Bill Summary
The "Coastal State Climate Preparedness Act of 2025" aims to amend the Coastal Zone Management Act of 1972 by establishing a program focused on coastal climate change adaptation and response. The Secretary of Commerce will be responsible for creating this program, which will assist coastal states in developing voluntary climate change adaptation plans to minimize climate change impacts and enhance preparedness in coastal areas.
Key components of the legislation include:
1. **Grant Provision**: The Secretary can provide financial and technical assistance to coastal states for developing and implementing adaptation plans, which must align with existing state hazard mitigation and disaster response programs.
2. **Plan Requirements**: Adaptation plans funded by grants will need to identify vulnerable facilities and resources, propose adaptive management strategies, and establish monitoring requirements to assess environmental changes.
3. **Project Implementation**: Grants can also be provided for specific projects aimed at improving climate resilience, such as habitat restoration, infrastructure adaptation, and addressing physical disturbances caused by climate change.
4. **Prioritization and Guidelines**: The legislation allows the Secretary to prioritize funding for states that have previously received support for program improvements and mandates the issuance of implementation guidelines within a specific timeframe.
5. **Funding Authorization**: It authorizes necessary appropriations for these grants and clarifies that states are not required to modify their existing management programs.
Overall, the legislation seeks to bolster coastal states' efforts in preparing for and mitigating the effects of climate change on their environments and communities.
Possible Impacts
The Coastal State Climate Preparedness Act of 2025 could affect people in several ways, including:
1. **Enhanced Community Resilience**: The establishment of a coastal climate change adaptation preparedness and response program would help coastal communities develop tailored adaptation plans. This could lead to improved infrastructure and services that are better equipped to handle climate-related challenges such as rising sea levels and extreme weather events. As a result, residents may experience reduced risk of property damage and loss of life during climate-related disasters.
2. **Economic Opportunities and Support**: By providing grants and financial assistance to coastal states for implementing adaptation strategies, this legislation could stimulate local economies. Communities may benefit from job creation in areas such as environmental management, construction of resilient infrastructure, and restoration projects. Additionally, businesses that rely on coastal resources, like tourism and fishing, may see improved sustainability and profitability through enhanced ecosystem management.
3. **Increased Public Awareness and Education**: The technical training and assistance provisions for local policymakers would foster greater awareness and understanding of climate change issues among community leaders and residents. This could lead to more informed decision-making and increased public engagement in climate adaptation efforts, empowering individuals and communities to take an active role in protecting their coastal environments and preparing for future impacts.
[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 2990 Introduced in House (IH)]
<DOC>
119th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. R. 2990
To amend the Coastal Zone Management Act of 1972 to require the
Secretary of Commerce to establish a coastal climate change adaptation
preparedness and response program, and for other purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
April 24, 2025
Mr. Carbajal (for himself and Mr. Fitzpatrick) introduced the following
bill; which was referred to the Committee on Natural Resources
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To amend the Coastal Zone Management Act of 1972 to require the
Secretary of Commerce to establish a coastal climate change adaptation
preparedness and response program, and for other purposes.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``Coastal State Climate Preparedness
Act of 2025''.
SEC. 2. CLIMATE CHANGE PREPAREDNESS IN THE COASTAL ZONE.
(a) In General.--The Coastal Zone Management Act of 1972 (16 U.S.C.
1451 et seq.) is amended by adding at the end the following:
``SEC. 320. CLIMATE CHANGE ADAPTATION PREPAREDNESS AND RESPONSE
PROGRAM.
``(a) In General.--The Secretary shall establish, consistent with
the national policies set forth in section 303, a coastal climate
change adaptation preparedness and response program to--
``(1) provide assistance to coastal States to voluntarily
develop coastal climate change adaptation plans, pursuant to
approved management programs approved under section 306, to
minimize contributions to climate change and to prepare for and
reduce the negative consequences that may result from climate
change in the coastal zone; and
``(2) provide financial and technical assistance and
training to enable coastal States to implement plans developed
pursuant to this section through coastal States' enforceable
policies.
``(b) Coastal Climate Change Adaptation Planning and Preparedness
Grants.--
``(1) In general.--The Secretary may make a grant to any
coastal State for the purpose of developing climate change
adaptation plans pursuant to guidelines issued by the Secretary
under paragraph (8).
``(2) Plan content.--A plan developed with a grant under
this subsection shall include the following:
``(A) Identification of public facilities and
public services, working waterfronts, coastal resources
of national significance, coastal waters, energy
facilities, or other land and water uses located in the
coastal zone that are likely to be impacted by climate
change.
``(B) Adaptive management strategies for land use
to respond or adapt to changing environmental
conditions, including strategies to protect
biodiversity, protect water quality, and establish
habitat buffer zones, migration corridors, and climate
refugia.
``(C) Adaptive management strategies for ocean-
based ecosystems and resources, including strategies to
plan for and respond to geographic or temporal shifts
in marine resources, to create protected areas that
will provide climate refugia, and to maintain and
restore ocean ecosystem function.
``(D) Requirements to initiate and maintain long-
term monitoring of environmental change to assess
coastal zone adaptation and to adjust when necessary
adaptive management strategies and new planning
guidelines to attain the policies under section 303.
``(E) Other information considered necessary by the
Secretary to identify the full range of climate change
impacts affecting coastal communities.
``(3) State hazard mitigation plans.--Plans developed with
a grant under this subsection shall be consistent with State
hazard mitigation plans and natural disaster response and
recovery programs developed under State or Federal law.
``(4) Allocation.--Grants under this subsection shall be
available only to coastal States with management programs
approved by the Secretary under section 306 and shall be
allocated among such coastal States in a manner consistent with
regulations promulgated pursuant to section 306(c).
``(5) Priority.--In the awarding of grants under this
subsection, the Secretary may give priority to any coastal
State that has received grant funding to develop program
changes pursuant to paragraphs (1), (2), (3), (5), (6), (7),
and (8) of section 309(a).
``(6) Technical assistance.--The Secretary may provide
technical assistance to a coastal State consistent with section
310 to ensure the timely development of plans supported by
grants awarded under this subsection.
``(7) Federal approval.--In order to be eligible for a
grant under subsection (c), a coastal State must have its plan
developed under this subsection approved by the Secretary.
``(8) Guidelines.--Not later than 180 days after the date
of enactment of this section, the Secretary, in consultation
with the coastal States, shall issue guidelines for the
implementation of the grant program established under this
subsection.
``(c) Coastal Climate Change Adaptation Project Implementation
Grants.--
``(1) In general.--The Secretary may make grants to any
coastal State that has a climate change adaptation plan
approved under subsection (b)(7), in order to support projects
that implement strategies contained within such plans.
``(2) Program requirements.--The Secretary, not later than
90 days after approval of the first plan approved under
subsection (b)(7), shall publish in the Federal Register
requirements regarding applications, allocations, eligible
activities, and all terms and conditions for grants awarded
under this subsection. No less than 30 percent, and no more
than 50 percent, of the funds appropriated in any fiscal year
for grants under this subsection shall be awarded through a
merit-based competitive process.
``(3) Eligible activities.--The Secretary may award grants
to coastal States to implement projects in the coastal zone to
address stress factors in order to improve coastal climate
change adaptation, including the following:
``(A) Activities to address physical disturbances
within the coastal zone, especially activities related
to public facilities and public services, tourism,
sedimentation, ocean acidification, and other factors
negatively impacting coastal waters.
``(B) Monitoring, control, or eradication of
disease organisms and invasive species.
``(C) Activities to address the loss, degradation,
or fragmentation of wildlife habitat through projects
to establish or protect marine and terrestrial habitat
buffers, wildlife refugia, other wildlife refuges, or
networks thereof, preservation of migratory wildlife
corridors and other transition zones, and restoration
of fish and wildlife habitat.
``(D) Projects, with priority given to such
projects that use green infrastructure solutions, to
reduce, mitigate, or otherwise address likely impacts
caused by natural hazards in the coastal zone,
including sea level rise, coastal inundation, storm
water management, coastal erosion and subsidence,
severe weather events such as cyclonic storms, tsunamis
and other seismic threats, and fluctuating Great Lakes
water levels.
``(E) Projects to adapt existing infrastructure,
including enhancements to both built and natural
environments.
``(F) Provision of technical training and
assistance to local coastal policy makers to increase
awareness of science, management, and technology
information related to climate change and adaptation
strategies.
``(4) Promotion and use of national estuarine research
reserves.--The Secretary shall promote and encourage the use of
National Estuarine Research Reserves as sites for pilot or
demonstration projects carried out with grants awarded under
this section.''.
(b) Authorization of Appropriations.--Section 318(a) of the Coastal
Zone Management Act of 1972 (16 U.S.C. 1464(a)) is amended--
(1) by striking ``and'' after the semicolon at the end of
paragraph (1);
(2) by striking the period at the end of paragraph (2) and
inserting ``; and''; and
(3) by adding at the end the following:
``(3) for grants under section 320, such sums as are
necessary.''.
(c) Intent of Congress.--None of the amendments made by this
section shall be construed to require any coastal State to amend or
modify its approved management program pursuant to section 306(e) of
the Coastal Zone Management Act of 1972 (16 U.S.C. 1455(e)) or to
extend the enforceable policies of a coastal State beyond the coastal
zone as identified in the coastal State's approved management program.
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