S 272 ISCommentsClose CommentsPermalink

113th CONGRESSCommentsClose CommentsPermalink

1st SessionCommentsClose CommentsPermalink

S. 272CommentsClose CommentsPermalink

To promote research, monitoring, and observation of the Arctic and for other purposes.CommentsClose CommentsPermalink

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATESCommentsClose CommentsPermalink

February 11, 2013CommentsClose CommentsPermalink

Mr. BEGICH introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and TransportationCommentsClose CommentsPermalink

A BILLCommentsClose CommentsPermalink

To promote research, monitoring, and observation of the Arctic and for other purposes.CommentsClose CommentsPermalink

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,CommentsClose CommentsPermalink

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

This Act may be cited as the ‘Arctic Research, Monitoring, and Observing Act of 2013’.CommentsClose CommentsPermalink

SEC. 2. FINDINGS AND PURPOSE.

(a) Findings- Congress makes the following findings:CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





(1) The United States is an Arctic Nation with--CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





(A) an approximately 700-mile border with the Arctic Ocean;CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





(B) more than 100,000,000 acres of land above the Arctic Circle; andCommentsClose CommentsPermalink





(C) an even broader area defined as Arctic by temperature, which includes the Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands.CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





(2) The Arctic region of the United States is home to an indigenous population that has subsisted for millennia on the abundance in marine mammals, fish, and wildlife, many of which are unique to the region.CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





(3) Temperatures in the United States Arctic region have warmed by 3 to 4 degrees Celsius over the past half-century, a rate of increase that is twice the global average.CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





(4) The Arctic ice pack is rapidly diminishing and thinning, and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration estimates the Arctic Ocean may be ice free during summer months in as few as 30 years.CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





(5) Such changes to the Arctic region are having a significant impact on the indigenous people of the Arctic, their communities and ecosystems, as well as the marine mammals, fish, and wildlife upon which they depend.CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





(6) Such changes are opening new portions of the United States Arctic continental shelf to possible development for offshore oil and gas, commercial fishing, marine shipping, and tourism.CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





(7) Existing Federal research and science advisory programs focused on the environmental and socioeconomic impacts of a changing Arctic lack a cohesive, coordinated, and integrated approach and are not adequately coordinated with State, local, academic, and private-sector Arctic research programs.CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





(8) The lack of research integration and synthesis of findings of Arctic research has impeded the progress of the United States and international community in understanding climate change impacts and feedback mechanisms in the Arctic Ocean.CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





(9) An improved scientific understanding of the changing Arctic is critical to the development of appropriate and effective regional, national, and global climate change adaptation strategies.CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





(b) Purpose- The purpose of this Act is to establish a permanent program to conduct research, monitoring, and observation activities in the Arctic--CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





(1) to promote and sustain a productive and resilient marine, coastal, and estuarine ecosystem in the Arctic and the human uses of its natural resources through greater understanding of how the ecosystem works and monitoring and observation of its vital signs; andCommentsClose CommentsPermalink





(2) to track and evaluate the effectiveness of natural resource management in the Arctic in order to facilitate improved performance and adaptive management.CommentsClose CommentsPermalink

SEC. 3. ARCTIC RESEARCH COMMISSION.

(a) Duties of the Arctic Research Commission- Section 104(a) of the Arctic Research and Policy Act of 1984 (15 U.S.C. 4103(a)) is amended--CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





(1) in paragraph (2), by striking ‘assist in establishing’ and inserting ‘establish’;CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





(2) by redesignating paragraphs (3) through (10) as paragraphs (4) through (11), respectively; andCommentsClose CommentsPermalink





(3) by inserting after paragraph (2) the following:CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





‘(3) award--CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





‘(A) grants to Federal, State, local, or tribal governments and academic and private organizations to conduct research on or related to the Arctic, including to the marine environment of the Arctic Ocean, its adjacent seas or associated lesser bodies of water; andCommentsClose CommentsPermalink





‘(B) such grants on the basis of merit in accordance with such national Arctic research program plan;’.CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





(b) Administration of the Commission- Section 106 of the Arctic Research and Policy Act of 1984 (15 U.S.C. 4105) is amended--CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





(1) in paragraph (4), by striking ‘and’ at the end;CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





(2) in paragraph (5), by striking the period at the end and inserting ‘; and’; andCommentsClose CommentsPermalink





(3) by adding at the end the following:CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





‘(6) enter into agreements with appropriate agencies or organizations to administer grants made pursuant to this title for Arctic research including reimbursement from funds of the Commission to administer such grants.’.CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





(c) Compensation of Commission Members- Section 103(d)(1) of the Arctic Research and Policy Act of 1984 (15 U.S.C. 4102(d)(1)) is amended by striking ‘for compensation’ in the second sentence and inserting ‘by the Federal Government or any State or local government’.CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





(d) Conflicts of Interest-CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





(1) ARCTIC RESEARCH COMMISSION- Section 103 of the Arctic Research and Policy Act of 1984 (15 U.S.C. 4102) is amended by adding at the end the following:CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





‘(e) Conflict of Interest- The Commission shall adopt conflict of interest and recusal provisions that apply to any decision by the Commission and to all members of the Commission as if each member of the Commission is an ‘affected individual’ within the meaning of section 302(j) of the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act (16 U.S.C. 1852(j)), except that in addition to the disclosure requirements of paragraph (2) of such section 302(j), each member of the Commission shall disclose any financial interest or relationship in an organization or with an individual that is applying for funding from the Commission held by the member of the Commission, including an interest as an officer, director, trustee, partner, employee, contractor, agent, or other representative.’.CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





(2) NORTH PACIFIC RESEARCH BOARD- Subsection (e) of section 401 of the Department of the Interior and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 1998 (43 U.S.C. 1474d) is amended--CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





(A) in paragraph (4)(B), by striking ‘15 percent’ and inserting ‘20 percent’; andCommentsClose CommentsPermalink





(B) by striking paragraph (5) and inserting the following:CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





‘(5) The Board shall adopt conflict of interest and recusal provisions that apply to any decision by the Board and to all members of the Board as if each member of the Board is an ‘affected individual’ within the meaning of section 302(j) of the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act (16 U.S.C. 1852(j)), except that in addition to the disclosure requirements of paragraph (2) of such section 302(j), each member of the Board shall disclose any financial interest or relationship in an organization or with an individual that is applying for funding from the Board, including an interest as an officer, director, trustee, partner, employee, contractor, agent, or other representative.’.CommentsClose CommentsPermalink

SEC. 4. ENVIRONMENTAL IMPROVEMENT AND RESTORATION FUND.

(a) Transfer and Availability of Amounts Earned- Subsection (c) of section 401 of the Department of the Interior and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 1998 (43 U.S.C. 1474d) is amended--CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





(1) in paragraph (1), by striking ‘To the extent provided in the subsequent appropriations Acts, 80 percent of such amounts shall be made available’ and inserting ‘40 percent of such amounts shall be made available without further appropriations’;CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





(2) in paragraph (2), by striking ‘20 percent’ and inserting ‘25 percent’; andCommentsClose CommentsPermalink





(3) by adding at the end the following:CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





‘(3) 25 percent of such amounts shall be made without further appropriation to the United States Arctic Research Commission for the purposes of carrying out research and monitoring in the Arctic as provided in subsection (f).CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





‘(4) 10 percent of such amounts shall be made available without further appropriations to the Secretary of Commerce to fund the Alaska Ocean Observing Program as provided in subsection (g).’.CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





(b) Authority To Accept Non-Federal Funds for Use by North Pacific Research Board- Subsection (e) of such section is amended by adding at the end the following:CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





‘(6) ACCEPTANCE OF NON-FEDERAL FUNDS- The Secretary of Commerce may accept funds from a source other than the Government of the United States to be used by the Board to carry out this subsection.’.CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





(c) Use of Funds- Such section is further amended by adding at the end the following:CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





‘(f) United States Arctic Research Commission-CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





‘(1) USE OF FUNDS- Funds available under subsection (c)(3) shall be used by the Arctic Research Commission established by section 103 of the Arctic Research and Policy Act of 1984 (15 U.S.C. 4102) to award grants under subsection (a)(3) of such section.CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





‘(2) LIMITATION- Not more than 20 percent of funds available under subsection (c)(3) may be used for costs associated with administering the awarding of grants under section 103(a)(3) of the Arctic Research and Policy Act of 1984 (15 U.S.C. 4102(a)(3)).CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





‘(g) Alaska Ocean Observing System- Funds available under subsection (c)(4) shall be used to support the Alaska Ocean Observing System in a manner consistent with the Integrated Coastal and Ocean Observation System Act of 2009 (33 U.S.C. 3601 et seq.), for the purpose of establishing long-term ocean observing systems and monitoring programs in waters of the United States in the North Pacific, Bering Sea, and Arctic Ocean. Not more than 20 percent of the funds made available pursuant to subsection (c)(4) may be used to provide administrative support under this subsection.CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





‘(h) Duplication of Effort; Report- Programs and grants funded pursuant to paragraphs (2), (3), and (4) of subsection (c) shall seek to avoid duplicating other research activities. The North Pacific Research Board, the Arctic Research Commission, and the Alaska Ocean Observing System shall--CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





‘(1) meet not less than once annually to promote coordination among research programs and projects; andCommentsClose CommentsPermalink





‘(2) submit to Congress and the President an annual report on the status of research conducted pursuant to this title.CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





‘(i) Arctic Defined- In this section, the term ‘Arctic’ has the meaning given that term in section 112 of the Arctic Research and Policy Act of 1984 (15 U.S.C. 4111).’.CommentsClose CommentsPermalink