; sense of Congress (a) Findings The Congress finds the following: (1) Rising greenhouse gas concentrations has been linked to a number of adverse environmental conditions and threatens the health of the global environment. (2) Emissions reductions and natural carbon sequestration methods to stabilize and decrease global greenhouse gas concentrations should be pursued. (3) The oceans have the capacity to hold 50 times more carbon than the terrestrial systems and atmosphere. (4) The National Academies has recognized the potential benefits of methodologies that enhance ocean-based carbon dioxide removal (marine CDR) and called for more research to assess their potential to mitigate the impacts of climate change. (5) Ocean iron fertilization and other marine CDR techniques hold great potential to efficiently accelerate carbon dioxide removal from the atmosphere. (6) Ocean iron fertilization and replenishment mimics natural processes such as the influx of aeolian dust and volcanic ash that provide iron supplements to iron-limited open oceans. (7) Ocean iron fertilization also stimulates ocean productivity, phytoplankton growth, and fish populations. (8) Several national and international climate strategies include specifications that methods to restore or enhance ocean photosynthesis are accepted as valid and will produce measurable and significant carbon capture and sequestration or storage referred to as a form of blue carbon. (b) Sense of Congress It is the sense of the Congress that conducting pilot projects for research and development of ocean iron fertilization and other marine CDR techniques is urgent and in the Nation’s vital interest to better understand and advance climate restoration and should be a priority for the Secretary. 3. Ocean fertilization research and development pilot program (a) Establishment The Secretary of Energy shall establish a pilot program for the research and development of ocean iron fertilization and other marine CDR techniques that have the potential to achieve regional-to-global