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S. 173: Federal Ocean Acidification Research And Monitoring Act of 2009

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S. 173: Federal Ocean Acidification Research And Monitoring Act of 2009

111th Congress · introduced 2009-01-08 · Environmental Protection · Latest: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation.

federal

Follow this bill, step by step

  1. Where it came from: introduced 2009-01-08 · official record
  2. Who proposed it: Sen. Lautenberg, Frank R. [D-NJ] · what a sponsor is
  3. What happened next: no floor votes in our records yet. Why?
  4. Where it stands now: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation. Not final yet: this can still change. We check for updates every day.
  5. If it becomes law and spends money: follow the money to money laws, then agencies and contracts and grants.

What does this mean?

Official title

Federal Ocean Acidification Research And Monitoring Act of 2009

Plain summary

Federal Ocean Acidification Research And Monitoring Act of 2009 or FOARAM Act - Defines "ocean acidification," for this Act, as the decrease in pH of the Earth's oceans and changes in ocean chemistry caused by chemical inputs from the atmosphere, including carbon dioxide. Requires that the Joint Subcommittee on Ocean Science and Technology of the National Science and Technology Council coordinate federal activities on ocean acidification and establish an interagency working group. Requires the Subcommittee to develop a strategic plan for federal ocean acidification research and monitoring that provides, among other things, for the development of adaptation and mitigation strategies. Directs the Secretary of Commerce, through the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), to enter into an agreement with the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) to review the plan. Directs the Secretary to establish and maintain an ocean acidification program in NOAA to conduct research, monitoring, and other activities, including: (1) providing grants for critical research projects exploring the ecosystem and socioeconomic impacts of ocean acidification; and (2) incorporating a competitive merit-based process for awarding grants that may be conducted jointly with other participating agencies or under the National Oceanographic Partnership Program. Requires the National Science Foundation (NSF) director to continue to carry out ocean acidification research supporting competitive, merit-based, peer-reviewed proposals for research and monitoring of ocean acidification and its impacts. Requires the administrator of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) to ensure that space-based monitoring assets are used in as productive a manner as possible for the monitoring of ocean acidification and its impacts.

Congressional Research Service summary (Introduced in Senate), quoted unchanged (nonpartisan). Read the source.

What a vote does

A “Yea” vote

If it passes both chambers and is signed, it becomes law.

A “Nay” vote

If it is not passed, current law stays as it is.

PSI Sci description of the legislative step (not an opinion).

What does this mean? (plain words)

Official text

Federal Ocean Acidification Research And Monitoring Act of 2009

Source: Congressional Research Service summary (Introduced in Senate)

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The strongest published arguments

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Alternatives

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How did my representative vote? · This bill's floor votes

Officials and money

Sponsor: Sen. Lautenberg, Frank R. [D-NJ] · 7 cosponsors

Cost estimate: No cost estimate published yet.

Cosponsors on this site

Maria Cantwell (D-WA), Jack Reed (D-RI)

No linked floor roll calls in our collected records yet. This does not mean the bill has never had a vote. Check the official bill history.

Sources

Record fed-us-cong111-s173 · catalog fed-us-congress-bills-cong111 · updated 2026-11-15 by psicol fed-bills-cong111