S. 1289 would reauthorize and amend the Marine Mammal Protection Act of 1972 (MMPA) and would authorize the appropriation of specific amounts through the 2026 period for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the Department of the Interior (DOI) to conduct specific activities. The bill would authorize the appropriation of the following amounts over the 2022-2026 period to carry out several provisions of the MMPA:
$30 million for NOAA to conduct its portion of the John H. Prescott Marine Mammal Rescue and Response Program,
$5 million for DOI to conduct its portion of the same program,
$2.5 million for a new rapid response fund to provide emergency assistance for marine mammal rescue and response,
$2.5 million for the Marine Mammal Unusual Mortality Event Fund to compensate emergency responders in the event of large, unexpected die-offs of marine mammals,
$1.25 million for the operations of the National Marine Mammal Tissue Bank, and
$1.25 million for NOAA to create and maintain a publicly accessible national database to monitor marine mammal health and to comply with other existing and new administrative requirements of the MMPA.
