§2905 Estuary habitat restoration strategy

Summary

Within one year after November 7, 2000, the Council must create a plan to guide estuary habitat restoration and to coordinate federal and nonfederal work. The plan must aim to restore 1,000,000 acres of estuary habitat by 2010. In making the plan, the Council must look at existing estuary plans and federal programs and make the new plan fit with them. The plan must explain how to encourage public‑private partnerships and use federal help to get more private funding. It must describe steps to protect wildlife (including endangered, threatened, migratory, and local species), fish and shellfish (including commercial and recreational fisheries), water quality and quantity, flood control, and outdoor recreation, plus any other issues the Council finds important. The plan must show estimated past losses, current loss rates, and future threats for each habitat type, track change rates, include both small and large projects, and spread projects fairly across regions. Before the plan is final, the Secretary must publish a draft in the Federal Register and let the public comment. The Council may update the plan later using monitoring and other information.