At least four international treaties, twelve federal statutes, and multiple Tribal treaties and state laws and regulations may be pertinent to mCDR projects in the U.S., despite being created with other needs in mind. The applicability of these rules varies according to the specific mCDR method in question, where it is conducted, and how it interacts with the environment. This policy brief reviews this current landscape.

mCDR-related bills have been proposed in the academic literature and introduced at both the federal and state levels in the U.S. Proposed legislative pathways have thus far fallen into two categories: (a) laws that aim to support safe and responsible mCDR research and (b) laws that aim to jumpstart markets for mCDR through new tax credits or government purchasing programs, often in combination with other, non-marine forms of CDR. In this policy brief, we review examples of both types. 

If enacted, the ReSCUE Oceans Act would promote federally coordinated mCDR research through grants programs, interagency coordination, and the establishment of mCDR research areas overseen by area-specific advisory panels. This first part of this policy brief endeavors to answer the questions: What is the ReSCUE Oceans Act, and how “fishery sensitive” is it? The second part enumerates possible ways that the Act could be improved.