The Restoring Resilient Reefs Act of 2021 was introduced in the Senate on January 26, 2021 by Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL), on behalf of himself and Senators Scott (R-FL), Hirono (D-HI), and Schatz (D-HI). The bill was read twice and referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation. An identical bill was introduced in the House by Representative Darren Soto (R-FL) and referred to the Subcommittee on Natural Resources.The bill had unanimously passed the Senate in December 2020, but was stalled in the House. It has been reintroduced with the 117th Congress.
THE BILLS: S. 46 H.R. 160 What do these bills do? The goal of these identical, bipartisan bills is to reauthorize and modernize the Coral Reef Conservation Act of 2000, and establish the United States Coral Reef Task Force. The Coral Reef Conservation Act expired 15 years ago, and was implemented to protect our nation’s reefs. The new bill directs five years of federal funding and technical assistance to states feeling the impact of reef degradation. The goal is to preserve, sustain and restore the United States coral reef ecosystems that have been stressed by human-accelerated changes (e.g. increased temperatures, increased acidity, coral bleaching, coral diseases, water quality degradation, invasive species, poor fishing practices). Additionally, the bill requires the development of scientific information to assess threats, monitor conditions, and propose innovative science-based management solutions to reef degradation. The bill also incentivizes state and local investment in coral reef management capacity and conservation projects through Coral Reef Stewardship Partnerships. A Coral Reef Task Force will be established to lead, coordinate and strengthen Federal Government actions and initiatives to conserve, preserve and restore our coral reef ecosystems using mapping, monitoring, research, conservation, mitigation, and restoration strategies. It will be made up of voting (1) and non-voting (2) members. The task force will work in coordination with state, tribal, local government, nongovernmental and academic partners as appropriate. The task force will provide a report to appropriate Congressional committees each year summarizing recent management and restoration activities in each State as well as updated estimates of economic activity. The report will be made publicly available. The Act also establishes the National Coral Reef Management Fellowship program, specifically to provide year long fellowship funds and guidance to those with an intent to pursue a career in marine services, have leadership potential, hold a college degree or have equivalent experience in biological sciences or marine management, and is proficient with writing and speaking skills. The goal is to encourage future leaders to provide management. Why were they proposed? Coral reef systems are invaluable. They provide natural coastal protection, along with billions of dollars in food, jobs and recreational opportunities world wide (3). Additionally, although they occupy <0.1% of the world’s ocean area, they host ~25% of all marine life, and over 500 million people rely on them for food, revenue and protection. They are the rainforests of the sea. The diversity of these ecosystems is dependent on the corals. Reef building corals occur due to a symbiotic relationship between the coral and an algae called zooxanthellae. The algae live in the coral polyps and create oxygen for the coral, and the coral provides the essential protection needed for the algae to live by a process called photosynthesis (4, 5). This process is slow, and on average, corals only grow 0.3-2 cm a year. Live corals are often vibrantly colored, due to the algae, and attract diversity by providing food and shelter for other organisms. Increased water temperatures by 1-2 degrees can cause corals to expel their algae, a process called coral bleaching (6). In this scenario, the coral loses its color, and ultimately starves without the algae. As a result, the entire ecosystem can collapse. Benefits The bill reauthorizes existing federal programs to continue the essential efforts to halt reef degradation. It calls for scientific research and expertise into monitoring and protecting coral reefs, which will help to expand maps of reef areas and where the most at-risk areas are. It also calls for coral reef emergency plans and best response practices for outbreaks of disease, invasive species, and natural or human-made disasters, so that responders are prepared to immediately handle any emergency. The bill provides funding for state and local community conservation and restoration projects, so that through this bill, activities will also include making sure Federal laws related to the management of coral reef systems are upheld. This includes the taking of corals or surrounding organisms. A benefit of this bill is that it will attempt to identify reef-safe anchors and advance public awareness of reefs to prevent damage to reef systems from boats and other vessels. Challenges Reef degradation is a challenge for warmer coastal areas of the United States like Florida and Hawaii, but it is also a global challenge. Unfortunately, degradation is happening at an unprecedented speed. Scientists predict that without significant changes, we could see 90% of the world’s reefs disappear by 2050. Tropical coral reef coverage has declined 30-50% since the 1980s, and ~75% of the world's reefs are currently facing significant stress (7). Bleaching events have become increasingly more severe, with the worst occurring from June 2014-May 2017. The Great Barrier Reef (Australia) lost half of its coral to bleaching, and other reefs lost >90% of their coral (7). While bleaching events used to be rare, they are now becoming common, and reefs do not have time to recover between bleaching events. Additionally, the bill only provides funding for five years, and would have to be reassessed after this timeline. Want to advocate? Do these bills resonate with you? Do you want to see them become a law? Have concerns or thoughts you would like to discuss? The Senate bill has three cosponsors: Brian Schatz [D-HI], Mazie Hirono [D-HI], and Rick Scott [R-FL]. The House bill has five co-sponsors: Ed Case [D-HI-1], Aumua Amata Coleman Radewagen [R-AS-At Large], Brian Mast [R-FL-18], Jennifer Gonzalez-Colon [R-PR-At Large], and Stacey Plaskett [D-VI-At Large]. Do you see your Congresspeople listed above? If not, you can email your policymakers by finding their emails at https://www.congress.gov/members?searchResultViewType=expanded or call their offices to voice your thoughts. Remember to use our Resources page for more information and guidance when reaching out! Footnotes
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