Sponsors (2)
The bill provides modest federal funding to expand practical, industry-partnered research and monitoring to help coastal communities adapt to ocean acidification, but does so with new government spending and risks to equitable access, research independence, and increased administrative burden.
Coastal communities and seafood workers gain targeted research and monitoring on ocean acidification that can inform local adaptation and improve resilience.
Researchers and academic institutions receive dedicated competitive grants ($5M/year FY2026–2030) to study ocean acidification in partnership with industry, increasing research capacity and university–industry collaboration.
Projects can use industry vessels and facilities as research platforms, expanding monitoring coverage and practical data collection in areas where government assets are limited.
All taxpayers fund a new $5M/year program (FY2026–2030) without identified offsets, increasing federal spending.
Smaller or disadvantaged academic groups may still face barriers when projects rely on industry in‑kind contributions or matching, limiting equitable access to grants and partnership benefits.
Industry involvement in research design or execution could bias priorities or dissemination toward commercial interests rather than purely scientific or public-interest outcomes.
Based on analysis of 2 sections of legislative text.
Creates a competitive grant program funding seafood-industry–academic partnerships on ocean acidification, authorizing $5M/year for FY2026–2030 with up to 85% federal cost share.
Introduced April 24, 2025 by Salud Carbajal · Last progress April 24, 2025
Creates a competitive federal grant program to fund collaborative ocean acidification research partnerships between the seafood industry and academic researchers. The grants must follow the Subcommittee's strategic research plan, meet partnership and inclusion criteria, prioritize projects serving vulnerable ecosystems or communities, and may cover up to 85% of project costs; $5 million is authorized each year for FY2026–2030, and implementation guidelines are required within 180 days of enactment.