To direct the Secretary of Commerce to establish the Oyster Reef Restoration and Conservation Program.
Sponsors
Legislative Progress
IntroducedMs. Ocasio-Cortez (for herself and Mrs. Kiggans of Virginia) introduced …
Summary
What This Bill Does
The Oyster Reef Recovery Act of 2025 creates a new federal grant program at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to fund oyster reef conservation and restoration projects. The program will provide both technical expertise and financial assistance to support planning, research, construction, monitoring, and workforce training related to oyster reef health and resilience. The bill authorizes $15 million in annual federal spending from 2026 through 2030, for a total of $75 million over five years.
Who Benefits and How
Environmental nonprofits, shellfish growers and harvesters, universities, and state and tribal governments benefit most directly through competitive grants to conduct oyster reef restoration work. Shellfish growers specifically gain from healthier oyster reefs that support long-term industry sustainability while also qualifying for federal funding to improve their ecosystems. Coastal state and local agencies receive federal assistance that reduces the burden on their budgets for coastal resilience projects. The bill also emphasizes workforce training for underserved coastal communities, creating job opportunities in environmental restoration. Commercial and recreational fishing operations are protected from interference, as grant applicants must demonstrate their projects won't disrupt fishing activities.
Who Bears the Burden and How
Federal taxpayers ultimately bear the cost of the $75 million in authorized spending over five years. NOAA faces increased administrative responsibilities as it must establish and manage a competitive grant program, review applications, distribute funds, provide technical assistance to grantees, and monitor project outcomes. While NOAA receives funding to administer the program, the workload represents a significant expansion of agency duties in marine conservation.
Key Provisions
- Establishes the Oyster Reef Restoration and Conservation Program at NOAA to coordinate federal support for oyster reef conservation
- Creates a competitive grant program open to federal, state, local, and tribal governments; nonprofits; universities; the shellfish industry; and private entities
- Authorizes $15 million annually for fiscal years 2026-2030 to fund research, planning, construction, monitoring, capacity building, and workforce training
- Requires grant applicants to demonstrate their projects won't interfere with commercial or recreational fishing or other water uses
- Preserves state and tribal authority to independently manage oyster reefs and oyster species within their jurisdictions
- Directs NOAA to support workforce training in coastal restoration, with special emphasis on benefiting underserved communities
Evidence Chain:
This summary is derived from the structured analysis below. See "Detailed Analysis" for per-title beneficiaries/burden bearers with clause-level evidence links.
Primary Purpose
Establishes a federal grant program to support oyster reef restoration and conservation through NOAA
Policy Domains
Legislative Strategy
"Create a federal grant program to incentivize oyster reef restoration by providing technical and financial assistance to diverse stakeholders"
Likely Beneficiaries
- Environmental nonprofits focused on marine conservation
- Shellfish growers and harvesters
- Universities and research institutions studying coastal ecosystems
- State and local coastal management agencies
- NOAA (receives $15M annually to administer program)
- Underserved coastal communities (workforce training emphasis)
Likely Burden Bearers
- Federal taxpayers ($75M total over 5 years)
- NOAA (administrative burden of managing competitive grant program)
Bill Structure & Actor Mappings
Who is "The Secretary" in each section?
- "the_administrator"
- → Secretary of Commerce, acting through the Administrator of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
Key Definitions
Terms defined in this bill
The Secretary of Commerce, acting through the Administrator of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
Federal/State/local/Tribal government units; nongovernmental institutions; nonprofit organizations; institutions of higher education; the shellfish industry; and private individuals or entities
Organization described in section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 and exempt from tax under section 501(a)
The Oyster Reef Restoration and Conservation Program established under subsection (a)(1)
Shellfish growers and shellfish harvesters
We use a combination of our own taxonomy and classification in addition to large language models to assess meaning and potential beneficiaries. High confidence means strong textual evidence. Always verify with the original bill text.
Learn more about our methodology