,i #aahth ,,congress #b;d ,session ,h4 ,r4 #ggig ,,in ,,the ,,house ,,of ,,representatives ,march #bb1 #bjbd,mr4 ,carter of ,georgia introduced the following bill2 which was referred to the ,committee on ,science1 ,space1 and ,technology ,a ,,bill ,to direct the ,secretary of ,energy to establish a pilot program on ocean fertilization and restoration research and development1 and for other purposes4 #a4 ,short title ,this ,act may be cited as the ,ocean ,restoration ,research and ,development ,act4 #b4 ,findings2 sense of ,congress 7a7 ,findings ,the ,congress finds the following3 7#a7 ,rising greenhouse gas concentrations has been linked to a number of adverse environmental conditions and threatens the health of the global environment4 7#b7 ,emissions reductions and natural carbon sequestration methods to stabilize and decrease global greenhouse gas concentrations should be pursued4 7#c7 ,the oceans have the capacity to hold #ej times more carbon than the terrestrial systems and atmosphere4 7#d7 ,the ,national ,academies has recognized the potential benefits of methodologies that enhance ocean-based carbon dioxide removal 7marine ,,cdr7 and called for more research to assess their potential to mitigate the impacts of climate change4 7#e7 ,ocean iron fertilization and other marine ,,cdr techniques hold great potential to efficiently accelerate carbon dioxide removal from the atmosphere4 7#f7 ,ocean iron fertilization and replenishment mimics natural processes such as the influx of aeolian dust and volcanic ash that provide iron supplements to iron-limited open oceans4 7#g7 ,ocean iron fertilization also stimulates ocean productivity1 phytoplankton growth1 and fish populations4 7#h7 ,several national and international climate strategies include specifications that methods to restore or enhance ocean photosynthesis are accepted as valid and will produce measurable and significant carbon capture and sequestration or storage referred to as a form of blue carbon4 7b7 ,sense of ,congress ,it is the sense of the ,congress that conducting pilot projects for research and development of ocean iron fertilization and other marine ,,cdr techniques is urgent and in the ,nation's vital interest to better understand and advance climate restoration and should be a priority for the ,secretary4 #c4 ,ocean fertilization research and development pilot program 7a7 ,establishment ,the ,secretary of ,energy shall establish a pilot program for the research and development of ocean iron fertilization and other marine ,,cdr techniques that have the potential to achieve regional-to-global scale carbon dioxide removal1 ocean restoration1 enhancement of fisheries1 or conservation of marine mammals4 7b7 ,requirements ,the pilot program established under subsection 7a7 shall include-- 7#a7 an applied research and development incentive program1 including monitoring of effects on ecosystems2 7#b7 demonstration projects1 including commercial scale by private industry2 7#c7 engineering1 design1 environmental and economic analysis2 7#d7 an assessment of the efficacy of ocean iron fertilization and other marine ,,cdr replenishment techniques to-- 7,a7 absorb and sequester greenhouse gasses and restore marine ecosystems2 7,b7 replicate those practices under varying conditions2 and 7,c7 assess secondary environmental impacts and associated verification methodologies2 and 7#e7 a data management plan to include access and archive functions to allow for interagency scientific discovery4 7c7 ,consultation ,in carrying out the pilot program established under subsection 7a71 the ,secretary shall consult and collaborate with-- 7#a7 the heads of other relevant ,federal departments and agencies1 including-- 7,a7 the ,administrator of the ,national ,oceanic and ,atmospheric ,administration2 7,b7 the ,secretary of the ,treasury2 7,c7 the ,administrator of the ,environmental ,protection ,agency2 7,d7 the ,director of the ,bureau of ,ocean ,energy ,management2 and 7,e7 the ,director of the ,national ,science ,foundation2 7#b7 institutions of higher education2 7#c7 the ,national ,oceanographic ,partnership ,program2 and 7#d7 representatives from other relevant private and public sector organizations4 7d7 ,program goals and objectives ,in consultation with the entities described in subsection 7c71 the ,secretary shall within #a year of enactment of this ,act develop goals and objectives for the pilot program established under subsection 7a71 taking into consideration-- 7#a7 the acceleration of the development of ocean iron fertilization technologies and other marine ,,cdr practices that have transformational ocean restoration1 carbon removal1 and carbon storage characteristics2 7#b7 the utilization of1 to the maximum extent practicable1 environmental data collected by-- 7,a7 the entities described in subsection 7c72 7,b7 the ,defense ,advanced ,research ,projects ,agency through the ,ocean of ,things program2 7,c7 the ,national ,aeronautics and ,space ,administration through the ,plankton1 ,aerosol1 ,cloud1 ocean ,ecosystem mission2 7,d7 ,,noaa's ,joint ,polar ,satellite ,system and ,geostationary ,operational ,environmental ,satellites1 and data available from the ,national ,centers for ,environmental ,information2 7,e7 the ,integrated ,ocean ,observing ,system of the ,national ,oceanic and ,atmospheric ,administration2 and 7,f7 the ,united ,states ,navy1 through the ,marine ,mammal ,program2 7#c7 support for sites for safe testing and demonstration2 7#d7 the need to enter into cooperative agreements to carry out and expedite meso-scale demonstration projects2 7#e7 compliance with relevant international laws and treaties1 if applicable2 7#f7 any benefits or barriers to the commercial deployment of any such technologies and practices2 and 7#g7 the need for adequate data sharing and management protocols among all participants to ensure that the data and information collected from the pilot project is available to the science community and the public4 7e7 ,eligible entities ,in carrying out the pilot program established under subsection 7a71 the ,secretary shall have the authority to contract with private or public entities provided that-- 7#a7 the entity has demonstrated experience with ocean iron fertilization1 other marine ,,cdr techniques1 or expertise in oceanography2 7#b7 at least #ea percent of project costs are to be provided by sources of funding other than ,federal funds2 and 7#c7 certain data collected from such projects is made available to the ,secretary to demonstrate efficacy of ocean iron fertilization or other marine ,,cdr techniques1 subject to the protection of all proprietary data4 7f7 ,state and tribal involvement ,in consultation with the ,secretary1 ,states and ,tribes may enter into contracts with private and public entities to advance ocean iron fertilization for carbon sequestration or fisheries restoration4 7g7 ,priorities ,in carrying out the pilot program established under subsection 7a71 the ,secretary shall1 to the maximum extent practicable1 prioritize activities that-- 7#a7 take place in pelagic waters2 7#b7 will not cause or accelerate harmful algal blooms in coastal waters2 and 7#c7 restores ocean primary productivity4 7h7 ,report to ,congress ,not later than #a year after the date of enactment of this ,act1 the ,secretary shall submit to ,congress a report describing-- 7#a7 the program goals and objectives adopted under subsection 7d72 7#b7 improving and enhancing techniques for ocean iron fertilization and other marine ,,cdr techniques2 7#c7 any results1 successes1 and related co-benefits to marine mammals and fisheries1 and any direct1 indirect1 and cumulative impacts to the environment carrying out the pilot program established under subsection 7a72 7#d7 the potential to undertake large-scale projects and utilize international waters for demonstration projects2 7#e7 applicability of ,research and ,development tax credits and other means to incentivize private investment2 7#f7 any policies or permitting recommendations for work conducted in ,united ,states and international waters2 and 7#g7 any other information the ,secretary considers relevant4 7i7 ,symposium ,not later than #b years after the date of enactment of this ,act1 the ,secretary shall convene a symposium1 bringing together experts from academia1 industry and government to assess the status of deployment1 best practices1 innovation and technologies1 and ongoing research and development related to iron fertilization and other marine ,,cdr techniques for ocean restoration4 7j7 ,waiver ,notwithstanding any other provision of law1 the ,secretary shall have the authority to waive any other legal requirements the ,secretary1 in the ,secretary's sole discretion1 determines necessary to ensure expeditious development and implementation of the pilot projects under this section4 ,any such decision by the ,secretary shall be effective upon being published in the ,federal ,register4 7k7 ,federal court review ,the district courts of the ,united ,states shall have exclusive jurisdiction to hear all causes or claims arising from any action undertaken1 or any decision made1 by the ,secretary pursuant to subsection 7j74 ,a cause of action or claim may only be brought alleging a violation of the ,constitution of the ,united ,states4 ,the court shall not have jurisdiction to hear any claim not specified in this subsection4 7l7 ,authorization of ,appropriations ,there are authorized to be appropriated to carry out this section #cc1jjj1jjj for each of fiscal years #bjbe through #bjcj4 7m7 ,definitions ,in this section3 7#a7 ,coastal waters ,the term coastal waters means the land and sea areas bordering the shoreline where hypoxic conditions exist or are likely to occur due to excess nutrients4 7#b7 ,ocean restoration ,the term ocean restoration includes the research and development of technologies and techniques that support the addition of trace elements or nutrients to the upper layers of the ocean for the purpose of stimulating phytoplankton activity4 7#c7 ,pelagic waters ,the term pelagic waters means the part of the open sea or ocean other than coastal waters4 7#d7 ,ocean iron fertilization ,the term ocean iron fertilization means introduction of low concentrations of iron to high nutrient1 low chlorophyll regions of the ocean surface to stimulate phytoplankton production4 7#e7 ,marine cdr techniques ,in addition to ocean iron fertilization1 other marine ,,cdr techniques include1 but are not limited to1 ocean alkalinity enhancement1 electrochemical approaches1 and kelp and seaweed cultivation4