[House Report 112-157]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]


112th Congress                                                   Report
                        HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
 1st Session                                                    112-157

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     AUTHORIZATION OF HYDROGRAPHIC SERVICES SPECIFIC TO THE ARCTIC

                                _______
                                

 July 20, 2011.--Committed to the Committee of the Whole House on the 
              State of the Union and ordered to be printed

                                _______
                                

 Mr. Hastings of Washington, from the Committee on Natural Resources, 
                        submitted the following

                              R E P O R T

                        [To accompany H.R. 295]

      [Including cost estimate of the Congressional Budget Office]

    The Committee on Natural Resources, to whom was referred 
the bill (H.R. 295) to amend the Hydrographic Services 
Improvement Act of 1998 to authorize funds to acquire 
hydrographic data and provide hydrographic services specific to 
the Arctic for safe navigation, delineating the United States 
extended continental shelf, and the monitoring and description 
of coastal changes, having considered the same, report 
favorably thereon without amendment and recommend that the bill 
do pass.

                          PURPOSE OF THE BILL

    The purpose of H.R. 295 is to amend the Hydrographic 
Services Improvement Act of 1998 to authorize funds to acquire 
hydrographic data and provide hydrographic services specific to 
the Arctic for safe navigation, delineating the United States 
extended continental shelf, and the monitoring and description 
of coastal changes.

                  BACKGROUND AND NEED FOR LEGISLATION

    Hydrographic surveys support a variety of maritime 
functions including safe navigation, port and harbor 
maintenance (dredging), coastal engineering (beach erosion and 
replenishment), coastal zone management, and offshore resource 
development. Data collected through surveys show water depth 
(bathymetry) and object detection. These surveys can also 
provide information on sea-floor texture and composition (sand, 
mud, and rocks) to assist in anchoring, dredging, marine 
construction, pipeline and cable routing, tsunamis, and storm 
surge modeling. Hydrographic surveys can also support other 
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) missions 
including fish habitat characterization, bottom type 
classification, and submerged cultural resources management.
    NOAA currently has the resources, between in-house and 
contract vessels, to conduct hydrographic surveys for 3,000 
square nautical miles a year. This equates to less than 1 
percent of Navigationally Significant area surveyed each year. 
At this pace, the Hydrographic Services Review Panel (HSRP) 
concluded that it would take 166 years to survey just the areas 
routinely transited by federal, commercial and recreational 
vessels. NOAA's goal is to achieve the capacity to survey and 
process 10,000 square nautical miles annually. The HSRP reports 
that this would put the Navigationally Significant areas on a 
50-year resurvey cycle--an inadequate, but achievable, survey 
schedule.
    NOAA is also required to survey the 95,000 miles of U.S. 
coastline. NOAA's Shoreline Mapping budget has been relatively 
static for many years, hindering NOAA's mapping efforts. NOAA 
currently maps only 3 percent of the 95,000 miles of U.S. open 
shoreline a year. NOAA and its contractors can evaluate and 
remap only 12 percent of priority port area shoreline annually, 
short of NOAA's 20 percent program target. Forty percent of the 
U.S. shoreline has not been mapped by NOAA since 1960.
    Limited survey work has occurred in the Arctic. According 
to testimony given by NOAA, most Arctic waters that are charted 
were surveyed with obsolete technology, some dating back to the 
1800s. In addition, the northern and western coasts of Alaska 
have not been mapped since 1960, if ever, and confidence in the 
region's nautical charts is extremely low.

                            COMMITTEE ACTION

    H.R. 295 was introduced on January 12, 2011, by Congressman 
Don Young (R-AK). The bill was referred to the Committee on 
Natural Resources, and within the Committee to the Subcommittee 
on Fisheries, Wildlife, Oceans, and Insular Affairs. On May 12, 
2011, the Subcommittee on Fisheries, Wildlife, Oceans, and 
Insular Affairs held a hearing on the bill. On June 15, 2011, 
the Full Resources Committee met to consider the bill. The 
Subcommittee on Fisheries, Wildlife, Oceans, and Insular 
Affairs was discharged by unanimous consent. No amendments were 
offered, and the bill was ordered favorably reported to the 
House of Representatives by unanimous consent.

            COMMITTEE OVERSIGHT FINDINGS AND RECOMMENDATIONS

    Regarding clause 2(b)(1) of rule X and clause 3(c)(1) of 
rule XIII of the Rules of the House of Representatives, the 
Committee on Natural Resources' oversight findings and 
recommendations are reflected in the body of this report.

                    COMPLIANCE WITH HOUSE RULE XIII

    1. Cost of Legislation. Clause 3(d)(1) of rule XIII of the 
Rules of the House of Representatives requires an estimate and 
a comparison by the Committee of the costs which would be 
incurred in carrying out this bill. However, clause 3(d)(2)(B) 
of that rule provides that this requirement does not apply when 
the Committee has included in its report a timely submitted 
cost estimate of the bill prepared by the Director of the 
Congressional Budget Office under section 402 of the 
Congressional Budget Act of 1974. Under clause 3(c)(3) of rule 
XIII of the Rules of the House of Representatives and section 
403 of the Congressional Budget Act of 1974, the Committee has 
received the following cost estimate for this bill from the 
Director of the Congressional Budget Office:

H.R. 295--A bill to amend the Hydrographic Services Improvement Act of 
        1998 to authorize funds to acquire hydrographic data and 
        provide hydrographic services specific to the Arctic for safe 
        navigation, delineating the United States extended continental 
        shelf, and the monitoring and description of coastal changes

    H.R. 295 would authorize the appropriation of $7 million in 
each of fiscal years 2012 and 2013 for the National Oceanic and 
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to conduct certain 
hydrographic activities (the measurement and description of 
features that affect maritime navigation). Enacting H.R. 295 
would not affect direct spending or revenues; therefore, pay-
as-you-go procedures do not apply.
    Public Law 110-386 authorized the appropriation of $182 
million for fiscal year 2012 for NOAA to carry out hydrographic 
activities. H.R. 295 would authorize NOAA to use a portion ($7 
million) of those amounts in 2012 to carry out certain 
hydrographic activities in the Arctic. Spending of those 
amounts would have no impact on the federal budget because it 
would not increase amounts that are authorized to be 
appropriated under current law.
    The bill also would authorize the appropriation of $7 
million in fiscal year 2013 to carry out hydrographic 
activities in the Arctic. CBO estimates that implementing that 
provision would cost $7 million over the 2013-2016 period, 
assuming appropriation of the authorized amount.
    H.R. 295 contains no intergovernmental or private-sector 
mandates as defined in the Unfunded Mandates Reform Act and 
would not affect the budgets of state, local, or tribal 
governments.
    The CBO staff contact for this estimate is Jeff LaFave. The 
estimate was approved by Theresa Gullo, Deputy Assistant 
Director for Budget Analysis.
    2. Section 308(a) of Congressional Budget Act. As required 
by clause 3(c)(2) of Rule XIII of the Rules of the House of 
Representatives and section 308(a) of the Congressional Budget 
Act of 1974, this bill does not contain any new spending 
authority, credit authority, or an increase or decrease in 
revenues or tax expenditures. The bill would authorize the 
appropriation of $7 million in fiscal year 2013 to carry out 
hydrographic activities in the Arctic. CBO estimates that 
implementing that provision would cost $7 million over the 
2013-2016 period, assuming appropriation of the authorized 
amount. Enacting H.R. 295 would not affect direct spending or 
revenues; therefore, pay-as-you-go procedures do not apply.
    3. General Performance Goals and Objectives. The 
performance goals and objectives of H.R. 295 are to amend the 
Hydrographic Services Improvement Act of 1998 to authorize 
funds to acquire hydrographic data and provide hydrographic 
services specific to the Arctic for safe navigation, 
delineating the United States extended continental shelf, and 
the monitoring and description of coastal changes.

                           EARMARK STATEMENT

    This bill does not contain any Congressional earmarks, 
limited tax benefits, or limited tariff benefits as defined 
under clause 9(e), 9(f), and 9(g) of rule XXI of the Rules of 
the House of Representatives.

                    COMPLIANCE WITH PUBLIC LAW 104-4

    This bill contains no unfunded mandates.

                PREEMPTION OF STATE, LOCAL OR TRIBAL LAW

    This bill is not intended to preempt any State, local or 
tribal law.

                        CHANGES IN EXISTING LAW

    If enacted, this bill would make no changes in existing 
law.

                                  
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