S. 1894 would authorize the appropriation of specific amounts totaling $57 million over the 2022-2026 period for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to provide grants to regional ocean partnerships. Those partnerships would consist of coastal states that share a common ocean or coastal area. Under the bill, a partnership would coordinate conservation efforts and other related activities of state, federal, and tribal governments and work with international counterparts to conserve shared coastal resources. The bill would designate four current partnerships under the program and create a process for other groups of two or more coastal states to apply for recognition as such a partnership.
Based on historical spending patterns for similar activities, and assuming appropriation of the authorized amounts, CBO estimates that implementing S. 1894 would cost $49 million over the 2022-2026 period and $7 million after 2026 (about 1 percent of the authorized amounts would not be spent). The costs of the legislation, detailed in Table 1, fall within budget function 300 (natural resources and environment).
