Whale CHARTS Act of 2026
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Progress
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- Introduced
- Passed House
- Passed Senate
- To President
- Became Law
Overview
The Whale CHARTS Act of 2026 amends the James M. Inhofe National Defense Authorization Act to establish a program for mapping, surveying, monitoring, and mitigating the impact of migratory whales and other large cetaceans. This program will focus on collecting improved data, developing detection technologies, and creating distribution maps to reduce risks posed by vessel collisions and other threats. It also establishes a grant program to fund research and development of innovative technologies for whale conservation.
Key provisions
- Replaces ‘NEAR REAL-TIME MONITORING AND MITIGATION PROGRAM FOR’ with ‘MAPPING, SURVEYING, MONITORING, AND MITIGATION PROGRAM FOR MIGRATORY WHALES AND OTHER’ in the relevant section.
- Directs the collection of increased and improved data on migratory whales and other large cetaceans, including mapping, surveying, and monitoring.
- Establishes a pilot project for near real-time monitoring and mitigation of threatened or endangered cetaceans.
- Requires the production of distribution maps of migratory whales, including calving grounds, mating grounds, and migration routes.
- Creates a grant program to fund the development and deployment of detection technologies for whales.
- Mandates the consideration of existing distribution maps in stock assessments under the Marine Mammal Protection Act.
- Redesignates and restructures subsections within the relevant section to clarify program objectives and responsibilities.
- Defines key terms such as ‘Subprogram’ and ‘United States person’.
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