§ 1392 — Monitoring Ocean Soundscapes

(a) The Under Secretary shall maintain and expand an ocean soundscape development program to— (1) award grants to expand the deployment of Federal and non-Federal observing and data management systems capable of collecting measurements of underwater sound for purposes of monitoring and analyzing baselines and trends in the underwater soundscape to protect and manage marine life; (2) continue to develop and apply standardized forms of measurements to assess sounds produced by marine animals, physical processes, and anthropogenic activities; and (3) after coordinating with the Secretary of Defense, coordinate and make accessible to the public the datasets, modeling and analysis, and user-driven products and tools resulting from observations of underwater sound funded through grants awarded under paragraph (1). (b) The program described in subsection (a) shall— (1) include the Ocean Noise Reference Station Network of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the National Park Service; (2) use and coordinate with the Integrated Ocean Observing System; and (3) coordinate with the Regional Ocean Partnerships and the Director of the United States Fish and Wildlife Service, as appropriate. (c) In awarding grants under subsection (a), the Under Secretary shall consider the geographic diversity of the recipients of such grants. (d) An activity may not be carried out under this section if the Secretary of Defense, in consultation with the Under Secretary, determines that the activity would negatively impact the defense readiness or the national security of the United States. (e) From funds otherwise appropriated to the Under Secretary, $1,500,000 is authorized for each of fiscal years 2023 through 2028 to carry out this section.