[Congressional Bills 111th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 174 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

111th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                 S. 174

To establish a coordinated and comprehensive Federal ocean and coastal 
                            mapping program.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                            January 8, 2009

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

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
To establish a coordinated and comprehensive Federal ocean and coastal 
                            mapping program.

    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 ``Ocean and Coastal Mapping 
Integration Act''.

SEC. 2. ESTABLISHMENT OF PROGRAM.

    (a) In General.--The President, in coordination with the 
Interagency Committee on Ocean and Coastal Mapping and affected coastal 
states, shall establish a program to develop a coordinated and 
comprehensive Federal ocean and coastal mapping plan 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 ecosystem approaches in decision-making for conservation and 
management of marine resources and habitats, establishes research and 
mapping priorities, supports the siting of research and other 
platforms, and advances ocean and coastal science.
    (b) Membership.--The Committee shall be comprised of high-level 
representatives of the Department of Commerce, through the National 
Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the Department of the Interior, 
the National Science Foundation, the Department of Defense, the 
Environmental Protection Agency, the Department of Homeland Security, 
the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, and other 
appropriate Federal agencies involved in ocean and coastal mapping.
    (c) Program Parameters.--In developing such a program, the 
President, through the Committee, shall--
            (1) identify all Federal and federally funded programs 
        conducting shoreline delineation and ocean or coastal mapping, 
        noting geographic coverage, frequency, spatial coverage, 
        resolution, and subject matter focus of the data and location 
        of data archives;
            (2) facilitate cost-effective, cooperative mapping efforts 
        that incorporate policies for contracting with non-governmental 
        entities among all Federal agencies conducting ocean and 
        coastal mapping, by increasing data sharing, developing 
        appropriate 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 ocean and coastal mapping 
        technologies, including through research, development, and 
        training conducted among Federal agencies and in cooperation 
        with non-governmental entities;
            (4) develop standards and protocols for testing innovative 
        experimental mapping technologies and transferring new 
        technologies between the Federal Government, coastal state, and 
        non-governmental entities;
            (5) provide for the archiving, management, and distribution 
        of data sets through a national registry as well as provide 
        mapping products and services to the general public in service 
        of statutory requirements;
            (6) develop data standards and protocols consistent with 
        standards developed by the Federal Geographic Data Committee 
        for use by Federal, coastal state, and other entities in 
        mapping and otherwise documenting locations of federally 
        permitted activities, living and nonliving coastal and marine 
        resources, marine ecosystems, sensitive habitats, submerged 
        cultural resources, undersea cables, offshore aquaculture 
        projects, offshore energy projects, and any areas designated 
        for purposes of environmental protection or conservation and 
        management of living and nonliving coastal and marine 
        resources;
            (7) identify the procedures to be used for coordinating the 
        collection and integration of Federal ocean and coastal mapping 
        data with coastal state and local government programs;
            (8) facilitate, to the extent practicable, the collection 
        of real-time tide data and the development of hydrodynamic 
        models for coastal areas to allow for the application of V-
        datum tools that will facilitate the seamless integration of 
        onshore and offshore maps and charts;
            (9) establish a plan for the acquisition and collection of 
        ocean and coastal mapping data; and
            (10) set forth a timetable for completion and 
        implementation of the plan.

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

    (a) In General.--The Administrator of the National Oceanic and 
Atmospheric Administration, within 30 days after the date of enactment 
of this Act, shall convene or utilize an existing interagency committee 
on ocean and coastal mapping to implement section 2.
    (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, the Minerals Management Service, the National 
Science Foundation, the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency, the 
United States Army Corps of Engineers, the Coast Guard, the 
Environmental Protection Agency, the Federal Emergency Management 
Agency, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, and other 
appropriate Federal agencies involved in ocean and coastal mapping.
    (c) Co-chairmen.--The Committee shall be co-chaired by a 
representative of the Department of Commerce and a representative of 
the Department of the Interior.
    (d) Subcommittee.--The co-chairmen shall establish a subcommittee 
to carry out the day-to-day work of the Committee, comprised of senior 
representatives of any member agency of the committee. Working groups 
may be formed by the full Committee to address issues of short 
duration. The subcommittee shall be chaired by the representative from 
the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. The chairmen of 
the Committee may create such additional subcommittees and working 
groups as may be needed to carry out the work of Committee.
    (e) Meetings.--The committee shall meet on a quarterly basis, but 
each subcommittee and each working group shall meet on an as-needed 
basis.
    (f) Coordination.--The committee shall coordinate activities when 
appropriate, with--
            (1) other Federal efforts, including the Digital Coast, 
        Geospatial One-Stop, and the Federal Geographic Data Committee;
            (2) international mapping activities;
            (3) coastal states;
            (4) user groups through workshops and other appropriate 
        mechanisms; and
            (5) representatives of nongovernmental entities.
    (g) Advisory Panel.--The Administrator may convene an ocean and 
coastal mapping advisory panel consisting of representatives from 
nongovernmental entities to provide input regarding activities of the 
committee in consultation with the interagency committee.

SEC. 4. BIENNIAL REPORTS.

    No later than 18 months after the date of enactment of this Act, 
and biennially thereafter, the co-chairmen of the Committee shall 
transmit to the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and 
Transportation, the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, 
and the House of Representatives Committee on Natural Resources a 
report detailing progress made in implementing this Act, including--
            (1) an inventory of ocean and coastal mapping data within 
        the territorial sea 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 ocean and coastal mapping surveys can be 
        accomplished;
            (4) the status of efforts to produce integrated digital 
        maps of ocean and coastal areas;
            (5) a description of any products resulting from 
        coordinated mapping efforts under this Act that improve public 
        understanding of the coasts and 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;
            (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;
                    (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;
            (11) the status of efforts to coordinate Federal programs 
        with coastal state and local government programs and leverage 
        those programs;
            (12) a description of efforts of Federal agencies to 
        increase contracting with nongovernmental entities; and
            (13) an inventory and description of any new Federal or 
        federally funded programs conducting shoreline delineation and 
        ocean or coastal mapping since the previous reporting cycle.

SEC. 5. PLAN.

    (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 ocean and coastal mapping initiative within the National 
Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
    (b) Plan Requirements.--The plan shall--
            (1) identify and describe all ocean and coastal 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 ocean and 
        coastal observations and science projects;
            (2) establish priority mapping programs and establish and 
        periodically update priorities for geographic areas in 
        surveying and mapping across all missions of the National 
        Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, as well as minimum data 
        acquisition and metadata standards for those programs;
            (3) encourage the development of innovative ocean and 
        coastal mapping technologies and applications, through research 
        and development through cooperative or other agreements with 
        joint or cooperative research institutes or centers and with 
        other nongovernmental entities;
            (4) document available and developing technologies, best 
        practices in data processing and distribution, and leveraging 
        opportunities with other Federal agencies, coastal states, and 
        nongovernmental entities;
            (5) identify training, technology, and other resource 
        requirements for enabling the National Oceanic and Atmospheric 
        Administration's programs, vessels, and aircraft to support a 
        coordinated ocean and coastal mapping program;
            (6) identify a centralized mechanism or office for 
        coordinating data collection, processing, archiving, and 
        dissemination activities of all such mapping programs within 
        the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration that meets 
        Federal mandates for data accuracy and accessibility and 
        designate a repository that is responsible for archiving and 
        managing the distribution of all ocean and coastal mapping data 
        to simplify the provision of services to benefit Federal and 
        coastal state programs; and
            (7) set forth a timetable for implementation and completion 
        of the plan, including a schedule for submission to the 
        Congress of periodic progress reports and recommendations for 
        integrating approaches developed under the initiative into the 
        interagency program.
    (c) NOAA Joint Ocean and Coastal Mapping Centers.--The 
Administrator may maintain and operate up to 3 joint ocean and coastal 
mapping centers, including a joint hydrographic center, which shall 
each be co-located with an institution of higher education. The centers 
shall serve as hydrographic centers of excellence and may conduct 
activities necessary to carry out the purposes of this Act, including--
            (1) research and development of innovative ocean and 
        coastal mapping technologies, equipment, and data products;
            (2) mapping of the United States Outer Continental Shelf 
        and other regions;
            (3) data processing for nontraditional 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 and training in ocean and 
        coastal mapping sciences for members of the National Oceanic 
        and Atmospheric Administration Commissioned Officer Corps, 
        personnel of other agencies with ocean and coastal mapping 
        programs, and civilian personnel.
    (d) NOAA Report.--The Administrator shall continue developing a 
strategy for expanding contracting with nongovernmental entities to 
minimize duplication and take maximum advantage of nongovernmental 
capabilities in fulfilling the Administration's mapping and charting 
responsibilities. Within 120 days after the date of enactment of this 
Act, the Administrator shall transmit a report describing the strategy 
developed under this subsection to the Senate Committee on Commerce, 
Science, and Transportation, the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural 
Resources, and the House of Representatives Committee on Natural 
Resources.

SEC. 6. EFFECT ON OTHER LAWS.

    Nothing in this Act shall be construed to supersede or alter the 
existing authorities of any Federal agency with respect to ocean and 
coastal mapping.

SEC. 7. 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) $26,000,000 for fiscal year 2009;
            (2) $32,000,000 for fiscal year 2010;
            (3) $38,000,000 for fiscal year 2011; and
            (4) $45,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2012 through 2015.
    (b) Joint Ocean and Coastal Mapping Centers.--Of the amounts 
appropriated pursuant to subsection (a), the following amounts shall be 
used to carry out section 5(c) of this Act:
            (1) $11,000,000 for fiscal year 2009.
            (2) $12,000,000 for fiscal year 2010.
            (3) $13,000,000 for fiscal year 2011.
            (4) $15,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2012 through 2015.
    (c) Cooperative Agreements.--To carry out interagency activities 
under section 3 of this Act, the head of any department or agency may 
execute a cooperative agreement with the Administrator, including those 
authorized by section 5 of the Act of August 6, 1947 (33 U.S.C. 883e).

SEC. 8. DEFINITIONS.

    In this Act:
            (1) Administrator.--The term ``Administrator'' means the 
        Administrator of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric 
        Administration.
            (2) Coastal state.--The term ``coastal state'' has the 
        meaning given that term by section 304(4) of the Coastal Zone 
        Management Act of 1972 (16 U.S.C. 1453(4).
            (3) Committee.--The term ``Committee'' means the 
        Interagency Ocean and Coastal Mapping Committee described in 
        section 3.
            (4) 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.
            (5) Ocean and coastal mapping.--The term ``ocean and 
        coastal mapping'' means the acquisition, processing, and 
        management of physical, biological, geological, chemical, and 
        archaeological characteristics and boundaries of ocean and 
        coastal areas, resources, and sea beds through the use of 
        acoustics, satellites, aerial photogrammetry, light and 
        imaging, direct sampling, and other mapping technologies.
            (6) 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.
            (7) Nongovernmental entities.--The term ``nongovernmental 
        entities'' includes nongovernmental organizations, members of 
        the academic community, and private sector organizations that 
        provide products and services associated with measuring, 
        locating, and preparing maps, charts, surveys, aerial 
        photographs, satellite images, or other graphical or digital 
        presentations depicting natural or manmade physical features, 
        phenomena, and legal boundaries of the Earth.
            (8) Outer continental shelf.--The term ``Outer Continental 
        Shelf'' means all submerged lands lying seaward and outside of 
        lands beneath navigable waters (as that term is defined in 
        section 2 of the Submerged Lands Act (43 U.S.C. 1301)), and of 
        which the subsoil and seabed appertain to the United States and 
        are subject to its jurisdiction and control.
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