II 

116TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION S. 933 

To improve data collection and monitoring of the Great Lakes, oceans, bays, 

estuaries, and coasts, and for other purposes. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

MARCH 28, 2019 

Mr. WHITEHOUSE (for himself and Ms. MURKOWSKI) introduced the following 

bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Commerce, 

Science, and Transportation 

A BILL 

To improve data collection and monitoring of the Great 

Lakes, oceans, bays, estuaries, and coasts, and for other 

purposes. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Bolstering Long-Term 

5 Understanding and Exploration of the Great Lakes, 

6 Oceans, Bays, and Estuaries Act’’ or the ‘‘BLUE GLOBE 

7 Act’’. 

8 SEC. 2. PURPOSE. 

9 The purpose of this Act is to promote and support— 


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1 (1) the monitoring, understanding, and explo2 ration of the Great Lakes, oceans, bays, estuaries, 

3 and coasts; and 

4 (2) the collection, analysis, synthesis, and shar5 ing of data related to the Great Lakes, oceans, bays, 

6 estuaries, and coasts to facilitate science and oper7 ational decision making. 

8 SEC. 3. FINDINGS. 

9 Congress makes the following findings: 

10 (1) The Great Lakes, oceans, bays, estuaries, 

11 and coasts face significant challenges from, among 

12 other things, marine debris, illegal, unreported, and 

13 unregulated fishing, and changing conditions. 

14 (2) Most of the ocean floor is mapped only at 

15 a very coarse resolution of 5 kilometers per pixel, 

16 whereas Mars, the Moon, and Venus are mapped at 

17 a much finer resolution of 100 meters per pixel or 

18 better. 

19 (3) Many industries, including the fishing and 

20 aquaculture, energy, shipping, insurance, telecommu21 nications, weather and climate forecasting, and tour22 ism industries, among others, use ocean data, wheth23 er or not the industries collect that data themselves. 

24 (4) In 2017, the National Oceanic and Atmos25 pheric Administration estimated that United States 


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1 businesses that collect ocean data or provide en2 hanced ocean data products have overall revenues of 

3 approximately $58,000,000,000. 

4 (5) Although a large amount of data related to 

5 the Great Lakes, oceans, bays, estuaries, and coasts 

6 is collected internationally, nationally, and region7 ally, by international bodies, national agencies, insti8 tutes, private companies, and other entities, that 

9 data collection is often uncoordinated, and the re10 sulting data are not always shared in a timely and 

11 useful manner between those entities. 

12 (6) Improved collection, analysis, synthesis, and 

13 sharing of such data will improve our understanding 

14 of, and responses to, the challenges faced by the 

15 Great Lakes, oceans, bays, estuaries, and coasts. 

16 (7) Innovation, research, and a skilled work17 force are required to improve our understanding of 

18 the Great Lakes, oceans, bays, estuaries, and coasts 

19 and the challenges they face. 

20 (8) According to the National Oceanic and At21 mospheric Administration, in 2015, the ocean and 

22 Great Lakes economy in the United States employed 

23 approximately 3,200,000 people and accounted for 

24 approximately $320,000,000,000 of the gross do25 mestic product of the United States. 


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1 (9) The value and impact of the industries re2 lated to the Great Lakes, oceans, bays, estuaries, 

3 and coasts on the economy of the United States are 

4 evidently immense; however, what is known as the 

5 ‘‘Blue Economy’’ is neither consistently defined nor 

6 regularly quantified. 

7 (10) The Federal Government has a responsi8 bility to support the monitoring, understanding, and 

9 exploration of the Great Lakes, oceans, bays, estu10 aries, and coasts in pursuit of the national security 

11 and economic and environmental well-being of the 

12 United States, and as a world leader. 

13 SEC. 4. SENSE OF CONGRESS. 

14 It is the sense of Congress that— 

15 (1) agencies should optimize data collection, 

16 management, and dissemination, to the extent prac17 ticable, to maximize their impact for research, com18 mercial, regulatory, and educational benefits and to 

19 foster innovation, scientific discoveries, the develop20 ment of commercial products, and the development 

21 of sound policy with respect to the Great Lakes, 

22 oceans, bays, estuaries, and coasts; 

23 (2) the United States is a leading member of 

24 the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission of 

25 the United Nations Educational, Scientific and CulVerDate Sep 11 2014 03:59 Apr 05, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S933.IS S933

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1 tural Organization, a founding member of the Atlan2 tic Ocean Research Alliance, and a key partner in 

3 developing the United Nations Decade of Ocean 

4 Science for Sustainable Development; 

5 (3) the Integrated Ocean Observing System and 

6 the Global Ocean Observing System are key assets 

7 and networks that bolster our understanding of the 

8 marine environment; 

9 (4) the National Oceanographic Partnership 

10 Program is a meaningful venue for collaboration and 

11 coordination among Federal agencies, scientists, and 

12 ocean users; 

13 (5) the National Centers for Environmental In14 formation of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric 

15 Administration should be looked to by other Federal 

16 agencies as a primary, centralized repository for 

17 Federal ocean data; 

18 (6) the Marine Cadastre, a joint effort of the 

19 National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration 

20 and the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, pro21 vides access to data and information for specific 

22 issues and activities in ocean resources management 

23 to meet the needs of offshore energy and planning 

24 efforts; 


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1 (7) the regional associations of the Integrated 

2 Ocean Observing System, certified by the National 

3 Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration for the 

4 quality and reliability of their data, are important 

5 sources of observation information for the Great 

6 Lakes, oceans, bays, estuaries, and coasts; and 

7 (8) the Regional Ocean Partnerships and re8 gional data portals, which provide publicly available 

9 tools such as maps, data, and other information to 

10 inform decisions and enhance marine development, 

11 should be supported by and viewed as collaborators 

12 with Federal agencies and ocean users. 

13 SEC. 5. DEFINITION. 

14 In this Act, the term ‘‘Administrator’’ means the 

15 Under Secretary of Commerce for Oceans and Atmosphere 

16 in the Under Secretary’s capacity as Administrator of the 

17 National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. 

18 SEC. 6. INCREASED COORDINATION AMONG AGENCIES 

19 WITH RESPECT TO DATA AND MONITORING. 

20 (a) INTERAGENCY OCEAN OBSERVATION COM21 MITTEE.—In addition to its responsibilities as of the date 

22 of the enactment of this Act, and in consultation with the 

23 associated advisory committee authorized by section 

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1 tion System Act of 2009 (33 U.S.C. 3603(d)), the Inter2 agency Ocean Observation Committee shall— 

3 (1) work with international coordinating bodies, 

4 as necessary, to ensure robust, direct measurements 

5 of the Great Lakes, oceans, bays, estuaries, and 

6 coasts, including oceanographic data; 

7 (2) coordinate supercomputing capacity, data 

8 storage capacity, and public access across agencies; 

9 and 

10 (3) support cross-agency and multi-platform 

11 synergy, by coordinating overlapping data collection 

12 by satellites, buoys, submarines, gliders, vessels, and 

13 other data collection vehicles and technologies. 

14 (b) FEDERAL GEOGRAPHIC DATA COMMITTEE.—In 

15 addition to its responsibilities as of the date of the enact16 ment of this Act, and in consultation with the National 

17 Geospatial Advisory Committee, the Federal Geographic 

18 Data Committee shall— 

19 (1) work with international coordinating bodies, 

20 as necessary, to ensure robust, continuous measure21 ments of the Great Lakes, oceans, bays, estuaries, 

22 and coasts, including satellite and geospatial data; 

23 (2) coordinate supercomputing capacity, data 

24 storage capacity, and public access across agencies; 


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1 (3) develop and deploy cross-agency, real-time, 

2 standardized, centralized, archived, open-source, and 

3 publicly available databases (using declassified infor4 mation to the extent possible) for all federally fund5 ed observational and model data, using the example 

6 of the World Ocean Database; and 

7 (4) support new and old data and metadata cer8 tification, quality assurance, quality control, integra9 tion, and archiving. 

10 (c) INTERAGENCY COMMITTEE ON OCEAN AND

11 COASTAL MAPPING.—In addition to its responsibilities as 

12 of the date of the enactment of this Act, and in consulta13 tion with its associated advisory panel authorized by sec14 tion 12203(g) of the Ocean and Coastal Mapping Integra15 tion Act (33 U.S.C. 3502(g)), the Interagency Committee 

16 on Ocean and Coastal Mapping shall— 

17 (1) work with international coordinating bodies, 

18 as necessary, to ensure robust, continuous satellite 

19 and direct measurements of the Great Lakes, 

20 oceans, bays, estuaries, and coasts, including bathy21 metric data; 

22 (2) coordinate supercomputing capacity, data 

23 storage capacity, and public access across agencies; 

24 and 


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1 (3) make recommendations on how to make 

2 data, metadata, and model output accessible to a 

3 broader public audience, including through geo4 graphic information system layers, graphics, and 

5 other visuals. 

6 SEC. 7. INTERAGENCY OCEAN EXPLORATION COMMITTEE. 

7 (a) ESTABLISHMENT.—The President shall establish 

8 a committee to promote the exploration and improved un9 derstanding of the oceans, to be known as the ‘‘Inter10 agency Ocean Exploration Committee’’. 

11 (b) MEMBERSHIP.—The Interagency Ocean Explo12 ration Committee shall be composed of not fewer than one 

13 senior-level representative from each of the following Fed14 eral agencies: 

15 (1) The Department of the Navy. 

16 (2) The Department of the Interior. 

17 (3) The Department of Commerce. 

18 (4) The department in which the Coast Guard 

19 is operating. 

20 (5) The Office of Management and Budget. 

21 (6) The Council on Environmental Quality. 

22 (7) The Office of Science and Technology Pol23 icy. 

24 (8) The Department of State. 

25 (9) The National Science Foundation. 


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1 (10) The National Aeronautics and Space Ad2 ministration. 

3 (11) The Subcommittee on Ocean Science and 

4 Technology of the National Science and Technology 

5 Council. 

6 (12) The elements of the intelligence commu7 nity (as defined in section 3 of the National Security 

8 Act of 1947 (50 U.S.C. 3003)), as the President 

9 considers appropriate. 

10 (c) DUTIES.—The Interagency Ocean Exploration 

11 Committee shall— 

12 (1) cultivate public-private partnerships, includ13 ing with Federal agencies, academic institutions, 

14 nongovernmental organizations, technology compa15 nies, and international partners, to develop and de16 ploy advanced technologies to explore and charac17 terize the oceans; and 

18 (2) coordinate the application of existing inno19 vative technologies and development of emerging 

20 technologies to promote the understanding, mapping, 

21 and collection of data describing the oceans and the 

22 changes the oceans are experiencing and are antici23 pated to experience in the future, such as changes 

24 in temperature, salinity, oxygenation, and acidity, 

25 and the biological consequences of those changes. 


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1 SEC. 8. COMMITTEE ON OCEAN POLICY. 

2 (a) ESTABLISHMENT.—There is established in the 

3 Executive Office of the President a Committee on Ocean 

4 Policy, which— 

5 (1) succeeds the Ocean Policy Committee estab6 lished on June 19, 2018, by Executive Order 13840 

7 (83 Fed. Reg. 29431; relating to ocean policy); 

8 (2) shall continue the activities of that com9 mittee as it was in existence on the day before the 

10 date of the enactment of this Act; and 

11 (3) shall carry out the functions described in 

12 subsection (b). 

13 (b) FUNCTIONS.—The Committee on Ocean Policy 

14 shall— 

15 (1) facilitate coordination and integration of 

16 Federal activities in ocean and coastal waters to in17 form ocean policy and identify priority ocean re18 search, technology, and data needs; and 

19 (2) engage and collaborate with stakeholders, 

20 including Regional Ocean Partnerships, to address 

21 ocean-related matters that may require interagency 

22 or intergovernmental solutions. 


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1 SEC. 9. TECHNOLOGY INNOVATION TASK FORCE TO COM2 BAT ILLEGAL, UNREPORTED, AND UNREGU3 LATED FISHING. 

4 (a) ESTABLISHMENT.—The President shall establish 

5 a technology innovation task force (in this Act referred 

6 to as the ‘‘IUU Tech Force’’) to combat IUU fishing. 

7 (b) LEADERSHIP.—The IUU Tech Force shall be led 

8 by the Director of the National Maritime Intelligence-Inte9 gration Office, who shall coordinate with the National 

10 Ocean Counsel Committee on IUU Fishing and Seafood 

11 Fraud. 

12 (c) MEMBERSHIP.—The IUU Tech Force shall be 

13 composed of not fewer than one senior-level representative 

14 from each of the following Federal agencies: 

15 (1) The Department of the Navy. 

16 (2) The Department of Justice. 

17 (3) The Department of the Interior. 

18 (4) The Department of Agriculture. 

19 (5) The Department of Commerce. 

20 (6) The Department of Labor. 

21 (7) The Department of Health and Human 

22 Services. 

23 (8) The department in which the Coast Guard 

24 is operating. 

25 (9) The Office of Management and Budget. 

26 (10) The Council on Environmental Quality. 


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1 (11) The Office of Science and Technology Pol2 icy. 

3 (12) The Office of the United States Trade 

4 Representative. 

5 (13) The United States Agency for Inter6 national Development. 

7 (14) The Department of State. 

8 (15) The National Science Foundation. 

9 (16) The National Aeronautics and Space Ad10 ministration. 

11 (17) The Subcommittee on Ocean Science and 

12 Technology of the National Science and Technology 

13 Council. 

14 (d) DUTIES.—The IUU Tech Force shall— 

15 (1) cultivate public-private partnerships, includ16 ing with Federal agencies, academic institutions, 

17 nongovernmental organizations, technology compa18 nies, and international partners, to develop and de19 ploy advanced technologies to identify and combat 

20 IUU fishing; 

21 (2) identify opportunities to declassify and 

22 make more publicly available imagery from the De23 partment of Defense and the department in which 

24 the Coast Guard is operating and other information 


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1 that can be used to identify IUU fishing or be used 

2 in enforcement actions against violators; and 

3 (3) coordinate the application of existing inno4 vative technologies and development of emerging 

5 technologies to address— 

6 (A) IUU fishing; and 

7 (B) associated forced labor, human traf8 ficking, and other illicit activities. 

9 (e) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 

10 (1) INNOVATIVE TECHNOLOGIES.—The term 

11 ‘‘innovative technologies’’ includes the following: 

12 (A) Improved satellite imagery and track13 ing. 

14 (B) Advanced electronic monitoring equip15 ment. 

16 (C) Vessel location data. 

17 (D) Improved genetic, molecular, or other 

18 biological methods of tracking sources of sea19 food. 

20 (E) Electronic catch documentation and 

21 traceability. 

22 (F) Such other technologies as the Admin23 istrator considers appropriate. 

24 (2) IUU FISHING.—The term ‘‘IUU fishing’’— 


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1 (A) means illegal fishing, unreported fish2 ing, or unregulated fishing (as such terms are 

3 defined in paragraph 3 of the International 

4 Plan of Action to Prevent, Deter and Eliminate 

5 Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated Fishing, 

6 adopted at the 24th Session of the Committee 

7 on Fisheries of the Food and Agriculture Orga8 nization of the United Nations in Rome on 

9 March 2, 2001); and 

10 (B) includes fishing activities conducted in 

11 contravention of applicable laws and regulations 

12 related to labor conditions. 

13 SEC. 10. WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT. 

14 (a) WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM.—The 

15 Administrator shall develop a workforce development pro16 gram, in consultation with the following: 

17 (1) The Secretary of Defense. 

18 (2) The Commandant of the Coast Guard. 

19 (3) The Chief of Engineers of the Army Corps 

20 of Engineers. 

21 (4) The Secretary of Education. 

22 (5) The Director of the Office of Management 

23 and Budget. 

24 (6) The Administrator of the National Aero25 nautics and Space Administration. 


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1 (7) The Assistant Director for Geosciences of 

2 the National Science Foundation. 

3 (8) The Secretary of the Navy. 

4 (9) The Director of the Office of Science and 

5 Technology Policy. 

6 (10) The Secretary of Labor. 

7 (11) The heads of other relevant Federal agen8 cies. 

9 (12) The Interagency Ocean Observation Com10 mittee and the associated advisory committee au11 thorized by section 12304(d) of the Integrated 

12 Coastal and Ocean Observation System Act of 2009 

13 (33 U.S.C. 3603(d)). 

14 (13) The Federal Geographic Data Committee 

15 and the National Geospatial Advisory Committee. 

16 (14) The Interagency Committee on Ocean and 

17 Coastal Mapping and its associated advisory panel 

18 authorized by section 12203(g) of the Ocean and 

19 Coastal Mapping Integration Act (33 U.S.C. 

20 3502(g)). 

21 (15) The Interagency Ocean Exploration Com22 mittee established under section 7. 

23 (16) The Committee on Ocean Policy estab24 lished under section 8. 


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1 (17) The IUU Tech Force established under 

2 section 9. 

3 (18) Non-Federal partners and other experts. 

4 (b) DUTIES.—The workforce development program 

5 developed under subsection (a) shall— 

6 (1) support undergraduate and graduate edu7 cation in the fields of engineering, marine sciences, 

8 data science and analytics, machine learning, robot9 ics, cybersecurity, and other fields related to the ad10 vancement of the monitoring, collection, synthesis, 

11 and analysis of data relating to the Great Lakes, 

12 oceans, bays, estuaries, and coasts; 

13 (2) support citizen science and public outreach 

14 related to the Great Lakes, oceans, bays, estuaries, 

15 and coasts that may encourage people to develop sci16 entific skills and to enter the fields described in 

17 paragraph (1); 

18 (3) promote diversity in the fields described in 

19 paragraph (1); and 

20 (4) build on existing science, technology, engi21 neering, and math (known as ‘‘STEM’’) education, 

22 veterans’ training, and programs to support indige23 nous people and other underrepresented groups to 

24 facilitate education and training through programs 

25 that include— 


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1 (A) grants to members of the Armed 

2 Forces and veterans for vocational training or 

3 other educational opportunities in the fields of 

4 engineering, marine sciences, and data manage5 ment and collection; 

6 (B) grants to marine trade associations, 

7 engineering associations, and other professional 

8 organizations to provide apprenticeships; and 

9 (C) scholarships for trade schools, voca10 tional institutes, institutions of higher edu11 cation, and educational coalitions such as the 

12 Alaska Native Science and Engineering Pro13 gram. 

14 (c) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 

15 (1) INSTITUTION OF HIGHER EDUCATION.—The 

16 term ‘‘institution of higher education’’ has the 

17 meaning given that term in section 101(a) of the 

18 Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1001(a)). 

19 (2) VETERAN.—The term ‘‘veteran’’ has the 

20 meaning given that term in section 101 of title 38, 

21 United States Code. 

22 SEC. 11. ACCELERATING INNOVATION AT COOPERATIVE IN23 STITUTES. 

24 (a) FOCUS ON EMERGING TECHNOLOGIES.—The Ad25 ministrator shall ensure that the goals of the Cooperative 


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1 Institutes of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Ad2 ministration include focusing on advancing or applying 

3 emerging technologies, which may include— 

4 (1) applied uses and development of real-time 

5 and other advanced genetic technologies and applica6 tions, including such technologies and applications 

7 that derive genetic material directly from environ8 mental samples without any obvious signs of biologi9 cal source material; 

10 (2) deployment of, and improvements to, the 

11 durability, maintenance, and other lifecycle concerns 

12 of advanced unmanned vehicles, regional small re13 search vessels, and other research vessels that sup14 port and launch unmanned vehicles and sensors; and 

15 (3) supercomputing and big data management, 

16 including data collected through electronic moni17 toring and remote sensing. 

18 (b) DESIGNATION OF NEW INSTITUTES.—The Ad19 ministrator may carry out subsection (a) by— 

20 (1) incorporating the goals described in that 

21 subsection into one or more Cooperative Institutes in 

22 existence on the date of the enactment of this Act; 

23 or 


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1 (2) designating through a competitive selection 

2 process the development of not more than 2 new Co3 operative Institutes to carry out those goals. 

4 (c) DATA SHARING.—Each Cooperative Institute 

5 shall ensure that data collected from the work of the insti6 tute, other than classified, confidential, or proprietary 

7 data, are archived and made publicly accessible. 

8 (d) COORDINATION WITH OTHER PROGRAMS.—The 

9 Cooperative Institutes shall work with the Interagency 

10 Ocean Observation Committee, the regional associations 

11 of the Integrated Ocean Observing System, and other 

12 ocean observing programs to coordinate technology needs 

13 and the transition of new technologies from research to 

14 operations. 

15 (e) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.— 

16 (1) IN GENERAL.—There are authorized to be 

17 appropriated such sums as may be necessary to 

18 carry out this section. 

19 (2) LIMITATION ON USE OF FUNDS.—No funds 

20 authorized to be appropriated to carry out this sec21 tion may be obligated or expended for the construc22 tion of new buildings or facilities for Cooperative In23 stitutes. 


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1 SEC. 12. BUILDING DATA SOURCES. 

2 (a) ENGAGING INDIGENOUS, SUBSISTENCE, AND

3 FISHING COMMUNITIES.— 

4 (1) IN GENERAL.—The Administrator shall es5 tablish opportunities to engage indigenous, subsist6 ence, and fishing communities to understand the 

7 needs of those communities and to provide improved 

8 products and services that are practical and useful 

9 to those communities, including collecting and inte10 grating traditional ecological data and narrative 

11 records into national datasets. 

12 (2) DATA RIGHTS.—In carrying out paragraph 

13 (1), the Administrator shall— 

14 (A) consider issues relating to data owner15 ship; and 

16 (B) ensure that indigenous, subsistence, 

17 and fishing communities retain any specific 

18 rights or ownership of data provided to Federal 

19 agencies. 

20 (b) REPORT TO CONGRESS.— 

21 (1) REPORT REQUIRED.—Not later than one 

22 year after the date of the enactment of this Act, the 

23 Administrator shall submit to Congress a report 

24 identifying potential opportunities to encourage vol25 untary actions and partnerships between the Na26 tional Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and 


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1 non-Federal partners to increase and enhance data 

2 collection. 

3 (2) OPPORTUNITIES FOR PARTNERSHIP.—The 

4 opportunities described in paragraph (1) may in5 clude opportunities that can be pursued in conjunc6 tion with Federal permits, leases, and other actions 

7 requiring Federal approval or funding, such as 

8 partnering with companies to acquire and share 

9 bathymetric data or supplying fishermen with sen10 sors that can collect data through fishing gear. 

11 SEC. 13. OCEAN INNOVATION PRIZE AND PRIORITIZATION. 

12 (a) OCEAN INNOVATIVE PRIZES.—The Adminis13 trator, in consultation with the heads of relevant Federal 

14 agencies, including the Secretary of Defense, and in con15 junction with nongovernmental partners, as appropriate 

16 and at the discretion of the Administrator, shall establish 

17 at least one Ocean Innovation Prize to catalyze the rapid 

18 development and deployment of data collection and moni19 toring technology related to the Great Lakes, oceans, bays, 

20 estuaries, and coasts in at least one of the areas specified 

21 in subsection (b). 

22 (b) AREAS.—The areas specified in this subsection 

23 are the following: 

24 (1) Improved eDNA analytics and deployment 

25 with autonomous vehicles. 


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1 (2) Plastic pollution detection, quantification, 

2 and mitigation, including with respect to used fish3 ing gear and tracking technologies to reduce or 

4 eliminate bycatch. 

5 (3) Advanced satellite data and other advanced 

6 technology for improving scientific assessment. 

7 (4) New stock assessment methods using sat8 ellite data or other advanced technologies. 

9 (5) Identifying forced labor or human traf10 ficking (or other illicit activity) often associated with 

11 IUU fishing (as defined in section 9). 

12 (6) Advanced electronic fisheries monitoring 

13 equipment and data analysis tools, including im14 proved fish species recognition software, confidential 

15 data management, data analysis and visualization, 

16 and storage of electronic reports, imagery, location 

17 information, and other data. 

18 (7) Autonomous and other advanced surface ve19 hicles, underwater vehicles, or airborne platforms for 

20 data collection and monitoring. 

21 (8) Artificial intelligence and machine learning 

22 applications for data collection and monitoring re23 lated to the Great Lakes, oceans, bays, estuaries, 

24 and coasts. 

25 (9) Coral reef ecosystem monitoring. 


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1 (10) Electronic equipment, chemical or biologi2 cal sensors, data analysis tools, and platforms to 

3 identify and fill gaps in robust and shared contin4 uous data related to the Great Lakes, oceans, bays, 

5 estuaries, and coasts to inform global earth system 

6 models. 

7 (11) Means for protecting aquatic life from in8 jury or other ill effects caused, in whole or in part, 

9 by monitoring or exploration activities. 

10 (12) Discovery and dissemination of data re11 lated to the Great Lakes, oceans, bays, estuaries, 

12 and coasts. 

13 (13) Water quality monitoring, including im14 proved detection and prediction of harmful algal 

15 blooms and pollution. 

16 (14) Enhancing blue carbon sequestration and 

17 other ocean acidification mitigation opportunities. 

18 (15) Such other areas as may be identified by 

19 the Administrator. 

20 (c) PRIORITIZATION OF PROPOSALS.—In selecting re21 cipients of Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) 

22 and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) solicita23 tions and interagency grants for ocean innovation, includ24 ing the National Oceanographic Partnership Program, the 

25 Administrator shall prioritize proposals for fiscal years 


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1 2020 and 2021 that address at least one of the areas spec2 ified in subsection (b). 

3 SEC. 14. REAUTHORIZATION OF NOAA PROGRAMS. 

4 (a) NOAA OCEAN EXPLORATION PROGRAM.—Sec5 tion 12006 of the Omnibus Public Land Management Act 

6 of 2009 (33 U.S.C. 3406) is amended— 

7 (1) in paragraph (6), by striking ‘‘and’’; 

8 (2) in paragraph (7), by striking the period at 

9 the end and inserting ‘‘; and’’; and 

10 (3) by adding at the end the following: 

11 ‘‘(8) $60,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2019 

12 through 2024.’’. 

13 (b) OCEAN AND COASTAL MAPPING INTEGRATION

14 ACT.—Section 12207 of the Ocean and Coastal Mapping 

15 Integration Act (33 U.S.C. 3506) is amended— 

16 (1) in subsection (a)— 

17 (A) in paragraph (3), by striking ‘‘and’’; 

18 (B) in paragraph (4), by striking the pe19 riod at the end and inserting ‘‘; and’’; and 

20 (C) by adding at the end the following: 

21 ‘‘(5) $45,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2019 

22 through 2024.’’; and 

23 (2) in subsection (b), by adding at the end the 

24 following: 


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1 ‘‘(5) $15,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2019 

2 through 2024.’’. 

3 (c) HYDROGRAPHIC SERVICES IMPROVEMENT ACT

4 OF 1998.—Section 306 of the Hydrographic Services Im5 provement Act of 1998 (33 U.S.C. 892d) is amended— 

6 (1) in paragraph (1)— 

7 (A) in subparagraph (C), by striking 

8 ‘‘and’’; 

9 (B) in subparagraph (D), by striking the 

10 period at the end and inserting ‘‘; and’’; and 

11 (C) by adding at the end the following: 

12 ‘‘(E) $71,000,000 for each of fiscal years 

13 2019 through 2024.’’; 

14 (2) in paragraph (2)— 

15 (A) in subparagraph (C), by striking 

16 ‘‘and’’; 

17 (B) in subparagraph (D), by striking the 

18 period at the end and inserting ‘‘; and’’; and 

19 (C) by adding at the end the following: 

20 ‘‘(E) $34,000,000 for each of fiscal years 

21 2019 through 2024.’’; 

22 (3) in paragraph (3)— 

23 (A) in subparagraph (C), by striking 

24 ‘‘and’’; 


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1 (B) in subparagraph (D), by striking the 

2 period at the end and inserting ‘‘; and’’; and 

3 (C) by adding at the end the following: 

4 ‘‘(E) $38,000,000 for each of fiscal years 

5 2019 through 2024.’’; 

6 (4) in paragraph (4)— 

7 (A) in subparagraph (C), by striking 

8 ‘‘and’’; 

9 (B) in subparagraph (D), by striking the 

10 period at the end and inserting ‘‘; and’’; and 

11 (C) by adding at the end the following: 

12 ‘‘(E) $45,000,000 for each of fiscal years 

13 2019 through 2024.’’; and 

14 (5) in paragraph (5)— 

15 (A) in subparagraph (C), by striking 

16 ‘‘and’’; 

17 (B) in subparagraph (D), by striking the 

18 period at the end and inserting ‘‘; and’’; and 

19 (C) by adding at the end the following: 

20 ‘‘(E) $35,000,000 for each of fiscal years 

21 2019 through 2024.’’. 

22 SEC. 15. BLUE ECONOMY VALUATION. 

23 (a) MEASUREMENT OF BLUE ECONOMY INDUS24 TRIES.—The Administrator, the Director of the Bureau 

25 of Economic Analysis, the Commissioner of the Bureau 


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1 of Labor Statistics, the Secretary of the Treasury, and 

2 the heads of other relevant Federal agencies, shall 

3 prioritize the collection, aggregation, and analysis of data 

4 to measure the value and impact of industries related to 

5 the Great Lakes, oceans, bays, estuaries, and coasts on 

6 the economy of the United States, including living re7 sources, marine construction, marine transportation, off8 shore mineral extraction, ship and boat building, tourism, 

9 recreation, subsistence, and such other industries the Ad10 ministrator considers appropriate (known as ‘‘Blue Econ11 omy’’ industries). 

12 (b) COLLABORATION.—In carrying out subsection 

13 (a), the Administrator shall— 

14 (1) work with the Director of the Bureau of 

15 Economic Analysis and the heads of other relevant 

16 Federal agencies to develop a Coastal and Ocean 

17 Economy Satellite Account that includes national 

18 and State-level statistics to measure the contribution 

19 of the Great Lakes, oceans, bays, estuaries, and 

20 coasts to the overall economy of the United States; 

21 and 

22 (2) collaborate with national and international 

23 organizations and governments to promote consist24 ency of methods, measurements, and definitions to 

25 ensure comparability of results between countries. 


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1 (c) REPORT.—Not less frequently than once every 2 

2 years, the Administrator, in consultation with the Director 

3 of the Bureau of Economic Analysis, the Commissioner 

4 of the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the Secretary of the 

5 Treasury, and the heads of other relevant Federal agen6 cies, shall publish a report that— 

7 (1) defines the Blue Economy, in coordination 

8 with academia, industry, nongovernmental organiza9 tions, and other relevant experts; 

10 (2) makes recommendations for updating North 

11 American Industry Classification System (NAICS) 

12 reporting codes to reflect the Blue Economy; and 

13 (3) provides a comprehensive estimate of the 

14 value and impact of the Blue Economy with respect 

15 to each State and territory of the United States, in16 cluding— 

17 (A) the value and impact of— 

18 (i) economic activities that are de19 pendent upon the resources of the Great 

20 Lakes, oceans, bays, estuaries, and coasts; 

21 (ii) the population and demographic 

22 characteristics of the population along the 

23 coasts; 

24 (iii) port and shoreline infrastructure; 


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1 (iv) the volume and value of cargo 

2 shipped by sea or across the Great Lakes; 

3 and 

4 (v) data collected from the Great 

5 Lakes, oceans, bays, estuaries, and coasts, 

6 including such data collected by businesses 

7 that purchase and commodify the data, in8 cluding weather prediction and seasonal 

9 agricultural forecasting; and 

10 (B) to the extent possible, the qualified 

11 value and impact of the natural capital of the 

12 Great Lakes, oceans, bays, estuaries, and coasts 

13 with respect to tourism, recreation, natural re14 sources, and cultural heritage, including other 

15 indirect values. 

16 SEC. 16. ADVANCED RESEARCH PROJECTS AGENCY– 

17 OCEANS. 

18 (a) AGREEMENT.—Not later than 45 days after the 

19 date of the enactment of this Act, the Administrator shall 

20 seek to enter into an agreement with the National Acad21 emy of Sciences to conduct the comprehensive assessment 

22 under subsection (b). 

23 (b) COMPREHENSIVE ASSESSMENT.— 

24 (1) IN GENERAL.—Under an agreement be25 tween the Administrator and the National Academy 


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1 of Sciences under this section, the National Acad2 emy of Sciences shall conduct a comprehensive as3 sessment of the need for and feasibility of estab4 lishing an Advanced Research Projects Agency– 

5 Oceans (ARPA–O). 

6 (2) ELEMENTS.—The comprehensive assess7 ment carried out pursuant to paragraph (1) shall in8 clude— 

9 (A) an assessment of how an ARPA–O 

10 could help overcome the long-term and high-risk 

11 technological barriers in the development of 

12 ocean technologies, with the goal of enhancing 

13 the economic, ecological, and national security 

14 of the United States through the rapid develop15 ment of technologies that result in— 

16 (i) improved data collection, moni17 toring, and prediction of the ocean environ18 ment, including sea ice conditions; 

19 (ii) overcoming barriers to the appli20 cation of new and improved technologies, 

21 such as high costs and scale of operational 

22 missions; 

23 (iii) improved management practices 

24 for protecting ecological sustainability; 


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1 (iv) improved national security capac2 ity; 

3 (v) improved technology for fishery 

4 population assessments; 

5 (vi) expedited processes between and 

6 among Federal agencies to successfully 

7 identify, transition, and coordinate re8 search and development output to oper9 ations, applications, commercialization, and 

10 other uses; and 

11 (vii) ensuring that the United States 

12 maintains a technological lead in devel13 oping and deploying advanced ocean tech14 nologies; 

15 (B) an evaluation of the organizational 

16 structures under which an ARPA–O could be 

17 organized, which takes into account— 

18 (i) best practices for new research 

19 programs; 

20 (ii) metrics and approaches for peri21 odic program evaluation; 

22 (iii) capacity to fund and manage ex23 ternal research awards; and 

24 (iv) options for oversight of the activ25 ity through a Federal agency, an interVerDate Sep 11 2014 03:59 Apr 05, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00032 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S933.IS S933

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1 agency organization, nongovernmental or2 ganization, or other institutional arrange3 ment; and 

4 (C) an estimation of the scale of invest5 ment necessary to pursue high priority ocean 

6 technology projects. 

7 (c) REPORT.—Not later than 18 months after the 

8 date of the enactment of this Act, the Administrator shall 

9 submit to Congress a report on the comprehensive assess10 ment conducted under subsection (b). 

Æ 


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