[Congressional Bills 108th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 2489 Introduced in Senate (IS)]







108th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                S. 2489

  To establish a program within the National Oceanic and Atmospheric 
     Administration to integrate Federal coastal and ocean mapping 
                              activities.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                              June 2, 2004

  Mr. Inouye (for himself, Mr. Stevens, Mr. Hollings, Mr. Gregg, Ms. 
  Snowe, and Mr. Lott) introduced the following bill; which was read 
     twice and referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and 
                             Transportation

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
  To establish a program within the National Oceanic and Atmospheric 
     Administration to integrate Federal coastal and ocean mapping 
                              activities.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Coastal and Ocean Mapping 
Integration Act''.

SEC. 2. INTEGRATED COASTAL AND OCEAN MAPPING PROGRAM.

    (a) In General.--The Administrator of the National Oceanic and 
Atmospheric Administration shall establish a program to develop, in 
coordination with the Interagency Committee on Coastal and Ocean 
Mapping, a coordinated and comprehensive Federal ocean and coastal 
mapping program for the Great Lakes and Coastal State waters, the 
territorial sea, the exclusive economic zone, and the continental shelf 
of the United States that enhances conservation and management of 
marine resources, improves decision-making regarding research 
priorities and the siting of research and other platforms, and advances 
coastal and ocean science.
    (b) Program Parameters.--In developing such a program, the 
Administrator shall work with the Committee to--
            (1) identify all Federal programs conducting shoreline 
        delineation and coastal or ocean mapping, noting geographic 
        coverage, frequency, spatial coverage, resolution, and subject 
        matter focus of the data and location of data archives;
            (2) promote cost-effective, cooperative mapping efforts 
        among all Federal coastal and ocean mapping agencies by 
        increasing data sharing, developing data acquisition and 
        metadata standards, and facilitating the interoperability of in 
        situ data collection systems, data processing, archiving, and 
        distribution of data products;
            (3) facilitate the adaptation of existing technologies as 
        well as foster expertise in new coastal and ocean mapping 
        technologies by engaging in cooperative training programs and 
        leveraging agency expertise, non-governmental organizations, 
        and private sector resources to efficiently meet Federal 
        mapping mandates;
            (4) develop standards and protocols for testing innovative 
        experimental mapping technologies and transferring new 
        technologies to the private sector;
            (5) centrally archive, manage, and distribute data sets as 
        well as provide mapping products and services to the general 
        public in service of statutory requirements; and
            (6) develop specific data presentation methods for use by 
        Federal, State, and other entities that document locations of 
        federally permitted activities, submerged cultural resources, 
        undersea cables, offshore aquaculture projects, and any areas 
        designated for the purposes of environmental protection or 
        conservation and management of living marine resources.

SEC. 3. INTERAGENCY COMMITTEE ON COASTAL AND OCEAN MAPPING.

    (a) Establishment.--There is hereby established an Interagency 
Committee on Coastal and Ocean Mapping.
    (b) Membership.--The Committee shall be comprised of senior 
representatives from Federal agencies with ocean and coastal mapping 
and surveying responsibilities. The representatives shall be high-
ranking officials of their respective agencies or departments and, 
whenever possible, the head of the portion of the agency or department 
that is most relevant to the purposes of this Act. Membership shall 
include senior representatives from the National Oceanic and 
Atmospheric Administration, the Chief of Naval Operations, the United 
States Geological Survey, Minerals Management Service, National Science 
Foundation, National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency, United States Army 
Corps of Engineers, United States Coast Guard, Environmental Protection 
Agency, Federal Emergency Management Agency and National Aeronautics 
and Space Administration, and other appropriate Federal agencies 
involved in ocean and coastal mapping.
    (c) Chairman.--The Committee shall be chaired by the representative 
from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. The chairman 
may create subcommittees chaired by any member agency of the committee. 
Working groups may be formed by the full Committee to address issues of 
short duration.
    (d) Meetings.--The Committee shall meet on a quarterly basis, but 
subcommittee or working group meetings shall meet on an as-needed 
basis.
    (e) Coordination.--The committee should coordinate activities, when 
appropriate, with other Federal efforts, including the Digital Coast, 
Geospatial One-Stop, and the Federal Geographic Data Committee.

SEC. 4. NOAA INTEGRATED MAPPING INITIATIVE.

    (a) In General.--Not later than 6 months after the date of 
enactment of this Act, the Administrator, in consultation with the 
Committee, shall develop and submit to the Congress a plan for an 
integrated coastal and ocean mapping initiative within the National 
Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
    (b) Plan Requirements.--The plan shall--
            (1) identify and describe all coastal and ocean mapping 
        programs within the agency, including those that conduct 
        mapping or related activities in the course of existing 
        missions, such as hydrographic surveys, ocean exploration 
        projects, living marine resource conservation and management 
        programs, coastal zone management projects, and coastal and 
        ocean science projects;
            (2) establish geographic priorities and minimum data 
        acquisition and metadata standards for those programs;
            (3) encourage the development of innovative coastal and 
        ocean mapping technologies and applications through research 
        and development cooperative agreements at joint institutes;
            (4) document available and developing technologies, best 
        practices in data processing and distribution, and leveraging 
        opportunities with other Federal agencies, non-governmental 
        organizations, and the private sector;
            (5) identify training, technology, and other resource 
        requirements for enabling the National Oceanic and Atmospheric 
        Administration's programs, ships, and aircraft to support a 
        coordinated coastal and ocean mapping program;
            (6) identify a centralized mechanism for coordinating data 
        collection, processing, archiving, and dissemination activities 
        of all such mapping programs within the National Oceanic and 
        Atmospheric Administration, including--
                    (A) designating primary data processing centers to 
                maximize efficiency in information technology 
                investment, develop consistency in data processing, and 
                meet Federal mandates for data accessibility; and
                    (B) designating a repository that is responsible 
                for archiving and managing the distribution of all 
                coastal and ocean mapping data to simplify the 
                provision of services to benefit Federal and State 
                programs; and
            (7) set forth a timetable for implementation and completion 
        of the plan, including a schedule for periodic Congressional 
        progress reports, and recommendations for integrating 
        approaches developed under the initiative into the interagency 
        program.
    (c) NOAA Joint Hydrographic Centers.--The Secretary is authorized 
to maintain and operate up to 3 joint hydrographic centers, which shall 
be co-located with an institution of higher education. The centers 
shall serve as hydrographic centers of excellence and are authorized to 
conduct activities necessary to carry out the purposes of this Act, 
including--
            (1) research and development of innovative coastal and 
        ocean mapping technologies, equipment, and data products;
            (2) mapping of the United States outer continental shelf;
            (3) data processing for non-traditional data and uses;
            (4) advancing the use of remote sensing technologies, for 
        related issues, including mapping and assessment of essential 
        fish habitat and of coral resources, ocean observations and 
        ocean exploration; and
            (5) providing graduate education in hydrographic sciences 
        for National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration 
        Commissioned Officer Corps and civilian personnel.

SEC. 5. INTERAGENCY PROGRAM REPORTING.

    No later than 18 months after the date of enactment of this Act, 
and bi-annually thereafter, the Chairman of the Committee shall 
transmit to the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and 
Transportation and the House of Representatives Committee on Resources 
a report detailing progress made in implementing the provisions of this 
Act, including--
            (1) an inventory of data within the territorial seas and 
        the exclusive economic zone and throughout the continental 
        shelf of the United States, noting the age and source of the 
        survey and the spatial resolution (metadata) of the data;
            (2) identification of priority areas in need of survey 
        coverage using present technologies;
            (3) a resource plan that identifies when priority areas in 
        need of modern coastal and ocean mapping surveys can be 
        accomplished;
            (4) the status of efforts to produce integrated digital 
        maps of coastal and ocean areas;
            (5) a description of any products resulting from 
        coordinated mapping efforts under this Act that improve public 
        understanding of the coasts, oceans, or regulatory decision-
        making;
            (6) documentation of minimum and desired standards for data 
        acquisition and integrated metadata;
            (7) a statement of the status of Federal efforts to 
        leverage mapping technologies, coordinate mapping activities, 
        share expertise, and exchange data;
            (8) a statement of resource requirements for organizations 
        to meet the goals of the program, including technology needs 
        for data acquisition, processing and distribution systems;
            (9) a statement of the status of efforts to declassify data 
        gathered by the Navy, the National Geospatial-Intelligence 
        Agency and other agencies to the extent possible without 
        jeopardizing national security, and make it available to 
        partner agencies and the public; and
            (10) a resource plan for a digital coast integrated mapping 
        pilot project for the northern Gulf of Mexico that will--
                    (A) cover the area from the authorized coastal 
                counties through the territorial sea; and
                    (B) identify how such a pilot project will leverage 
                public and private mapping data and resources, such as 
                the United States Geological Survey National Map, to 
                result in an operational coastal change assessment 
                program for the subregion.

SEC. 6. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.

    (a) In General.--In addition to the amounts authorized by section 
306 of the Hydrographic Services Improvement Act of 1998 (33 U.S.C. 
892d), there are authorized to be appropriated to the Administrator to 
carry out this Act--
            (1) $20,000,000 for fiscal year 2005;
            (2) $26,000,000 for fiscal year 2006;
            (3) $32,000,000 for fiscal year 2007;
            (4) $38,000,000 for fiscal year 2008; and
            (5) $45,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2009 through 2012.
    (b) Joint Hydrographic Centers.--Of the amounts appropriated 
pursuant to subsection (a), the following amounts shall be used to 
carry out section 4(c) of this Act:
            (1) $10,000,000 for fiscal year 2005.
            (2) $11,000,000 for fiscal year 2006.
            (3) $12,000,000 for fiscal year 2006.
            (4) $13,000,000 for fiscal year 2006.
            (5) $15,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2009 through 2012.

SEC. 7. DEFINITIONS.

    In this Act:
            (1) Administrator.--The term ``Administrator'' means the 
        Administrator of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric 
        Administration.
            (2) Committee.--The term ``Committee'' means the 
        Interagency Ocean Mapping Committee established by section 3.
            (3) Exclusive economic zone.--The term ``exclusive economic 
        zone'' means the exclusive economic zone of the United States 
        established by Presidential Proclamation No. 5030, of March 10, 
        1983.
            (4) Ocean and coastal mapping.--The term ``ocean and 
        coastal mapping'' means the collection of physical, biological, 
        geological, chemical, and archaeological characteristics of 
        ocean and coastal sea beds through the use of acoustics, 
        satellites, aerial photogrammetry, light and imaging, and 
        direct sampling.
            (5) Territorial sea.--The term ``territorial sea'' means 
        the belt of sea measured from the baseline of the United States 
        determined in accordance with international law, as set forth 
        in Presidential Proclamation Number 5928, dated December 27, 
        1988.
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