Bill > S515

This bill establishes the Ocean Acidification Council, chaired by the Secretary of Energy and Environmental Affairs, to further understand and take action against the threat posed by ocean and coastal acidification. The council is tasked with coordinating public and private monitoring efforts, harmonizing data gathering, maintaining a central repository for acidification data, and recommending mitigative interventions for coastal stressors or adaptive technologies for aquaculture. The bill also requires the council to perform and publish a gap analysis for ocean monitoring, implement a monitoring system, and commission studies to fill acidification knowledge gaps. Additionally, the bill authorizes the council to take action to reduce eutrophication, a key contributor to coastal acidification, by funding upgrades to treatment works and septic systems, and other appropriate measures.

Agriculture and Natural Resources

https://malegislature.gov/Bills/192/S515