[Senate Report 114-369]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
Calendar No. 660
114th Congress } { REPORT
SENATE
2d Session } { 114-369
_______________________________________________________________________
DIGITAL COAST ACT OF 2015
__________
R E P O R T
of the
COMMITTEE ON COMMERCE, SCIENCE, AND TRANSPORTATION
on
S. 2325
October 27, 2016.--Ordered to be printed
Filed, under authority of the order of the Senate of September 29, 2016
_________
U.S. GOVERNMENT PUBLISHING OFFICE
69-010 WASHINGTON : 2016
SENATE COMMITTEE ON COMMERCE, SCIENCE, AND TRANSPORTATION
one hundred fourteenth congress
second session
JOHN THUNE, South Dakota, Chairman
ROGER F. WICKER, Mississippi BILL NELSON, Florida
ROY BLUNT, Missouri MARIA CANTWELL, Washington
MARCO RUBIO, Florida CLAIRE McCASKILL, Missouri
KELLY AYOTTE, New Hampshire AMY KLOBUCHAR, Minnesota
TED CRUZ, Texas RICHARD BLUMENTHAL, Connecticut
DEB FISCHER, Nebraska BRIAN SCHATZ, Hawaii
JERRY MORAN, Kansas ED MARKEY, Massachusetts
DAN SULLIVAN, Alaska CORY BOOKER, New Jersey
RON JOHNSON, Wisconsin TOM UDALL, New Mexico
DEAN HELLER, Nevada JOE MANCHIN, West Virginia
CORY GARDNER, Colorado GARY PETERS, Michigan
STEVE DAINES, Montana
Nick Rossi, Staff Director
Adrian Arnakis, Deputy Staff Director
Jason Van Beek, General Counsel
Kim Lipsky, Democratic Staff Director
Christopher Day, Democratic Deputy Staff Director
Clint Odom, Democratic General Counsel
Calendar No. 660
114th Congress } { Report
SENATE
2d Session } { 114-369
======================================================================
DIGITAL COAST ACT OF 2015
_______
October 27, 2016.--Ordered to be printed
Filed, under authority of the order of the Senate of September 29, 2016
_______
Mr. Thune, from the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation,
submitted the following
R E P O R T
[To accompany S. 2325]
The Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, to
which was referred the bill (S. 2325) to require the Secretary
of Commerce, acting through the Administrator of the National
Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, to establish a
constituent-driven program to provide a digital information
platform capable of efficiently integrating coastal data with
decision-support tools, training, and best practices and to
support collection of priority coastal geospatial data to
inform and improve local, State, regional, and Federal
capacities to manage the coastal region, 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
The purpose of S. 2325 is to require the Secretary of
Commerce, acting through the Administrator of the National
Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), to establish a
constituent-driven program to provide a digital information
platform capable of efficiently integrating coastal data with
decision-support tools, training, and best practices to support
collection of priority coastal geospatial data to inform local,
State, regional, and Federal capacities to manage the coastal
region, and for other purposes.
Background and Needs
Thirty-nine percent of the population lives in shoreline-
adjacent counties. These coastal cities account for $7.6
trillion or 46 percent of the total United States Gross
Domestic Product.\1\ The size of the population residing in
coastal communities is projected to continue rising, with an
additional 12 million individuals anticipated to move to
coastal communities in the next decade alone.\2\ Recent extreme
weather has highlighted the particular vulnerability of these
regions to the devastating effects of natural disasters. In
order to ensure these communities remain safe and continue to
prosper economically, planners in coastal regions need access
to high-quality, accurate data.
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\1\National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA),
``Coastal Economic Packet Guide 2016,'' 2016, at http://
www.ppi.noaa.gov/wp-content/uploads/Coastal-Economic-Packet-Guide-
2016.pdf.
\2\Ibid.
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The Digital Coast Program (Program) helps coastal
communities better prepare for storms, cope with varying water
levels, and strengthen coastal economic development planning
efforts. NOAA's Office for Coastal Management currently
assembles and hosts the web-based Program, a collaborative
online database of the most up-to-date coastal information
available to both the public and private sectors. The Program
provides tools for coastal communities to decipher and use
high-tech mapping data to make accurate decisions and smart
investments in coastal communities. Some tools the Program
provides include a historical hurricane tracker, which allows
users to search storms by name, latitude and longitude, or
geographic region, as well as a sea level rise viewer, which
allows users to examine how tidal flooding may impact a given
region.
The Committee intends that the program that would be
established under this bill would support further development
of the current Program, including increasing access to uniform,
up-to-date data to help communities get the coastal data they
need to respond to emergencies, plan for long-term coastal
resilience, and manage their water resources. Additionally, the
bill would provide for documentation, dissemination, and
archiving of data, and require NOAA to focus on filling data
needs and gaps and enter into financial agreements to support
the Program.
From its inception in fiscal year (FY) 2007 through the end
of FY 2012, costs associated with the Program totaled $5.4
million--$4.5 million from the NOAA Coastal Services Center and
nearly $1 million from Program partners. Appropriations for the
core Program were just over $1 million in FY 2010. Since then,
costs have increased more modestly and are projected to remain
constant at just over $1.4 million annually.\3\
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\3\NOAA Coastal Services Center. 2012. ``Benefits and Costs of the
Digital Coast.'' Charleston, SC: NOAA Coastal Services Center, accessed
April 18, 2016, at https://coast.noaa.gov/digitalcoast/_/pdf/
Benefits_and_Costs_of_the_Digital_Coast.pdf.
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The Program has a wide-range of Federal, State, and county,
as well as non-governmental, private, and academic partners,
such as the American Planning Association, Ayres Associates,
Association of State Floodplain Managers, Coastal States
Organization, Continental Mapping Consultants, Inc., The
National Association of Counties, The Nature Conservancy,
Management Association for Private Photogrammetric Surveyors
(MAPPS), National Society of Professional Surveyors (NSPS),
National States Geographic Information Council, 1000 Friends of
Wisconsin, and Ozaukee County Planning and Parks Department.
Summary of Provisions
If enacted, S. 2325 would do the following:
Ensure that the Program provides data integration,
tool development, training, documentation, and archiving via
the Internet website.
Ensure that activities carried out under the
Program are coordinated with coastal managers and decision
makers from coastal States and local governments, and
representatives of academia, the private sector, and non-
governmental agencies, and that Federal agencies are consulted.
Maximize the use of remote sensing and other
geospatial data collection activities.
Allow the Secretary of Commerce to enter into
financial agreements to carry out the Program.
Direct the Secretary of Commerce to develop a best
practices document for carrying out the Program that can be
given to other Federal agencies such as United States
Geological Survey and the United States Army Corps of
Engineers, among others.
Allow the Secretary of Commerce to establish
publicly available tools that track ocean and Great Lakes
economy data for each coastal State.
Legislative History
S. 2325 was introduced by Senator Baldwin on November 19,
2015. Senators Murkowski, Sullivan, and Booker are cosponsors.
An identical bill (H.R. 4738) was introduced in the House of
Representatives by Representatives Ruppersberger and Young on
March 14, 2016. Similar legislation has been introduced in the
113th Congress (S. 2890, H.R. 1382), 112th Congress (H.R.
6475), and 111th Congress (H.R. 6215).
On April 27, 2016, the Committee met in open Executive
Session and, by a voice vote, ordered S. 2325 to be reported
favorably with an amendment in the nature of a substitute.
Amendments were offered by Senators Thune and Markey--both were
accepted. The amendment offered by Senator Thune would require
the Secretary of Commerce to develop a best practices document
to be shared with other Federal agencies.
The amendment offered by Senator Markey would require the
Secretary of Commerce to establish a publicly available tool to
track ocean and Great Lakes economy data for each coastal
State.
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:
S. 2325--Digital Coast Act of 2015
S. 2325 would authorize the appropriation of such sums as
may be necessary through 2020 to continue the Digital Coast
program. Under that program, the National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) makes geospatial data,
decision-support tools, and best practices available on a
public website.
In 2015, NOAA allocated appropriated funds totaling $4
million to carry out the Digital Coast program. On that basis,
CBO estimates that implementing the bill would cost $16 million
over the 2017-2021 period, assuming appropriation of the
estimated amounts.
Enacting the bill would not affect direct spending or
revenues; therefore, pay-as-you-go procedures do not apply. CBO
estimates that enacting S. 2325 would not increase net direct
spending or on-budget deficits in any of the four consecutive
10-year periods beginning in 2027.
S. 2325 contains no intergovernmental or private-sector
mandates as defined in the Unfunded Mandates Reform Act and
would benefit state, local, and tribal governments by
authorizing federal financial and technical assistance for
coastal communities. Any costs incurred by those entities,
including matching contributions, would result from
participation in a voluntary federal program.
The CBO staff contact for this estimate is Jeff LaFave. The
estimate was approved by H. Samuel Papenfuss, Deputy Assistant
Director for Budget Analysis.
Regulatory Impact
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
S. 2325, as reported, does not create any new programs or
impose any new regulatory requirements, and therefore would not
subject any individuals or businesses to new regulations.
economic impact
The legislation is not expected to have a negative impact
on the Nation's economy.
privacy
The reported bill is not expected to impact the personal
privacy of individuals.
paperwork
S. 2325 would require the Secretary of Commerce to develop
a best practices document that sets out the best practices used
in carrying out the Program and provide such document to the
United States Geological Survey, the United States Army Corps
of Engineers, and other relevant Federal agencies.
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 the short title of the bill,
``Digital Coast Act of 2015.''
Section 2. Findings.
This section would list findings regarding the Digital
Coast and data on coastal population size, density, and the
number of coastal construction permits in the United States.
Section 3. Definitions.
This section would define ``coastal region,'' ``Federal
geographic data committee,'' ``remote sensing and other
geospatial,'' and ``Secretary.'' It also would define ``coastal
State'' as it is defined in section 304 of the Coastal Zone
Managment Act of 1992 (16 U.S.C. 1453) which means a State of
the United States in, or bordering on, the Atlantic, Pacific,
or Arctic Ocean, the Gulf of Mexico, Long Island Sound, or one
or more of the Great Lakes, and includes certain territories.
Section 4. Establishment of the Digital Coast.
This section would establish and designate a constituent-
driven program. It also would provide program requirements and
designate the Secretary of Commerce to coordinate the
activities carried out under the program. This section would
require the Secretary of Commerce to fill certain needs and
gaps, and would allow the Secretary of Commerce to enter into
financial agreements to carry out the program. It also would
direct the Secretary of Commerce to develop and maintain a best
practices document that would provide guidance to other Federal
agencies interested in establishing a similar program or
contributing data to the program. The Committee believes that
inland areas would benefit if the applicable Federal agencies
made certain data, such as flood plain maps, more accessible
and that the lessons learned under the program could provide
valuable insight.
This section also would allow the Secretary of Commerce to
establish publicly available tools that track ocean and Great
Lakes economy data for each coastal State. This section would
authorize to be appropriated to the Secretary of Commerce such
sums as may be necessary to carry out the program in each of
FYs 2016 through 2020.
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.