text: SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
  
      This Act may be cited as the ``Southern Sea Otter Recovery and 
  Research Act''.
  
  SEC. 2. SOUTHERN SEA OTTER RECOVERY AND RESEARCH PROGRAM.
  
      (a) In General.--The Secretary of the Interior, acting through the 
  United States Fish and Wildlife Service and the United States 
  Geological Survey, shall carry out a recovery and research program for 
  southern sea otter populations along the coast of California, informed 
  by the prioritized research recommendations of the Final Revised 
  Recovery Plan for the southern sea otter (Enhydra lutris nereis) 
  published by the United States Fish and Wildlife Service and dated 
  February 24, 2003, the Research Plan for California Sea Otter Recovery 
  issued by the United States Fish and Wildlife Service Southern Sea 
  Otter Recovery Implementation Team and dated March 2, 2007, and any 
  other recovery, research, or conservation plan adopted by the United 
  States Fish and Wildlife Service after the date of enactment of this 
  Act in accordance with otherwise applicable law. The Recovery and 
  Research Program shall include the following:
              (1) Monitoring, analysis, and assessment of southern sea 
          otter population demographics, health, causes of mortality, and 
          life history parameters, including range-wide population 
          surveys.
              (2) Development and implementation of measures to reduce or 
          eliminate potential factors limiting southern sea otter 
          populations that are related to marine ecosystem health or 
          human activities.
      (b) Reappointment of Recovery Implementation Team.--Not later than 
  one year after the date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall 
  appoint persons to a southern sea otter recovery implementation team as 
  authorized under section 4(f)(2) of the Endangered Species Act of 1973 
  (16 U.S.C. 1533(f)(2)).
      (c) Southern Sea Otter Research and Recovery Grants.--
              (1) Grant authority.--The Secretary shall establish a peer-
          reviewed, merit-based process to award competitive grants for 
          research regarding southern sea otters and for projects 
          assisting the recovery of southern sea otter populations.
              (2) Peer review panel.--The Secretary shall establish as 
          necessary a peer review panel to provide scientific advice and 
          guidance to prioritize proposals for grants under this 
          subsection.
              (3) Research grant subjects.--Research funded with grants 
          under this subsection shall be in accordance with the research 
          recommendations of any plan referred to in subsection (a), and 
          may include the following topics:
                      (A) Causes of sea otter mortality.
                      (B) Southern sea otter demographics and natural 
                  history.
                      (C) Effects and sources of pollutants, nutrients, 
                  and toxicants on southern sea otters and sequestration 
                  of contaminants.
                      (D) Effects and sources of infectious diseases and 
                  parasites affecting southern sea otters.
                      (E) Limitations on the availability of food 
                  resources for southern sea otters and the impacts of 
                  food limitation on southern sea otter carrying 
                  capacity.
                      (F) Interactions between southern sea otters and 
                  coastal fisheries and other human activities in the 
                  marine environment.
                      (G) Assessment of the keystone ecological role of 
                  sea otters in southern and central California's coastal 
                  marine ecosystems, including both the direct and 
                  indirect effects of sea otter predation, especially as 
                  these effects influence human welfare, resource 
                  utilization, and ecosystem services.
                      (H) Assessment of the adequacy of emergency 
                  response and contingency plans.
              (4) Recovery project subjects.--Recovery projects funded 
          with grants under this subsection shall be conducted in 
          accordance with recovery recommendations of any plan referred 
          to in subsection (a), and may include projects to--
                      (A) protect and recover southern sea otters;
                      (B) reduce, mitigate, or eliminate potential 
                  factors limiting southern sea otter populations that 
                  are related to human activities, including projects 
                  to--
                              (i) reduce, mitigate, or eliminate factors 
                          contributing to mortality, adversely affecting 
                          health, or restricting distribution and 
                          abundance; and
                              (ii) reduce, mitigate, or eliminate factors 
                          that harm or reduce the quality of southern sea 
                          otter habitat or the health of coastal marine 
                          ecosystems; and
                      (C) implement emergency response and contingency 
                  plans.
      (d) Report.--The Secretary shall--
              (1) within 12 months after the date of enactment of this 
          Act, report to Congress on--
                      (A) the status of southern sea otter populations;
                      (B) implementation of the Recovery and Research 
                  Program and the grant program; and
                      (C) any relevant formal consultations conducted 
                  under section 7 of the Endangered Species Act of 1973 
                  (16 U.S.C. 1536) with respect to the southern sea 
                  otter; and
              (2) within 24 months after the date of enactment of this 
          Act and every 5 years thereafter, and in consultation with a 
          southern sea otter recovery implementation team (if any) that 
          is otherwise being utilized by the Secretary under section 4(f) 
          of the Endangered Species Act of 1973 (16 U.S.C. 1533(f)), 
          report to Congress and the public on--
                      (A) an evaluation of southern sea otter health, 
                  causes of southern sea otter mortality, and the 
                  interactions of southern sea otters with California's 
                  coastal marine ecosystems;
                      (B) an evaluation of actions taken to improve 
                  southern sea otter health, reduce southern sea otter 
                  mortality, and improve southern sea otter habitat;
                      (C) recommendation for actions, pursuant to current 
                  law, to improve southern sea otter health, reduce the 
                  occurrence of human-related mortality, and improve the 
                  health of such coastal marine ecosystems; and
                      (D) recommendations for funding to carry out this 
                  Act.
  
  SEC. 3. DEFINITIONS.
  
      In this Act:
              (1) Recovery and research program.--The term ``Recovery and 
          Research Program'' means the recovery and research program 
          under section 2(a).
              (2) Secretary.--The term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary 
          of the Interior, acting through the United States Fish and 
          Wildlife Service and the United States Geological Survey.
  
  SEC. 4. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.
  
      (a) In General.--There is authorized to be appropriated to the 
  Secretary to carry out this Act $5,000,000 for each of fiscal years 
  2010 through 2015 of which--
              (1) no less than 30 percent shall be for research grants 
          under section 2(c)(3); and
              (2) no less than 30 percent shall be for recovery projects 
          under section 2(c)(4).
      (b) Administrative Expenses.--Of amounts available each fiscal year 
  to carry out this Act, the Secretary may expend not more than 7 percent 
  to pay the administrative expenses necessary to carry out this Act.
  
  SEC. 5. TERMINATION.
  
      This Act shall have no force or effect on and after the date the 
  Secretary (as that term is used in section 4(c)(2) of the Endangered 
  Species Act of 1973 (16 U.S.C. 1533(c)(2)) publishes a determination 
  that the southern sea otter should be removed from the lists published 
  under section 4(c) of the Endangered Species Act of 1973 (16 U.S.C. 
  1533(c)).
  
              Passed the House of Representatives July 28, 2009.
  
              Attest:
  
                                              LORRAINE C. MILLER,
  
                                                                   Clerk.
target: Southern Sea Otter Recovery and Research Act - (Sec. 2) Requires the Secretary of the Interior, acting through the United States Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) and the United States Geological Survey (USGS), to carry out a Recovery and Research Program for southern sea otter populations along the coast of California that includes: (1) monitoring, analysis, and assessment of population demographics, health, mortality, and life history parameters; and (2) implementation of measures to reduce or eliminate potential factors limiting populations that are related to marine ecosystem health or human activities.
  
  Requires the Secretary to: (1) appoint persons to a southern sea otter recovery implementation team as authorized under the Endangered Species Act of 1973 within a year; (2) establish a peer-reviewed, merit-based process to award competitive grants for research regarding such otters and for projects assisting the recovery of otter populations; and (3) establish a peer review panel to provide scientific advice and guidance to prioritize proposals for grants.
  
  Authorizes research grant topics to include: (1) causes of sea otter mortality; (2) southern sea otter demographics and natural history; (3) effects and sources of pollutants, nutrients, and toxicants on such otters and sequestration of contaminants; (4) effects and sources of infectious diseases and parasites affecting such otters; (5) limitations on the availability of food resources for such otters and the impacts of food limitation on southern sea otter carrying capacity; (6) interactions between southern sea otters and coastal fisheries and other human activities in the marine environment; (7) assessment of the keystone ecological role of sea otters in southern and central California's coastal marine ecosystems; and (8) assessment of the adequacy of emergency response and contingency plans.
  
  Authorizes funded recovery projects to include projects to: (1) protect and recover southern sea otters; (2) reduce, mitigate, or eliminate potential factors limiting southern sea otter populations that are related to human activities; and (3) implement emergency response and contingency plans.
  
  Requires the Secretary, within 12 months, to report to Congress on: (1) the status of southern sea otter populations; (2) implementation of the research and grant programs; and (3) endangered species consultations regarding southern sea otters.
  
  Requires the Secretary, within 24 months and every five years thereafter, to report to Congress and the public on: (1) an evaluation of southern sea otter health, causes of southern sea otter mortality, and the interactions of southern sea otters with California's coastal marine ecosystems; (2) an evaluation of actions taken to improve otter health, reduce mortality, and improve southern sea otter habitat; (3) recommendation for actions to improve otter health, reduce the occurrence of human-related mortality, and improve the health of such coastal marine ecosystems; and (4) recommendations for funding to implement this Act.
  
  (Sec. 4) Authorizes appropriations for each of FY2010-FY2015.
  
  (Sec. 5) Terminates this Act on the date the Secretary publishes a determination that the southern sea otter should be removed from the endangered species and threatened species lists.
feat_title: To establish a program of research, recovery, and other activities to provide for the recovery of the southern sea otter.