II 

Calendar No. 90 

110TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION S. 39 

[Report No. 110–39] 

To establish a coordinated national ocean exploration program within the 

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and for other purposes. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

JANUARY 4, 2007 

Mr. STEVENS introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred 

to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation 

MARCH 27, 2007 

Reported by Mr. INOUYE, with an amendment 

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

A BILL 

To establish a coordinated national ocean exploration program within the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, 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; TABLE OF CONTENTS. 

2 (a) SHORT TITLE.—This Act may be cited as the 

3 ‘‘Ocean and Coastal Exploration and NOAA Act (OCEAN 

4 Act)’’. 

5 (b) TABLE OF CONTENTS.—The table of contents for 

6 this Act is as follows: 

Sec. 1. Short title; table of contents. 

TITLE I—NATIONAL OCEAN EXPLORATION PROGRAM 

Sec. 101. Short title. 

Sec. 102. Establishment. 

Sec. 103. Authorities. 

Sec. 104. Exploration technology and infrastructure task force. 

Sec. 105. Interagency financing. 

Sec. 106. Authorization of appropriations. 

TITLE II—UNDERSEA RESEARCH PROGRAM 

Sec. 201. Short title. 

Sec. 202. Establishment. 

Sec. 203. Purpose. 

Sec. 204. Program. 

Sec. 205. Regional centers and technology institute. 

Sec. 206. Competitiveness. 

Sec. 207. Authorization of appropriations. 

7 TITLE I—NATIONAL OCEAN 

8 EXPLORATION PROGRAM 

9 SEC. 101. SHORT TITLE. 

10 This title may be cited as the ‘‘National Ocean Explo11 ration Program Act’’. 

12 SEC. 102. ESTABLISHMENT. 

13 The Secretary of Commerce, through the Adminis14 trator of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Adminis15 tration, shall, in consultation with the National Science 

16 Foundation and other appropriate Federal agencies, esmstockstill on PROD1PC66 with BILLS

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1 tablish a coordinated national ocean exploration program 

2 within the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administra3 tion that promotes collaboration with existing programs 

4 of the agency, including those authorized in title II. 

5 SEC. 103. AUTHORITIES. 

6 In carrying out the program the Administrator of the 

7 National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration shall— 

8 (1) conduct interdisciplinary exploration voy9 ages or other scientific activities in conjunction with 

10 other Federal agencies or academic or educational 

11 institutions, to survey little known areas of the ma12 rine environment, inventory, observe, and assess liv13 ing and nonliving marine resources, and report such 

14 findings; 

15 (2) give priority attention to deep ocean re16 gions, with a focus on surveying deep water marine 

17 systems that hold potential for important scientific 

18 discoveries, such as hydrothermal vent communities 

19 and seamounts; 

20 (3) conduct scientific voyages to locate, define, 

21 and document historic shipwrecks, submerged sites, 

22 and other ocean exploration activities that combine 

23 archaeology and oceanographic sciences; 

24 (4) develop, in consultation with the National 

25 Science Foundation, a transparent process for remstockstill on PROD1PC66 with BILLS

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1 viewing and approving proposals for activities to be 

2 conducted under this program; 

3 (5) enhance the technical capability of the 

4 United States marine science community by pro5 moting the development of improved oceanographic 

6 research, communication, navigation, and data col7 lection systems, as well as underwater platforms and 

8 sensors; 

9 (6) accept donations of property, data, and 

10 equipment to be applied for the purpose of exploring 

11 the oceans or increasing knowledge of the oceans; 

12 (7) establish an ocean exploration forum to en13 courage partnerships and promote communication 

14 among experts and other stakeholders in order to 

15 enhance the scientific and technical expertise and 

16 relevance of the national program; and 

17 (8) avoid directing the programs towards activi18 ties relating to global temperature trends and in19 stead focus on underwater regions of particular sci20 entific interest. 

21 SEC. 104. EXPLORATION TECHNOLOGY AND INFRASTRUC22 TURE TASK FORCE. 

23 The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administra24 tion, in coordination with the National Aeronautics and 

25 Space Administration, the U.S. Geological Survey, Office 

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1 of Naval Research, and relevant governmental, non-gov2 ernmental, academic, and other experts, shall convene an 

3 ocean technology and infrastructure task force to develop 

4 and implement a strategy— 

5 (1) to facilitate transfer of new exploration 

6 technology to the program; 

7 (2) to improve availability of communications 

8 infrastructure, including satellite capabilities, to the 

9 program; 

10 (3) to develop an integrated, workable and com11 prehensive data management information processing 

12 system that will make information on unique and 

13 significant features obtained by the program avail14 able for research and management purposes; 

15 (4) to conduct public outreach activities that 

16 improve the public understanding of ocean science, 

17 resources, and processes, in conjunction with rel18 evant programs of the National Oceanic and Atmos19 pheric Administration, the National Science Founda20 tion, and other agencies; and 

21 (5) to encourage cost-sharing partnerships with 

22 governmental and non-governmental entities that 

23 will assist in transferring exploration technology and 

24 technical expertise to the program. 

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1 SEC. 105. INTERAGENCY FINANCING. 

2 The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administra3 tion, the National Science Foundation, and other Federal 

4 agencies involved in the program, are authorized to par5 ticipate in interagency financing and share, transfer, re6 ceive and spend funds appropriated to any Federal partici7 pant in the program for the purposes of carrying out any 

8 administrative or programmatic project or activity under 

9 this section. Funds may be transferred among such de10 partments and agencies through an appropriate instru11 ment that specifies the goods, services, or space being ac12 quired from another Federal participant and the costs of 

13 the same. 

14 SEC. 106. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS. 

15 There are authorized to be appropriated to the Na16 tional Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to carry 

17 out the program— 

18 (1) $30,500,000 for fiscal year 2008; 

19 (2) $33,550,000 for fiscal year 2009; 

20 (3) $36,905,000 for fiscal year 2010; 

21 (4) $40,596,000 for fiscal year 2011; 

22 (5) $44,655,000 for fiscal year 2012; 

23 (6) $49,121,000 for fiscal year 2013; 

24 (7) $54,033,000 for fiscal year 2014; 

25 (8) $59,436,000 for fiscal year 2015; 

26 (9) $65,379,000 for fiscal year 2016; and 

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1 (10) $71,917,000 for fiscal year 2017. 

2 TITLE II—UNDERSEA RESEARCH 

3 PROGRAM 

4 SEC. 201. SHORT TITLE. 

5 This title may be cited as the ‘‘NOAA Undersea Re6 search Program Act of 2007’’. 

7 SEC. 202. ESTABLISHMENT. 

8 The Administrator of the National Oceanic and At9 mospheric Administration shall establish and maintain an 

10 undersea research program and shall designate a Director 

11 of that program. 

12 SEC. 203. PURPOSE. 

13 The purpose of the program is to increase scientific 

14 knowledge essential for the informed management, use 

15 and preservation of oceanic, coastal and large lake re16 sources through undersea research, exploration, education 

17 and technology development. The program shall be part 

18 of National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s 

19 undersea research, education, and technology development 

20 efforts, and also make available the infrastructure and ex21 pertise to service the undersea science needs of the aca22 demic community. 

23 SEC. 204. PROGRAM. 

24 The program shall be conducted through a national 

25 headquarters, a network of regional undersea research 

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1 centers, and a national technology institute. Overall direc2 tion of the program will be provided by the program direc3 tor with advice from the Council of Center directors com4 prised of the directors of the regional centers and the na5 tional technology institute. 

6 SEC. 205. REGIONAL CENTERS AND TECHNOLOGY INSTI7 TUTE. 

8 The following research, exploration, education, and 

9 technology programs shall be conducted through the net10 work of regional centers and the national technology insti11 tute: 

12 (1) Core research and exploration based on na13 tional and regional undersea research priorities. 

14 (2) Advanced undersea technology to support 

15 the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administra16 tion’s research mission and programs. 

17 (3) Undersea science-based education and out18 reach programs to enrich ocean science education 

19 and public awareness of the oceans and Great 

20 Lakes. 

21 (4) Development of advanced undersea tech22 nology associated with seafloor observatories, re23 motely operated vehicles, autonomous underwater ve24 hicles, and new sampling and sensing technologies. 

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1 (5) Discovery, study, and development of nat2 ural products from ocean and aquatic systems. 

3 SEC. 206. COMPETITIVENESS. 

4 Except for a small discretionary fund for rapid re5 sponse activities and for the National Oceanic and Atmos6 pheric Administration-related service projects, for which 

7 no more than 10 percent of the program budget shall be 

8 set aside, the external projects supported by the regional 

9 centers shall be managed using an open and competitive 

10 process to evaluate scientific merit, relevance to the Na11 tional Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, regional 

12 and national research goals, and technical feasibility. 

13 SEC. 207. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS. 

14 There are authorized to be appropriated to the Na15 tional Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration— 

16 (1) for fiscal year 2008— 

17 (A) $12,500,000 for the regional centers, 

18 of which 50 percent shall be for West Coast Re19 gional Centers and 50 percent shall be for East 

20 Coast Regional Centers; and 

21 (B) $5,000,000 for the National Tech22 nology Institute; 

23 (2) for fiscal year 2009— 

24 (A) $13,750,000 for the regional centers, 

25 of which 50 percent shall be for West Coast Remstockstill on PROD1PC66 with BILLS

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1 gional Centers and 50 percent shall be for East 

2 Coast Regional Centers; and 

3 (B) $5,500,000 for the National Tech4 nology Institute; 

5 (3) for fiscal year 2010— 

6 (A) $15,125,000 for the regional centers, 

7 of which 50 percent shall be for West Coast Re8 gional Centers and 50 percent shall be for East 

9 Coast Regional Centers; and 

10 (B) $6,050,000 for the National Tech11 nology Institute; 

12 (4) for fiscal year 2011— 

13 (A) $16,638,000 for the regional centers, 

14 of which 50 percent shall be for West Coast Re15 gional Centers and 50 percent shall be for East 

16 Coast Regional Centers; and 

17 (B) $6,655,000 for the National Tech18 nology Institute; 

19 (5) for fiscal year 2012— 

20 (A) $18,301,000 for the regional centers, 

21 of which 50 percent shall be for West Coast Re22 gional Centers and 50 percent shall be for East 

23 Coast Regional Centers; and 

24 (B) $7,321,000 for the National Tech25 nology Institute; 

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1 (6) for fiscal year 2013— 

2 (A) $20,131,000 for the regional centers, 

3 of which 50 percent shall be for West Coast Re4 gional Centers and 50 percent shall be for East 

5 Coast Regional Centers; and 

6 (B) $8,053,000 for the National Tech7 nology Institute; 

8 (7) for fiscal year 2014— 

9 (A) $22,145,000 for the regional centers, 

10 of which 50 percent shall be for West Coast Re11 gional Centers and 50 percent shall be for East 

12 Coast Regional Centers; and 

13 (B) $8,859,000 for the National Tech14 nology Institute; 

15 (8) for fiscal year 2015— 

16 (A) $24,359,000 for the regional centers, 

17 of which 50 percent shall be for West Coast Re18 gional Centers and 50 percent shall be for East 

19 Coast Regional Centers; and 

20 (B) $9,744,000 for the National Tech21 nology Institute; 

22 (9) for fiscal year 2016— 

23 (A) $26,795,000 for the regional centers, 

24 of which 50 percent shall be for West Coast Remstockstill on PROD1PC66 with BILLS

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1 gional Centers and 50 percent shall be for East 

2 Coast Regional Centers; and 

3 (B) $10,718,000 for the National Tech4 nology Institute; and 

5 (10) for fiscal year 2017— 

6 (A) $29,474,000 for the regional centers, 

7 of which 50 percent shall be for West Coast Re8 gional Centers and 50 percent shall be for East 

9 Coast Regional Centers; and 

10 (B) $11,790,000 for the National Tech11 nology Institute. 

12 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE; TABLE OF CONTENTS. 

13 (a) SHORT TITLE.—This Act may be cited as the 

14 ‘‘Ocean and Coastal Exploration and NOAA Act (OCEAN 

15 Act)’’. 

16 (b) TABLE OF CONTENTS.—The table of contents for 

17 this Act is as follows: 

Sec. 1. Short title; table of contents. 

TITLE I—NATIONAL OCEAN EXPLORATION PROGRAM 

Sec. 101. Short title. 

Sec. 102. Establishment. 

Sec. 103. Authorities. 

Sec. 104. Exploration technology and infrastructure task force. 

Sec. 105. Interagency financing. 

Sec. 106. Authorization of appropriations. 

TITLE II—UNDERSEA RESEARCH PROGRAM 

Sec. 201. Short title. 

Sec. 202. Establishment. 

Sec. 203. Purpose. 

Sec. 204. Program. 

Sec. 205. Regional centers and technology institute. 

Sec. 206. Competitiveness. 

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Sec. 207. Authorization of appropriations. 

TITLE III—OCEAN AND COASTAL MAPPING INTEGRATION 

Sec. 301. Short title. 

Sec. 302. Integrated ocean and coastal mapping program. 

Sec. 303. Interagency Committee on ocean and coastal mapping. 

Sec. 304. NOAA integrated mapping initiative. 

Sec. 305. Interagency program reporting. 

Sec. 306. Authorization of appropriations. 

Sec. 307. Definitions. 

1 TITLE I—NATIONAL OCEAN 

2 EXPLORATION PROGRAM 

3 SEC. 101. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This title may be cited as the ‘‘National Ocean Explo5 ration Program Act’’. 

6 SEC. 102. ESTABLISHMENT. 

7 The Secretary of Commerce, through the Administrator 

8 of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, 

9 shall, in consultation with the National Science Foundation 

10 and other appropriate Federal agencies, establish a coordi11 nated national ocean exploration program within the Na12 tional Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration that pro13 motes collaboration with existing programs of the agency, 

14 including those authorized in title II. 

15 SEC. 103. AUTHORITIES. 

16 In carrying out the program the Administrator of the 

17 National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration shall— 

18 (1) conduct interdisciplinary exploration voyages 

19 or other scientific activities in conjunction with other 

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1 tions, to survey little known areas of the marine envi2 ronment, inventory, observe, and assess living and 

3 nonliving marine resources, and report such findings; 

4 (2) give priority attention to deep ocean regions, 

5 with a focus on surveying deep water marine systems 

6 that hold potential for important scientific discov7 eries, such as hydrothermal vent communities and 

8 seamounts; 

9 (3) conduct scientific voyages to locate, define, 

10 and document historic shipwrecks, submerged sites, 

11 and other ocean exploration activities that combine 

12 archaeology and oceanographic sciences; 

13 (4) develop, in consultation with the National 

14 Science Foundation, a transparent process for review15 ing and approving proposals for activities to be con16 ducted under this program; 

17 (5) enhance the technical capability of the 

18 United States marine science community by pro19 moting the development of improved oceanographic 

20 research, communication, navigation, and data collec21 tion systems, as well as underwater platforms and 

22 sensors; 

23 (6) accept donations of property, data, and 

24 equipment to be applied for the purpose of exploring 

25 the oceans or increasing knowledge of the oceans; and 

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1 (7) establish an ocean exploration forum to en2 courage partnerships and promote communication 

3 among experts and other stakeholders in order to en4 hance the scientific and technical expertise and rel5 evance of the national program. 

6 SEC. 104. EXPLORATION TECHNOLOGY AND INFRASTRUC7 TURE TASK FORCE. 

8 The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administra9 tion, in coordination with the National Aeronautics and 

10 Space Administration, the U.S. Geological Survey, Office 

11 of Naval Research, and relevant governmental, non-govern12 mental, academic, and other experts, shall convene an ocean 

13 technology and infrastructure task force to develop and im14 plement a strategy— 

15 (1) to facilitate transfer of new exploration tech16 nology to the program; 

17 (2) to improve availability of communications 

18 infrastructure, including satellite capabilities, to the 

19 program; 

20 (3) to develop an integrated, workable and com21 prehensive data management information processing 

22 system that will make information on unique and sig23 nificant features obtained by the program available 

24 for research and management purposes; 

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1 (4) to conduct public outreach activities that im2 prove the public understanding of ocean science, re3 sources, and processes, in conjunction with relevant 

4 programs of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric 

5 Administration, the National Science Foundation, 

6 and other agencies; and 

7 (5) to encourage cost-sharing partnerships with 

8 governmental and non-governmental entities that will 

9 assist in transferring exploration technology and tech10 nical expertise to the program. 

11 SEC. 105. INTERAGENCY FINANCING. 

12 The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administra13 tion, the National Science Foundation, and other Federal 

14 agencies involved in the program, are authorized to partici15 pate in interagency financing and share, transfer, receive 

16 and spend funds appropriated to any Federal participant 

17 in the program for the purposes of carrying out any admin18 istrative or programmatic project or activity under this sec19 tion. Funds may be transferred among such departments 

20 and agencies through an appropriate instrument that speci21 fies the goods, services, or space being acquired from another 

22 Federal participant and the costs of the same. 

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1 SEC. 106. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS. 

2 There are authorized to be appropriated to the Na3 tional Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to carry 

4 out the program— 

5 (1) $30,500,000 for fiscal year 2008; 

6 (2) $33,550,000 for fiscal year 2009; 

7 (3) $36,905,000 for fiscal year 2010; 

8 (4) $40,596,000 for fiscal year 2011; 

9 (5) $44,655,000 for fiscal year 2012; 

10 (6) $49,121,000 for fiscal year 2013; 

11 (7) $54,033,000 for fiscal year 2014; 

12 (8) $59,436,000 for fiscal year 2015; 

13 (9) $65,379,000 for fiscal year 2016; and 

14 (10) $71,917,000 for fiscal year 2017. 

15 TITLE II—UNDERSEA RESEARCH 

16 PROGRAM 

17 SEC. 201. SHORT TITLE. 

18 This title may be cited as the ‘‘NOAA Undersea Re19 search Program Act of 2007’’. 

20 SEC. 202. ESTABLISHMENT. 

21 The Administrator of the National Oceanic and At22 mospheric Administration shall establish and maintain an 

23 undersea research program and shall designate a Director 

24 of that program. 

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1 SEC. 203. PURPOSE. 

2 The purpose of the program is to increase scientific 

3 knowledge essential for the informed management, use and 

4 preservation of oceanic, coastal and large lake resources 

5 through undersea research, exploration, education and tech6 nology development. The program shall be part of National 

7 Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s undersea re8 search, education, and technology development efforts, and 

9 also make available the infrastructure and expertise to serv10 ice the undersea science needs of the academic community. 

11 SEC. 204. PROGRAM. 

12 The program shall be conducted through a national 

13 headquarters, a network of regional undersea research cen14 ters, and a national technology institute. Overall direction 

15 of the program will be provided by the program director 

16 with advice from the Council of Center directors comprised 

17 of the directors of the regional centers and the national tech18 nology institute. 

19 SEC. 205. REGIONAL CENTERS AND TECHNOLOGY INSTI20 TUTE. 

21 The following research, exploration, education, and 

22 technology programs shall be conducted through the network 

23 of regional centers and the national technology institute: 

24 (1) Core research and exploration based on na25 tional and regional undersea research priorities. 

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1 (2) Advanced undersea technology to support the 

2 National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s 

3 research mission and programs. 

4 (3) Undersea science-based education and out5 reach programs to enrich ocean science education and 

6 public awareness of the oceans and Great Lakes. 

7 (4) Development of advanced undersea tech8 nology associated with seafloor observatories, remotely 

9 operated vehicles, autonomous underwater vehicles, 

10 and new sampling and sensing technologies. 

11 (5) Discovery, study, and development of natural 

12 products from ocean and aquatic systems. 

13 (6) Discovery, study, monitoring, and evaluation 

14 of United States ocean and coastal resources, such as 

15 wave, current, tidal, and biological resources. 

16 SEC. 206. COMPETITIVENESS. 

17 Except for a small discretionary fund for rapid re18 sponse activities and for the National Oceanic and Atmos19 pheric Administration-related service projects, for which no 

20 more than 10 percent of the program budget shall be set 

21 aside, the external projects supported by the regional centers 

22 shall be managed using an open and competitive process 

23 to evaluate scientific merit, relevance to the National Oce24 anic and Atmospheric Administration, regional and na25 tional research goals, and technical feasibility. 

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1 SEC. 207. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS. 

2 There are authorized to be appropriated to the Na3 tional Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration— 

4 (1) for fiscal year 2008— 

5 (A) $12,500,000 for the regional centers, of 

6 which 50 percent shall be for West Coast regional 

7 centers and 50 percent shall be for East Coast re8 gional centers; and 

9 (B) $5,000,000 for the National Technology 

10 Institute; 

11 (2) for fiscal year 2009— 

12 (A) $13,750,000 for the regional centers, of 

13 which 50 percent shall be for West Coast regional 

14 centers and 50 percent shall be for East Coast re15 gional centers; and 

16 (B) $5,500,000 for the National Technology 

17 Institute; 

18 (3) for fiscal year 2010— 

19 (A) $15,125,000 for the regional centers, of 

20 which 50 percent shall be for West Coast regional 

21 centers and 50 percent shall be for East Coast re22 gional centers; and 

23 (B) $6,050,000 for the National Technology 

24 Institute; 

25 (4) for fiscal year 2011— 

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1 (A) $16,638,000 for the regional centers, of 

2 which 50 percent shall be for West Coast regional 

3 centers and 50 percent shall be for East Coast re4 gional centers; and 

5 (B) $6,655,000 for the National Technology 

6 Institute; 

7 (5) for fiscal year 2012— 

8 (A) $18,301,000 for the regional centers, of 

9 which 50 percent shall be for West Coast regional 

10 centers and 50 percent shall be for East Coast re11 gional centers; and 

12 (B) $7,321,000 for the National Technology 

13 Institute; 

14 (6) for fiscal year 2013— 

15 (A) $20,131,000 for the regional centers, of 

16 which 50 percent shall be for West Coast regional 

17 centers and 50 percent shall be for East Coast re18 gional centers; and 

19 (B) $8,053,000 for the National Technology 

20 Institute; 

21 (7) for fiscal year 2014— 

22 (A) $22,145,000 for the regional centers, of 

23 which 50 percent shall be for West Coast regional 

24 centers and 50 percent shall be for East Coast re25 gional centers; and 

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1 (B) $8,859,000 for the National Technology 

2 Institute; 

3 (8) for fiscal year 2015— 

4 (A) $24,359,000 for the regional centers, of 

5 which 50 percent shall be for West Coast regional 

6 centers and 50 percent shall be for East Coast re7 gional centers; and 

8 (B) $9,744,000 for the National Technology 

9 Institute; 

10 (9) for fiscal year 2016— 

11 (A) $26,795,000 for the regional centers, of 

12 which 50 percent shall be for West Coast regional 

13 centers and 50 percent shall be for East Coast re14 gional centers; and 

15 (B) $10,718,000 for the National Tech16 nology Institute; and 

17 (10) for fiscal year 2017— 

18 (A) $29,474,000 for the regional centers, of 

19 which 50 percent shall be for West Coast regional 

20 centers and 50 percent shall be for East Coast re21 gional centers; and 

22 (B) $11,790,000 for the National Tech23 nology Institute. 

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1 TITLE III—OCEAN AND COASTAL 

2 MAPPING INTEGRATION 

3 SEC. 301. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This title may be cited as the ‘‘Ocean and Coastal 

5 Mapping Integration Act’’. 

6 SEC. 302. INTEGRATED OCEAN AND COASTAL MAPPING 

7 PROGRAM. 

8 (a) IN GENERAL.—The Administrator of the National 

9 Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration shall establish a 

10 program to develop, in coordination with the Interagency 

11 Committee on Ocean and Coastal Mapping, a coordinated 

12 and comprehensive Federal ocean and coastal mapping 

13 plan for the Great Lakes and Coastal State waters, the ter14 ritorial sea, the exclusive economic zone, and the conti15 nental shelf of the United States that enhances ecosystem 

16 approaches in decision-making for conservation and man17 agement of marine resources and habitats, establishes re18 search priorities, supports the siting of research and other 

19 platforms, and advances ocean and coastal science. 

20 (b) PROGRAM PARAMETERS.—In developing such a 

21 program, the Administrator shall work with the Committee 

22 to— 

23 (1) identify all Federal and federally-funded pro24 grams conducting shoreline delineation and ocean or 

25 coastal mapping, noting geographic coverage, fremstockstill on PROD1PC66 with BILLS

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1 quency, spatial coverage, resolution, and subject mat2 ter focus of the data and location of data archives; 

3 (2) promote cost-effective, cooperative mapping 

4 efforts that incorporate policies for private sector con5 tracting among all Federal agencies conducting ocean 

6 and coastal mapping agencies by increasing data 

7 sharing, developing data acquisition and metadata 

8 standards, and facilitating the interoperability of in 

9 situ data collection systems, data processing, 

10 archiving, and distribution of data products; 

11 (3) facilitate the adaptation of existing tech12 nologies as well as foster expertise in new ocean and 

13 coastal mapping technologies, including through re14 search, development, and training conducted in co15 operation with the private sector, academia, and 

16 other non-Federal entities; 

17 (4) develop standards and protocols for testing 

18 innovative experimental mapping technologies and 

19 transferring new technologies between the Federal 

20 Government and the private sector or academia; 

21 (5) centrally archive, manage, and distribute 

22 data sets as well as provide mapping products and 

23 services to the general public in service of statutory 

24 requirements; 

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1 (6) develop specific data presentation standards 

2 for use by Federal, State, and other entities that doc3 ument locations of federally-permitted activities, liv4 ing and nonliving resources, marine ecosystems, sen5 sitive habitats, submerged cultural resources, undersea 

6 cables, offshore aquaculture projects, and any areas 

7 designated for the purposes of environmental protec8 tion or conservation and management of living ma9 rine resources; and 

10 (7) identify the procedures to be used for coordi11 nating Federal data with State and local government 

12 programs. 

13 SEC. 303. INTERAGENCY COMMITTEE ON OCEAN AND 

14 COASTAL MAPPING. 

15 (a) ESTABLISHMENT.—There is hereby established an 

16 Interagency Committee on Ocean and Coastal Mapping. 

17 (b) MEMBERSHIP.—The Committee shall be comprised 

18 of senior representatives from Federal agencies with ocean 

19 and coastal mapping and surveying responsibilities. The 

20 representatives shall be high-ranking officials of their re21 spective agencies or departments and, whenever possible, the 

22 head of the portion of the agency or department that is most 

23 relevant to the purposes of this title. Membership shall in24 clude senior representatives from the National Oceanic and 

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1 ations, the United States Geological Survey, Minerals Man2 agement Service, National Science Foundation, National 

3 Geospatial-Intelligence Agency, United States Army Corps 

4 of Engineers, United States Coast Guard, Environmental 

5 Protection Agency, Federal Emergency Management Agen6 cy and National Aeronautics and Space Administration, 

7 and other appropriate Federal agencies involved in ocean 

8 and coastal mapping. 

9 (c) CHAIRMAN.—The Committee shall be chaired by the 

10 representative from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric 

11 Administration. The chairman may create subcommittees 

12 chaired by any member agency of the committee. Working 

13 groups may be formed by the full Committee to address 

14 issues of short duration. 

15 (d) MEETINGS.—The Committee shall meet on a quar16 terly basis, but subcommittee or working group meetings 

17 shall meet on an as-needed basis. 

18 (e) COORDINATION.—The committee shall coordinate 

19 activities, when appropriate, with— 

20 (1) other Federal efforts, including the Digital 

21 Coast, Geospatial One-Stop, and the Federal Geo22 graphic Data Committee; 

23 (2) international mapping activities; 

24 (3) States and user groups through workshops 

25 and other appropriate mechanisms; and 

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1 (4) representatives of the private sector. 

2 SEC. 304. NOAA INTEGRATED MAPPING INITIATIVE. 

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

4 date of enactment of this Act, the Administrator, in con5 sultation with the Committee, shall develop and submit to 

6 the Congress a plan for an integrated ocean and coastal 

7 mapping initiative within the National Oceanic and At8 mospheric Administration. 

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

10 (1) identify and describe all ocean and coastal 

11 mapping programs within the agency, including those 

12 that conduct mapping or related activities in the 

13 course of existing missions, such as hydrographic sur14 veys, ocean exploration projects, living marine re15 source conservation and management programs, 

16 coastal zone management projects, and ocean and 

17 coastal science projects; 

18 (2) establish priority mapping programs and es19 tablish and periodically update priorities for geo20 graphic areas in surveying and mapping, as well as 

21 minimum data acquisition and metadata standards 

22 for those programs; 

23 (3) encourage the development of innovative 

24 ocean and coastal mapping technologies and applica25 tions through research and development through coopmstockstill on PROD1PC66 with BILLS

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1 erative or other agreements at joint centers of excel2 lence and with the private sector; 

3 (4) document available and developing tech4 nologies, best practices in data processing and dis5 tribution, and leveraging opportunities with other 

6 Federal agencies, non-governmental organizations, 

7 and the private sector; 

8 (5) identify training, technology, and other re9 source requirements for enabling the National Oceanic 

10 and Atmospheric Administration’s programs, ships, 

11 and aircraft to support a coordinated ocean and 

12 coastal mapping program; 

13 (6) identify a centralized mechanism or office for 

14 coordinating data collection, processing, archiving, 

15 and dissemination activities of all such mapping pro16 grams within the National Oceanic and Atmospheric 

17 Administration, including— 

18 (A) designating primary data processing 

19 centers to maximize efficiency in information 

20 technology investment, develop consistency in 

21 data processing, and meet Federal mandates for 

22 data accessibility; and 

23 (B) designating a repository that is respon24 sible for archiving and managing the distribu25 tion of all ocean and coastal mapping data to 

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1 simplify the provision of services to benefit Fed2 eral and State programs; and 

3 (7) set forth a timetable for implementation and 

4 completion of the plan, including a schedule for peri5 odic Congressional progress reports, and recommenda6 tions for integrating approaches developed under the 

7 initiative into the interagency program. 

8 (c) NOAA JOINT OCEAN AND COASTAL MAPPING CEN9 TERS.—The Administrator is authorized to maintain and 

10 operate up to 3 joint ocean and coastal mapping centers, 

11 including a joint hydrographic center, which shall be co12 located with an institution of higher education. The centers 

13 shall serve as hydrographic centers of excellence and are au14 thorized to conduct activities necessary to carry out the pur15 poses of this title, including— 

16 (1) research and development of innovative ocean 

17 and coastal mapping technologies, equipment, and 

18 data products; 

19 (2) mapping of the United States outer conti20 nental shelf; 

21 (3) data processing for non-traditional data and 

22 uses; 

23 (4) advancing the use of remote sensing tech24 nologies, for related issues, including mapping and 

25 assessment of essential fish habitat and of coral remstockstill on PROD1PC66 with BILLS

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1 sources, ocean observations and ocean exploration; 

2 and 

3 (5) providing graduate education in ocean and 

4 coastal mapping sciences for National Oceanic and 

5 Atmospheric Administration Commissioned Officer 

6 Corps, personnel of other agencies with ocean and 

7 coastal mapping programs, and civilian personnel. 

8 (d) NOAA REPORT.—The Administrator shall con9 tinue developing a strategy for expanding contracting with 

10 private entities to minimize duplication and take max11 imum advantage of private sector capabilities in fulfilling 

12 the Administration’s mapping and charting responsibil13 ities. Within 120 days after the date of enactment of this 

14 Act, the Administrator shall transmit a report describing 

15 the strategy developed under this subsection to the Senate 

16 Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation and 

17 the House of Representatives Committee on Resources. 

18 SEC. 305. INTERAGENCY PROGRAM REPORTING. 

19 No later than 18 months after the date of enactment 

20 of this Act, and bi-annually thereafter, the Chairman of the 

21 Committee shall transmit to the Senate Committee on Com22 merce, Science, and Transportation and the House of Rep23 resentatives Committee on Resources a report detailing 

24 progress made in implementing the provisions of this title, 

25 including— 

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1 (1) an inventory of ocean and coastal mapping 

2 data, noting the metadata, within the territorial seas 

3 and the exclusive economic zone and throughout the 

4 continental shelf of the United States, noting the age 

5 and source of the survey and the spatial resolution 

6 (metadata) of the data; 

7 (2) identification of priority areas in need of 

8 survey coverage using present technologies; 

9 (3) a resource plan that identifies when priority 

10 areas in need of modern ocean and coastal mapping 

11 surveys can be accomplished; 

12 (4) the status of efforts to produce integrated dig13 ital maps of ocean and coastal areas; 

14 (5) a description of any products resulting from 

15 coordinated mapping efforts under this title that im16 prove public understanding of the coasts, oceans, or 

17 regulatory decision-making; 

18 (6) documentation of minimum and desired 

19 standards for data acquisition and integrated 

20 metadata; 

21 (7) a statement of the status of Federal efforts to 

22 leverage mapping technologies, coordinate mapping 

23 activities, share expertise, and exchange data; 

24 (8) a statement of resource requirements for or25 ganizations to meet the goals of the program, includmstockstill on PROD1PC66 with BILLS

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1 ing technology needs for data acquisition, processing 

2 and distribution systems; 

3 (9) a statement of the status of efforts to declas4 sify data gathered by the Navy, the National 

5 Geospatial-Intelligence Agency and other agencies to 

6 the extent possible without jeopardizing national secu7 rity, and make it available to partner agencies and 

8 the public; and 

9 (10) a resource plan for a digital coast inte10 grated mapping pilot project for the northern Gulf of 

11 Mexico that will— 

12 (A) cover the area from the authorized 

13 coastal counties through the territorial sea; 

14 (B) identify how such a pilot project will le15 verage public and private mapping data and re16 sources, such as the United States Geological 

17 Survey National Map, to result in an oper18 ational coastal change assessment program for 

19 the subregion; 

20 (11) the status of efforts to coordinate Federal 

21 programs with State and local government programs 

22 and leverage those programs; and 

23 (12) describes efforts of Federal agencies to in24 crease private sector contracting. 

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1 SEC. 306. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS. 

2 (a) IN GENERAL.—In addition to the amounts author3 ized by section 306 of the Hydrographic Services Improve4 ment Act of 1998 (33 U.S.C. 892d), there are authorized 

5 to be appropriated to the Administrator to carry out this 

6 title— 

7 (1) $20,000,000 for fiscal year 2008; 

8 (2) $26,000,000 for fiscal year 2009; 

9 (3) $32,000,000 for fiscal year 2010; 

10 (4) $38,000,000 for fiscal year 2011; and 

11 (5) $45,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2012 

12 through 2015. 

13 (b) JOINT OCEAN AND COASTAL MAPPING CENTERS.— 

14 Of the amounts appropriated pursuant to subsection (a), 

15 the following amounts shall be used to carry out section 

16 304(c) of this title: 

17 (1) $10,000,000 for fiscal year 2008. 

18 (2) $11,000,000 for fiscal year 2009. 

19 (3) $12,000,000 for fiscal year 2010. 

20 (4) $13,000,000 for fiscal year 2011. 

21 (5) $15,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2012 

22 through 2015. 

23 (c) INTERAGENCY COMMITTEE.—Notwithstanding any 

24 other provision of law, from amounts authorized to be ap25 propriated for fiscal years 2008 through 2015 to the Depart26 ment of Defense, the Department of the Interior, the Departmstockstill on PROD1PC66 with BILLS

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1 ment of Homeland Security, the Environmental Protection 

2 Agency, and the National Aeronautics and Space Adminis3 tration, the head of each such department or agency may 

4 make available not more than $10,000,000 per fiscal year 

5 to carry out interagency activities under section 303 of this 

6 title. 

7 SEC. 307. DEFINITIONS. 

8 In this title: 

9 (1) ADMINISTRATOR.—The term ‘‘Adminis10 trator’’ means the Administrator of the National Oce11 anic and Atmospheric Administration. 

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

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

14 the Coastal Zone Management Act of 1972 (16 U.S.C. 

15 1453(4). 

16 (3) COMMITTEE.—The term ‘‘Committee’’ means 

17 the Interagency Ocean Mapping Committee estab18 lished by section 303. 

19 (4) EXCLUSIVE ECONOMIC ZONE.—The term ‘‘ex20 clusive economic zone’’ means the exclusive economic 

21 zone of the United States established by Presidential 

22 Proclamation No. 5030, of March 10, 1983. 

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

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

25 processing, and management of physical, biological, 

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1 geological, chemical, and archaeological characteris2 tics and boundaries of ocean and coastal areas, re3 sources, and sea beds through the use of acoustics, sat4 ellites, aerial photogrammetry, light and imaging, di5 rect sampling, and other mapping technologies. 

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

7 sea’’ means the belt of sea measured from the baseline 

8 of the United States determined in accordance with 

9 international law, as set forth in Presidential Procla10 mation Number 5928, dated December 27, 1988. 

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Calendar No. 90 

110TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION S. 39 

[Report No. 110

–39] 

A BILL 

To establish a coordinated national ocean exploposes. Atmospheric Administration, and for other pur- ration program within the National Oceanic and 

MARCH 27, 2007 

Reported with an amendment 

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