HR7656-119

What This Bill Does

The ReSCUE Oceans Act requires the Commerce Secretary, acting through NOAA, to create a marine carbon dioxide removal research program within 90 days. The program would fund and conduct laboratory work, field trials, monitoring, environmental and social-impact research, commercialization analysis, and development of measurement, reporting, verification, and safety practices. It covers ocean alkalinity enhancement, electrochemical methods, macroalgae cultivation, nutrient fertilization, artificial upwelling and downwelling, coastal ecosystem storage, and other approaches selected by Commerce.

NOAA must award competitive research grants and at least $10,000 in grant funding for engagement and consultation. Nonproprietary Federal research data generally must be reusable and publicly available, but an Indian Tribe, Tribal organization, or Native Hawaiian organization cannot be compelled to publish its data, and covered Indigenous information cannot be published without consent. Existing law governing territorial seas, the exclusive economic zone, coastal waters, and internal waters remains in force.

The bill permits Commerce to designate Federal research areas or fund eligible non-Federal entities to establish them. Tribal lands may be included only with the Tribe's consent. Research areas require baseline review, public input, a code of conduct, monitoring, inspections, harm thresholds, mitigation, closure, and remediation. Federal areas are reassessed every five years; a non-Federal grant initially lasts five years and may receive one five-year extension before reapplication. Each area generally receives a community advisory board or may use a Regional Ocean Partnership.

An interagency working group co-chaired by NOAA and the Department of Energy must develop and periodically update a Federal research plan, establish and update a public code of conduct, coordinate funding and legal compliance, consult Indian Tribes and Native Hawaiian organizations, maintain a public information portal, and issue biennial reports. Field researchers and research-area users must follow the code, disclose funding, engage affected communities, publish mitigation plans, and comply with applicable law.

The National Science Foundation must award research grants tied to the Federal plan. NASA may support satellite measurement and grants, and NIST must develop benchmark materials, measurements, data, models, validation methods, and international standards coordination. The bill authorizes, but does not directly appropriate, sums necessary for the NOAA, NASA, and NIST work for fiscal years 2027 through 2031.

Who Benefits and How

Marine carbon-removal researchers and technology developers gain Federal grants, field infrastructure, designated research areas, monitoring support, and clearer validation methods. Coastal communities receive consultation, advisory-board representation, public information, and environmental safeguards. Indian Tribes and Native Hawaiian organizations receive consent and data-sovereignty protections. Carbon-credit buyers and voluntary-market participants gain research intended to improve credit integrity.

Who Bears the Burden and How

NOAA program staff must launch and administer the program, grants, monitoring, data systems, and research areas. Federal working-group agencies must coordinate plans, standards, reports, and public access. Grantees and research-area users must follow research-security rules, the code of conduct, inspection requirements, monitoring terms, consultation duties, mitigation plans, and environmental law. NSF, NASA, and NIST administrators receive new research and standards duties, while Federal taxpayers would finance any amounts later appropriated.

Key Provisions

• Establishes a NOAA marine carbon dioxide removal program within 90 days.
• Requires competitive research grants and funded community and Tribal engagement.
• Protects Tribal and Native Hawaiian consent over covered data.
• Requires rigorous field monitoring and generally open public research data.
• Authorizes regulated Federal and non-Federal research areas.
• Requires advisory boards, inspections, mitigation, closure, and remediation.
• Establishes an interagency research plan and public code of conduct.
• Requires biennial public reporting and a Federal information portal.
• Directs NSF to award complementary research grants.
• Authorizes NASA measurement support and requires NIST validation work.
• Preserves existing ocean, coastal, and territorial-waters law.
• Authorizes sums necessary for fiscal years 2027 through 2031 without directly appropriating them.