“To direct the Secretary of Commerce to establish the Oyster Reef Restoration and Conservation Program.”
No CRS summary available for this bill.
This section establishes the Oyster Reef Restoration and Conservation Program under the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to provide technical and financial assistance to covered entities (i.e., federal, state, local, and tribal governments; nongovernmental institutions; nonprofits; institutions of higher education; the shellfish industry; and private individuals or entities) for oyster reef conservation activities, including priority identification, health evaluation and threat mitigation, restoration projects, adaptive management, partnerships, monitoring, information sharing, and workforce training focused on coastal resilience for underserved communities. The section further directs NOAA to implement a competitive grant program for such activities—conditioned on no interference with commercial or recreational fishing—and authorizes $15 million annually for FY2026 through FY2030. The section specifies that it does not preempt or limit state or tribal authority over oyster reefs or oyster species.