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Union Calendar No. 256 

116TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 2189 

[Report No. 116–315] 

To require the Secretary of Commerce, acting through the Administrator 

of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, to establish 

a constituent-driven program to provide a digital information platform 

capable of efficiently integrating coastal data with decision-support tools, 

training, and best practices and to support collection of priority coastal 

geospatial data to inform and improve local, State, regional, and Federal 

capacities to manage the coastal region, and for other purposes. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

APRIL 9, 2019 

Mr. RUPPERSBERGER (for himself and Mr. YOUNG) introduced the following 

bill; which was referred to the Committee on Natural Resources 

NOVEMBER 26, 2019 

Additional sponsors: Mr. CRIST, Miss GONZA ́LEZ-COLO ́N of Puerto Rico, and 

Mr. VAN DREW

NOVEMBER 26, 2019 

Reported with an amendment, committed to the Committee of the Whole 

House on the State of the Union, and ordered to be printed 

[Strike out all after the enacting clause and insert the part printed in italic] 

[For text of introduced bill, see copy of bill as introduced on April 9, 2019] 


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A BILL 

To require the Secretary of Commerce, acting through the 

Administrator of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric 

Administration, to establish a constituent-driven program 

to provide a digital information platform capable of efficiently integrating coastal data with decision-support 

tools, training, and best practices and to support collection of priority coastal geospatial data to inform and 

improve local, State, regional, and Federal capacities to 

manage the coastal region, and for other purposes. 


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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 ‘‘Digital Coast Act’’. 

5 SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 

6 Congress makes the following findings: 

7 (1) The Digital Coast is a model approach for ef8 fective Federal partnerships with State and local gov9 ernment, nongovernmental organizations, and the pri10 vate sector. 

11 (2) Access to current, accurate, uniform, and 

12 standards-based geospatial information, tools, and 

13 training to characterize the United States coastal re14 gion is critical for public safety and for the environ15 ment, infrastructure, and economy of the United 

16 States. 

17 (3) More than half of all people of the United 

18 States (153,000,000) currently live on or near a coast 

19 and an additional 12,000,000 are expected in the next 

20 decade. 

21 (4) Coastal counties in the United States average 

22 300 persons per square mile, compared with the na23 tional average of 98. 

24 (5) On a typical day, more than 1,540 permits 

25 for construction of single-family homes are issued in 


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1 coastal counties, combined with other commercial, re2 tail, and institutional construction to support this 

3 population. 

4 (6) Over half of the economic productivity of the 

5 United States is located within coastal regions. 

6 (7) Highly accurate, high-resolution remote sens7 ing and other geospatial data play an increasingly 

8 important role in decision making and management 

9 of the coastal zone and economy, including for— 

10 (A) flood and coastal storm surge pre11 diction; 

12 (B) hazard risk and vulnerability assess13 ment; 

14 (C) emergency response and recovery plan15 ning; 

16 (D) community resilience to longer range 

17 coastal change; 

18 (E) local planning and permitting; 

19 (F) habitat and ecosystem health assess20 ments; and 

21 (G) landscape change detection. 

22 SEC. 3. DEFINITIONS. 

23 In this Act: 

24 (1) COASTAL REGION.—The term ‘‘coastal re25 gion’’ means the area of United States waters extendVerDate Sep 11 2014 21:39 Nov 26, 2019 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6203 E:\BILLS\H2189.RH H2189

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1 ing inland from the shoreline to include coastal wa2 tersheds and seaward to the territorial sea. 

3 (2) COASTAL STATE.—The term ‘‘coastal State’’ 

4 has the meaning given the term ‘‘coastal state’’ in sec5 tion 304 of the Coastal Zone Management Act of 1972 

6 (16 U.S.C. 1453). 

7 (3) FEDERAL GEOGRAPHIC DATA COMMITTEE.— 

8 The term ‘‘Federal Geographic Data Committee’’ 

9 means the interagency committee that promotes the 

10 coordinated development, use, sharing, and dissemi11 nation of geospatial data on a national basis. 

12 (4) REMOTE SENSING AND OTHER

13 GEOSPATIAL.—The term ‘‘remote sensing and other 

14 geospatial’’ means collecting, storing, retrieving, or 

15 disseminating graphical or digital data depicting 

16 natural or manmade physical features, phenomena, or 

17 boundaries of the Earth and any information related 

18 thereto, including surveys, maps, charts, satellite and 

19 airborne remote sensing data, images, LiDAR, and 

20 services performed by professionals such as surveyors, 

21 photogrammetrists, hydrographers, geodesists, cartog22 raphers, and other such services. 

23 (5) SECRETARY.—The term ‘‘Secretary’’ means 

24 the Secretary of Commerce, acting through the AdVerDate Sep 11 2014 21:39 Nov 26, 2019 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00005 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6203 E:\BILLS\H2189.RH H2189

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1 ministrator of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric 

2 Administration. 

3 SEC. 4. ESTABLISHMENT OF THE DIGITAL COAST. 

4 (a) ESTABLISHMENT.— 

5 (1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall establish 

6 a program for the provision of an enabling platform 

7 that integrates geospatial data, decision-support tools, 

8 training, and best practices to address coastal man9 agement issues and needs. Under the program, the 

10 Secretary shall strive to enhance resilient commu11 nities, ecosystem values, and coastal economic growth 

12 and development by helping communities address 

13 their issues, needs, and challenges through cost-effec14 tive and participatory solutions. 

15 (2) DESIGNATION.—The program established 

16 under paragraph (1) shall be known as the ‘‘Digital 

17 Coast’’ (in this section referred to as the ‘‘program’’). 

18 (b) PROGRAM REQUIREMENTS.—In carrying out the 

19 program, the Secretary shall ensure that the program pro20 vides data integration, tool development, training, docu21 mentation, dissemination, and archiving by— 

22 (1) making data and resulting integrated prod23 ucts developed under this section readily accessible via 

24 the Digital Coast Internet website of the National 

25 Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the 


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1 GeoPlatform.gov and data.gov Internet websites, and 

2 such other information distribution technologies as 

3 the Secretary considers appropriate; 

4 (2) developing decision-support tools that use 

5 and display resulting integrated data and provide 

6 training on use of such tools; 

7 (3) documenting such data to Federal Geo8 graphic Data Committee standards; and 

9 (4) archiving all raw data acquired under this 

10 Act at the appropriate National Oceanic and Atmos11 pheric Administration data center or such other Fed12 eral data center as the Secretary considers appro13 priate. 

14 (c) COORDINATION.—The Secretary shall coordinate 

15 the activities carried out under the program to optimize 

16 data collection, sharing and integration, and to minimize 

17 duplication by— 

18 (1) consulting with coastal managers and deci19 sion makers concerning coastal issues, and sharing 

20 information and best practices, as the Secretary con21 siders appropriate, with— 

22 (A) coastal States; 

23 (B) local governments; and 

24 (C) representatives of academia, the private 

25 sector, and nongovernmental organizations; 


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1 (2) consulting with other Federal agencies, in2 cluding interagency committees, on relevant Federal 

3 activities, including activities carried out under the 

4 Ocean and Coastal Mapping Integration Act (33 

5 U.S.C. 3501 et seq.), the Coastal Zone Management 

6 Act of 1972 (16 U.S.C. 1451 et seq.), the Integrated 

7 Coastal and Ocean Observation System Act of 2009 

8 (33 U.S.C. 3601 et seq.), and the Hydrographic Serv9 ices Improvement Act of 1998 (33 U.S.C. 892 et seq.); 

10 (3) participating, pursuant to section 216 of the 

11 E-Government Act of 2002 (Public Law 107–347; 44 

12 U.S.C. 3501 note), in the establishment of such stand13 ards and common protocols as the Secretary considers 

14 necessary to assure the interoperability of remote 

15 sensing and other geospatial data with all users of 

16 such information within— 

17 (A) the National Oceanic and Atmospheric 

18 Administration; 

19 (B) other Federal agencies; 

20 (C) State and local government; and 

21 (D) the private sector; 

22 (4) coordinating with, seeking assistance and co23 operation of, and providing liaison to the Federal Ge24 ographic Data Committee pursuant to Office of Man25 agement and Budget Circular A–16 and Executive 


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1 Order 12906 of April 11, 1994 (59 Fed. Reg. 17671), 

2 as amended by Executive Order 13286 of February 

3 28, 2003 (68 Fed. Reg. 10619); and 

4 (5) developing and maintaining a best practices 

5 document that sets out the best practices used by the 

6 Secretary in carrying out the program and providing 

7 such document to the United States Geological Sur8 vey, the Corps of Engineers, and other relevant Fed9 eral agencies. 

10 (d) FILLING NEEDS AND GAPS.—In carrying out the 

11 program, the Secretary shall— 

12 (1) maximize the use of remote sensing and other 

13 geospatial data collection activities conducted for 

14 other purposes and under other authorities; 

15 (2) focus on filling data needs and gaps for 

16 coastal management issues, including with respect to 

17 areas that, as of the date of the enactment of this Act, 

18 were underserved by coastal data and the areas of the 

19 Arctic that are under the jurisdiction of the United 

20 States; 

21 (3) pursuant to the Ocean and Coastal Mapping 

22 Integration Act (33 U.S.C. 3501 et seq.), support con23 tinue improvement in existing efforts to coordinate 

24 the acquisition and integration of key data sets needVerDate Sep 11 2014 21:39 Nov 26, 2019 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00009 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6203 E:\BILLS\H2189.RH H2189

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1 ed for coastal management and other purposes, in2 cluding— 

3 (A) coastal elevation data; 

4 (B) land use and land cover data; 

5 (C) socioeconomic and human use data; 

6 (D) critical infrastructure data; 

7 (E) structures data; 

8 (F) living resources and habitat data; 

9 (G) cadastral data; and 

10 (H) aerial imagery; and 

11 (4) integrate the priority supporting data set 

12 forth under paragraph (3) with other available data 

13 for the benefit of the broadest measure of coastal re14 source management constituents and applications. 

15 (e) FINANCIAL AGREEMENTS AND CONTRACTS.— 

16 (1) IN GENERAL.—In carrying out the program, 

17 the Secretary— 

18 (A) may enter into financial agreements to 

19 carry out the program, including— 

20 (i) support to non-Federal entities that 

21 participate in implementing the program; 

22 and 

23 (ii) grants, cooperative agreements, 

24 interagency agreements, contracts, or any 

25 other agreement on a reimbursable or nonVerDate Sep 11 2014 21:39 Nov 26, 2019 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00010 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6203 E:\BILLS\H2189.RH H2189

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1 reimbursable basis, with other Federal, trib2 al, State, and local governmental and non3 governmental entities; and 

4 (B) may, to the maximum extent prac5 ticable, enter into such contracts with private 

6 sector entities for such products and services as 

7 the Secretary determines may be necessary to 

8 collect, process, and provide remote sensing and 

9 other geospatial data and products for purposes 

10 of the program. 

11 (2) FEES.— 

12 (A) ASSESSMENT AND COLLECTION.—The 

13 Secretary may assess and collect fees for the con14 duct of any training, workshop, or conference 

15 that advances the purposes of the program. 

16 (B) AMOUNTS.—The amount of a fee under 

17 this paragraph may not exceed the sum of costs 

18 incurred, or expected to be incurred, by the Sec19 retary as a direct result of the conduct of the 

20 training, workshop, or conference, including for 

21 subsistence expenses incidental to the training, 

22 workshop, or conference, as applicable. 

23 (C) USE OF FEES.—Amounts collected by 

24 the Secretary in the form of fees under this para25 graph may be used to pay for— 


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1 (i) the costs incurred for conducting an 

2 activity described in subparagraph (A); or 

3 (ii) the expenses described in subpara4 graph (B). 

5 (3) SURVEY AND MAPPING.—Contracts entered 

6 into under paragraph (1)(B) shall be considered ‘‘sur7 veying and mapping’’ services as such term is used 

8 in and as such contracts are awarded by the Sec9 retary in accordance with the selection procedures in 

10 chapter 11 of title 40, United States Code. 

11 (f) OCEAN ECONOMY.—The Secretary may establish 

12 publically available tools that track ocean and Great Lakes 

13 economy data for each coastal State. 


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pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS
Union Calendar No. 256 

116TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 2189 

[Report No. 116–315] 

A BILL 

To require the Secretary of Commerce, acting 

for other purposes. eral capacities to manage the coastal region, and form and improve local, State, regional, and Fedcollection of priority coastal geospatial data to intools, training, and best practices and to support integrating coastal data with decision-support digital information platform capable of efficiently lish a constituent-driven program to provide a anic and Atmospheric Administration, to estabthrough the Administrator of the National OceNOVEMBER 26, 2019 

Reported with an amendment, committed to the Comand ordered to be printed mittee of the Whole House on the State of the Union, 


pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS