I 

111TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 365 

To direct the President to establish a program to develop a coordinated 

and comprehensive Federal ocean and coastal mapping plan for the 

Great Lakes and coastal state waters, the territorial sea, the exclusive 

economic zone, and the continental shelf of the United States, and 

for other purposes. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

JANUARY 9, 2009 

Ms. BORDALLO (for herself, Mr. BROWN of South Carolina, Mr. FARR, Mrs. 

CAPPS, Mr. ABERCROMBIE, Mr. PALLONE, Mr. INSLEE, Mrs. 

CHRISTENSEN, and Ms. SHEA-PORTER) introduced the following bill; 

which was referred to the Committee on Natural Resources, and in addition to the Committee on Science and Technology, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of 

such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned 

A BILL 

To direct the President to establish a program to develop 

a coordinated and comprehensive Federal ocean and 

coastal mapping plan for the Great Lakes and coastal 

state waters, the territorial sea, the exclusive economic 

zone, and the continental shelf of the United States, 

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, 


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1 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

2 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Ocean and Coastal 

3 Mapping Integration Act’’. 

4 SEC. 2. ESTABLISHMENT OF PROGRAM. 

5 (a) IN GENERAL.—The President, in coordination 

6 with the Interagency Committee on Ocean and Coastal 

7 Mapping and affected coastal states, shall establish a pro8 gram to develop a coordinated and comprehensive Federal 

9 ocean and coastal mapping plan for the Great Lakes and 

10 coastal state waters, the territorial sea, the exclusive eco11 nomic zone, and the continental shelf of the United States 

12 that enhances ecosystem approaches in decision-making 

13 for conservation and management of marine resources and 

14 habitats, establishes research and mapping priorities, sup15 ports the siting of research and other platforms, and ad16 vances ocean and coastal science. 

17 (b) MEMBERSHIP.—The Committee shall be com18 prised of high-level representatives of the Department of 

19 Commerce, through the National Oceanic and Atmos20 pheric Administration, the Department of the Interior, the 

21 National Science Foundation, the Department of Defense, 

22 the Environmental Protection Agency, the Department of 

23 Homeland Security, the National Aeronautics and Space 

24 Administration, and other appropriate Federal agencies 

25 involved in ocean and coastal mapping. 


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1 (c) PROGRAM PARAMETERS.—In developing such a 

2 program, the President, through the Committee, shall— 

3 (1) identify all Federal and federally funded 

4 programs conducting shoreline delineation and ocean 

5 or coastal mapping, noting geographic coverage, fre6 quency, spatial coverage, resolution, and subject 

7 matter focus of the data and location of data ar8 chives; 

9 (2) facilitate cost-effective, cooperative mapping 

10 efforts that incorporate policies for contracting with 

11 non-governmental entities among all Federal agen12 cies conducting ocean and coastal mapping, by in13 creasing data sharing, developing appropriate data 

14 acquisition and metadata standards, and facilitating 

15 the interoperability of in situ data collection systems, 

16 data processing, archiving, and distribution of data 

17 products; 

18 (3) facilitate the adaptation of existing tech19 nologies as well as foster expertise in new ocean and 

20 coastal mapping technologies, including through re21 search, development, and training conducted among 

22 Federal agencies and in cooperation with non-gov23 ernmental entities; 

24 (4) develop standards and protocols for testing 

25 innovative experimental mapping technologies and 


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1 transferring new technologies between the Federal 

2 Government, coastal state, and non-governmental 

3 entities; 

4 (5) provide for the archiving, management, and 

5 distribution of data sets through a national registry 

6 as well as provide mapping products and services to 

7 the general public in service of statutory require8 ments; 

9 (6) develop data standards and protocols con10 sistent with standards developed by the Federal Geo11 graphic Data Committee for use by Federal, coastal 

12 state, and other entities in mapping and otherwise 

13 documenting locations of federally permitted activi14 ties, living and nonliving coastal and marine re15 sources, marine ecosystems, sensitive habitats, sub16 merged cultural resources, undersea cables, offshore 

17 aquaculture projects, offshore energy projects, and 

18 any areas designated for purposes of environmental 

19 protection or conservation and management of living 

20 and nonliving coastal and marine resources; 

21 (7) identify the procedures to be used for co22 ordinating the collection and integration of Federal 

23 ocean and coastal mapping data with coastal state 

24 and local government programs; 


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1 (8) facilitate, to the extent practicable, the col2 lection of real-time tide data and the development of 

3 hydrodynamic models for coastal areas to allow for 

4 the application of V-datum tools that will facilitate 

5 the seamless integration of onshore and offshore 

6 maps and charts; 

7 (9) establish a plan for the acquisition and col8 lection of ocean and coastal mapping data; and 

9 (10) set forth a timetable for completion and 

10 implementation of the plan. 

11 SEC. 3. INTERAGENCY COMMITTEE ON OCEAN AND COAST12 AL MAPPING. 

13 (a) IN GENERAL.—The Administrator of the Na14 tional Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, within 30 

15 days after the date of enactment of this Act, shall convene 

16 or utilize an existing interagency committee on ocean and 

17 coastal mapping to implement section 2. 

18 (b) MEMBERSHIP.—The committee shall be com19 prised of senior representatives from Federal agencies 

20 with ocean and coastal mapping and surveying responsibil21 ities. The representatives shall be high-ranking officials of 

22 their respective agencies or departments and, whenever 

23 possible, the head of the portion of the agency or depart24 ment that is most relevant to the purposes of this Act. 

25 Membership shall include senior representatives from the 


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1 National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the 

2 Chief of Naval Operations, the United States Geological 

3 Survey, the Minerals Management Service, the National 

4 Science Foundation, the National Geospatial-Intelligence 

5 Agency, the United States Army Corps of Engineers, the 

6 Coast Guard, the Environmental Protection Agency, the 

7 Federal Emergency Management Agency, the National 

8 Aeronautics and Space Administration, and other appro9 priate Federal agencies involved in ocean and coastal map10 ping. 

11 (c) CO-CHAIRMEN.—The Committee shall be co12 chaired by the representative of the Department of Com13 merce and a representative of the Department of the Inte14 rior. 

15 (d) SUBCOMMITTEE.—The co-chairmen shall estab16 lish a subcommittee to carry out the day-to-day work of 

17 the Committee, comprised of senior representatives of any 

18 member agency of the committee. Working groups may 

19 be formed by the full Committee to address issues of short 

20 duration. The subcommittee shall be chaired by the rep21 resentative from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric 

22 Administration. The chairmen of the Committee may cre23 ate such additional subcommittees and working groups as 

24 may be needed to carry out the work of Committee. 


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1 (e) MEETINGS.—The committee shall meet on a 

2 quarterly basis, but each subcommittee and each working 

3 group shall meet on an as-needed basis. 

4 (f) COORDINATION.—The committee shall coordinate 

5 activities when appropriate, with— 

6 (1) other Federal efforts, including the Digital 

7 Coast, Geospatial One-Stop, and the Federal Geo8 graphic Data Committee; 

9 (2) international mapping activities; 

10 (3) coastal states; 

11 (4) user groups through workshops and other 

12 appropriate mechanisms; and 

13 (5) representatives of nongovernmental entities. 

14 (g) ADVISORY PANEL.—The Administrator may con15 vene an ocean and coastal mapping advisory panel con16 sisting of representatives from non-governmental entities 

17 to provide input regarding activities of the committee in 

18 consultation with the interagency committee. 

19 SEC. 4. BIENNIAL REPORTS. 

20 No later than 18 months after the date of enactment 

21 of this Act, and bienially thereafter, the co-chairmen of 

22 the Committee shall transmit to the Committee on Com23 merce, Science, and Transportation of the Senate and the 

24 Committee on Natural Resources of the House of RepVerDate Nov 24 2008 00:53 Jan 12, 2009 Jkt 079200 PO 00000 Frm 00007 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H365.IH H365

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1 resentatives a report detailing progress made in imple2 menting this Act, including— 

3 (1) an inventory of ocean and coastal mapping 

4 data within the territorial sea and the exclusive eco5 nomic zone and throughout the Continental Shelf of 

6 the United States, noting the age and source of the 

7 survey and the spatial resolution (metadata) of the 

8 data; 

9 (2) identification of priority areas in need of 

10 survey coverage using present technologies; 

11 (3) a resource plan that identifies when priority 

12 areas in need of modern ocean and coastal mapping 

13 surveys can be accomplished; 

14 (4) the status of efforts to produce integrated 

15 digital maps of ocean and coastal areas; 

16 (5) a description of any products resulting from 

17 coordinated mapping efforts under this Act that im18 prove public understanding of the coasts and oceans, 

19 or regulatory decisionmaking; 

20 (6) documentation of minimum and desired 

21 standards for data acquisition and integrated 

22 metadata; 

23 (7) a statement of the status of Federal efforts 

24 to leverage mapping technologies, coordinate map25 ping activities, share expertise, and exchange data; 


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1 (8) a statement of resource requirements for or2 ganizations to meet the goals of the program, includ3 ing technology needs for data acquisition, proc4 essing, and distribution systems; 

5 (9) a statement of the status of efforts to de6 classify data gathered by the Navy, the National 

7 Geospatial-Intelligence Agency, and other agencies 

8 to the extent possible without jeopardizing national 

9 security, and make it available to partner agencies 

10 and the public; 

11 (10) a resource plan for a digital coast inte12 grated mapping pilot project for the northern Gulf 

13 of Mexico that will— 

14 (A) cover the area from the authorized 

15 coastal counties through the territorial sea; 

16 (B) identify how such a pilot project will 

17 leverage public and private mapping data and 

18 resources, such as the United States Geological 

19 Survey National Map, to result in an oper20 ational coastal change assessment program for 

21 the subregion; 

22 (11) the status of efforts to coordinate Federal 

23 programs with coastal state and local government 

24 programs and leverage those programs; 


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1 (12) a description of efforts of Federal agencies 

2 to increase contracting with nongovernmental enti3 ties; and 

4 (13) an inventory and description of any new 

5 Federal or federally funded programs conducting 

6 shoreline delineation and ocean or coastal mapping 

7 since the previous reporting cycle. 

8 SEC. 5. PLAN. 

9 (a) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 6 months after the 

10 date of enactment of this Act, the Administrator, in con11 sultation with the Committee, shall develop and submit to 

12 the Congress a plan for an integrated ocean and coastal 

13 mapping initiative within the National Oceanic and At14 mospheric Administration. 

15 (b) PLAN REQUIREMENTS.—The plan shall— 

16 (1) identify and describe all ocean and coastal 

17 mapping programs within the agency, including 

18 those that conduct mapping or related activities in 

19 the course of existing missions, such as hydrographic 

20 surveys, ocean exploration projects, living marine re21 source conservation and management programs, 

22 coastal zone management projects, and ocean and 

23 coastal observations and science projects; 

24 (2) establish priority mapping programs and es25 tablish and periodically update priorities for geoVerDate Nov 24 2008 00:53 Jan 12, 2009 Jkt 079200 PO 00000 Frm 00010 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H365.IH H365

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1 graphic areas in surveying and mapping across all 

2 missions of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric 

3 Administration, as well as minimum data acquisition 

4 and metadata standards for those programs; 

5 (3) encourage the development of innovative 

6 ocean and coastal mapping technologies and applica7 tions, through research and development through co8 operative or other agreements with joint or coopera9 tive research institutes or centers and with other 

10 non-governmental entities; 

11 (4) document available and developing tech12 nologies, best practices in data processing and dis13 tribution, and leveraging opportunities with other 

14 Federal agencies, coastal states, and non-govern15 mental entities; 

16 (5) identify training, technology, and other re17 source requirements for enabling the National Oce18 anic and Atmospheric Administration’s programs, 

19 vessels, and aircraft to support a coordinated ocean 

20 and coastal mapping program; 

21 (6) identify a centralized mechanism or office 

22 for coordinating data collection, processing, 

23 archiving, and dissemination activities of all such 

24 mapping programs within the National Oceanic and 

25 Atmospheric Administration that meets Federal 


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1 mandates for data accuracy and accessibility and 

2 designate a repository that is responsible for 

3 archiving and managing the distribution of all ocean 

4 and coastal mapping data to simplify the provision 

5 of services to benefit Federal and coastal state pro6 grams; and 

7 (7) set forth a timetable for implementation 

8 and completion of the plan, including a schedule for 

9 submission to the Congress of periodic progress re10 ports and recommendations for integrating ap11 proaches developed under the initiative into the 

12 interagency program. 

13 (c) NOAA JOINT OCEAN AND COASTAL MAPPING

14 CENTERS.—The Administrator may maintain and operate 

15 up to 3 joint ocean and coastal mapping centers, including 

16 a joint hydrographic center, which shall each be co-located 

17 with an institution of higher education. The centers shall 

18 serve as hydrographic centers of excellence and may con19 duct activities necessary to carry out the purposes of this 

20 Act, including— 

21 (1) research and development of innovative 

22 ocean and coastal mapping technologies, equipment, 

23 and data products; 

24 (2) mapping of the United States Outer Conti25 nental Shelf and other regions; 


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1 (3) data processing for nontraditional data and 

2 uses; 

3 (4) advancing the use of remote sensing tech4 nologies, for related issues, including mapping and 

5 assessment of essential fish habitat and of coral re6 sources, ocean observations, and ocean exploration; 

7 and 

8 (5) providing graduate education and training 

9 in ocean and coastal mapping sciences for members 

10 of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Adminis11 tration Commissioned Officer Corps, personnel of 

12 other agencies with ocean and coastal mapping pro13 grams, and civilian personnel. 

14 (d) NOAA REPORT.—The Administrator shall con15 tinue developing a strategy for expanding contracting with 

16 non-governmental entities to minimize duplication and 

17 take maximum advantage of nongovernmental capabilities 

18 in fulfilling the Administration’s mapping and charting re19 sponsibilities. Within 120 days after the date of enactment 

20 of this Act, the Administrator shall transmit a report de21 scribing the strategy developed under this subsection to 

22 the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation 

23 of the Senate and the Committee on Natural Resources 

24 of the House of Representatives. 


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1 SEC. 6. EFFECT ON OTHER LAWS. 

2 Nothing in this Act shall be construed to supersede 

3 or alter the existing authorities of any Federal agency with 

4 respect to ocean and coastal mapping. 

5 SEC. 7. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS. 

6 (a) IN GENERAL.—In addition to the amounts au7 thorized by section 306 of the Hydrographic Services Im8 provement Act of 1998 (33 U.S.C. 892d), there are au9 thorized to be appropriated to the Administrator to carry 

10 out this Act— 

11 (1) $26,000,000 for fiscal year 2009; 

12 (2) $32,000,000 for fiscal year 2010; 

13 (3) $38,000,000 for fiscal year 2011; and 

14 (4) $45,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2012 

15 through 2015. 

16 (b) JOINT OCEAN AND COASTAL MAPPING CEN17 TERS.—Of the amounts appropriated pursuant to sub18 section (a), the following amounts shall be used to carry 

19 out section 5(c) of this Act: 

20 (1) $11,000,000 for fiscal year 2009. 

21 (2) $12,000,000 for fiscal year 2010. 

22 (3) $13,000,000 for fiscal year 2011. 

23 (4) $15,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2012 

24 through 2015. 

25 (c) COOPERATIVE AGREEMENTS.—To carry out 

26 interagency activities under section 3 of this Act, the head 


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1 of any department or agency may execute a cooperative 

2 agreement with the Administrator, including those author3 ized by section 5 of the Act of August 6, 1947 (33 U.S.C. 

4 883e). 

5 SEC. 8. DEFINITIONS. 

6 In this Act: 

7 (1) ADMINISTRATOR.—The term ‘‘Adminis8 trator’ ’’ means the Administrator of the National 

9 Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. 

10 (2) COASTAL STATE.—The term ‘‘coastal state’’ 

11 has the meaning given that term by section 304(4) 

12 of the Coastal Zone Management Act of 1972 (16 

13 U.S.C. 1453(4). 

14 (3) COMMITTEE.—The term ‘‘Committee’’ 

15 means the Interagency Committee on Ocean and 

16 Coastal Mapping established by section 3. 

17 (4) EXCLUSIVE ECONOMIC ZONE.—The term 

18 ‘‘exclusive economic zone’’ means the exclusive eco19 nomic zone of the United States established by Pres20 idential Proclamation No. 5030, of March 10, 1983. 

21 (5) OCEAN AND COASTAL MAPPING.—The term 

22 ‘‘ocean and coastal mapping’’ means the acquisition, 

23 processing, and management of physical, biological, 

24 geological, chemical, and archaeological characteris25 tics and boundaries of ocean and coastal areas, reVerDate Nov 24 2008 00:53 Jan 12, 2009 Jkt 079200 PO 00000 Frm 00015 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H365.IH H365

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1 sources, and sea beds through the use of acoustics, 

2 satellites, aerial photogrammetry, light and imaging, 

3 direct sampling, and other mapping technologies. 

4 (6) TERRITORIAL SEA.—The term ‘‘territorial 

5 sea’’ means the belt of sea measured from the base6 line of the United States determined in accordance 

7 with international law, as set forth in Presidential 

8 Proclamation Number 5928, dated December 27, 

9 1988. 

10 (7) NONGOVERNMENTAL ENTITIES.—The term 

11 ‘‘nongovernmental entities’’ includes nongovern12 mental organizations, members of the academic com13 munity, and private sector organizations that pro14 vide products and services associated with meas15 uring, locating, and preparing maps, charts, surveys, 

16 aerial photographs, satellite imagines, or other 

17 graphical or digital presentations depicting natural 

18 or manmade physical features, phenomena, and legal 

19 boundaries of the Earth. 

20 (8) OUTER CONTINENTAL SHELF.—The term 

21 ‘‘Outer Continental Shelf’’ means all submerged 

22 lands lying seaward and outside of lands beneath 

23 navigable waters (as that term is defined in section 

24 2 of the Submerged Lands Act (43 U.S.C. 1301)), 

25 and of which the subsoil and seabed appertain to the 


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1 United States and are subject to its jurisdiction and 

2 control. 

Æ 


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