Other harmful algal bloom and hypoxia matters

Section 9(g) of the National Integrated Drought Information System Reauthorization Act of 2018 (33 U.S.C. 4010) is amended— (1) in paragraph (1)— (A) in subparagraph (B), by adding at the end the following new sentence: The appropriate Federal official may waive the non-Federal share requirements of the preceding sentence if such official determines no reasonable means are available through which the recipient of the Federal share can meet the non-Federal share requirement.; and (B) by adding at the end the following: (D) Contract, cooperative agreement, and grant authority The appropriate Federal official may enter into contracts, cooperative agreements, and grants with States, Indian Tribes, Tribal organizations, Native Hawaiian organizations, local governments, or other entities to pay for or reimburse costs incurred by such entities for the purposes of supporting the determination of, and assessing the environmental, economic, subsistence use, and public health effects of, an event of national significance.; (2) in paragraph (2)— (A) in subparagraph (A), by inserting a leadership official of an affected Indian Tribe, the executive official of the District of Columbia, or the executive official of an affected territory or possession of the United States, after State,; and (B) in subparagraph (B), by striking consider and all that follows through boundary. and inserting “consider factors such as— (i) the risk to public health and the potential severity of the detrimental environmental effects of the hypoxia or harmful algal bloom event, as indicated by— (I) data on shellfish or water quality obtained through sampling programs, including baseline data, and regulatory or advisory thresholds established to explain management actions related to the event; (II) toxin levels in fish, marine mammals, seabirds, shellfish, or water during the event; (III) toxic aerosols produced during the event, including potential human exposures to toxic aerosols; (IV) reports of human or animal illnesses or mortalities during the event; (V) any closures of fishing or shellfish harvesting locations or recreational public waters, including beaches, during the event; (VI) the duration and spatial extent of the event; or (VII) impacts to habitats or ecosystems associated with the event; (ii) the potential economic, food safety and security, and subsistence impacts associated with the hypoxia or harmful algal bloom event, including to fisheries and aquaculture, recreation and tourism, monitoring and management, resource use, and event response activities, assessed in comparison with historical data from when a State or region did not experience such an event, as possible, as indicated by— (I) increases in public health expenditures; (II) losses to commercial fisheries and aquaculture industries, recreation and tourism, real estate, and other impacted industries or businesses; (III) increases in monitoring and management expenditures, including costs incurred for event response and clean-up (such as for beach clean-up following an influx of biomass or a fish-kill) by public or private sectors; or (IV) impacts to subsistence resources, including nutritional, resource use, and economic effects on subsistence communities; (iii) the relative magnitude of those impacts in relation to past occurrences of hypoxia or harmful algal bloom events that occur on a recurrent or annual basis; and (iv) the geographic scope of the hypoxia or harmful algal bloom event, including the potential of the event to affect several municipalities, to affect more than 1 State, or to cross an international boundary.; (3) in paragraph (3), by adding at the end the following: (D) Indian Tribe The term Indian Tribe has the meaning given that term in section 4 of the Indian Self-Determination and Education Assistance Act (25 U.S.C. 5304). (E) Native Hawaiian organization The term Native Hawaiian organization has the meaning given that term in section 6207 of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 7517) and includes the Department of Hawaiian Home Lands and the Office of Hawaiian Affairs. (F) Subsistence use The term subsistence use means the customary and traditional use of fish, wildlife, or other freshwater, coastal, or marine resources by any individual or community to meet personal or family needs, including essential economic, nutritional, or cultural applications. (G) Tribal organization The term Tribal organization has the meaning given that term in section 4 of the Indian Self-Determination and Education Assistance Act (25 U.S.C. 5304).; and (4) by adding at the end the following: (4) Authorization of appropriations There is authorized to be appropriated to carry out this subsection $2,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2026 through 2030, to remain available until expended..