,i #aaith ,,congress #b;d ,session ,h4 ,r4 #hdej ,,in ,,the ,,house ,,of ,,representatives ,april #bb1 #bjbf,mr4 ,liccardo 7for himself1 ,mr4 ,panetta1 ,mr4 ,garamendi1 ,ms4 ,lofgren1 ,mr4 ,khanna1 ,mr4 ,mullin1 ,mr4 ,garcia of ,california1 ,mr4 ,hernndez1 ,mr4 ,levin1 and ,mr4 ,lieu7 introduced the following bill2 which was referred to the ,committee on ,transportation and ,infrastructure ,a ,,bill ,to require a pilot program to enhance existing efforts to mitigate vessel impacts on large cetaceans in the ,san ,francisco ,bay region1 and for other purposes4 #a4 ,short title ,this ,act may be cited as the ,save ,willy ,act of #bjbf4 #b4 ,pilot program to enhance efforts to mitigate vessel impacts on large cetaceans in ,san ,francisco ,bay region 7a7 ,establishment 7#a7 ,in general ,not later than one year after the date of the enactment of this section1 the ,secretary1 with the concurrence of the ,under ,secretary1 shall carry out a pilot program to establish a ,cetacean ,desk1 which shall be-- 7,a7 located and manned within the ,san ,francisco ,vessel ,traffic ,service2 and 7,b7 designed-- 7i7 to improve coordination with the maritime industry to reduce the risk of vessel impacts on large cetaceans in the ,san ,francisco ,bay and the strait of ,golden ,gate1 including impacts from vessel strikes1 disturbances1 and other sources2 and 7ii7 to monitor the presence and location of large cetaceans in the ,san ,francisco ,bay and the strait of ,golden ,gate4 7#b7 ,duration and staffing ,the pilot program-- 7,a7 shall-- 7i7 be for a duration of four years2 and 7ii7 require not more than two full-time equivalent positions1 whose responsibilities shall also include contributing to other necessary ,san ,francisco ,vessel ,traffic ,service duties and responsibilities as needed2 and 7,b7 may be supported by other existing ,federal employees1 as appropriate4 7b7 ,engagement with vessel operators 7#a7 ,in general ,in carrying out the pilot program1 the ,secretary shall require personnel of the ,cetacean ,desk to engage with vessel operators in areas where large cetaceans have been seen or could reasonably be present to ensure compliance with applicable laws1 regulations1 and voluntary guidance1 to reduce the impact of vessel traffic on large cetaceans4 7#b7 ,contents ,in engaging with vessel operators as required under paragraph 7#a71 personnel of the ,cetacean ,desk shall communicate where and when sightings of large cetaceans have occurred4 7c7 ,memorandum of understanding ,the ,secretary and the ,under ,secretary may enter into a memorandum of understanding to facilitate real-time sharing of data relating to large cetaceans between the ,state of ,california1 the ,national ,oceanic and ,atmospheric ,administration1 the ,san ,francisco ,vessel ,traffic ,service1 and other relevant entities1 as appropriate4 7d7 ,data ,the ,under ,secretary shall leverage existing data collection methods1 the program required by section #aacjc of the ,national ,defense ,authorization ,act for ,fiscal ,year #bjbc 7#af ,u4,s4,c4 #acia71 and public data to ensure accurate and timely information on the sighting of large cetaceans4 7e7 ,use of technologies 7#a7 ,emerging technologies ,the ,secretary1 in coordination with the ,under ,secretary and the ,commandant1 shall evaluate for potential use under the pilot program1 and1 as appropriate1 adopt for such use1 new and emerging technologies to enhance the effectiveness1 efficiency1 and responsiveness of the ,cetacean ,desk1 including technologies capable of the following3 7,a7 ,improving the detection1 identification1 tracking1 or forecasting of large cetacean presence1 including through the use of automated1 algorithmic1 or artificial intelligence-enabled tools4 7,b7 ,improving the integration1 processing1 or dissemination of data from ,federal1 ,state1 academic1 nongovernmental1 and public sources in near real time4 7,c7 ,enhancing communication with vessel operators to reduce the likelihood of vessel interactions with large cetaceans4 7#b7 ,existing partnerships and programs ,in carrying out this subsection1 the ,secretary shall1 to the maximum extent practicable1 leverage existing research partnerships and other ,federal programs4 7f7 ,consultations ,in carrying out the pilot program1 the ,secretary shall consult with ,tribal governments1 the ,state of ,california1 institutions of higher education1 the maritime industry1 ports in the ,san ,francisco ,bay region1 and nongovernmental organizations4 7g7 ,san ,francisco ,vessel ,traffic ,service local variance and policy ,the ,secretary1 with the concurrence of the ,under ,secretary and in consultation with the ,captain of the ,port for the ,san ,francisco ,bay-- 7#a7 shall implement local variances1 as authorized by section #gjjja7;c7 of title #df1 ,united ,states ,code1 to facilitate communication1 reporting1 and voluntary coordination between vessel operators and the ,san ,francisco ,vessel ,traffic ,service regarding the presence of large cetaceans2 7#b7 shall ensure that any local variances implemented under this subsection maintain safe vessel navigation and are consistent with the communication and coordination functions of the ,san ,francisco ,vessel ,traffic ,service2 and 7#c7 may enter into cooperative agreements1 in accordance with section #gjjja7;d7 of title #df1 ,united ,states ,code1 with ,federal1 ,state1 ,tribal1 and local officials to reduce the likelihood of vessel interactions with protected large cetaceans1 which may include-- 7,a7 communicating marine mammal protection guidance to vessels2 7,b7 training on requirements imposed by local1 ,state1 ,tribal1 and ,federal laws and regulations and guidelines concerning-- 7i7 vessel buffer zones2 7ii7 vessel speed2 7iii7 seasonal no-go zones for vessels2 7iv7 protected areas1 including areas designated as critical habitat1 as applicable to marine operations2 and 7v7 any other activities to reduce the direct and indirect impact of vessel traffic on large cetaceans2 7,c7 training to understand1 utilize1 and communicate large cetacean location data2 and 7,d7 training to understand and communicate basic large cetacean detection1 identification1 and behavior1 including-- 7i7 cues of the presence of large cetaceans such as spouts1 water disturbances1 breaches1 or presence of prey2 7ii7 important feeding1 breeding1 calving1 and rearing habitats that co-occur with areas of high risk of vessel strikes2 7iii7 seasonal large cetacean migration routes that co-occur with areas of high risk of vessel strikes2 and 7iv7 areas designated as critical habitat for large cetaceans4 7h7 ,reports required ,not later than one year after the date of enactment of this section1 and annually thereafter for the duration of the pilot program1 the ,commandant1 in coordination with the ,under ,secretary and the ,administrator of the ,maritime ,administration1 shall submit to the appropriate congressional committees a report that-- 7#a7 evaluates the functionality1 utility1 reliability1 responsiveness1 and operational status of the ,cetacean ,desk1 including a quantification of reductions in vessel strikes to large cetaceans as a result of the pilot program2 7#b7 assesses the efficacy of communication between the ,cetacean ,desk and the maritime industry and provides recommendations for improvements2 7#c7 evaluates the integration and interoperability of existing data collection methods1 as well as public data1 into the ,cetacean ,desk operations2 7#d7 assesses the efficacy of collaboration and stakeholder engagement with ,tribal governments1 the ,state of ,california1 institutions of higher education1 the maritime industry1 ports in the ,san ,francisco ,bay region1 and nongovernmental organizations2 and 7#e7 evaluates the progress1 performance1 and implementation of guidance and training procedures for ,san ,francisco ,vessel ,traffic ,service personnel1 as required under subsection 7f74 7i7 ,definitions ,in this section3 7#a7 ,the terms appropriate congressional committees1 institution of higher education1 ,tribal government1 and ,under ,secretary have the meanings given those terms in section #aacja of the ,national ,defense ,authorization ,act for ,fiscal ,year #bjbc 7,public ,law #aag-bfc2 #af ,u4,s4,c4 #acij note74 7#b7 ,the term ,cetacean ,desk means the ,cetacean ,desk established by the pilot program4 7#c7 ,the term ,commandant means the ,commandant of the ,coast ,guard4 7#d7 ,the term large cetacean means all species within-- 7,a7 the suborder ,mysticeti2 7,b7 the genera ,physeter2 or 7,c7 the genera ,orcinus4 7#e7 ,the term pilot program means the pilot program required under subsection 7a74 7#f7 ,the term ,secretary means the ,secretary of the department in which the ,coast ,guard is operating4