Overview
Title
To require the Subcommittee on Ocean Science and Technology of the National Science and Technology Council to establish the Interagency Working Group on Coastal Blue Carbon, require the Interagency Working Group to produce a national map and inventory of coastal blue carbon ecosystems, require the Administrator of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to carry out pilot programs to protect intact and restore degraded coastal blue carbon ecosystems, require the Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution to establish the Coastal Carbon Data Clearinghouse, require the Administrator to seek to enter into an agreement with the National Academies of Science, Engineering, and Medicine to conduct an assessment regarding geologic stores of carbon dioxide, require the Administrator to establish the Coastal Blue Carbon Inventory Program, and require the Administrator to conduct a national assessment to quantify the carbon sequestration potential of coastal blue carbon ecosystems.
ELI5 AI
The Coastal Restoration Act of 2024 is a plan to help protect and fix special places near the ocean that store carbon, like secret treasure chests, to help fight climate change. It gives money to different groups to make maps, do projects to make these places healthier, and create a place to keep all the important information about them.
Summary AI
H. R. 9912, the “Coastal Restoration Act of 2024,” focuses on protecting and restoring coastal blue carbon ecosystems, which are vital for storing carbon and combatting climate change. The bill tasks various federal agencies with mapping these ecosystems, establishing pilot programs for their restoration, and setting up a data clearinghouse for coastal carbon information. It aims to coordinate federal efforts, support local and tribal conservation activities, and explore the potential for a coastal blue carbon credit market. Additionally, the bill authorizes funding to support these initiatives from 2025 through 2029.
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AnalysisAI
The Coastal Restoration Act of 2024 presents a sweeping legislative effort aimed at managing, protecting, and restoring coastal blue carbon ecosystems in the United States. As these ecosystems play a crucial role in carbon sequestration and climate regulation, the bill is designed to coordinate efforts among various federal agencies, establish programs and pilot projects, create data management systems, and ultimately assess and enhance the carbon storage potential of these coastal regions.
Summary of Significant Issues
One of the central issues of the bill is the budget allocation without specified objectives or accountability measures. The Act authorizes $15 million annually from fiscal years 2025 to 2029 to the Undersecretary for implementation, yet it lacks detailed guidance on financial oversight or performance evaluation, which raises concerns about potential financial mismanagement.
Another significant issue relates to the bureaucratic complexity and potential inefficiencies stemming from the creation of the Interagency Working Group. Involving representatives from multiple federal agencies might inadvertently lead to overlapping responsibilities and redundant efforts. The absence of clearly defined budget scrutiny and oversight measures exacerbates this concern.
The bill also calls for extensive data collection and analysis efforts. Particularly, the requirement to develop standardization metrics and methodologies could demand significant resources without clearly defined cost-effectiveness criteria. This could lead to excessive resource allocation and vague outcomes if not strategically managed.
Moreover, the preferential treatment in choosing specific organizations, such as the National Academies of Science for certain assessments, might raise questions about the fairness and competitiveness of the process involved in such selections.
Potential Impact on the Public
The bill addresses important aspects of environmental conservation and offers potential benefits, such as enhanced coastal protection, improved water quality, and biodiversity preservation. By aiming to restore degraded ecosystems, the initiative could lead to healthier marine environments and increased resilience against climate change impacts, indirectly benefiting communities living along coastal areas.
However, the potential for inefficient use of funds and bureaucratic delays could dampen these benefits if the outlined objectives are not met in a timely and effective manner. Public trust in government initiatives might suffer if large budget allocations are perceived to be mismanaged or not yielding tangible environmental improvements.
Impact on Specific Stakeholders
Specific government agencies involved in the Interagency Working Group might experience operational challenges due to increased responsibilities and pressure to collaborate effectively without a clearly outlined coordination mechanism. This could lead to overextension of resources and hindered project delivery.
The establishment of programs and pilot projects might positively impact research institutions, as there will likely be increased opportunities for conducting studies and assessments related to coastal ecosystems. At the same time, nonprofit and private sector stakeholders involved in conservation may benefit from the technical assistance and data made available through the Coastal Carbon Data Clearinghouse.
Conversely, local and tribal governments might face challenges related to the interpretation and implementation of broad directives if the federal guidelines fail to align with regional priorities or if they lack the necessary resources to participate effectively in the planned initiatives.
Overall, while the Coastal Restoration Act of 2024 seeks to advance important environmental goals, addressing these outlined issues is crucial to ensure that the intended ecological benefits are realized without financial or bureaucratic pitfalls.
Financial Assessment
The Coastal Restoration Act of 2024, as outlined in H. R. 9912, intends to drive action towards the protection and restoration of coastal blue carbon ecosystems. This includes an earmarked funding directive and specific areas of focus involving federal agencies.
Financial Appropriations
The bill explicitly authorizes appropriations of $15,000,000 for each fiscal year from 2025 through 2029. This budget is allocated to support various initiatives delineated in the Act, including mapping and inventory efforts, pilot restoration programs, and other related activities. Given the multi-faceted approach the bill proposes, this amount is intended to cover a broad spectrum of conservation and restoration tasks across several federal and state entities.
Relation to Identified Issues
There are several issues connected to the financial uses outlined in the bill:
Lack of Detailed Objectives and Accountability: The bill allocates a substantial annual budget without clearly detailing specific objectives or accountability measures for how the funds should be used. This lack of specificity could lead to financial mismanagement, where funds are not directed towards targeted and measurable outcomes.
Bureaucratic Inefficiencies: The involvement of multiple federal agencies under the Interagency Working Group may result in overlapping responsibilities, which could lead to inefficient use of funds. Without clear budget scrutiny or oversight mechanisms, this could escalate into wasteful spending.
Resource-Intensive Proposals: The bill's call for developing standardization metrics and data methodologies could require significant resources without demonstrated cost-effectiveness. This may result in excessive allocation of funds without guaranteeing that they contribute toward meaningful environmental and climate-related goals.
Potential Preferential Treatment: The mandate to enter into an agreement with the National Academies of Science may restrict competitiveness by favoring this organization. Without considering alternative research bodies, it could raise concerns about the equitable distribution of contract opportunities related to allocated funds.
Overall, while the appropriations are well-intentioned and aim to tackle significant environmental issues, the bill may face criticism if these funds are utilized inefficiently or without transparency. Addressing these issues would require establishing clearer financial guidelines and metrics for success to ensure that appropriated funds effectively contribute to the restoration and protection of coastal blue carbon ecosystems.
Issues
The bill allocates $15,000,000 per fiscal year without detailing specific objectives, measures of success, or accountability mechanisms, which could lead to financial mismanagement. (Section 10)
The establishment of the Interagency Working Group involves multiple agencies, which could lead to bureaucratic inefficiencies and potential wasteful spending due to overlapping responsibilities, especially without clear budget scrutiny or oversight mechanisms. (Section 3)
The requirement to develop various standardization metrics and data collection methodologies might be resource-intensive without clear criteria for cost-effectiveness, potentially resulting in excessive allocation of resources without targeted outcomes. (Section 9)
The text mandates entering into an agreement with the National Academies of Science, which may favor this organization without considering alternative options, leading to questions about preferential treatment. (Section 7)
The scope of responsibilities for the Coastal Blue Carbon Inventory Program is broad and may lead to overlapping efforts with other programs, potentially causing inefficiencies and unclear accountability. (Section 8)
The potential ambiguity or lack of specificity in terms like 'minimally disturbed', 'appropriate congressional committees', and 'best practices' could lead to inconsistent interpretations and implementation challenges across sections. (Sections 2, 4, 6)
The language regarding barriers and opportunities in coastal blue carbon ecosystem restoration often lacks specificity, which may complicate effective policy implementation. (Sections 5 and 9)
The section on the Coastal Carbon Data Clearinghouse outlines responsibilities without mentioning specific funding sources or budgetary constraints, which could lead to unchecked spending. (Section 6)
The periodic updates of the assessment of coastal blue carbon ecosystems every 2 years could incur ongoing costs without clear demonstration of necessary benefit or progress toward ultimate goals. (Section 9)
Sections
Sections are presented as they are annotated in the original legislative text. Any missing headers, numbers, or non-consecutive order is due to the original text.
1. Short title Read Opens in new tab
Summary AI
The section describes the short title of the act, which states that this piece of legislation can be referred to as the "Coastal Restoration Act of 2024".
2. Definitions Read Opens in new tab
Summary AI
In this section, the bill provides definitions for key terms including "appropriate congressional committees," which refers to specific committees in the House and Senate, "coastal blue carbon ecosystem," which covers various coastal areas capable of storing carbon, "Indian Tribe," based on existing federal law, "Interagency Working Group," which is focused on coastal blue carbon, "regional coastal observing system," from another legislative act, "State," including territories, and titles like "Subcommittee" and "Undersecretary" for specific governmental roles.
3. Interagency Working Group on Coastal Blue Carbon Read Opens in new tab
Summary AI
The text describes the establishment of an Interagency Working Group on Coastal Blue Carbon to coordinate Federal efforts for research and restoration of coastal blue carbon ecosystems. This group, comprised of senior representatives from various federal agencies, is tasked with responsibilities such as developing national strategies, mapping ecosystems, assessing legal authorities, ensuring data interoperability, and setting protection priorities, with regular reporting and strategic planning requirements.
4. National map and inventory of coastal blue carbon ecosystems Read Opens in new tab
Summary AI
The section outlines a plan by a government working group to create and regularly update a national map and inventory of coastal blue carbon ecosystems every five years. This includes details about the habitats, ownership, size, and carbon sequestration abilities of these ecosystems, and it involves gathering data, consulting with experts, and using this information to assist restoration efforts and predict future changes due to climate change.
5. Restoration and protections for existing coastal blue carbon ecosystems Read Opens in new tab
Summary AI
The section describes the responsibilities of the Undersecretary to protect and restore coastal blue carbon ecosystems. This includes coordinating efforts among various government and non-government groups, setting conservation goals, and running pilot programs to integrate data and best practices, with an emphasis on improving carbon sequestration, protecting biodiversity, and supporting vulnerable communities.
6. Coastal Carbon Data Clearinghouse Read Opens in new tab
Summary AI
The Smithsonian Institution, along with its partners, is tasked with creating and managing the Coastal Carbon Data Clearinghouse, which will maintain and provide access to data about coastal blue carbon ecosystems. This initiative will ensure the data is collected, processed, shared, and made available to various stakeholders, including government agencies, researchers, and the public, and will involve setting standards and developing tools for its use.
7. National Academies of Sciences assessment of containment of carbon dioxide in deep seafloor environment Read Opens in new tab
Summary AI
The section mandates that within 90 days of its enactment, the Undersecretary is required to collaborate with the National Academies of Science, Engineering, and Medicine to thoroughly evaluate the long-term impacts of storing carbon dioxide in deep seafloor environments on the ocean and climate, as well as its effects on marine life and ecosystems, and to assess the effectiveness of current storage methods.
8. Coastal Blue Carbon Inventory Program Read Opens in new tab
Summary AI
The Coastal Blue Carbon Inventory Program is established by the Undersecretary, in collaboration with other departments, to support conservation of coastal blue carbon ecosystems. The program will develop strategies for emissions mitigation, resilience planning, and data management, and provide technical assistance to governments and organizations, while maintaining a digital library of relevant information.
9. Assessment of coastal blue carbon ecosystem climate contributions Read Opens in new tab
Summary AI
The section outlines a plan for the Undersecretary, in collaboration with various federal agencies, to assess and report on the carbon storage potential and climate impact of coastal blue carbon ecosystems. The assessment, which aims to develop measurement standards and explore the feasibility of a carbon credit market, will be updated every two years, and a report will be submitted to Congress detailing findings and recommendations.
10. Authorization of appropriations Read Opens in new tab
Summary AI
The authorized budget for the Undersecretary to implement this Act is $15 million each year, spanning fiscal years 2025 to 2029.
Money References
- There are authorized to be appropriated to the Undersecretary to carry out this Act $15,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2025 through 2029.