,,ii ,calendar ,no4 #ebi #aahth ,,congress #b;d ,session ,h4 ,r4 #biej ,,in ,,the ,,senate ,,of ,,the ,,united ,,states ,september #be1 #bjbd,received2 read twice and placed on the calendar ,,an ,,act ,to authorize the ,secretary of the ,interior1 through the ,coastal ,program of the ,united ,states ,fish and ,wildlife ,service1 to work with willing partners and provide support to efforts to assess1 protect1 restore1 and enhance important coastal landscapes that provide fish and wildlife habitat on which certain ,federal trust species depend1 and for other purposes4 #a4 ,short title ,this ,act may be cited as the ,coastal ,habitat ,conservation ,act of #bjbc4 #b4 ,purpose ,the purpose of this ,act is to legislatively authorize the ,coastal ,program of the ,service in effect as of the date of the enactment of this ,act to conduct collaborative landscape-level planning and on-the-ground coastal habitat assessment1 coastal habitat protection1 coastal habitat restoration1 and coastal habitat enhancement projects in priority coastal landscapes to conserve and recover ,federal trust species4 #c4 ,definitions ,in this ,act3 7#a7 ,coastal ecosystem ,the term coastal ecosystem means a biological community of organisms interacting with each other and their habitats in a coastal landscape4 7#b7 ,coastal habitat assessment ,the term coastal habitat assessment means the process of evaluating the physical1 chemical1 and biological function of a coastal site to determine the value of the site to fish and wildlife4 7#c7 ,coastal habitat enhancement ,the term coastal habitat enhancement means the manipulation of the physical1 chemical1 or biological characteristics of a coastal ecosystem to increase or decrease specific biological functions that make the ecosystem valuable to fish and wildlife4 7#d7 ,coastal habitat planning ,the term coastal habitat planning means the process of developing a comprehensive plan that-- 7,a7 characterizes a coastal ecosystem2 7,b7 sets protection1 restoration1 or enhancement goals and identifies the priorities of those goals2 7,c7 describes conservation strategies and methodologies2 7,d7 establishes a timetable for implementation of the plan2 and 7,e7 identifies roles of participants and stakeholders4 7#e7 ,coastal habitat protection 7,a7 ,in general ,the term coastal habitat protection means a long-term action to safeguard habitat of value to fish and wildlife in a coastal ecosystem4 7,b7 ,inclusion ,the term coastal habitat protection includes activities to support establishment of a conservation easement or fee title acquisition by ,federal and non-,federal partners4 7#f7 ,coastal habitat restoration ,the term coastal habitat restoration means the manipulation of the physical1 chemical1 or biological characteristics of a coastal ecosystem with the goal of returning1 to the maximum extent practicable1 the full natural biological functions to lost or degraded native habitat4 7#g7 ,coastal landscape ,the term coastal landscape means a portion of a coastal ecosystem within or adjacent to a coastal ,state that contains various habitat types1 including-- 7,a7 a fresh or saltwater wetland in a coastal watershed2 7,b7 a coastal river1 stream1 or waterway2 7,c7 a coastal bay or estuary2 7,d7 a seagrass bed1 reef1 or other nearshore marine habitat2 7,e7 a beach or dune system2 7,f7 a mangrove forest2 and 7,g7 an associated coastal upland4 7#h7 ,coastal ,state ,the term coastal ,state means-- 7,a7 a ,state in1 or bordering on1 the ,atlantic1 ,pacific1 or ,arctic ,ocean1 the ,gulf of ,mexico1 the ,long ,island ,sound1 or #a or more of the ,great ,lakes2 7,b7 the ,district of ,columbia2 7,c7 the ,commonwealth of ,puerto ,rico2 7,d7 ,guam2 7,e7 ,american ,samoa2 7,f7 the ,commonwealth of the ,northern ,mariana ,islands2 7,g7 the ,federated ,states of ,micronesia2 7,h7 the ,republic of the ,marshall ,islands2 7,i7 the ,republic of ,palau2 and 7,j7 the ,united ,states ,virgin ,islands4 7#i7 ,federal trust species ,the term ,federal trust species means migratory birds1 threatened species or endangered species listed under the ,endangered ,species ,act of #aigc 7#af ,u4,s4,c4 #aeca et seq471 interjurisdictional fish1 and marine mammals for which the ,secretary has management authority4 7#aj7 ,financial assistance ,the term financial assistance means ,federal funding provided to ,federal1 ,state1 local1 or ,tribal governments1 nongovernmental institutions1 nonprofit organizations1 and private individuals and entities through a grant or cooperative agreement4 7#aa7 ,secretary ,the term ,secretary means the ,secretary of the ,interior4 7#ab7 ,service ,the term ,service means the ,united ,states ,fish and ,wildlife ,service4 7#ac7 ,technical assistance ,the term technical assistance means a collaboration1 facilitation1 or consulting action relating to a coastal habitat planning1 coastal habitat assessment1 coastal habitat protection1 coastal habitat restoration1 or coastal habitat enhancement project or initiative in which the ,service contributes scientific knowledge1 skills1 and expertise to the project or initiative4 #d4 ,coastal program ,the ,secretary shall carry out the ,coastal ,program within the ,service to-- 7#a7 identify the leading threats to priority coastal landscapes and conservation actions to address those threats in partnership with ,federal1 ,state1 local1 and ,tribal governments1 nongovernmental institutions1 nonprofit organizations1 and private individuals and entities2 7#b7 provide technical assistance and financial assistance through partnerships with ,federal1 ,state1 local1 and ,tribal governments1 nongovernmental institutions1 nonprofit organizations1 and private individuals and entities to conduct voluntary coastal habitat planning1 coastal habitat assessment1 coastal habitat protection1 coastal habitat restoration1 and coastal habitat enhancement projects on public land or private land2 7#c7 ensure the health and resilience of coastal ecosystems through adaptive management procedures based on the best available science2 7#d7 build the capacity of ,federal1 ,state1 local1 and ,tribal governments1 nongovernmental institutions1 nonprofit organizations1 and private individuals and entities to carry out environmental conservation and stewardship measures2 7#e7 assist in the development and implementation of monitoring protocols to ensure the success of coastal ecosystem restoration and coastal ecosystem enhancement measures2 and 7#f7 collaborate and share information with partners and the public relating to best management practices for the conservation1 restoration1 and enhancement of coastal ecosystems4 #e4 ,reports 7a7 ,in general ,not later than #a year after the date of the enactment of this ,act1 and annually thereafter1 the ,secretary1 acting through the ,director of the ,service1 shall submit to the ,committees on ,appropriations and ,natural ,resources of the ,house of ,representatives and the ,committees on ,appropriations and ,environment and ,public ,works of the ,senate1 and make available to the public on the website of the ,service1 a report on the ,coastal ,program carried out under this ,act4 7b7 ,requirements ,each report submitted under subsection 7a7 shall assess on regional and nationwide bases-- 7#a7 ,coastal ,program work on coastal ecosystems2 7#b7 progress made by the ,coastal ,program toward identifying the leading threats to priority coastal landscapes and conservation actions to address those threats2 and 7#c7 prospects for1 and success of1 protecting1 restoring1 and enhancing coastal ecosystems4 7c7 ,inclusions ,each report submitted under subsection 7a7 shall include-- 7#a7 quantitative information on coastal landscapes protected1 restored1 or enhanced2 7#b7 funds appropriated to the ,coastal ,program that have been expended or leveraged2 7#c7 a description of adaptive management practices implemented2 and 7#d7 a description of emerging challenges or data gaps that hinder the ability of the ,coastal ,program to achieve the purpose of this ,act4 #f4 ,authorization of appropriations ,there is authorized to be appropriated to carry out this ,act #af1ieg1jjj for each of fiscal years #bjbd through #bjbh4 ,passed the ,house of ,representatives ,september #bd1 #bjbd4,kevin ,f4 ,mc,cumber1,clerk4 ,september #be1 #bjbd,received2 read twice and placed on the calendar