Help Our Kelp Act
Key claim: The Help Our Kelp Act would direct NOAA to establish a grant program funding up to 85% of costs for projects that conserve, restore, and manage declining kelp forest ecosystems.
Abstract
(HR5487 · 118th Congress)
Help Our Kelp Act This bill directs the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to establish a grant program to fund projects to conserve, restore, or manage kelp forest ecosystems. (A kelp forest is a dense grouping of large brown algae which also serves as a habitat for marine life.) Eligible projects include those that address the greatest relative regional declines in kelp forest ecosystems, focus on kelp forest seeding and connectivity, or integrate Indigenous knowledge and cultural practices into the restoration and monitoring of kelp forest ecosystems. The bill specifies that members of the fishing industry, institutions of higher education, nonprofit organizations, Indian tribes, state agencies, and local governments are eligible to receive grants. The bill prohibits a grant from exceeding 85% of the total project cost. However, NOAA may waive this restriction in limited circumstances.
Latest action (2024-03-21): Subcommittee Hearings Held
Why this matters
The proposal would reduce the share of project costs that kelp conservation and restoration grantees must secure from other sources, potentially expanding work on declining marine ecosystems. Its status is introduced: the finding establishes neither available grant funding nor demonstrated environmental benefits.