[Senate Report 110-39]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]



110th Congress 
 1st Session                     SENATE                          Report
                                                                 110-39
_______________________________________________________________________
                                                        Calendar No. 90
 
               OCEAN AND COASTAL EXPLORATION AND NOAA ACT

                               __________

                              R E P O R T

                                 of the

           COMMITTEE ON COMMERCE, SCIENCE, AND TRANSPORTATION

                                   on

                                 S. 39



                                     

        DATE deg.March 27, 2007.--Ordered to be printed
       SENATE COMMITTEE ON COMMERCE, SCIENCE, AND TRANSPORTATION
                       one hundred tenth congress
                             first session

                   DANIEL K. INOUYE, Hawaii, Chairman
                   TED STEVENS, Alaska, Vice-Chairman
JOHN D. ROCKEFELLER IV, West         JOHN McCAIN, Arizona
    Virginia                         TRENT LOTT, Mississippi
JOHN F. KERRY, Massachusetts         KAY BAILEY HUTCHISON, Texas
BYRON L. DORGAN, North Dakota        OLYMPIA J. SNOWE, Maine
BARBARA BOXER, California            GORDON H. SMITH, Oregon
BILL NELSON, Florida                 JOHN ENSIGN, Nevada
MARIA CANTWELL, Washington           JOHN E. SUNUNU, New Hampshire
FRANK R. LAUTENBERG, New Jersey      JIM DeMINT, South Carolina
MARK PRYOR, Arkansas                 DAVID VITTER, Louisiana
THOMAS CARPER, Delaware              JOHN THUNE, South Dakota
CLAIRE McCASKILL, Missouri
AMY KLOBUCHAR, Minnesota
          Margaret Cummisky, Staff Director and Chief Counsel
         Lila Helms, Deputy Staff Director and Policy Director
                    Margaret Spring, General Counsel
      Christine Kurth, Republican Staff Director and Chief Counsel
           Kenneth Nahigian, Republican Deputy Staff Director
                                                        Calendar No. 90
110th Congress                                                   Report
                                 SENATE
 1st Session                                                     110-39

======================================================================




               OCEAN AND COASTAL EXPLORATION AND NOAA ACT

                                _______
                                

                 March 27, 2007.--Ordered to be printed

                                _______
                                

       Mr. Inouye, from the Committee on Commerce, Science, and 
                Transportation, submitted the following

                              R E P O R T

                          [To accompany S. 39]

    The Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, to 
which was referred the bill joint resolution deg. (S. 
39) TITLE deg. to establish a coordinated national 
ocean exploration program within the National Oceanic and 
Atmospheric Administration, and for other purposes, having 
considered the same, reports favorably thereon without 
amendment deg. with amendments deg. with an amendment 
(in the nature of a substitute) and recommends that the bill 
joint resolution deg. (as amended) do pass.

                          PURPOSE OF THE BILL

  The purposes of S. 39, the Ocean and Coastal Exploration and 
NOAA Act, are to establish a national ocean exploration 
program, an undersea research program, and a coordinated and 
comprehensive coastal mapping program within NOAA, and to 
authorize appropriations for the programs. The main purpose of 
the programs would be to expand our Nation's understanding of 
our marine environment through the advancement of coastal and 
ocean sciences.

                          BACKGROUND AND NEEDS

Ocean Exploration and Undersea Research

  Ocean exploration and research encompasses charting ocean 
depth and bathymetry and identifying and studying marine 
organisms. Although ocean exploration has occurred since the 
1800s, and advances in deep-sea technologies have made it 
easier to identify structures at greater ocean depths, only 
approximately 5 percent of the ocean floor has been explored to 
date and scientific understanding of undersea environments 
remains cursory. Current ocean exploration excursions continue 
to probe uncharted territory and locate and identify new 
species and resources, ranging from hydrothermal vents and deep 
sea corals to shipwrecks and other cultural artifacts. The 
potential for identifying new and beneficial scientific 
information and resources in the oceans is significant, but it 
remains largely untapped. Progress has generally been limited 
due to the narrow focus and limited financial and other support 
for ocean exploration in the Federal government. NOAA operates 
the two primary Federal civilian ocean exploration and research 
programs.
  The National Undersea Research Program (NURP) is a program 
that has been operated by NOAA for the past 25 years. This 
program develops and provides technologies that enable 
scientists to venture underwater, either directly with 
submersibles and SCUBA, or virtually, using robots and 
observatories. These capabilities allow the scientific 
community to gather observations and data from areas in our 
oceans and Great Lakes that we have not been able to explore 
before, which helps improve our fundamental understanding of 
marine and Great Lakes ecosystems. The program consists of a 
program office, six regional undersea research centers, as well 
as a science and technology institute.
  A broader program of exploration was established more 
recently. In June 2000, President Clinton charged the Secretary 
of Commerce with recommending a national strategy for launching 
a new era of ocean exploration. To develop this strategy, the 
Secretary, through NOAA, established the President's Panel on 
Ocean Exploration, which consisted of leading ocean explorers, 
scientists, and educators. This panel recommended a 
multidisciplinary, integrated national ocean exploration office 
with an annual budget of $75 million. In response, NOAA 
established the Office of Ocean Exploration.
  For decades, the ocean science, research, and education 
communities have called for strengthening Federal ocean 
exploration and undersea research programs and priorities in 
order to fill critical scientific knowledge gaps, develop 
potential economic resources, and inspire greater ocean 
literacy in the general public.
  A 2003 National Research Council (NRC) report and the 
September, 2004 report to Congress by the United States 
Commission on Ocean Policy (the Ocean Commission), reiterated 
these needs. The Commissioners noted that investment in ocean 
technology and infrastructure, such as modern ships, undersea 
vehicles, remote sensing satellites, laboratories, and other 
advanced tools for exploring and understanding the oceans would 
help facilitate ocean science and improve management of ocean 
resources. The Commissioners emphasized the importance of three 
main components of ocean technology and infrastructure in which 
the United States should increase its investment: land-based 
facilities, research hardware and equipment, and human 
technical support. The Ocean Commission report highlighted the 
need for a strong, comprehensive ocean exploration program, 
citing the persistent call for a national program from various 
commissions since the 1970s.
  The Ocean Commission considered the Federal government's 
efforts on ocean exploration to be inadequately funded and not 
comprehensive enough in scope. Under Recommendation 25-4, the 
Ocean Commission called for ``significant funding'' for ``an 
expanded national ocean exploration program,'' with NOAA and 
the National Science Foundation (NSF) serving as the lead 
agencies, and the United States Geological Survey (USGS) and 
the United States Navy's Office of Naval Research serving 
supporting roles. The Commissioner also recommended making 
outreach and education an integral component of the program. 
The report recommended an additional $30 million in the first 
year of implementation, rising to $110 million for annual 
ongoing costs, including infrastructure for ocean exploration, 
such as ships and submersibles.

Ocean and Coastal Mapping Integration

  The jurisdiction of the United States extends 200 miles 
beyond its coastline and includes the United States Territorial 
Sea and Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ). In the 1980s, the United 
States undertook an effort to map the newly-recognized EEZ and 
tasked NOAA and USGS with developing a 10-year exploration 
plan. Although reconnaissance surveys of much of the EEZ were 
completed through 1990, more detailed mapping and assessments 
were not pursued because of budgetary constraints. In fact, 
nearly ninety percent of this area remains unmapped by modern 
technologies.
  Improved mapping technology is necessary for a number of 
reasons. The United States marine transportation system is 
expected to grow exponentially over the next 20 years and 
current growth is already creating a backlog of priority 
surveys. According to NOAA's Office of Coast Survey, 
approximately 35,000 square nautical miles of navigationally 
significant United States waters have been designated as 
critical areas requiring updated information on depth and 
obstructions. Improved mapping of these waters will help to 
minimize maritime accidents, as well as help support the 
national security missions of the United States Navy and United 
States Coast Guard. Mapping of the outer-continental shelf also 
is needed. Improved data and maps of the resources available on 
the outer-continental shelf could support the United States in 
asserting jurisdictional claims to this submarine area upon its 
accession to the United Nations Convention on Law of the Sea.
  At least 10 Federal agencies (including NOAA, the 
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the Minerals Management 
Service, the United States Army Corps of Engineers, the United 
States Coast Guard, the United States Fish and Wildlife 
Service, the NSF, the United States Navy, the Federal Emergency 
Management Agency, and USGS), in addition to coastal State and 
local agencies, academic institutions, and private companies 
share the expensive and time-consuming responsibility of 
mapping, charting, and assessing living and non-living 
resources in United States waters. This creates a significant 
amount of overlap where different parties perform repeated 
surveys of the same area for different purposes. It also 
prevents the integration of these surveys since they differ 
from each other in terms of scale, resolution, projection, and 
reference frames. To complicate matters further, the coastal 
zone has the unique issue of the land-sea interface, or 
shoreline position, which requires seamless joining of onshore 
topographic maps with offshore bathymetric maps.
  The Ocean Commission recommended that many of the existing 
Federal mapping activities be consolidated and coordinated to 
increase efficiency and help ensure that all necessary surveys 
are conducted. The Commission recommended that NOAA, which 
already has the responsibility of collecting hydrographic and 
bathymetric data and creating navigational charts for safe and 
efficient maritime commerce, be the lead agency in United 
States ocean and coastal mapping and charting efforts. In 
addition, the NRC released a study in 2004 entitled ``A 
Geospatial Framework for the Coastal Zone,'' which details the 
national need for coastal mapping and charting. The report was 
requested by NOAA, the USGS, and the EPA. The NRC identified 
the same problems with the Nation's ocean and coastal mapping 
efforts, as did the Ocean Commission, and the NRC stated that 
coordination and communication among Federal agencies and 
integration of mapping efforts is needed.

                         SUMMARY OF PROVISIONS

  As reported from the Committee, the Ocean and Coastal 
Exploration and NOAA Act (S. 39) contains three titles. Title 
I, the NOAA Ocean Exploration Program Act, would address the 
need for an enhanced and expanded national ocean exploration 
program by authorizing a national program within NOAA to 
conduct inter-disciplinary ocean exploration voyages in 
partnership with other Federal agencies or academic 
institutions; give priority attention to deep ocean regions; 
and promote the development of improved oceanographic research, 
communication, navigation, and data collection systems. It 
would establish an exploration technology and infrastructure 
task force among Federal agencies and non-governmental entities 
to facilitate technology sharing and infrastructure 
development. It also would authorize interagency financing and 
increased appropriations of $30.5 million for Fiscal Year (FY) 
2008, increasing to $71.9 million for FY 2017.
  Title II of the bill, the NOAA Undersea Research Program Act 
of 2007, would authorize a coordinated national undersea 
research program at NOAA. The legislation would support two 
aspects of the current NOAA NURP: (1) harnessing the Nation's 
extramural, academic expertise to provide solutions to NOAA's 
undersea challenges, and (2) conducting an open, competitive 
process for the allocation of advanced underwater technologies, 
which NOAA specializes in developing, modifying and operating. 
The goals of this program would be to increase scientific 
knowledge essential for the management, use, and preservation 
of marine resources through research, exploration, education, 
and technology development and to support the undersea science 
needs of academia. NOAA would lead this program, working with a 
network of research centers and a national institute. The 
program would focus on core research and exploration based on 
national priorities, development of advanced undersea 
technology to support NOAA missions, science-based education 
and outreach, and development of natural products from undersea 
systems. The bill would authorize $12.5 million for regional 
NURP centers in FY 2008, increasing to $29.5 million for FY 
2017, with 50 percent going to the West Coast regional centers 
and 50 percent going to the East Coast regional centers. The 
Committee intends for the authorization to be used to sustain 
all six regional centers. The bill also authorizes $5 million 
for the National Technology Institute in FY 2008 increasing to 
$11.8 million in FY 2017.
  Title III of the bill, the Ocean and Coastal Mapping 
Integration Act, would direct NOAA to coordinate a 
comprehensive Federal ocean and coastal mapping program that 
enhances conservation and management of ocean and coastal 
resources. Through this program, NOAA would conduct the 
following activities: identify and coordinate Federal 
shoreline, ocean, and coastal mapping activities, build 
expertise in mapping technologies, set standards and protocols 
for testing and transferring new technologies to the private 
sector, and archive and distribute data and specific data 
products for the benefit of multiple users. Ocean and coastal 
mapping activities covered under the bill would include the 
suite of existing Federal activities: mapping, data processing, 
data management, and archiving. Mapping activities are intended 
to include the areas and resources of the outer continental 
shelf and inshore areas, extending from coastal State waters to 
the territorial sea and the EEZ, as well as to areas of the 
outer continental shelf beyond the EEZ.

                          LEGISLATIVE HISTORY

  On January 4, 2007, Senator Stevens introduced S. 39, the 
Ocean and Coastal Exploration and NOAA Act, a bill to establish 
a coordinated ocean exploration program within NOAA and for 
other purposes. The bill, cosponsored by Senators Inouye and 
Snowe, was referred to the Senate Committee on Commerce, 
Science, and Transportation. It contained the text of S. 39, as 
passed the Senate in the 109th Congress.
  On February 13, 2007, the Committee considered this bill, 
along with a substitute amendment offered by Senator Stevens, 
which added Title III, the Ocean and Coastal Mapping 
Integration Act, to the bill. The text of Title III is the same 
legislation contained in S. 364, reported by the Committee in 
the 109th Congress. The substitute also included an amendment 
offered by Senator Hutchison, which provided that NURP would 
study ocean and coastal resources. At the Executive Session, 
the Commerce Committee approved the Stevens substitute and 
Hutchison amendment by voice vote and ordered S. 39 to be 
reported favorably as amended.

                        ESTIMATED COSTS

  In compliance with subsection (a)(3) of paragraph 11 of rule 
XXVI of the Standing Rules of the Senate, the Committee states 
that, in its opinion, it is necessary to dispense with the 
requirements of paragraphs (1) and (2) of that subsection in 
order to expedite the business of the Senate. deg.
  In accordance with paragraph 11(a) of rule XXVI of the 
Standing Rules of the Senate and section 403 of the 
Congressional Budget Act of 1974, the Committee provides the 
following cost estimate, prepared by the Congressional Budget 
Office:

                                     U.S. Congress,
                               Congressional Budget Office,
                                    Washington, DC, March 23, 2007.
Hon. Daniel K. Inouye,
Chairman, Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, U.S. 
        Senate, Washington, DC.
    Dear Mr. Chairman: The Congressional Budget Office has 
prepared the enclosed cost estimate for S. 39, the Ocean and 
Costal Exploration and NOAA Act (OCEAN Act).
    If you wish further details on this estimate, we will be 
pleased to provide them. The CBO staff contact is Deborah Reis.
            Sincerely,
                                                   Peter R. Orszag.
    Enclosure.

S. 39--Ocean and Costal Exploration and NOAA Act (OCEAN Act)

    Summary: S. 39 would direct the National Oceanic and 
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to establish and coordinate 
national programs for ocean exploration, undersea research, and 
ocean and coastal mapping. In carrying out those programs, NOAA 
would be authorized to coordinate scientific voyages with other 
federal agencies or institutions and to conduct public 
education and outreach programs. The bill also would establish 
an interagency committee on ocean and coastal mapping. For 
those activities, the bill would authorize appropriations 
totaling about $700 million over the 2008-2012 period and 
nearly $1.5 billion over the 2008-2017 period.
    Assumming appropriation of the authorized amounts, CBO 
estimates that implementing S. 39 would cost about $40 million 
in fiscal year 2008 and $540 million over the 2008-2012 period. 
We estimate that more than $900 million would be spent after 
2012, including nearly $760 million authorized to be 
appropriated between 2012 and 2017. Enacting S. 39 would have 
no impact on revenues or direct spending.
    S. 39 contains on intergovernmental or private-sector 
mandates as defined in the Unfunded Mandates Reform Act (UMRA) 
and would impose no costs on state, local, or tribal 
governments.
    Estimated cost to the Federal Government: The estimated 
budgetary impact of S. 39 is shown in the following table. The 
costs of this legislation fall within budget function 300 
(natural resources in environment).


----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                                       By fiscal year, in millions of dollars--
                                                                    --------------------------------------------
                                                                       2008     2009     2010     2011     2012
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                  CHANGES IN SPENDING SUBJECT TO APPROPRIATION

Authorization Level \1\............................................      119      130      140      153      165
Estimated Outlays..................................................       40       80      130      140      150
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
\1\ NOAA's National Ocean Service received appropriations of around $600 million in 2007, including funding for
  some activities that are similar to the exploration, research, and mapping programs that would be authorized
  by this bill. In addition to the amounts shown in the table, S. 39 also would authorize funding over the 2013-
  2017 period. In total, the bill would authorize appropriations of nearly $1.5 billion over the 2008-2017 (10-
  year) period.

    Basis of estimate: For this estimate, CBO assumes that the 
entire amounts authorized by the bill will be appropriated for 
each fiscal year. Outlays have been estimated on the basis of 
historical spending patterns for NOAA programs.
    The authorization levels in the table are as specified in 
the bill for fiscal years 2008 through 2012, including:
           Between $31 million and $45 million a year 
        for ocean exploration,
           Between $18 million and $25 million a year 
        for undersea research and technology programs, 
        including between $5 million and $7 million annually 
        for a national technology institute,
           Between $20 million and $45 million a year 
        for coastal and ocean mapping, and
           $10 million a year for each of the five 
        federal departments or agencies (the Department of 
        Defense, Department of Homeland Security, Department of 
        the Interior, the National Aeronautics and Space 
        Administration, and the Environmental Protection 
        Agency) for participating in an interagency committee 
        on ocean and coastal mapping.
    S. 39 also would authorize appropriations for ocean 
exploration and research and technology programs for each of 
fiscal years 2012 and 2017. The bill would authorize 
appropriations for coastal and ocean mapping, including the 
interagency committee, through 2015.
    Intergovernmental and private-sector impact: S. 39 contains 
no intergovernmental or private-sector mandates as defined in 
UMRA and would impose no costs on state, local, or tribal 
governments.
    Estimated prepared by: Federal costs: Deborah Reis. Impact 
on state, local, and tribal governments: Lisa Ramirez-Branum. 
Impact on the private sector: Craig Cammarata.
    Estimate approved by: Peter H. Fontaine, Deputy Assistant 
Director for Budget Analysis.

                      REGULATORY IMPACT STATEMENT

  In accordance with paragraph 11(b) of rule XXVI of the 
Standing Rules of the Senate, the Committee provides the 
following evaluation of the regulatory impact of the 
legislation, as reported:

                       NUMBER OF PERSONS COVERED

  The reported bill would establish a national ocean 
exploration program and a national undersea research program 
within NOAA. The reported bill also would direct NOAA to 
coordinate a comprehensive Federal ocean and coastal mapping 
program that enhances conservation and management of ocean and 
coastal resources. It does not authorize any new regulations 
and therefore will not subject any individuals or businesses to 
new regulations.

                                PRIVACY

  This legislation would not have any adverse impact on the 
personal privacy of the individuals that will be impacted by 
this legislation.

                               PAPERWORK

  The reported bill would not increase paperwork requirements 
for the private sector. Those non-governmental partners that 
are interested in working with the Ocean Technology and 
Infrastructure Task Force in section 104 and the Interagency 
Committee on Ocean and Coastal Mapping established in section 
303 likely would increase their communications, data 
management, and technical expertise capacity related to ocean 
mapping.

                      SECTION-BY-SECTION ANALYSIS

              TITLE I--NATIONAL OCEAN EXPLORATION PROGRAM

Section 101. Short title

  Section 101 cites this title as the ``National Ocean 
Exploration Program Act.''

Section 102. Establishment

  Section 102 would establish a ``coordinated national ocean 
exploration program'' within NOAA done in consultation with NSF 
and other Federal agencies.

Section 103. Authorities

  Section 103 would provide specific authorities for the NOAA 
Administrator to carry out the program. These authorities 
include conducting inter-disciplinary ocean exploration voyages 
in partnership with other Federal agencies or academic 
institutions, giving priority attention to deep ocean regions, 
and promoting the development of improved oceanographic 
research, communication, navigation, and data collection 
systems.

Section 104. Exploration Technology and Infrastructure Task Force

  Section 104 would require that NOAA, in coordination with 
NASA, USGS, the Office of Naval Research, and other relevant 
governmental and non-governmental institutions organize an 
``Ocean Technology and Infrastructure Task Force.'' This task 
force would facilitate the transfer of new exploration 
technology to the program, improve the availability of 
communications infrastructure to the program, develop an 
integrated information processing system, conduct public 
outreach activities on ocean sciences, and encourage cost-
sharing partnerships.

Section 105. Interagency financing

  Section 105 would authorize NOAA, NSF, and other Federal 
agencies involved in the program to perform interagency 
financing, share, transfer, receive and spend funds 
appropriated to any Federal participant in the program.

Section 106. Authorization of appropriations

  Section 106 would authorize to be appropriated to NOAA $30.5 
million for FY 2008, increasing to $71.9 million for FY 2017.

                  TITLE II--UNDERSEA RESEARCH PROGRAM

Section 201. Short title

  Section 201 cites this title as the ``NOAA Undersea Research 
Program Act of 2007.''

Section 202. Establishment

  Section 202 would establish an undersea research program in 
NOAA and directs the Administrator of NOAA to designate a 
director for the program.

Section 203. Purpose

  Section 203 states that the purpose of the program would be 
to increase scientific knowledge essential for the management, 
use, and preservation of marine resources through research, 
exploration, education, and technology development. The program 
also would make available the infrastructure and expertise 
necessary to service the undersea science needs of the academic 
community.

Section 204. Program

  Section 204 would require NOAA to conduct the program through 
a national headquarters or network of undersea research 
centers, and a national technology institute. The program 
director would oversee the direction of the program as well as 
take advice from the directors of the regional centers on the 
west and east coast and the National Technology Institute.

Section 205. Regional centers and technology institute

  Section 205 would require undersea research programs to focus 
on core research and exploration based on national and regional 
priorities and advance undersea technology to support NOAA 
missions. It would also require the development of advanced 
technology associated with seafloor observatories, remotely 
operated vehicles, and new sampling and sensing technologies.

Section 206. Competitiveness

  Section 206 would require that external projects supported by 
the regional centers be managed using an open and competitive 
process evaluating scientific merit, relevance to NOAA, 
research goals, and technical feasibility, except for 10 
percent of the funds for NOAA rapid response activities.

Section 207. Authorization of appropriations

  Section 207 would authorize the following appropriations to 
NOAA: for regional centers, $12.5 million in FY 2008 increasing 
to $29.5 million for FY 2017, with 50 percent going to the West 
Coast Regional Centers and 50 percent going to the East Coast 
Regional Centers; for the National Technology Institute, $5 
million in FY 2008 increasing to $11.8 million in FY 2017.

        TITLE III--INTEGRATED OCEAN AND COASTAL MAPPING PROGRAM

Section 301. Short title

  Section 301 cites this title as the ``Ocean and Coastal 
Mapping Integration Act.''

Section 302. Integrated Ocean and Coastal Mapping Program

  Subsection (a) would direct the Administrator of NOAA to 
develop, in coordination with the Interagency Committee on 
Ocean and Coastal Mapping, a coordinated and comprehensive 
Federal ocean and coastal mapping program that enhances the 
conservation and management of coastal and ocean resources.
  Subsection (b) would direct NOAA, working with the 
Interagency Committee, to conduct the following activities in 
developing the program, including: identify and coordinate 
Federal shoreline, ocean, and coastal mapping activities, build 
expertise in mapping technologies, set standards and protocols 
for testing and transferring new technologies among the Federal 
government, academia, and the private sector, and archive and 
distribute data and specific data products for the benefit of 
multiple users.

Section 303. Interagency Committee on Ocean and Coastal Mapping

  Subsection (a) would establish an Interagency Committee on 
Ocean and Coastal Mapping.
  Subsection (b) would require that the Interagency Committee 
be comprised of high-ranking officials from Federal agencies 
engaged in coastal or ocean mapping.
  Subsection (c) provides that the NOAA representative would 
chair the committee.
  Subsection (d) would require the Committee to meet on a 
quarterly basis, but permit Subcommittee or working group 
meetings to meet as often as needed.

Section 304. NOAA Integrated Mapping Initiative

  Subsection (a) would require the Administrator of NOAA, 
working in consultation with the Interagency Committee on Ocean 
and Coastal Mapping, to submit a plan to Congress setting forth 
a NOAA Integrated Mapping Initiative. The plan would be due six 
months from the date of enactment.
  Subsection (b) would require the NOAA plan to include: a 
description of all NOAA mapping programs, geographic priorities 
and metadata standards for those programs, a section on 
existing and emerging technology, resource requirements for the 
integrated mapping initiative, the designation of centers or 
repositories within NOAA for managing data collection, 
processing, archiving, and distribution, and a timetable for 
implementation of the plan.
  Subsection (c) would authorize NOAA to operate and maintain 
up to three joint hydrographic centers, which shall be co-
located with colleges or universities. The centers would serve 
as hydrographic centers of excellence and carry out research 
and development of new technologies, mapping of the United 
States outer continental shelf, certain types of data 
processing, testing of new applications for remote sensing 
technologies, and graduate education programs in the 
hydrographic sciences for NOAA Commissioned Officer Corps and 
civilian personnel.

Section 305. Interagency program reporting

  Section 305 would require the Interagency Committee on Ocean 
and Coastal Mapping to submit a report to Congress within 18 
months after enactment of the Act. Through this report, the 
Committee would: (1) inventory Federal ocean and coastal survey 
data within the territorial seas and EEZ, (2) identify priority 
areas in need of re-surveying with present technologies, (3) 
include a resource plan that identifies when priority areas in 
need of modern surveys can be accomplished, (4) describe the 
status of efforts to produce integrated digital maps of coastal 
and ocean areas, (5) describe products resulting from 
coordinated mapping efforts that improve public understanding 
of the oceans and coasts, (6) document minimum and desired 
standards for data acquisition and metadata, (7) describe the 
status of Federal efforts to leverage mapping technologies, 
share expertise, coordinate mapping activities, and exchange 
data, (8) provide resource and technology requirements for 
carrying out the goals of the program, (9) describe efforts to 
declassify data gathered by the Department of Defense, and (10) 
provide a resource plan for a digital coast integrated mapping 
pilot project in the northern Gulf of Mexico that would involve 
the leveraging of public and private mapping data and 
resources.

Section 306. Authorization of appropriations

  Section (a) would authorize, in addition to amounts 
authorized under the Hydrographic Services Improvement Act of 
1998, appropriations to NOAA to carry out the purposes of the 
Act. Appropriations would be authorized in increments, 
beginning with $20 million in FY 2008 and ending with $45 
million for each of FY 2012-2015.
  Section (b) would provide that, of the amounts authorized 
under subsection (a), the portion to be authorized for the 
joint hydrographic centers described in Section 4 (c) is $10 
million in FY 2008, increasing by $1 million per fiscal year to 
$15 million for each of FY 2012-2015.
  Section (c) authorizes the Department of Defense, Department 
of the Interior, Department of Homeland Security, the EPA, and 
the National Aeronautics and Space Administration to each use 
up to $10 million per fiscal year to carry out interagency 
activities covered under section 303.

Section 307. Definitions

  Section 307 would define key terms applicable to the bill 
including, ``Exclusive Economic Zone'' and ``Ocean and Coastal 
Mapping.''

           ROLLCALL VOTES IN COMMITTEE deg.

            ADDITIONAL, SUPPLEMENTAL, OR MINORITY VIEWS deg.

                        CHANGES IN EXISTING LAW

  In compliance with paragraph 12 of rule XXVI of the Standing 
Rules of the Senate, the Committee states that the bill as 
reported would make no change to existing law.

                                  
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