[Senate Report 119-100]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
Calendar No. 310
119th Congress } { Report
SENATE
2d Session } { 119-100
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL TO AMEND THE DIGITAL COAST ACT
__________
R E P O R T
of the
COMMITTEE ON COMMERCE, SCIENCE, AND TRANSPORTATION
on
S. 2245
[GRAPHIC(S) NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT]
January 30, 2026.--Ordered to be printed
------
U.S. GOVERNMENT PUBLISHING OFFICE
69-010 WASHINGTON : 2026
SENATE COMMITTEE ON COMMERCE, SCIENCE, AND TRANSPORTATION
one hundred nineteenth congress
second session
TED CRUZ, Texas, Chairman
JOHN THUNE, South Dakota MARIA CANTWELL, Washington
ROGER F. WICKER, Mississippi AMY KLOBUCHAR, Minnesota
DEB FISCHER, Nebraska BRIAN SCHATZ, Hawaii
JERRY MORAN, Kansas EDWARD J. MARKEY, Massachusetts
DAN SULLIVAN, Alaska GARY C. PETERS, Michigan
MARSHA BLACKBURN, Tennessee TAMMY BALDWIN, Wisconsin
TODD YOUNG, Indiana TAMMY DUCKWORTH, Illinois
TED BUDD, North Carolina JACKY ROSEN, Nevada
ERIC SCHMITT, Missouri BEN RAY LUJAN, New Mexico
JOHN CURTIS, Utah JOHN W. HICKENLOOPER, Colorado
BERNIE MORENO, Ohio JOHN FETTERMAN, Pennsylvania
TIM SHEEHY, Montana ANDY KIM, New Jersey
SHELLEY MOORE CAPITO, West Virginia LISA BLUNT ROCHESTER, Delaware
CYNTHIA M. LUMMIS, Wyoming
Brad Grantz, Majority Staff Director
Lila Harper Helms, Democratic Staff Director
Calendar No. 310
119th Congress } { Report
SENATE
2d Session } { 119-100
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A BILL TO AMEND THE DIGITAL COAST ACT
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January 30, 2026.--Ordered to be printed
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Mr. Cruz, from the Committee on Commerce, Science, and
Transportation, submitted the following
R E P O R T
[To accompany S. 2245]
[Including cost estimate of the Congressional Budget Office]
The Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, to
which was referred the bill (S. 2245) to amend the Digital
Coast Act to improve the acquisition, integration, and
accessibility of data of the Digital Coast program and to
extend the program, 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
The purpose of S. 2245 is to reauthorize the Digital Coast
program through fiscal year 2030, improve the acquisition,
integration, and accessibility of data provided by the program,
and limit trainings to technical instruction in the use of data
and tools provided by the program.
Background and Needs
Nearly 40 percent of the U.S. population lives in coastal
counties, which together contribute trillions of dollars in
goods and services to the U.S. economy annually.\1\ To remain
economically resilient and safe, these communities can benefit
from access to high-quality geospatial data and decision-
support tools. However, many coastal communities--particularly
smaller counties--lack the staff and funding to acquire and
manage these resources.\2\
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\1\``Socioeconomic Data Summary,'' NOAA Digital Coast, 2024,
https://coast.noaa.gov/data/digitalcoast/pdf/socioeconomic-data-
summary.pdf.
\2\Amanda Stolz et al., User Engagement to Improve Coastal Data
Access and Delivery, USGS, 2023, https://pubs.usgs.gov/publication/
sir20235081/full.
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The Digital Coast program, managed by the National Oceanic
and Atmospheric Administration's (NOAA) Office for Coastal
Management, provides coastal communities with integrated access
to data, analytical tools, and technical training.\3\
Established to help local governments, planners, and businesses
navigate the risk of coastal storms and related challenges,
Digital Coast serves as a national ``one-stop shop'' for
coastal management resources.\4\
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\3\``About Digital Coast,'' NOAA Office for Coastal Management,
https://coast.noaa.gov/digitalcoast/about/.
\4\Ibid.
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The program has delivered measurable benefits, with NOAA
estimating a 400-percent return on investment and survey
results showing that three-quarters of users have projects that
would not have been possible without Digital Coast.\5\ One 2021
study found that annual societal benefits from Digital Coast
trainings alone range from $1.8 million to $9.7 million, while
a single use of its Sea Level Rise Viewer produced between $1.1
million and $2.2 million in value.\6\
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\5\Ibid.
\6\Kathryne Cleary et al., ``The Societal Value of NOAA's Digital
Coast,'' Resources for the Future, February 9, 2021, https://
www.rff.org/publications/reports/the-societal-value-of-noaas-
digital-coast/.
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Digital Coast houses 3,200 datasets covering topography,
bathymetry, land cover, socioeconomics, and hazard risk.\7\ It
also provides widely used decision-support tools such as the
Coastal Flood Exposure Mapper and Coastal County Snapshots,
which show local vulnerabilities and assets.\8\ These resources
support safer zoning, floodplain management, and long-term
infrastructure investment. Recent updates have made the site
easier to use; a 2023 redesign boosted mobile engagement by 82
percent and added streamlined search functions, new topics such
as nature-based solutions, and improved ``Stories from the
Field'' to highlight real-world applications.\9\
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\7\NOAA Office for Coastal Management, Digital Coast
Accomplishments Report: Fiscal Years 2021 to 2023, p. 4, https://
coast.noaa.gov/data/digitalcoast/pdf/accomplishments.pdf.
\8\``Digital Coast Tools,'' NOAA Office for Coastal Management,
https://coast.noaa.gov/digitalcoast/tools/.
\9\NOAA Office for Coastal Management, Digital Coast
Accomplishments Report: Fiscal Years 2021 to 2023, pp. 7 and 19,
https://coast.noaa.gov/data/digitalcoast/pdf/accomplishments.pdf.
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Summary of Provisions
S. 2245 would do the following:
Reauthorize the Digital Coast program through
fiscal year 2030.
Direct the Secretary of Commerce to support
efforts to coordinate the acquisition and integration of key
data sets needed for coastal management for critical
infrastructure, including data related to underground
infrastructure and subsurface utilities.
Ensure the data remains fully and freely
available and readily accessible.
Limit Digital Coast trainings to technical
instruction in the use of data and tools provided by the
program.
Legislative History
S. 2245 was introduced on July 10, 2025, by Senator Baldwin
(for herself and Senator Murkowski) and was referred to the
Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation of the
Senate. Senator Sullivan is an additional cosponsor. On October
21, 2025, the Committee met in open Executive Session and, by
voice vote, ordered S. 2245 reported favorably with an
amendment (in the nature of a substitute).
H.R. 4256, the Digital Coast Reauthorization Act of 2025,
was introduced on June 30, 2025, by Representative Min (for
himself and Representatives Wittman, Mullin, and Carter) and
was referred to the Committee on Natural Resources of the House
of Representatives. Ten additional Representatives are
cosponsors. On September 17, 2025, that Committee met in open
Executive Session and, by unanimous consent, ordered H.R. 4256
reported favorably.
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:
[GRAPHIC(S) NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT]
S. 2245 would authorize the appropriation of $4 million
each year from 2026 through 2030 for the National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to operate the Digital Coast
program. Under that program, NOAA makes geospatial data,
decision-support tools, training, and best practices regarding
the management of coastal areas available on a public website.
Under current law, that authority expired at the end of fiscal
year 2025.
The bill also would extend the authority for NOAA to
collect and spend fees for training, workshops, and conferences
related to the program. The authority to collect those fees and
the subsequent spending would be subject to appropriation. CBO
estimates that the net effect on the federal budget of those
collections and spending would be negligible, because the
collections probably would be spent soon after they are
received.
For this estimate, CBO assumes that the bill will be
enacted early in calendar year 2026 and that the authorized
amounts will be provided each year. Based on historical
spending patterns for similar activities, CBO estimates that
implementing S. 2245 would cost $17 million over the 2026-2030
period and $3 million after 2030.
The costs of the legislation, detailed in Table 1, fall
within budget function 300 (natural resources and environment).
TABLE 1.--ESTIMATED INCREASES IN SPENDING SUBJECT TO APPROPRIATION UNDER S. 2245
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By fiscal year, millions of dollars--
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2026-
2026 2027 2028 2029 2030 2030
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Authorization............................................ 4 4 4 4 4 20
Estimated Outlays........................................ 2 3 4 4 4 17
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On October 23, 2025, CBO transmitted a cost estimate for
H.R. 4256, the Digital Coast Reauthorization Act of 2025, as
ordered reported by the House Committee on Natural Resources on
September 17, 2025. The two bills are similar, and CBO's
estimates of their budgetary effects are the same.
The CBO staff contact for this estimate is Emilia Oliva.
The estimate was reviewed by Christina Hawley Anthony, Deputy
Director of Budget Analysis.
Phillip L. Swagel,
Director, Congressional Budget Office.
Regulatory Impact Statement
Because S. 2245 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. Acquisition, integration, and accessibility of data of
Digital Coast program
This section would reauthorize the Digital Coast program
through fiscal year 2030 at current funding levels.
This section would direct the Secretary to coordinate the
acquisition and integration of key coastal management data--
including data related to underground infrastructure and
subsurface utilities--and to ensure that all resulting data and
products developed under the program are fully and freely
accessible.
Lastly, this section would limit trainings to technical
instruction in the use of data and tools provided by the
program.
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):
DIGITAL COAST ACT
* * * * * * *
[16 U.S.C. 1467]
SEC. 4. ESTABLISHMENT OF THE DIGITAL COAST.
(a) * * *
(b) Program Requirements.--In carrying out the program, the
Secretary shall ensure that the program provides data
integration, tool development, training, documentation,
dissemination, and archive by--
(1) making data and resulting integrated products
developed under this section readily accessible and
fully and freely available via the Digital Coast
internet website of the National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration, the GeoPlatform.gov and
data.gov internet websites, and such other information
distribution technologies as the Secretary considers
appropriate;
(2) developing decision-support tools that use and
display resulting integrated data and provide training
on use of such tools;
(3) documenting such data to Federal Geographic Data
Committee standards; and
(4) archiving all raw data acquired under this Act at
the appropriate National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration data center or such other Federal data
center as the Secretary considers appropriate.
(c) * * *
(d) Filling Needs and Gaps.--In carrying out the program, the
Secretary shall--
(1) maximize the use of remote sensing and other
geospatial data collection activities conducted for
other purposes and under other authorities;
(2) focus on filling data needs and gaps for coastal
management issues, including with respect to areas
that, as of the date of the enactment of this Act, were
underserved by coastal data and the areas of the Arctic
that are under the jurisdiction of the United States;
(3) pursuant to the Ocean and Coastal Mapping
Integration Act (33 U.S.C. 3501 et seq.), support
continue improvement in existing efforts to coordinate
the acquisition and integration of key data sets needed
for coastal management and other purposes, including--
(A) coastal elevation data;
(B) land use and land cover data;
(C) socioeconomic and human use data;
(D) critical infrastructure data, including
data related to underground infrastructure and
subsurface utilities;
(E) structures data;
(F) living resources and habitat data;
(G) cadastral data; and
(H) aerial imagery; [and]
(4) integrate the priority supporting data set forth
under paragraph (3) with other available data for the
benefit of the broadest measure of coastal resource
management constituents and applications[.] ; and
(5) limit trainings to technical instruction in the
use of data and tools provided under this section.
(e) * * *
(f) * * *
(g) Authorization of Appropriations.--There is authorized to
be appropriated to the Secretary $4,000,000 for each fiscal
year 2021 through [2025] 2030 to carry out the program.
* * * * * * *
[all]