[Senate Report 117-74]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]


                                                       Calendar No. 206
117th Congress        }                          {              Report
                                 SENATE
 2d Session           }                          {              117-74
_______________________________________________________________________



                             BLUE GLOBE ACT

                               __________

                              R E P O R T

                                 of the

           COMMITTEE ON COMMERCE, SCIENCE, AND TRANSPORTATION

                                   on

                                 S. 140

		[GRAPHIC(S) NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT]


               February 15, 2022.--Ordered to be printed
       
       
       				__________
       				
       		      U.S. GOVERNMENT PUBLISHING OFFICE	

29-010			   WASHINGTON : 2022       		      
       
       
       
       
       SENATE COMMITTEE ON COMMERCE, SCIENCE, AND TRANSPORTATION           
                    
                    
                    one hundred seventeenth congress
                             second session

                   MARIA CANTWELL, Washington, Chair
AMY KLOBUCHAR, Minnesota             ROGER WICKER, Mississippi
RICHARD BLUMENTHAL, Connecticut      JOHN THUNE, South Dakota
BRIAN SCHATZ, Hawaii                 ROY BLUNT, Missouri
EDWARD MARKEY, Massachusetts         TED CRUZ, Texas
GARY PETERS, Michigan                DEB FISCHER, Nebraska
TAMMY BALDWIN, Wisconsin             JERRY MORAN, Kansas
TAMMY DUCKWORTH, Illinois            DAN SULLIVAN, Alaska
JON TESTER, Montana                  MARSHA BLACKBURN, Tennessee
KYRSTEN SINEMA, Arizona              TODD YOUNG, Indiana
JACKY ROSEN, Nevada                  MIKE LEE, Utah
BEN RAY LUJAN, New Mexico            RON JOHNSON, Wisconsin
JOHN HICKENLOOPER, Colorado          SHELLEY MOORE CAPITO, West Virginia

RAPHAEL WARNOCK, Georgia             RICK SCOTT, Florida
                                     CYNTHIA LUMMIS, Wyoming
                 Melissa Porter, Acting Staff Director
                  John Keast, Minority Staff Director



                                                     Calendar No. 206
117th Congress      }                            {            Report
                                 SENATE
 2d Session         }                            {            117-74

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



 
                             BLUE GLOBE ACT

                                _______
                                

               February 15, 2022.--Ordered to be printed

                                _______
                                

      Ms. Cantwell, from the Committee on Commerce, Science, and 
                Transportation, submitted the following

                              R E P O R T

                         [To accompany S. 140]

      [Including cost estimate of the Congressional Budget Office]

    The Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, to 
which was referred the bill (S. 140) to improve data collection 
and monitoring of the Great Lakes, oceans, bays, estuaries, and 
coasts, and for other purposes, having considered the same, 
reports favorably thereon with an amendment (in the nature of a 
substitute) and recommends that the bill (as amended) do pass.

                          Purpose of the Bill

    S. 140 would promote data collection, analysis, synthesis, 
and sharing, monitoring, and exploration of the Great Lakes, 
oceans, bays, estuaries, and coasts to advance science and 
operational decision making.

                          Background and Needs


                             NOAA WORKFORCE

    In 2001, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) 
identified acquiring and developing a skilled workforce at the 
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) as a 
high-risk area for mismanagement.\1\ The absence of mission-
critical skills impede agencies' abilities to fulfill their 
tasks and achieve results in the most cost-efficient manner.\2\ 
The lack of resources for recruiting, retaining, and developing 
staff caused decreased capacity in NOAA's Workforce Management 
Office and a hiring backlog for the National Weather Service 
(NWS) in 2013.\3\ Unfilled vacancies in the NWS led to managers 
and staff needing to perform additional tasks to ensure that 
life-saving forecasts and warnings were issued.\4\
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    \1\GAO, High Risk Series: An Update, GAO-01-2683, 2001 (https://
www.gao.gov/products/gao-01-263).
    \2\GAO, National Weather Service: Actions Have Been Taken to Fill 
Increasing Vacancies, but Opportunities Exist to Improve and Evaluate 
Hiring, GAO-17-364, 2017 (https://www.gao.gov/assets/gao-17-364.pdf).
    \3\Ibid.
    \4\Ibid.
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    In addition to hiring backlogs, other NOAA workforce issues 
include the lack of workforce diversity. In October 2016, NOAA 
developed its Diversity and Inclusion Strategic Plan, as 
required by Executive Order 13583--Establishing a Coordinated 
Government-wide Initiative to Promote Diversity and Inclusion 
in the Federal Workforce.\5\ To promote diversity and 
inclusion, NOAA identified three goals as part of its plan: (1) 
recruit a diverse, highly capable workforce; (2) build a work 
environment that promotes inclusion; and (3) build sustained 
leadership commitment to a diverse and inclusive NOAA through 
accountability, data, and education. Though NOAA has 
experienced increased participation rates among minority groups 
over the years, the rates are still lower than expected. NOAA 
continues to remain committed to examining barriers limiting a 
diverse workforce.\6\
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    \5\National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Office of 
Inclusion and Civil Rights, NOAA Diversity and Inclusion Implementation 
Plan--Workforce Diversity, 2017 (https://www.eeo.noaa.gov/d&i/
diversity_inclusion_strategic_plan.html).
    \6\National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Management 
Directive 715: Equal Employment Opportunity Program Status Report, FY 
2017 (https://www.noaa.gov/sites/default/files/legacy/document/2020/
Sep/MD715-FY%202017-Final.pdf).
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                         ELECTRONIC MONITORING

    Electronic monitoring (EM) can be a more accurate, 
efficient, and timely method to record fish catch and effort 
data compared to paper-based logbooks. There are multiple ways 
to implement electronic monitoring systems, for example by 
using cameras and sensors (e.g., GPS receivers, sensors to 
detect activities, control box to record data).\7\ The system 
then can record fish species, fishing time and location, catch 
handling, number of bycatch, and catch counting.\8\ In 2015, EM 
was fully implemented in the Atlantic and Gulf pelagic longline 
fishery to observe bluefin tuna bycatch.\9\ Starting in May 
2021, fishers in the groundfish fishery can opt to deploy EM 
systems to replace human at-sea monitors. Differences in 
fishery dynamics, target species, vessel sizes, and fishing 
gear all require specialized EM systems. Despite the potential 
benefits of EM, there are still numerous challenges in the 
design and implementation of EM. For example, data storage and 
access can be very costly, and human data and video review can 
be costly and untimely. To scale up EM usage in different 
fisheries, these challenges need to be addressed.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
    \7\National Marine Fisheries Service, ``Electronic Monitoring in 
the Northeast'' (https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/new-england-mid-
atlantic/commercial-fishing/electronic-monitoring-northeast#how-
electronic-monitoring-works) (accessed May 18, 2021).
    \8\Ibid.
    \9\EDF, Electronic Technologies and Data Policy for U.S. Fisheries: 
Key Topics, Barriers, and Opportunities, July 2020 (https://
www.edf.org/sites/default/files/documents/EDFWhitePaper%2C
ElectronicTechnologiesAndDataPolicyForU.S.Fisheries%2C6-22-20.pdf).
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                              BLUE ECONOMY

    Over 40 percent of all Americans currently live in coastal 
regions, and these regions account for nearly half of total 
economic productivity in the United States,\10\ with 3.2 
million employees working in 152,000 businesses in the ocean 
and Great Lakes economies, earning $128 billion in wages as of 
2015.\11\ In 2015, employment in the ocean economy added 97,000 
jobs, an increase of 3.2 percent, compared to the national 
average employment growth of 2.1 percent.\12\ In 2018, 
America's blue economy contributed $373 billion to the Nation's 
gross domestic product (GDP) and grew faster than the Nation's 
GDP as a whole.\13\ The top five sectors that contributed to 
the marine economy were: tourism and recreation ($143 billion), 
National Defense and public administration ($124 billion), 
offshore minerals ($49 billion), transportation and warehousing 
($25 billion), and living resources ($13 billion).\14\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
    \10\NOAA Digital Coast, ``Socioeconomic Data Summary'' (https://
coast.noaa.gov/data/digitalcoast/pdf/socioeconomic-data-summary.pdf) 
(accessed May 22, 2018).
    \11\National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Office for 
Coastal Management, NOAA Report on the U.S. Ocean and Great Lakes 
Economy, 2018 (https://coast.noaa.gov/data/digitalcoast/pdf/econ-
report-2015.pdf).
    \12\Ibid.
    \13\NOAA, ``Marine Economy in 2018 Grew Faster Than U.S. Overall,'' 
press release, June 2, 2020 (https://www.noaa.gov/media-release/marine-
economy-in-2018-grew-faster-than-us-overall).
    \14\Ibid.
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                ADVANCED RESEARCH PROJECTS AGENCY-OCEANS

    The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) was 
established over 60 years ago and has continued to make pivotal 
investments in technological development for United States 
national security. Working with innovators inside and outside 
the Government (academic, nonprofit, and for-profit) has led to 
groundbreaking innovations, such as the internet, automated 
voice recognition, and Global Positions System (GPS) receivers 
small enough to embed in consumer devices.\15\ In 2007, 
following a report by the National Academies, Congress passed 
the America COMPETES Act, which authorized the creation of the 
Advanced Research Project Agency Energy (ARPA-E). ARPA-E was 
modeled after DARPA to maintain the United States' advantages 
in science and technology, and to advance high-impact and high-
potential energy technologies that are too early for private-
sector investment.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
    \15\Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, ``About DARPA'' 
(https://www.darpa.mil/about-us/about-darpa) (accessed July 13, 2020).
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
    There has been an interest in examining the potential need 
for an ARPA entity for the advancement of oceans technology. 
There are several Federal entities that currently conduct ocean 
research. For example, in December 2017, DARPA announced the 
creation of the Ocean of Things program to enable persistent 
maritime situational awareness through a low-cost distributed 
sensor network. Each sensor would contain a suite of 
commercially available sensors to collect environmental data as 
well as activity data about vessels, aircraft, and marine 
mammals. The floats housing sensors would transmit data 
periodically via satellite to a cloud network for storage and 
real-time analysis.\16\ Additionally, NOAA's Oceanic and 
Atmospheric Research (OAR) line office ``provides the research 
foundation for understanding the complex systems that support 
our planet,'' which includes a substantial investment in ocean 
research.\17\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
    \16\Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, ``Ocean of Things 
Aims to Expand Maritime Awareness Across Open Seas,'' December 6, 2017 
(https://www.darpa.mil/news-events/2017-12-06).
    \17\NOAA, Oceanic and Atmospheric Research, ``About Us'' (https://
research.noaa.gov/) (accessed on July 31, 2020).
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

                         Summary of Provisions

    If enacted, S. 140, the BLUE GLOBE Act, would do the 
following:
   Direct the Under Secretary of Commerce for Oceans 
        and Atmosphere to conduct a study through the National 
        Academy of Sciences on scientific workforce and develop 
        a workforce development program to address workforce 
        issues identified;
   Accelerate innovation at NOAA cooperative institutes 
        by focusing on emerging technologies;
   Establish a program to improve data collection and 
        synthesis on blue economy industries related to the 
        Great Lakes, oceans, bays, estuaries, and coasts;
   Direct the Under Secretary of Commerce for Oceans 
        and Atmosphere to enter into an agreement with the 
        National Academy of Sciences to conduct a comprehensive 
        assessment on the need for and feasibility of an 
        Advanced Research Projects Agency-Oceans (ARPA-O) 
        within NOAA.

                          Legislative History

    S. 140, the Bolstering Long-Term Understanding and 
Exploration of the Great Lakes, Oceans, Bays, and Estuaries Act 
or the BLUE GLOBE Act, was introduced on January 28, 2021, by 
Senator Whitehouse and was referred to the Committee on 
Commerce, Science, and Transportation of the Senate. On March 
2, 2021, Senator Murkowski was added as a cosponsor, and 
Senators Merkley and Portman became cosponsors on March 9, 
2021. On May 12, 2021, the Committee met in open Executive 
Session and, by voice vote, ordered S. 140 reported favorably 
with an amendment (in the nature of a substitute).

                             116TH CONGRESS

    A similar act, S. 933, was introduced on March 28, 2019, by 
Senator Whitehouse (for himself and Senator Murkowski) and was 
referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and 
Transportation of the Senate. On July 22, 2020, the Committee 
met in open Executive Session and, by voice vote, ordered S. 
933 reported favorably with an amendment (in the nature of a 
substitute).
    A related bill, H.R. 3548, the BLUE GLOBE Act, was 
introduced on June 27, 2019, by Representative Suzanne Bonamici 
(for herself and Representative Don Young) and referred to the 
Committees on Natural Resources; Science, Space and Technology; 
and Education and Labor in the House of Representatives. Seven 
additional cosponsors were later added.

                            Estimated Costs

    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, January 18, 2022.
Hon. Maria Cantwell,
Chair, Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation,
U.S. Senate, Washington, DC.
    Dear Madam Chair: The Congressional Budget Office has 
prepared the enclosed cost estimate for S. 140, the BLUE GLOBE 
Act.
    If you wish further details on this estimate, we will be 
pleased to provide them. The CBO staff contact is Robert Reese.
            Sincerely,
                                         Phillip L. Swagel,
                                                          Director.
    Enclosure.

    		[GRAPHIC(S) NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT]
    

    S. 140 would require the National Oceanic and Atmospheric 
Administration (NOAA) to contract with the National Academy of 
Sciences (NAS) to complete two studies and report the results 
to the Congress. One study would assess the supply of skilled 
labor in the federal, private, and nonprofit sectors for 
oceanic and atmospheric research. The other would assess 
whether a new advanced oceanic research agency is needed within 
NOAA.
    S. 140 also would direct NOAA to evaluate the benefits of 
using emerging technology to support oceanic research and 
monitoring within several programs. The bill would require 
NOAA, in coordination with the Bureau of Economic Analysis, to 
periodically study the value and effects of industries related 
to the Great Lakes and other major bodies of water in the 
United States and to report those findings biennially to the 
Congress. Finally, the bill would require NOAA to establish a 
competition to develop fisheries monitoring equipment and data 
analysis tools.
    The bill states that no appropriations are authorized to 
implement the requirements. However, using information on 
similar activities, CBO expects that NOAA would require seven 
additional full-time-equivalent employees as well as additional 
equipment and funding to service the NAS contracts and award 
prizes under the new competition. Using information on the 
duration of and awards given out for recent prize competitions 
administered by NOAA, CBO expects prizes would total about 
$600,000 and would be awarded in 2026.
    On that basis, CBO estimates that implementing S. 140 would 
cost $6 million over the 2022-2026 period; such spending would 
be subject to the availability of appropriated amounts.
    The CBO staff contact for this estimate is Robert Reese. 
The estimate was reviewed by H. Samuel Papenfuss, Deputy 
Director of Budget Analysis.

                      Regulatory Impact Statement

    Because S. 140 does not create any new programs, the 
legislation will have no additional regulatory impact, and will 
result in no additional reporting requirements. The legislation 
will have no further effect on the number or types of 
individuals and businesses regulated, the economic impact of 
such regulation, the personal privacy of affected individuals, 
or the paperwork required from such individuals and businesses.

                   Congressionally Directed Spending

    In compliance with paragraph 4(b) of rule XLIV of the 
Standing Rules of the Senate, the Committee provides that no 
provisions contained in the bill, as reported, meet the 
definition of congressionally directed spending items under the 
rule.

                      Section-by-Section Analysis


Section. 1. Short title.

    This section would provide that the bill may be cited as 
the ``Bolstering Long-term Understanding and Exploration of the 
Great Lakes, Oceans, Bays, and Estuaries Act'' or the ``BLUE 
GLOBE Act''.

Section 2. Purpose.

    This section would provide that the purpose of the bill 
would be to better facilitate science and operational decision 
making of the Great Lakes, oceans, bays, estuaries, and the 
coasts.

Section 3. Sense of Congress.

    This section would highlight the sense of Congress that 
agencies should optimize data collection, management, and 
dissemination to maximize the impacts, among other things, on 
science and policymaking with respect to the Great Lakes, 
oceans, bays, estuaries, and coasts.

Section 4. Definitions.

    This section would define the terms ``Administrator'' and 
``Indian Tribe''.

Section 5. Workforce study.

    This section would amend the America COMPETES 
Reauthorization Act\18\ by requiring the Under Secretary of 
Commerce for Oceans and Atmosphere to request the National 
Academy of Sciences to conduct a study on the scientific 
workforce in the areas of oceanic and atmospheric research and 
development. The study would, among other things, investigate: 
(1) whether there is a shortage in the number of individuals 
with technical or trade-based skillsets for careers in the 
oceanic and atmospheric field; (2) workforce diversity and 
actions the agency can take to increase diversity; and (3) 
actions the agency can take to shorten the hiring backlog for 
this workforce. The report would be submitted to Congress 
within 18 months of enactment of this Act.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
    \18\33 U.S.C. 893c(a).
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Section 6. Accelerating innovation at Cooperative Institutes.

    This section would direct the Administrator to evaluate 
whether to include advancing: (1) applied use and development 
of advanced genetic technologies (e.g., eDNA); (2) deployment 
and improvements to advanced unmanned vehicles; and (3) 
supercomputing and big data management, as part of the goals of 
NOAA's Cooperative Institutes.

Section 7. Electronic Monitoring Innovation Prize.

    This section would direct the Administrator, in 
consultation with the heads of relevant Federal agencies and 
nongovernmental partners, to establish the Electronic 
Monitoring Innovation Prize.

Section 8. Blue Economy valuation.

    This section would direct the Administrator, in 
collaboration with the heads of relevant Federal agencies, to 
prioritize the collection, aggregation, and analysis of data to 
measure the value and impact of industries related to the Great 
Lakes, oceans, bays, estuaries, and coasts. This section would 
also list what Blue Economy industries include.

Section 9. Advanced Research Projects Agency-Oceans.

    This section would direct the Administrator to request the 
National Academy of Science to conduct a comprehensive 
assessment of the need for and feasibility of establishing an 
Advanced Research Projects Agency-Oceans (ARPA-O) that operates 
within NOAA. This report would include an assessment of how an 
ARPA-O could help overcome the long-term and high-risk 
technological barriers in the development of ocean technologies 
and evaluation of the organizational structures under which an 
ARPA-O could be organized.

Section 10. No additional funds authorized.

    This section would ensure that no additional funds are 
authorized to carry out this Act.

                        Changes in Existing Law

    In compliance with paragraph 12 of rule XXVI of the 
Standing Rules of the Senate, changes in existing law made by 
the bill, as reported, are shown as follows (existing law 
proposed to be omitted is enclosed in black brackets, new 
material is printed in italic, existing law in which no change 
is proposed is shown in roman):

              AMERICA COMPETES REAUTHORIZATION ACT OF 2010

[33 U.S.C. 893c(a)-(d)]

           *       *       *       *       *       *       *


TITLE III--NATIONAL OCEANIC AND ATMOSPHERIC ADMINISTRATION

           *       *       *       *       *       *       *


SEC. 303. WORKFORCE STUDY.

    (a) In General.--The [Secretary of Commerce] Under 
Secretary of Commerce for Oceans and Atmosphere, in cooperation 
with the Secretary of Education, shall request the National 
Academy of Sciences to conduct a study on the scientific 
workforce in the areas of oceanic and atmospheric research and 
development. The study shall investigate--
            (1) whether there is a shortage in the number of 
        individuals with advanced degrees in oceanic and 
        atmospheric sciences who have the ability to conduct 
        high quality scientific research in physical and 
        chemical oceanography, meteorology, and atmospheric 
        modeling, and related fields, for government, 
        nonprofit, and private sector entities;
            (2) whether there is a shortage in the number of 
        individuals with technical or trade-based skillsets or 
        credentials suited to a career in oceanic and 
        atmospheric data collection, processing, satellite 
        production, or satellite operations;
            [(2)](3) what Federal programs are available to 
        help facilitate the education of students hoping to 
        pursue these degrees, skillsets, or credentials;
            [(3)](4) barriers to transitioning highly qualified 
        oceanic and atmospheric scientists or highly qualified 
        technical professionals and tradespeople into Federal 
        civil service scientist career tracks;
            [(4)](5) what institutions of higher education, the 
        private sector, and the Congress could do to increase 
        the number of individuals with such post baccalaureate 
        degrees, skillsets, or credentials;
            [(5)](6) the impact of an aging Federal [scientist] 
        workforce on the ability of Federal agencies to conduct 
        high quality scientific research[; and], observations, 
        and monitoring;
            [(6)](7) what actions the Federal government can 
        take to assist the transition of highly qualified 
        scientists [into Federal career scientist positions and 
        ensure that the experiences of retiring Federal 
        scientists are adequately documented and transferred 
        prior to retirement from Federal service.], technical 
        professionals, and tradespeople into Federal career 
        positions;
            (8) workforce diversity and actions the Federal 
        Government can take to increase diversity in the 
        scientific workforce; and
            (9) actions the Federal Government can take to 
        shorten the hiring backlog for such workforce.
    (b) Coordination.--The [Secretary of Commerce] Under 
Secretary of Commerce for Oceans and Atmosphere and the 
Secretary of Education shall consult with the heads of other 
Federal agencies and departments with oceanic and atmospheric 
expertise or authority in preparing the specifications for the 
study.
    (c) Report.--No later than 18 months after [the date of 
enactment of this Act] the date of the enactment of the 
Bolstering Long-term Understanding and Exploration of the Great 
Lakes, Oceans, Bays, and Estuaries Act, the [Secretary of 
Commerce] Under Secretary of Commerce for Oceans and Atmosphere 
and the Secretary of Education shall transmit a joint report 
[to each committee of Congress with jurisdiction over the 
programs described in 4002(b) of the America COMPETES Act (33 
U.S.C. 893a(b)), as amended by section 302 of this Act] to the 
Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation of the 
Senate and the Committee on Natural Resources and the Committee 
on Science, Space, and Technology of the House of 
Representatives, detailing the findings and recommendations of 
the study and setting forth a prioritized plan to implement the 
recommendations.
    (d) Program and Plan.--The [Administrator of the National 
Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration] Under Secretary of 
Commerce for Oceans and Atmosphere shall evaluate the National 
Academy of Sciences study and develop a workforce program and 
plan to institutionalize the Administration's Federal science 
career pathways and address aging workforce issues. The program 
and plan shall be developed in consultation with the 
Administration's cooperative institutes and other [academic 
partners to identify and implement programs and mechanisms to 
ensure that--] academic partners.
            (1) sufficient highly qualified scientists are able 
        to transition into Federal career scientist positions 
        in the Administration's laboratories and programs; and
            (2) the technical and management experiences of 
        senior employees are documented and transferred before 
        leaving Federal service.

           *       *       *       *       *       *       *


                                  [all]