15 U.S.C. § 1511d: Chesapeake Bay Office

The Secretary of Commerce shall establish, within the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, an office to be known as the Chesapeake Bay Office (in this section referred to as the “Office”). The Office shall be headed by a Director who shall be appointed by the Secretary of Commerce, in consultation with the Chesapeake Executive Council. Any individual appointed as Director shall have knowledge and experience in research or resource management efforts in the Chesapeake Bay. The Director may appoint such additional personnel for the Office as the Director determines necessary to carry out this section. assessing the processes that shape the Chesapeake Bay system and affect its living resources; identifying technical and management alternatives for the restoration and protection of living resources and the habitats they depend upon; and monitoring the implementation and effectiveness of management plans; develop and implement a strategy for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration that integrates the science, research, monitoring, data collection, regulatory, and management responsibilities of the Secretary of Commerce in such a manner as to assist the cooperative, intergovernmental Chesapeake Bay Program to meet the commitments of the Chesapeake Bay Agreement; coastal and estuarine research, monitoring, and assessment; fisheries research and stock assessments; data management; remote sensing; coastal management; habitat conservation and restoration; and atmospheric deposition; and nonindigenous species; estuarine and marine species pathology; human pathogens in estuarine and marine environments; and ecosystem health; coordinate the activities of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration with the activities of the Environmental Protection Agency and other Federal, State, and local agencies; establish an effective mechanism which shall ensure that projects have undergone appropriate peer review and provide other appropriate means to determine that projects have acceptable scientific and technical merit for the purpose of achieving maximum utilization of available funds and resources to benefit the Chesapeake Bay area; remain cognizant of ongoing research, monitoring, and management projects and assist in the dissemination of the results and findings of those projects; and a list of recommended research, monitoring, and data collection activities necessary to continue implementation of the strategy described in paragraph (2); and continuing any new National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration activities in the Chesapeake Bay; and the integration of those activities with the activities of the partners in the Chesapeake Bay Program to meet the commitments of the Chesapeake 2000 agreement and subsequent agreements. The Director of the Chesapeake Bay Office of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (in this section referred to as the “Director”), in cooperation with the Chesapeake Executive Council, shall carry out a community-based fishery and habitat restoration small grants and technical assistance program in the Chesapeake Bay watershed. The Director shall make grants under this subsection to pay the Federal share of the cost of projects that are carried out by entities eligible under paragraph (3) for the restoration of fisheries and habitats in the Chesapeake Bay. The Federal share under subparagraph (A) shall not exceed 75 percent. the improvement of fish passageways; the creation of natural or artificial reefs or substrata for habitats; the restoration of wetland or sea grass; the production of oysters for restoration projects; and the prevention, identification, and control of nonindigenous species. The government of a political subdivision of a State in the Chesapeake Bay watershed, and the government of the District of Columbia. that is described in section 501(c) of title 26 and is exempt from taxation under section 501(a) of that title; and that will administer such grants in coordination with a government referred to in subparagraph (A). The Director may prescribe any additional requirements, including procedures, that the Director considers necessary to carry out the program under this subsection. For purposes of this section, “Chesapeake Executive Council” means the representatives from the Commonwealth of Virginia, the State of Maryland, the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the Environmental Protection Agency, the District of Columbia, and the Chesapeake Bay Commission, who are signatories to the Chesapeake Bay Agreement, and any future signatories to that Agreement. There is authorized to be appropriated to the Department of Commerce for the Chesapeake Bay Office $6,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2002 through 2006. to determine and expand the understanding of the role and response of living resources in the Chesapeake Bay ecosystem; and to develop a multiple species management strategy for the Chesapeake Bay. determine the current status and trends of fish and shellfish that live in the Chesapeake Bay and its tributaries and are selected for study; evaluate and assess interactions among the fish and shellfish referred to in subparagraph (A) and other living resources, with particular attention to the impact of changes within and among trophic levels; and recommend management actions to optimize the return of a healthy and balanced ecosystem for the Chesapeake Bay.”