Assistance to ports to reduce impacts of vessel traffic and port operations on marine mammals

Not later than 180 days after December 23, 2022, the Under Secretary, in consultation with the Director of the United States Fish and Wildlife Service, the Secretary, the Secretary of Defense, and the Administrator of the Maritime Administration, shall establish a grant program to provide assistance to eligible entities to develop and implement mitigation measures that will lead to a quantifiable reduction in threats to marine mammals from vessel traffic, including shipping activities and port operations. Assistance provided under subsection (a) may be used to develop, assess, and carry out activities that reduce threats to marine mammals by— The Under Secretary shall prioritize providing assistance under subsection (a) for projects that— The Under Secretary, in coordination with the Secretary, the Administrator of the Maritime Administration, and the Director of the United States Fish and Wildlife Service, as appropriate, shall conduct coordinated outreach to ports to provide information with respect to— Not less frequently than annually, the Under Secretary shall make available to the public on a publicly accessible website of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration a report that includes the following information: In this section, the term “eligible entity” means— From funds otherwise appropriated to the Under Secretary, $10,000,000 is authorized to carry out this section for each of fiscal years 2023 through 2028. 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.