Ocean Policy Roundup
July 29 - August 6, 2024
Happy August recess (and National Catfish Month)! As a reminder, our team is taking advantage of a quiet Congress to recharge and prepare for the busy fall ahead. Roundups will hit your inbox Tuesdays for the month of August and the next “Diving Deeper” will come your way in September.
The Senate spent last week finishing up a few items before heading out of town to join the House on recess. Both chambers are scheduled to return the week of September 9.
With Congress ramping down for the next few weeks, Emily took a moment to dig in on what Donald Trump’s four years as president tell us about his ocean priorities and what a potential second Trump Administration might look like for the ocean. ICYMI, we dove into Kamala Harris’ background and ocean priorities a few weeks back.
Federal Funding
On Thursday, August 1, the Senate Appropriations Committee marked up and approved four more fiscal year 2025 (FY25) appropriations bills:
Energy and Water Development, and Related Agencies
Defense
Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies
Financial Services and General Government
The committee has now advanced 11 of its 12 federal funding bills. At the markup, Committee Chair Patty Murray (D-WA) noted that Senate appropriators will continue working to reach a bipartisan agreement on Homeland Security—the last straggler—with aims to mark it up when the Senate returns in September.
Remember, Congress has until September 30 to either pass all 12 funding bills (highly unlikely) or a continuing resolution (a stopgap funding bill—far more likely) to avoid a government shutdown. We expect a relatively quiet next few weeks followed by a frenzy of activity when recess concludes.
*Don’t forget to check out our tracker for an update on where each FY25 bill stands in the appropriations process.
News Highlights
Rep. Mary Peltola (D-AK-At Large) introduced the Domestic Seafood Production Act (H.R. 9226), which would prohibit permitting or construction of offshore fish farms in U.S. federal waters in the absence of congressional authorization.
Reps. Nanette Barragán (D-CA-44) and Suzanne Bonamici (D-OR-01) introduced the Marine Energy Technologies Acceleration Act (H.R. 9238), which would invest $1 billion to advance marine energy toward full-scale commercialization.
The Senate confirmed President Biden’s nomination of Rear Adm. Chad Cary to lead the NOAA Commissioned Officer Corps and the NOAA Office of Marine and Aviation Operations.
Important Dates and Deadlines
August 5 - September 6: August recess
September 30: end of fiscal year 2024
Check out our public Google calendar and printable PDF to keep track of the 2024 congressional schedule.
No relevant congressional hearings have been scheduled thus far during August recess.
Introductions
Sen. Katie Britt (R-AL) introduced Lulu’s Law (S.4832), which would codify shark attacks as events for which wireless emergency alerts may be transmitted. The bill is cosponsored by Sens. Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV) and Deb Fischer (R-NE).
Sens. Ed Markey (D-MA) and Alex Padilla (D-CA) introduced the Forecasting Optimization for Robust Earth Climate Analysis and Subseasonal-to-Seasonal (FORECASTS) Tracking Act of 2024 (S. 4907), which aims to improve NOAA weather research and forecasting. The bill is cosponsored by Sens. Padilla (D-CA) and Jacky Rosen (D-NV). There is no House companion bill.
Sen. Whitehouse (D-RI) and nine bipartisan cosponsors introduced a bill (S. 4852) aiming to prohibit oil and gas leasing on the outer continental shelf offshore New England. Rep. Seth Magaziner (D-RI-02) introduced the House companion bill (H.R. 9273) with 14 Democrat cosponsors.
Rep. Mary Peltola (D-AK-At Large) introduced the Domestic Seafood Production Act (H.R. 9226), which would prohibit permitting or construction of offshore fish farms in U.S. federal waters in the absence of congressional authorization.
Reps. Max Miller (R-OH-07) and Frank Lucas (R-OK-03) introduced the Weather Data Taxpayer Protection Act (H.R. 9219), which would establish a Federal Commission on Weather Risk Data and Modeling to set standards for weather modeling systems purchased by the federal government.
Reps. Ann Kuster (D-NH-02), Paul Tonko (D-NY-20), and Scott Peters (D-CA-52) introduced the Removing Emissions to Mend Our Vulnerable Earth (REMOVE) Act of 2024 (H.R. 9212). The bill would establish an Interagency Group on Large-Scale Carbon Management to create a strategic plan for carbon dioxide removal technologies across multiple federal agencies. Sens. Kyrsten Sinema (I-AZ), Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), and Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV) led the Senate companion bill: the Carbon Removal, Efficient Agencies, Technology Expertise (CREATE) Act of 2023 (S. 2002).
Sens. Angus King (I-ME) and Bill Cassidy (R-LA) introduced the Working Waterfront Disaster Mitigation Tax Credit Act (S. 4871), which would provide a credit for hazard mitigation projects in connection with certain working waterfront property.
Reps. Nanette Barragán (D-CA-44) and Suzanne Bonamici (D-OR-01) introduced the Marine Energy Technologies Acceleration Act (H.R. 9238), which would invest $1 billion to advance marine energy toward full-scale commercialization.
Sens. Joe Machin (I-WV) and Lindsey Graham (R-SC) introduced a bill (S. 4948) that would establish a grant program to support North Atlantic Right Whale conservation while pausing changes to current vessel speed restrictions. This legislation is the Senate companion bill to H.R. 8704, which was led by Reps. Buddy Carter (R-GA-01) and Mary Peltola (D-AK-At Large).
Updates
The Thomas R. Carper Water Resources Development Act (WRDA) of 2024 (S.4367), which authorizes flood control, navigation, and ecosystem restoration projects for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, passed the Senate by unanimous consent.
The Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources held a business meeting to consider the Energy Permitting Reform Act of 2024, led by Sens. Joe Manchin (I-WV) and John Barrasso (R-WY). The bill passed through committee by a 15-4 voice vote.
On July 31, the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation held an Executive Session to mark up a hefty swathe of legislation. The committee advanced several ocean-related bills, including the Illegal Red Snapper Enforcement Act (S. 3879); Harmful Algal Bloom and Hypoxia Research and Control Amendments Act (S. 3348); Marine Debris Program Reauthorization (S.3277); Sea Turtle Rescue Assistance and Rehabilitation Act of 2023 (S.2086); Northwest Straits Marine Conservation Initiative Reauthorization Act of 2024 (S.4579); and the Accelerating Networking Cybersecurity and Hardware for Oceanic Research (ANCHOR) (S. 3943).
People
The Senate confirmed President Biden’s nomination of Rear Adm. Chad Cary to lead the NOAA Commissioned Officer Corps and the NOAA Office of Marine and Aviation Operations.
Fisheries and Ecosystems
Leaders from the White House Office of Science Technology Policy published an article on mainstreaming nature in U.S. federal policy. The paper highlights the need to integrate nature into policy decisions—not just those focused on natural resource management or conservation.
A July letter criticizing NOAA Fisheries’ expanded vessel speed rules received media attention this week. The letter was signed by 54 legislators and asks the federal government to reopen the rule—which aims to protect North Atlantic Right Whales from vessel strike—for further input and review.
DOI announced $20 million to bolster climate resilience, restore ecosystems, and incorporate indigenous knowledge and practices into management across Hawaiʻi.
USFWS announced 53 new hunting and sport fishing sites across the National Wildlife Refuge System.
EPA announced plans to launch a $2.5 million competitive grant opportunity to support environmental education and other initiatives at Historically Black Colleges and Universities.
NOAA announced $1.5 million to increase Tribal participation with regional ocean partnerships and to further the incorporation of indigenous knowledge into regional databases.
NOAA announced more than $105 million in recommended funding for 14 new and continuing salmon recovery projects and programs along the West Coast and in Alaska. The state and Tribal efforts will be funded through the Pacific Coastal Salmon Recovery Fund.
NOAA announced a $600,000 Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) funding opportunity for members of the public to conduct science that helps fisheries and fishing communities prepare for climate impacts.
NOAA Fisheries Office of Science and Technology Director Evan Howell published a progress update on the ongoing study of the Fishing Effort Survey and the collaborative initiative to re-envision the recreational fishing data partnership.
Ocean Data and Technology
DOE’s Water Power Technologies Office (WPTO) announced an intent to provide up to $112.5 million in funding to advance the commercial readiness of wave energy technologies through open water testing and system validation.
WPTO also announced the phase II winners of the American-Made Innovating Distributed Embedded Energy Prize (InDEEP), which aims to advance concepts to harness and convert wave power into usable types of energy.
NOAA and the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency signed a formal Memorandum of Understanding to share data and collaborate on ocean exploration work that contributes to the missions of both federal agencies.
The National Science Foundation published a fact sheet looking at two years of CHIPS and Science Act initiatives.
Offshore Wind and Energy
It was a quiet week in offshore wind news!
Image: NOAA
Hungry, hungry urchins? Learn about work to restore the Caribbean’s spiky custodians, which gobble up the algae smothering coral reefs.