[Congressional Bills 108th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Printing Office]
[H.R. 1081 Introduced in House (IH)]
108th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. R. 1081
To establish marine and freshwater research, development, and
demonstration programs to support efforts to prevent, control, and
eradicate invasive species, as well as to educate citizens and
stakeholders and restore ecosystems.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
March 5, 2003
Mr. Ehlers (for himself, Mr. Gilchrest, Mr. Baird, Mr. Hoekstra, Mr.
Ortiz, Mrs. Biggert, Mr. Kirk, Mr. Kildee, Mr. Camp, Mr. McHugh, Mr.
Emanuel, Ms. Slaughter, Mr. Rogers of Michigan, Mr. English, Mr. Farr,
Mr. Cummings, Mr. Levin, Mr. Stupak, Mr. Scott of Virginia, Mr.
Abercrombie, Mr. Quinn, Mr. Smith of Washington, Mr. George Miller of
California, Mrs. Maloney, Mr. Dingell, Ms. Kaptur, Ms. Lee, Mr. Saxton,
Mr. Dicks, Ms. Bordallo, Mr. Visclosky, Mr. Walsh, Mr. Upton, Mr.
Gillmor, Mr. Smith of Michigan, Mr. Case, Mr. Boehlert, Mr. Brown of
Ohio, Mr. Greenwood, Mr. Pallone, Mr. Markey, Mr. Delahunt, Mr. Cardin,
Mr. Allen, Mrs. Miller of Michigan, Mr. Blumenauer, Mr. Inslee, Mr.
Houghton, Ms. McCollum, Mr. McGovern, Mr. McCotter, Ms. Baldwin, Mr.
Leach, Mr. McDermott, Mr. Neal of Massachusetts, Mr. Knollenberg, Mr.
Towns, Mr. Honda, Mr. Lipinski, Mr. Weiner, Mr. Kind, Mr. Evans, Ms.
Lofgren, Mr. Johnson of Illinois, Mr. Kleczka, Mr. Simmons, Mr.
Faleomavaega, and Mr. LaTourette) introduced the following bill; which
was referred to the Committee on Science, and in addition to the
Committees on Transportation and Infrastructure, Resources, and House
Administration, for a period to be subsequently determined by the
Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall
within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To establish marine and freshwater research, development, and
demonstration programs to support efforts to prevent, control, and
eradicate invasive species, as well as to educate citizens and
stakeholders and restore ecosystems.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``Aquatic Invasive Species Research
Act''.
SEC. 2. FINDINGS.
The Congress makes the following findings:
(1) Aquatic invasive species damage infrastructure, disrupt
commerce, outcompete native species, reduce biodiversity, and
threaten human health.
(2) The direct and indirect costs of aquatic invasive
species to our Nation's economy number in the billions of
dollars per year. In the Great Lakes region, approximately
$3,000,000,000 dollars have been spent in the past 10 years to
mitigate the damage caused by one invasive species, the zebra
mussel.
(3) Recent studies have shown that, in addition to economic
damage, invasive species cause enormous environmental damage,
and have cited invasive species as the second leading threat to
endangered species.
(4) Over the past 200 years, the rate of detected marine
and freshwater invasions in North America has increased
exponentially.
(5) The rate of invasions continues to grow each year.
(6) Marine and freshwater research underlies every aspect
of detecting, preventing, controlling, and eradicating invasive
species, educating citizens and stakeholders, and restoring
ecosystems.
(7) Current Federal efforts, including research efforts,
have focused primarily on controlling established invasive
species, which is both costly and often unsuccessful. An
emphasis on research, development, and demonstration to support
efforts to prevent invasive species or eradicate them upon
entry into United States waters would likely result in a more
cost-effective and successful approach to combating invasive
species through preventing initial introduction.
(8) Research, development, and demonstration to support
prevention and eradication includes monitoring of both pathways
and ecosystems to track the introduction and establishment of
nonnative species, and development and testing of technologies
to prevent introduction through known pathways.
(9) Therefore, Congress finds that it is in the United
States interest to conduct a comprehensive and thorough
research, development, and demonstration program on aquatic
invasive species in order to better understand how aquatic
invasive species are introduced and become established and to
support efforts to prevent the introduction and establishment
of, and to eradicate, these species.
SEC. 3. DEFINITIONS.
In this Act:
(1) Administering agencies.--The term ``administering
agencies'' means--
(A) the National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration (including the Great Lakes Environmental
Research Laboratory);
(B) the Smithsonian Environmental Research Center;
and
(C) the United States Geological Survey.
(2) Aquatic ecosystem.--The term ``aquatic ecosystem''
means a freshwater, marine, or estuarine environment (including
inland waters and wetlands) located in the United States.
(3) Ballast water.--The term ``ballast water'' means any
water (with its suspended matter) used to maintain the trim and
stability of a vessel.
(4) Invasion.--The term ``invasion'' means the introduction
and establishment of an invasive species into an ecosystem
beyond its historic range.
(5) Invasive species.--The term ``invasive species'' means
a species--
(A) that is nonnative to the ecosystem under
consideration; and
(B) whose introduction causes or may cause harm to
the economy, the environment, or human health.
(6) Invasive species council.--The term ``Invasive Species
Council'' means the council established by section 3 of
Executive Order No. 13112 (42 U.S.C. 4321 note).
(7) Pathway.--The term ``pathway'' means 1 or more routes
by which an invasive species is transferred from one ecosystem
to another.
(8) Species.--The term ``species'' means any fundamental
category of taxonomic classification or any viable biological
material ranking below a genus or subgenus.
(9) Task force.--The term ``Task Force'' means the Aquatic
Nuisance Species Task Force established by section 1201(a) of
the Nonindigenous Aquatic Nuisance Prevention and Control Act
of 1990 (16 U.S.C. 4721(a)).
(10) Type approval.--The term ``type approval'' means an
approval procedure under which a type of system is certified as
meeting a standard established pursuant to Federal law for a
particular application.
SEC. 4. CONSULTATION AND COOPERATION.
(a) Memorandum of Understanding.--The administering agencies shall
enter into a memorandum of understanding regarding implementation of
this Act.
(b) Consultation.--In carrying out this Act, the administering
agencies shall consult with--
(1) the Task Force and Invasive Species Council;
(2) the Environmental Protection Agency; and
(3) other appropriate Federal and State agencies.
(c) Cooperation.--In carrying out this Act, the administering
agencies shall contract, as appropriate, or otherwise cooperate with
academic researchers.
SEC. 5. ECOLOGICAL AND PATHWAY RESEARCH.
(a) In General.--The administering agencies shall develop and
conduct a marine and fresh-water research program which shall include
ecological and pathway surveys and experimentation to detect nonnative
aquatic species in aquatic ecosystems and to assess rates and patterns
of introductions of nonnative aquatic species in aquatic ecosystems.
The goal of this marine and freshwater research program shall be to
support efforts to prevent the introduction of, detect, and eradicate
invasive species through informing early detection and rapid response
efforts, informing relevant policy decisions, and assessing the
effectiveness of implemented policies to prevent the introduction and
spread of aquatic invasive species. Surveys and experiments under this
subsection shall be commenced not later than 18 months after the date
of the enactment of this Act.
(b) Protocol Development.--The administering agencies shall
establish standardized protocols for conducting ecological and pathway
surveys of nonnative aquatic species that are integrated and produce
comparable data, and shall recommend a standardized approach for
classifying species. For ecological surveys, two protocols shall be
developed, one to support early detection surveys that may be conducted
by Federal, State, or local agencies involved in the management of
invasive species, and a second protocol to support the surveys
conducted under subsection (a). Protocols shall, as practicable, be
integrated with existing protocols and data collection methods. Upon
the development of protocols to support early detection surveys, the
Task Force shall make appropriate efforts to disseminate the protocols
to appropriate Federal, State, and local entities. In developing the
protocols under this subsection, the administering agencies shall draw
on the recommendations gathered at the workshop under subsection (g).
The protocols shall be peer reviewed, and revised as necessary.
Protocols shall be completed within 1 year after the date of the
enactment of this Act.
(c) Ecological and Pathway Survey Requirements.--(1) Each
ecological survey conducted under subsection (a) shall, at a minimum--
(A) document baseline ecological information of the aquatic
ecosystem including, to the extent practicable, a comprehensive
inventory of native species, nonnative species, and species of
unknown origin present in the ecosystem, as well as the
chemical and physical characteristics of the water and
underlying substrate;
(B) for nonnative species, gather information to assist in
identifying their life history, environmental requirements and
tolerances, the historic range of their native ecosystems, and
their history of spreading from their native ecosystems;
(C) track the establishment of nonnative species including
information about the estimated population of nonnative
organisms in order to allow an analysis of the probable date of
introduction of the species; and
(D) identify the likely pathway of entry of nonnative
species.
(2) Each pathway survey conducted under this section shall, at a
minimum--
(A) identify what nonnative aquatic species are being
introduced or may be introduced through the pathways under
consideration;
(B) determine the quantities of organisms being introduced
through the pathways under consideration; and
(C) determine the practices that contributed to or could
contribute to the introduction of nonnative aquatic species
through the pathway under consideration.
(d) Number and Location of Survey Sites.--The administering
agencies shall designate the number and location of survey sites
necessary to carry out marine and freshwater research required under
this section. In establishing sites under this subsection or subsection
(e), emphasis shall be on the geographic diversity of sites, as well as
the diversity of the human uses and biological characteristics of
sites.
(e) Competitive Grant Program.--The administering agencies (acting
through the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) shall
administer a program to award grants to academic institutions, State
agencies, and other appropriate groups, in order to assist in carrying
out subsections (b) and (h). This program shall be competitive, peer-
reviewed, and merit-based.
(f) Ship Pathway Surveys.--Section 1102(b)(2)(B)(ii) of the
Nonindigenous Aquatic Nuisance Prevention and Control Act of 1990 (16
U.S.C. 4712(b)(2)(B)(ii)) is amended to read as follows:
``(ii) examine other potential modes for
the introduction of nonnative aquatic species
by ship, including hull fouling.''.
(g) Workshop.--In order to support the development of the protocols
and design for the surveys under subsections (b) and (c), the
administering agencies shall convene a workshop with appropriate
researchers from Federal and State agencies and academic institutions
to gather recommendations. The administering agencies shall make the
results of the workshop widely available to the public. The workshop
shall be held within 120 days after the date of the enactment of this
Act.
(h) Experimentation.--The administering agencies shall conduct
laboratory and field-based marine and freshwater research experiments
on a range of taxonomic groups to identify the relationship between the
introduction and establishment of nonnative aquatic species, including
those legally introduced, and the circumstances necessary for those
species to survive and thrive.
(i) National Pathway and Ecological Surveys Database.--
(1) In general.--The United States Geological Survey shall
develop, maintain, and update, in consultation and cooperation
with the Smithsonian Environmental Research Center, the
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and the Task
Force, a central, national database of information concerning
information collected under this section.
(2) Requirements.--The database shall--
(A) be widely available to the public;
(B) be updated not less than once a quarter;
(C) be coordinated with existing databases
collecting similar information; and
(D) be, to the maximum extent practicable,
formatted such that the data is useful for both
researchers and Federal and State employees managing
relevant invasive species programs.
SEC. 6. ANALYSIS.
(a) Invasion Analysis.--
(1) In general.--Not later than 3 years after the date of
the enactment of this Act, and every year thereafter, the
administering agencies shall analyze data collected under
section 5 and other relevant research on the rates and patterns
of invasions by aquatic invasive species in waters of the
United States. The purpose of this analysis shall be to use the
data collected under section 5 and other relevant research to
support efforts to prevent the introduction of, detect, and
eradicate invasive species through informing early detection
and rapid response efforts, informing relevant policy
decisions, and assessing the effectiveness of implemented
policies to prevent the introduction and spread of invasive
species.
(2) Contents.--The analysis required under paragraph (1)
shall include with respect to aquatic invasive species--
(A) an analysis of pathways, including--
(i) identifying, and characterizing as
high, medium, or low risk, pathways regionally
and nationally;
(ii) identifying new and expanding
pathways;
(iii) identifying handling practices that
contribute to the introduction of species in
pathways; and
(iv) assessing the risk that species
legally introduced into the United States pose
for introduction into aquatic ecosystems;
(B) patterns and rates of invasion and
susceptibility to invasion of various bodies of water;
(C) how the risk of establishment through a pathway
is related to the identity and number of organisms
transported;
(D) rates of spread and numbers and types of
pathways of spread of new populations of the aquatic
invasive species and an estimation of the potential
spread and distribution of newly introduced invasive
species based on their environmental requirements and
historical distribution;
(E) documentation of factors that influence an
ecosystem's vulnerability to a nonnative aquatic
species becoming invasive;
(F) a description of the potential for, and impacts
of, pathway management programs on invasion rates;
(G) recommendations for improvements in the
effectiveness of pathway management;
(H) to the extent practical, a determination of the
level of reduction in live organisms of various
taxonomic groups required to reduce the risk of
establishment to receiving aquatic ecosystems to an
acceptable level; and
(I) an evaluation of the effectiveness of
management actions (including any standard) at reducing
species introductions and establishment.
(c) Research To Assess the Potential of the Establishment of
Introduced Species.--Within 2 years after the date of the enactment of
this Act, the administering agencies shall develop a profile, based on
the general characteristics of invasive species and vulnerable
ecosystems, in order to predict, to the extent practical, whether a
species planned for importation is likely to invade a particular
aquatic ecosystem if introduced. In developing the profile, the above
agencies shall analyze the research conducted under section 5, and
other research as necessary, to determine general species and ecosystem
characteristics (taking into account the opportunity for introduction
into any ecosystem) and circumstances that can lead to establishment.
Based on the profile, the Task Force shall make recommendations to the
Invasive Species Council as to what planned importations of nonnative
aquatic organisms should be restricted. This profile shall be peer-
reviewed.
(d) Authorization of Appropriations.--There are authorized to be
appropriated for carrying out this section and section 5 of this Act,
and section 1102(b)(2) of the Nonindigenous Aquatic Nuisance Prevention
and Control Act of 1990 (16 U.S.C. 4712(b)(2)) for each of the fiscal
years 2004 through 2008--
(1) $4,000,000 for the Smithsonian Environmental Research
Center;
(2) $4,500,000 for the United States Geological Survey, of
which $500,000 shall be for developing, maintaining, and
updating the database under section 5(i); and
(3) $17,000,000 for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration, of which $13,000,000 shall be for the grant
program under section 5(e).
SEC. 7. DISSEMINATION.
(a) In General.--The Invasive Species Council, in coordination with
the Task Force and the administering agencies, shall be responsible for
disseminating the information collected under this Act to Federal,
State, and local entities, including relevant policymakers, and private
researchers with responsibility over or interest in aquatic invasive
species.
(b) Report to Congress.--Not later than 3 years after the date of
the enactment of this Act, the Invasive Species Council shall report
actions and findings under section 6 to the Congress, and shall update
this report once every 3 years thereafter, or more often as necessary.
(c) Response Strategy.--The Invasive Species Council, in
coordination with the Task Force, the administering agencies, and other
appropriate Federal and State agencies, shall develop and implement a
national strategy for how information collected under this Act will be
shared with Federal, State, and local entities with responsibility for
determining response to the introduction of potentially harmful
nonnative aquatic species, to enable those entities to better and more
rapidly respond to such introductions.
(d) Pathway Practices.--The Invasive Species Council, in
coordination with the Task Force and the administering agencies, shall
disseminate information to, and develop an ongoing educational program
for, pathway users (including vendors and customers) on how their
practices could be modified to prevent the intentional or unintentional
introduction of nonnative aquatic species into aquatic ecosystems.
(e) Authorization of Appropriations.--There are authorized to be
appropriated for each of the fiscal years 2004 through 2008 $500,000
for the Invasive Species Council for carrying out this section.
SEC. 8. TECHNOLOGY DEVELOPMENT, DEMONSTRATION, AND VERIFICATION.
(a) Environmentally Sound Technology Development, Demonstration,
and Verification.--
(1) Grant program.--Not later than 1 year after the date of
the enactment of this Act, the Environmental Protection Agency,
acting through the Office of Research and Development, in
consultation with the Army Corps of Engineers and the
administering agencies, shall develop and begin administering a
grant program to fund research, development, demonstration, and
verification of environmentally sound cost-effective
technologies and methods to control and eradicate aquatic
invasive species.
(2) Purposes.--Proposals funded under this subsection
shall--
(A) seek to support Federal, State, or local
officials' ongoing efforts to control and eradicate
aquatic invasive species in an environmentally sound
manner;
(B) increase the number of environmentally sound
technologies or methods Federal, State, or local
officials may use to control or eradicate aquatic
invasive species;
(C) provide for demonstration or dissemination of
the technology or method to potential end-users; and
(D) verify that any technology or method meets any
appropriate criteria developed for effectiveness and
environmental soundness by the Environmental Protection
Agency.
(3) Preference.--The Administrator of the Environmental
Protection Agency shall give preference to proposals that will
likely meet any appropriate criteria developed for
environmental soundness by the Environmental Protection Agency.
(4) Merit review.--Grants shall be awarded under this
subsection through a competitive, peer-reviewed, merit-based
process.
(5) Report.--Not later than 3 years after the date of the
enactment of this Act, the Administrator of the Environmental
Protection Agency shall prepare and submit a report to Congress
on the program conducted under this subsection. The report
shall include findings and recommendations of the Administrator
with regard to technologies and methods.
(b) Dispersal Barrier Research Program.--Not later than 1 year
after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Assistant Secretary of
the Army for the Corps of Engineers, in conjunction with the Fish and
Wildlife Service and other appropriate Federal agencies and academic
researchers, shall establish a research, development, and demonstration
program to study environmentally sound methods and technologies to
reduce dispersal of aquatic invasive species through interbasin
waterways and assess the potential for using those methods and
technologies in other waterways.
(c) Ship Pathway Technology Demonstration.--
(1) Reauthorization of program.--Section 1301(e) of the
Nonindigenous Aquatic Nuisance Prevention and Control Act of
1990 (16 U.S.C. 4741(e)) is amended by striking ``$2,500,000''
and inserting ``$7,500,000 for each of the fiscal years 2004
through 2008''.
(2) Expansion of program.--Section 1104(b) of the
Nonindigenous Aquatic Nuisance Prevention and Control Act of
1990 (16 U.S.C. 4714(b)) is amended--
(A) by redesignating paragraphs (4) and (5) as
paragraphs (5) and (6), respectively; and
(B) by inserting after paragraph (3) the following
new paragraph:
``(4) Additional purposes.--The Secretary of the Interior
and the Secretary of Commerce may also demonstrate and verify
technologies under this subsection to monitor and control
pathways of organism transport on ships other than through
ballast water.''.
(3) Criteria and workshop.--Section 1104 of the
Nonindigenous Aquatic Nuisance Prevention and Control Act of
1990 (16 U.S.C. 4714) is amended by adding at the end the
following new subsections:
``(d) Criteria.--When issuing grants under this section, the
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration shall give preference
to those technologies that will likely meet the criteria laid out in
any testing protocol developed by the Environmental Protection Agency
Office of Research and Development's Environmental Technology
Verification Program.
``(e) Workshop.--The National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration shall hold an annual workshop of principal investigators
funded under this section and researchers conducting research directly
related to ship pathway technology development, for information
exchange, and shall make the proceedings widely available to the
public.''.
(d) Authorization of Appropriations.--There are authorized to be
appropriated for each of the fiscal years 2004 through 2008--
(1) $2,500,000 for the Environmental Protection Agency to
carry out subsection (a); and
(2) $1,000,000 for the Army Corps of Engineers to carry out
subsection (b).
SEC. 9. RESEARCH TO SUPPORT THE SETTING AND IMPLEMENTATION OF SHIP
PATHWAY STANDARDS.
(a) Research Program.--The Coast Guard and the Environmental
Protection Agency, in coordination with the National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration, the Task Force, and other appropriate
Federal agencies and academic researchers, shall develop a coordinated
research program to support the promulgation and implementation of
standards to prevent the introduction and spread of invasive species by
ships that shall include--
(1) characterizing physical, chemical, and biological
harbor conditions relevant to ballast discharge into United
States waters to inform the design and implementation of ship
vector control technologies and practices;
(2) developing testing protocols for determining the
effectiveness of vector monitoring and control technologies and
practices;
(3) researching and demonstrating methods for mitigating
the spread of invasive species by coastal voyages, including
exploring the effectiveness of alternative exchange zones in
the near coastal areas and other methods proposed to reduce
transfers of organisms;
(4) verifying the practical effectiveness of any type
approval process to ensure that the process produces repeatable
and accurate assessments of treatment effectiveness; and
(5) evaluating the effectiveness and residual risk and
environmental impacts associated with any standard set with
respect to the ship pathway through experimental research.
(b) Performance Test.--Within 1 year after the date of the
enactment of this Act, the Coast Guard, in conjunction with the
National Institute of Standards and Technology and the Maritime
Administration, shall design a performance test for ballast water
exchange such as a dye study to measure the effectiveness of ballast
water exchange.
(c) National Academy Study.--The Secretary of the Department in
which the Coast Guard is operating shall enter into an arrangement with
the National Academy of Sciences under which the Academy shall--
(1) identify the relative risk of transfer of various
taxonomic groups by different ship modes;
(2) assess the extent to which a ballast water standard
that virtually eliminates the risk of introduction of invasive
species by ballast water may relate to the risk of
introductions by all ship modes, and explain the degree of
uncertainty in such assessment; and
(3) recommend methods for reducing organism transfers by
ships by addressing all parts and systems of ships and all
related modes of transport of invasive species, and identify
the research, development, and demonstration needed to improve
the information base to support such methods, including
economic information.
Not later than 2 years after the date of the enactment of this Act, the
Secretary of the Department in which the Coast Guard is operating shall
transmit to the Congress a report on the results of the study under
this subsection.
(d) Recommendations.--Not later than the later of 1 year after the
date of submission of the report under subsection (c), or 3 years after
the date of the enactment of this Act, the Task Force, in conjunction
with the Environmental Protection Agency, the administering agencies,
and other appropriate Federal and State agencies and academic
researchers, shall submit to the Coast Guard a report that describes
recommendations for--
(1) a ship pathway treatment standard that incorporates all
potential modes of transfer by ships; and
(2) methods for type approval and accurate monitoring of
treatment performance that are simple and streamlined and
follow established protocols.
(e) Working Group.--Not later than 2 years after the issuance by
the Coast Guard of any standard relating to the introduction by ships
of invasive species, the Coast Guard shall convene a working group
including the Environmental Protection Agency, the administering
agencies, and other appropriate Federal and State agencies and academic
researchers, to evaluate the effectiveness of that standard and
accompanying implementation protocols. The duties of the working group
shall, at a minimum, include--
(1) reviewing the effectiveness of the standard in reducing
the establishment of invasive species in aquatic ecosystems,
taking into consideration the data collected under section 5;
and
(2) developing recommendations to the Coast Guard for the
revision of such standard and type approval process to ensure
effectiveness in reducing introductions and accurate shipboard
monitoring of treatment performance that is simple and
streamlined, which shall be made widely available to the
public.
(f) Authorization of Appropriations.--There are authorized to be
appropriated--
(1) for each of the fiscal years 2004 through 2008
$1,500,000 for the Coast Guard and $1,500,000 for Environmental
Protection Agency to carry out subsection (a);
(2) for each of the fiscal years 2004 through 2006 $500,000
for the Coast Guard to carry out subsection (b); and
(3) for fiscal year 2004 $500,000 for the Coast Guard to
carry out subsection (c), to remain available until expended.
SEC. 10. RESEARCH IN SYSTEMATICS AND TAXONOMY.
(a) In General.--The National Science Foundation shall establish a
program to award grants to researchers at institutions of higher
education and museums to carry out research programs in systematics and
taxonomy.
(b) Goals.--The goals of the program under this section are to--
(1) encourage scientists to pursue careers in systematics
and taxonomy to ensure a continuing knowledge base in these
disciplines;
(2) ensure that there will be adequate expertise in
systematics and taxonomy to support Federal, State, and local
needs to identify species;
(3) develop this expertise throughout the United States
with an emphasis on regional diversity; and
(4) draw on existing expertise in systematics and taxonomy
at institutions of higher education and museums to train the
next generation of systematists and taxonomists.
(c) Criteria.--Grants shall be awarded under this section on a
merit-reviewed competitive basis. Emphasis shall be placed on funding
proposals in a diverse set of ecosystems and geographic locations, and,
when applicable, integrated with the United States Long Term Ecological
Research Network. Preference shall be given to proposals that will
include student participation, and to institutions and museums that
actively train students to become experts in taxonomy and systematics.
(d) Authorization of Appropriations.--There are authorized to be
appropriated to the National Science Foundation for carrying out this
section $2,500,000 each of the fiscal years 2004 through 2008.
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