U.S. GOVERNMENT PUBLISHING OFFICE

WASHINGTON : 

1 

69–010 

" ! SENATE 

114TH CONGRESS

2d Session 

REPORT 

2016

114–369 

Calendar No. 660 

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 


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(II) 

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 


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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 constituentdriven 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. 


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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-Guide2016.pdf. 2 Ibid. 

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/l/pdf/BenefitslandlCostsloflthelDigitallCoast.pdf. 

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. 

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 upto-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

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 


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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. 


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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 onbudget 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. 


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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. 

Æ 


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