S 1391119th CongressIn Committee

Coastal Communities Ocean Acidification Act of 2025

Introduced: Apr 9, 2025

Standard Summary

Comprehensive overview in 1-2 paragraphs

The Coastal Communities Ocean Acidification Act of 2025 would amend the Federal Ocean Acidification Research And Monitoring Act of 2009 to place greater emphasis on collaboration with State and local governments, Indian Tribes, and Native Hawaiian organizations. The bill requires NOAA (through the Secretary of Commerce) to work with these partners on vulnerability assessments, research planning, and related activities related to ocean acidification and coastal acidification, and to strengthen mechanisms for stakeholder input and engagement. It also expands tribal and Indigenous representation in NOAA’s advisory processes, directs action to engage Indigenous communities, and prioritizes underserved populations in NOAA’s use of resources. In short, the bill broadens participation and coordination with Indigenous and local communities to better understand and respond to the impacts of ocean and coastal acidification on coastal communities.

Key Points

1Expanded collaboration: The Secretary of Commerce, via NOAA, must collaborate with State and local governments and Indian Tribes on vulnerability assessments, research planning, and related activities tied to ocean acidification and coastal acidification.
2Ongoing input mechanism: Creates or strengthens a standing mechanism (liaison, meetings, or online platform) to obtain input from affected industry members, coastal stakeholders, community acidification networks, fishery councils, Indigenous knowledge groups, non-Federal resource managers, and non-Federal scientists to inform on-ground management and adaptation.
3Advisory Board expansion: Adds two representatives from Indian Tribes, Native Hawaiian organizations, Tribal organizations, or Tribal consortia to the NOAA advisory board; reduces the number of another set of advisory seats from six to four, shifting toward greater Indigenous representation.
4Engagement with tribes: Requires the Advisory Board to develop and begin maintaining a formal policy for engagement and coordination with Indian Tribes affected by ocean and coastal acidification, including consultation, within one year of establishing the Board.
5Priority for underserved populations: When carrying out program activities and distributing NOAA resources, the Secretary must prioritize underserved populations and entities, including collaboration with Native Hawaiian organizations and tribal entities on vulnerability assessments and related activities.

Impact Areas

Primary group/area affected- Coastal communities and populations affected by ocean acidification and coastal acidification, including Indigenous communities and tribal members; state and local governments; coastal stakeholders and fishery management bodies.Secondary group/area affected- Indigenous knowledge groups and Native Hawaiian organizations; non-Federal resource managers and scientists not employed by the Federal government; industry members engaged in coastal economic activities.Additional impacts- NOAA governance and planning processes will explicitly incorporate tribal and Indigenous input, potentially altering research priorities, data collection, and monitoring efforts.- Enhanced collaboration may require additional resources or reallocations within NOAA to support advisory activities, vulnerability assessments, and intergovernmental coordination.- Better alignment of vulnerability assessments and climate action planning with local and Tribal needs could lead to more targeted adaptation strategies for coastal communities.- The bill makes definitional and structural changes to how ocean acidification programs reference Indigenous groups and Tribal entities, aiming for more inclusive governance and data sources (including Indigenous knowledge).

Generated by gpt-5-nano on Oct 31, 2025