U.S. Rep. María Elvira Salazar (R-FL) on June 6 offered bipartisan legislation that would establish Ocean Innovation Clusters to strengthen the coastal communities and ocean economy of the United States through technological research and development, job training, and cross-sector partnerships.
“Miami’s beautiful coasts and pristine waters provide Florida with billions in tourism and commerce every year, and I am committed to preserving them for generations to come,” Rep. Salazar said. “I am proud to introduce legislation to promote Miami’s development and improve our environment through the sustainable use of our oceans.”
Rep. Salazar signed on as the lead original cosponsor of the Ocean Regional Opportunity and Innovation Act of 2023, also known as the Ocean ROI Act, H.R. 3873, with bill sponsor U.S. Rep. Chellie Pingree (D-ME) and five other original cosponsors. Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) sponsored the same-named bill, S. 1806, alongside seven original cosponsors, including U.S. Sens. Susan Collins (R-ME) and Maria Cantwell (D-WA).
The measure would direct the U.S. Commerce Secretary to establish Ocean Innovation Clusters and provide $50 million for competitive grants for cluster establishment, operation, and administration to support ocean clusters on the federal level, according to the text of the bill.
Such efforts would help bolster the Blue Economy, which means the value and impact of sustainable industries related to the Great Lakes, oceans, bays, estuaries, and coasts on the U.S. economy, including living resources, marine construction, marine transportation, offshore energy development and siting, including for renewable energy, offshore mineral production, ship and boat building, tourism, recreation, subsistence, commercial, recreational, and charter fishing, seafood processing, and other fishery-related businesses, kelp and shellfish aquaculture, coastal resilience, among other industries, the text says.
“The Blue Economy and the opportunities it provides are growing, and the United States must keep pace with investments made by the global community,” said Rep. Salazar. “There is no better place to invest the best we have in research and technology than right here in South Florida.”
Specifically, the Ocean ROI Act would require the Secretary of Commerce, acting through the administrator of the U.S. Economic Development Agency, and in consultation with the administrator of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), to designate at least one ocean cluster in each of the five NOAA Fisheries regions, Gulf of Mexico region, and the Great Lakes region, according to language in the bill.
“This effort doesn’t just focus on the untapped economic potential of our Blue Economy, but also ensures that collaboration is at the center of any conversation or effort to address the impacts of climate change on our coastal communities,” said Sen. Murkowski. “By providing incentives and workspaces for Alaskans in maritime and maritime-adjacent industries, we can achieve real progress in strengthening the Blue Economy.”