h1 #bjbb,mr4 
,larsen of ,washington 7for himself1    
,mr4 ,fitzpatrick1 ,ms4 ,brownley1 ,ms4 
,strickland1 and ,ms4 ,del,bene7        
introduced the following bill2 which was
 referred to the ,committee on ,natural 
,resources1 and in addition to the      
,committees on ,transportation and      
,infrastructure1 and ,armed ,services1  
for a period to be subsequently         
determined by the ,speaker1 in each case
 for consideration of such provisions as
 fall within the jurisdiction of the    
committee concerned  ,a ,,bill  ,to     
establish programs to reduce the impacts
 of vessel traffic and underwater noise 
on marine mammals1 and for other        
purposes4  #a4 ,monitoring ocean        
soundscapes  7a7 ,in general ,the       
,administrator shall maintain and expand
 an ocean soundscape development program
 that includes the ,ocean ,noise        
,reference ,station ,network of the     

,national ,oceanic and ,atmospheric     
,administration and the ,national ,park 
,service1 using and coordinating with   
the ,integrated ,ocean ,observing       
,system1 and may coordinate as          
appropriate with ,regional ,ocean       
,partnerships1 the ,fish and ,wildlife  
,service1 and the ,department of        
,defense to-- 7#a7 provide grants to    
expand the deployment of ,federal and   
non-,federal observing and data         
management systems capable of collecting
 measurements of underwater sound in    
high-priority ocean and coastal         
locations for purposes of monitoring and
 analyzing baselines and trends in the  
underwater soundscape to protect and    
manage marine life2  7#b7 continue to   
develop and apply standardized forms of 
measurements to assess sounds produced  
by marine animals1 physical processes1  
and anthropogenic activities2 and  7#c7 
after coordinating with the ,department 
of ,defense1 coordinate and make        
accessible to the public the datasets1  

modeling and analysis1 and user-driven  
products and tools1 resulting from      
observations of underwater sound funded 
through grants authorized by this       
section4  7b7 ,priority ,in awarding    
grants under this section1 the          
,administrator shall consider the       
geographic diversity of the recipients  
of such grants as much as practicable4  
7c7 ,authorization of ,appropriations   
,there is authorized to be appropriated 
to carry out this section #a1ejj1jjj for
 each of fiscal years #bjbb through     
#bjbf4  7d7 ,administrator defined ,in  
this section1 the term ,administrator   
means the ,secretary of ,commerce1      
acting through the ,administrator of the
 ,national ,oceanic and ,atmospheric    
,administration4  #b4 ,grants for       
seaports to establish programs to reduce
 the impacts of vessel traffic and port 
operations on marine mammals  7a7 ,in   
general ,not later than #ahj days after 
the date of the enactment of this ,act1 
the ,administrator1 in coordination with

 the ,secretary of the department in    
which the ,coast ,guard is operating1   
shall establish a grant program to      
provide assistance to seaports to       
develop and implement mitigation        
measures that will lead to a            
quantifiable reduction in impacts to    
marine mammals from vessel traffic1     
including shipping activities and port  
operations4  7b7 ,eligible uses ,a grant
 under this section may be used to      
develop1 assess1 and carry out          
activities that reduce threats and      
enhance the habitats of marine mammals  
by-- 7#a7 reducing underwater stressors 
related to vessel traffic2  7#b7        
reducing vessel strike mortality1       
serious injury1 and other physical      
disturbances2  7#c7 enhancing marine    
mammal habitat1 including the habitat   
for prey of marine mammals2 or  7#d7    
monitoring sound1 vessel interactions   
with marine mammals1 or other types of  
monitoring that are consistent with     
reducing the threats to and enhancing   

the habitats of marine mammals4  7c7    
,priority ,the ,administrator shall     
prioritize assistance under this section
 for projects that-- 7#a7 are based on  
the best available science on methods to
 reduce threats and enhance habitats of 
marine mammals1 and collect data on the 
reduction of those threats and the      
impacts of those activities to assess   
their effectiveness2  7#b7 assist ports 
with higher relative threat levels to   
vulnerable marine mammals from vessel   
traffic2  7#c7 reduce disturbance from  
vessel presence1 mortality risk1 or     
serious injury from vessel strikes2     
7#d7 are in close proximity to ,usual   
and ,accustomed ,fishing ,areas1        
,national ,marine ,sanctuaries1 ,marine 
,national ,monuments1 ,national ,parks1 
,national ,wildlife ,refuges1 and other 
,federal1 ,state1 ,tribal1 and local    
marine protected areas2 and  7#e7 allow 
eligible entities to conduct risk       
assessments1 and track progress toward  
threat reduction and habitat            

enhancement1 including protecting coral 
reefs from encroachment by commerce and 
shipping lanes4  7d7 ,outreach ,the     
,administrator shall conduct outreach to
 seaports to provide information on how 
to apply for assistance under this      
section1 the benefits of the program    
under this section1 and facilitation of 
adoption of best practices and          
identification of lessons learned4  7e7 
,eligible entities ,an entity shall be  
eligible for assistance under this      
section if the entity is-- 7#a7 a port  
authority for a seaport2  7#b7 a ,state1
 regional1 local1 or ,tribal government 
that has jurisdiction over a maritime   
port authority or a seaport2 or  7#c7 a 
private entity or government entity1    
applying for a grant awarded under this 
section in collaboration with another   
entity described in paragraph 7#a7 or   
7#b71 that owns or operates a maritime  
terminal4  7f7 ,briefing ,the           
,administrator shall provide to the     
,committee on ,natural ,resources of the

 ,house of ,representatives and the     
,committee on ,commerce1 ,science1 and  
,transportation of the ,senate1 an      
annual briefing that includes the       
following3 7#a7 ,the name and location  
of each entity receiving a grant under  
this section4  7#b7 ,amount of each such
 grant4  7#c7 ,the name and location of 
the seaport in which activities carried 
out with such grant took place4  7#d7 ,a
 description of the activities carried  
out with the grant funds4  7#e7 ,an     
estimate of the impact of the project to
 reduce threats or enhance habitat of   
marine mammals4  7g7 ,authorization of  
,appropriations ,there is authorized to 
be appropriated to carry out this       
section #e1jjj1jjj for each of fiscal   
years #bjbb through #bjbf1 to remain    
available until expended4  7h7          
,administrator defined ,in this section1
 the term ,administrator means the      
,secretary of ,commerce1 acting through 
the ,administrator of the ,national     
,oceanic and ,atmospheric               

,administration4  #c4 ,near real-time   
monitoring and mitigation program for   
large whales  7a7 ,establishment ,the   
,administrator1 in coordination with the
 ,secretary of the department in which  
the ,coast ,guard is operating1 the     
,secretary of ,defense1 and the heads of
 other relevant ,federal departments and
 agencies1 shall design and deploy a    
near real-time large whale monitoring   
and mitigation program 7in this section 
referred to as the ,program74  7b7      
,purpose ,the purpose of the ,program is
 to reduce the risk to large whales of  
vessel collisions and to minimize other 
impacts to such whales4  7c7            
,requirements ,the ,program shall-- 7#a7
 prioritize species of large whales for 
which vessel collision impacts are of   
particular concern2  7#b7 prioritize    
areas where vessel impacts are of       
particular concern2  7#c7 be capable of 
detecting and alerting ocean users and  
enforcement agencies of the probable    
location of large whales on an          

actionable real-time basis1 including   
real time data whenever possible2  7#d7 
inform sector-specific mitigation       
protocols to effectively reduce takes of
 large whales2  7#e7 integrate          
technology improvements that will       
improve as appropriate2 and  7#f7 be    
informed by the technologies1 monitoring
 methods1 and mitigation protocols      
developed pursuant to the pilot program 
required in subsection 7b74  7d7 ,pilot 
project  7#a7 ,establishment ,in        
carrying out subsection 7a71 the        
,administrator shall first establish a  
pilot monitoring and mitigation project 
for ,north ,atlantic right whales for   
the purposes of informing a             
cost-effective1 efficient1 and          
results-oriented near real-time         
monitoring and mitigation program for   
large whales4  7#b7 ,pilot project      
requirements ,in designing and deploying
 the pilot project under paragraph 7#a71
 the ,administrator and the ,secretary  
of the department in which the ,coast   

,guard is operating1 in coordination    
with the heads of other relevant        
,federal departments and agencies1      
shall1 using best available scientific  
information1 identify and ensure        
coverage of-- 7,a7 core foraging        
habitats of ,north ,atlantic right      
whales1 including-- 7i7 the ,south of   
the ,islands core foraging habitat2     
7ii7 the ,cape ,cod ,bay ,area core     
foraging habitat2  7iii7 the ,great     
,south ,channel core foraging habitat2  
and  7iv7 the ,gulf of ,maine2 and  7,b7
 important feeding1 breeding1 calving1  
rearing1 or migratory habitats of ,north
 ,atlantic right whales that co-occur   
with areas of high risk of mortality1   
serious injury or other impacts to such 
whales including from vessels or vessel 
strikes4  7#c7 ,pilot project components
  7,a7 ,in general ,not later than #c   
years after the date of the enactment of
 this ,act1 the ,administrator1 in      
consultation with the ,secretary of the 
department in which the ,coast ,guard is

 operating and with relevant ,federal   
agencies1 ,tribal governments1 and with 
input from affected stakeholders1 shall 
design and deploy a near real-time      
monitoring system for ,north ,atlantic  
right whales that-- 7i7 comprises the   
best available detection power1 spatial 
coverage1 and survey effort to detect   
and localize ,north ,atlantic right     
whales within core foraging habitats2   
7ii7 is capable of detecting ,north     
,atlantic right whales1 including       
visually or acoustically2  7iii7 uses   
dynamic habitat suitability models to   
inform the likelihood of ,north         
,atlantic right whale occurrence in core
 foraging habitat at any given time2    
7iv7 coordinates with the ,integrated   
,ocean ,observing ,system and ,coast    
,guard vessel traffic service centers1  
and may coordinate with ,regional ,ocean
 ,partnerships to leverage monitoring   
assets2  7v7 integrates historical data2
  7vi7 integrates new near real-time    
monitoring methods and technologies as  

they become available2  7vii7 accurately
 verifies and rapidly communicates      
detection data2  7viii7 creates         
standards for and allows ocean users to 
contribute data to the monitoring system
 using comparable near real-time        
monitoring methods and technologies2 and
  7ix7 communicates the risks of injury 
to large whales to ocean users in a way 
that is most likely to result in        
informed decision making regarding the  
mitigation of those risks4  7,b7        
,national security considerations ,all  
monitoring methods1 technologies1 and   
protocols under this section shall be   
consistent with national security       
considerations and interests4  7#d7     
,mitigation protocols ,the              
,administrator shall1 in consultation   
with the ,secretary of the department in
 which the ,coast ,guard is operating1  
the ,secretary of ,defense1 the         
,secretary of ,transportation1 and the  
,secretary of the ,interior1 and with   
input from affected stakeholders1       

develop and deploy mitigation protocols 
that make use of the near real-time     
monitoring system to direct             
sector-specific mitigation measures that
 avoid and significantly reduce risk of 
serious injury and mortality to ,north  
,atlantic right whales4  7#e7 ,access to
 data  7,a7 ,in general ,except as      
provided in subparagraph 7,b71 the      
,administrator shall provide access to  
data generated by the monitoring system 
for purposes of scientific research and 
evaluation1 and public awareness and    
education1 including through the ,,noaa 
,right ,whale ,sighting ,advisory       
,system and ,whale,map or other         
successive public web portals4  7,b7    
,national security related information  
,the ,administrator may not provide     
access to any data under subparagraph   
7,a7 that the ,secretary of ,defense    
determines should be withheld for       
national security reasons4  7#f7 ,pilot 
program reporting  7,a7 ,preliminary    
report ,not later than #b years after   

the date of the enactment of this ,act1 
the ,administrator1 in consultation with
 the secretary of the department in     
which the ,coast ,guard is operating1   
shall submit to the appropriate         
congressional committees1 and make      
available to the public1 a preliminary  
report on the pilot project established 
under paragraph 7#a71 which shall       
include-- 7i7 a description of the      
monitoring methods and technology in use
 or planned for deployment2  7ii7       
analyses of the efficacy of the methods 
and technology in use or planned for    
deployment for detecting ,north         
,atlantic right whales2  7iii7 how the  
monitoring system is directly informing 
and improving ,north ,american right    
whale management1 health1 and survival2 
7iv7 a prioritized identification of    
technology or research gaps2  7v7 a plan
 to communicate the risks of injury to  
large whales to ocean users in a way    
that is most likely to result in        
informed decision making regarding the  

mitigation of those risks2 and  7vi7    
additional information on the potential 
benefits and efficacy of the program1 as
 appropriate4  7,b7 ,final report ,not  
later than #f years after the date of   
the enactment of this ,act1 the         
,administrator1 in coordination with the
 ,secretary of ,defense and the heads of
 other relevant ,federal departments and
 agencies1 shall submit to the          
appropriate congressional committees1   
and make available to the public1 a     
final report on the pilot project       
established under paragraph 7#a71 that  
addresses the information described in  
subparagraph 7,a7 and includes the      
following3 7i7 ,an assessment of the    
benefits and efficacy of the near       
real-time monitoring and mitigation     
program4  7ii7 ,a strategic plan to     
expand the pilot program to provide near
 real-time monitoring and mitigation    
measures to-- 7,i7 additional large     
whale species of concern for which such 
measures would reduce risk of serious   

injury or death2 and  7,,ii7 important  
feeding1 breeding1 calving1 rearing1 or 
migratory habitats of whales that       
co-occur with areas of high risk of     
mortality or serious injury of such     
whales from vessel strikes or           
disturbance4  7iii7 ,a prioritized plan 
for acquisition1 deployment1 and        
maintenance of monitoring technologies4 
7iv7 ,the locations or species for which
 such plan would apply4  7v7 ,a budget  
and description of funds necessary to   
carry out the strategic plan4  7e7      
,definitions ,in this section3 7#a7     
,administrator ,the term ,administrator 
means the ,secretary of ,commerce1      
acting through the ,administrator of the
 ,national ,oceanic and ,atmospheric    
,administration4  7#b7 ,appropriate     
congressional committees ,the term      
appropriate congressional committees    
means the ,committees on ,natural       
,resources and ,transportation and      
,infrastructure of the ,house of        
,representatives and the ,committee on  

,commerce1 ,science1 and ,transportation
 of the ,senate4  7#c7 ,core foraging   
habitats ,the term core foraging        
habitats means areas with biological and
 physical oceanographic features that   
aggregate ,calanus finmarchicus and     
where ,north ,atlantic right whales     
foraging aggregations have been well    
documented4  7#d7 ,large whale ,the term
 large whale means all ,mysticeti       
species and species within the genera   
,physeter and ,orcinus4  7f7            
,authorization of ,appropriations ,there
 is authorized to be appropriated to the
 ,administrator to carry out this       
section #ag1jjj1jjj for each of fiscal  
years #bjbb through #bjbf4  #d4 ,grants 
to support technology that reduces      
underwater noise from vessels  7a7 ,in  
general ,not later than #f months after 
the date of enactment of this ,act1 the 
,administrator of the ,maritime         
,administration shall establish a grant 
program1 to be administered in          
consultation with the heads of other    

appropriate ,federal departments and    
agencies1 to provide assistance for the 
development and implementation of new or
 improved technologies that quantifiably
 reduce underwater noise from marine    
vessels including noise produced        
incidental to the propulsion of marine  
vessels4  7b7 ,eligible uses ,grants    
provided under this section may be used 
to develop1 assess1 and implement new or
 improved technologies that materially  
reduce underwater noise from marine     
vessels including noise produced        
incidental to the propulsion of marine  
vessels4  7c7 ,outreach ,the            
,administrator shall conduct outreach to
 eligible entities to provide           
information on how to apply for         
assistance under this section1 the      
benefits of the program established     
under this section1 and facilitation of 
best practices and lessons learned4  7d7
 ,eligible entities ,a person shall be  
eligible for assistance under this      
section if the person is-- 7#a7 an      

academic or research institution2  7#b7 
an individual1 partnership1 association1
 organization or any other combination  
of individuals1 provided1 however1 that 
each such individual shall be a citizen 
of the ,united ,states1 a lawful        
permanent resident of the ,united       
,states1 or a protected individual 7as  
such term is defined in section         
#bgd;,b7a77#c7 of the ,immigration and  
,nationality ,act 7#h ,u4,s4,c4         
#acbd;b7a77#c7772  7#c7 a corporation   
established under the laws of the       
,united ,states2 or  7#d7 a ,state or   
,tribal government4  7e7 ,authorization 
of ,appropriations ,there is authorized 
to be appropriated to carry out this    
section #e1jjj1jjj for each of fiscal   
years #bjbb through #bjbf1 to remain    
available until expended4  #e4          
,technology assessment for quieting     
,united ,states ,government vessels  7a7
 ,in general ,not later than #ah months 
after the date of enactment of this     
,act1 the ,administrator of the         

,maritime ,administration1 in           
consultation with the ,administrator of 
the ,national ,oceanic and ,atmospheric 
,administration1 ,secretary of ,defense1
 and the ,secretary of the department in
 which the ,coast ,guard is operating1  
shall submit to the committees          
identified under subsection 7b71 and    
make available to the public1 a report--
 7#a7 identifying existing1 at the time 
of submission1 non-classified naval     
technologies that reduce underwater     
noise2 and  7#b7 evaluating the         
effectiveness and feasibility of        
incorporating such technologies in the  
design1 procurement1 and construction of
 non-combatant vessels of the ,united   
,states4  7b7 ,committees ,the report   
required under subsection 7a7 shall be  
submitted to the ,committees on         
,commerce1 ,science1 and ,transportation
 and ,armed ,services of the ,senate and
 the ,committees on ,armed ,services1   
,natural ,resources1 and ,transportation
 and ,infrastructure of the ,house of   

,representatives4  7c7 ,authorization of
 ,appropriations ,there is authorized to
 be appropriated to carry out this      
section #ajj1jjj for fiscal year #bjbb1 
to remain available until expended4