[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 83 (Monday, May 21, 2007)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1108-E1109]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




     INTRODUCTION OF THE OCEAN AND COASTAL MAPPING INTEGRATION ACT

                                 ______
                                 

                       HON. MADELEINE Z. BORDALLO

                                of guam

                    in the house of representatives

                          Monday, May 21, 2007

  Ms. BORDALLO. Madam Speaker, Thomas Jefferson, in 1807, signed into 
law an Act requiring the President ``to cause a survey to be taken of 
the coast of the United States . . . together with such other matters 
as he may deem proper for completing an accurate chart of every part of 
the coasts.'' The mapping and charting of our coasts and marine waters 
continues to be an issue of great national importance two hundred years 
later.
  President Jefferson's original intent with that Act was to provide 
seafarers with nautical charts that would allow for them to safely 
navigate in the new nation's coastal waters. Since that time, our 
mapping needs have expanded significantly, and federal agencies have 
risen to the occasion. Today, at least ten federal agencies conduct 
mapping and surveying activities to support myriad U.S. interests. 
Mapping continues, of course, to be done to ensure safe navigation. 
Understanding the contours of our ocean's floors is imperative for 
national security. Hydrographic surveys are used to locate and protect 
cultural resources, such as shipwrecks, and natural formations and 
other areas worthy of protection. We use them to identify sensitive 
habitats, and to manage and conserve fishery resources and protected 
species. Mapping efforts are conducted to identify sources of energy 
for the country, and to ensure that energy development is done in a way 
that is compatible with other uses of our oceans, and that protects the 
natural resources that exist there. Mapping is, in addition, necessary 
to ensure that ocean observation platforms are sited in a similarly 
sensitive way.
  These ten agencies, along with dozens of private entities, academic 
institutions, and state and territorial agencies, conduct these 
activities in a largely, if not entirely, uncoordinated matter. 
Agencies may use a variety of techniques and spatial frameworks in 
collecting data and developing products, which leads to incompatibility 
between data sets and products from one agency to another. One agency 
is generally unaware of mapping efforts being undertaken by other 
entities, leading to redundant efforts and unnecessary spending. In 
addition, these data are not easily accessible, and there exists no 
central portal through which they can be obtained. The lack of 
availability means that the public and private sectors both miss out on 
a significant and useful informational resource.
  As you are well aware, the U.S. Commission on Ocean Policy released a 
report at the request of the President recommending actions needed to 
improve ocean policy in the United States. The work of this Commission, 
as well as that of the Pew Oceans Commission, is being carried on and 
championed by the Joint Ocean Commission Initiative. The Subcommittee 
on Fisheries, Wildlife and Oceans, which I chair, held a hearing on 
March 29, 2007, to learn of the most pressing problems with our current 
ocean management system. A recurring theme during this hearing was that 
the lack of coordination between federal agencies and other levels of 
government is a serious shortcoming of our current ocean management 
framework. It is in the spirit of this need for better coordination 
that I introduce today the Ocean and Coastal Mapping Integration Act.

  Among the suggestions made by the U.S. Commission on Ocean Policy was 
a recommendation that existing federal mapping activities be 
consolidated and coordinated, and that the National Oceanic and 
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) lead this effort. At the same time, 
the National Research Council (NRC) completed a study to identify the 
most pressing national needs for coastal mapping and charting. This 
study, requested by NOAA, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), 
and the United States Geological Survey (USGS), three of the primary 
agencies involved in ocean and coastal surveys, identified the same 
need for coordination. Their findings included a need for a consistent 
spatial framework, increased access to geospatial data and mapping 
products, and increased inter- and intra-agency communication, 
cooperation, and coordination. The bili that I have introduced today is 
a direct response to these recommendations.
  I have already described the myriad reasons for mapping our oceans 
and coasts. As a resident of the island of Guam, whose Exclusive 
Economic Zone includes approximately 80,000 square miles of ocean, it 
is easy for me to understand the urgency of these needs. I recognize, 
however, that many Americans, especially those that do not live on the 
coast, may not share a similar appreciation for the need to improve our 
country's capabilities in this area. For them, I offer a more simple 
statement of need. And that is, are not the lands that lay beneath our 
waters as much a part of this country and our resources as those that 
lie on our highest peaks and in our deepest valleys? We have mapped 
every plateau, river, and canyon across our landscape, but have very 
little detailed information on what lies beneath the waters of our 
Exclusive Economic Zone and the Great Lakes. Where would we be if 200 
years ago Thomas Jefferson had not sent Lewis and Clark out to explore 
the uncharted West? The need for improving our mapping and charting 
capabilities could be as simple as a desire to fully understand the 
extent and nature of our resources.
  For some, the thirst for knowledge and to learn what lies beneath our 
waters may not be a compelling argument for seeking to improve our 
ocean and coastal mapping capabilities. The issue, however, can be 
further explained and reframed. If the United States Senate were to 
ratify the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, we will 
have the opportunity to extend our seaward claim to the edge of our 
continental shelf, where an estimated $1.3 trillion in oil, mineral, 
and sedentary species resources lie. Without proof of the extent of 
that shelf, we forgo these claims.
  It is in the interest of national and economic security, the 
advancement of ocean science, the protection of our cultural and 
natural resources, and safety of navigation to better coordinate the 
ocean and coastal mapping capabilities of the United States. By passing 
this Act, Congress will ensure that our mapping and charting needs are 
met in an efficient and coordinated manner, that ocean science will 
advance, and that ocean exploration technologies will continue to 
develop. It is my hope that my colleagues will support this bill and 
that they will join me in ensuring that federal agencies' mapping and 
charting capabilities and products are developed and utilized to their 
full potential.
    

[[Page E1109]]



                          ____________________