U.S. GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE

WASHINGTON : 

1 

59–010 

" ! SENATE 110TH CONGRESS

1st Session 

REPORT

2007

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 

MARCH 27, 2007.—Ordered to be printed 


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(II) 

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 Virginia 

JOHN F. KERRY, Massachusetts 

BYRON L. DORGAN, North Dakota 

BARBARA BOXER, California 

BILL NELSON, Florida 

MARIA CANTWELL, Washington 

FRANK R. LAUTENBERG, New Jersey 

MARK PRYOR, Arkansas 

THOMAS CARPER, Delaware 

CLAIRE MCCASKILL, Missouri 

AMY KLOBUCHAR, Minnesota 

JOHN MCCAIN, Arizona 

TRENT LOTT, Mississippi 

KAY BAILEY HUTCHISON, Texas 

OLYMPIA J. SNOWE, Maine 

GORDON H. SMITH, Oregon 

JOHN ENSIGN, Nevada 

JOHN E. SUNUNU, New Hampshire 

JIM DEMINT, South Carolina 

DAVID VITTER, Louisiana 

JOHN THUNE, South Dakota 

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 

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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 (S. 39) 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 with an amendment (in 

the nature of a substitute) and recommends that the bill (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 

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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 

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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 almstockstill on PROD1PC66 with HEARING

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ready 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 

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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 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. 

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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 Aeromstockstill on PROD1PC66 with HEARING

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nautics 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.’’

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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. 

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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. 

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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. 

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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.’’

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. 

Æ 

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