§2.Grants to conserve, restore, and manage kelp forest ecosystems
This section establishes a grant program, to be carried out by the Secretary of Commerce acting through the Administrator of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, to award grants for the conservation, restoration, and management of kelp forest ecosystems, and authorizes $5 million for each of fiscal years 2026 through 2030. As background, kelp forests are marine ecosystems dominated by large algae that support fisheries, biodiversity, and coastal resilience. Eligible applicants include members of the fishing industry, institutions of higher education under 20 U.S.C. § 1001(a), nonprofit organizations, Indian Tribes, State agencies, and local governments, and applicants must consult or collaborate with at least one other eligible entity during project development or implementation.
The section limits grants to projects that address the greatest relative regional declines in kelp forest ecosystems, focus on long-term ecological and socioeconomic resilience, kelp seeding and connectivity, trophic recovery such as targeted urchin removal and sunflower sea star recovery, monitoring and assessment, Indigenous knowledge and cultural practices, or other restoration efforts, or that are identified in Indian Tribe, Federal, or State restoration or management plans as focal areas for recovery. It also requires the Administrator to issue implementation guidelines and to establish project-ranking criteria based on best practices, the best available science, and community engagement.
The section sets the Federal share of any grant at not more than 85 percent of total project costs, with the non-Federal share allowed to include in-kind contributions and other noncash support. It authorizes the Administrator to waive all or part of that match requirement if no reasonable means are available for the applicant to meet it, the project’s probable benefit outweighs the public interest in the match requirement, and the project is on lands owned by or held in trust for an Indian Tribe. Of the amounts authorized for each fiscal year, not less than $750,000 must be made available for grants to Indian Tribes; if no Tribe receives a grant in a fiscal year, that amount may be used for other eligible entities and the Administrator must conduct outreach to Tribes and Tribal organizations.