I 

117TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 3748 

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

estuaries, and coasts, and for other purposes. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

JUNE 8, 2021 

Ms. BONAMICI (for herself, Mr. YOUNG, Mr. HUFFMAN, Mr. CASE, Mr. KILMER, Mr. PAPPAS, Ms. BARRAGA ́N, and Mr. COHEN) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Natural Resources, 

and in addition to the Committee on Science, Space, 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 improve data collection and monitoring of the Great 

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

purposes. 

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

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

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

5 Understanding and Exploration of the Great Lakes, 

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

7 Act’’. 


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1 SEC. 2. PURPOSE. 

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

3 (1) the monitoring, understanding, and explo4 ration of the Great Lakes, oceans, bays, estuaries, 

5 and coasts; and 

6 (2) the collection, analysis, synthesis, and shar7 ing of data related to the Great Lakes, oceans, bays, 

8 estuaries, and coasts to facilitate science and oper9 ational decision making. 

10 SEC. 3. SENSE OF CONGRESS. 

11 It is the sense of Congress that— 

12 (1) agencies should optimize data collection, 

13 management, and dissemination, to the extent prac14 ticable, to maximize their impact for research, com15 mercial, regulatory, and educational benefits and to 

16 foster innovation, scientific discoveries, the develop17 ment of commercial products, and the development 

18 of sound policy with respect to the Great Lakes, 

19 oceans, bays, estuaries, and coasts; 

20 (2) agencies should consider current and future 

21 needs relating to supercomputing capacity, data 

22 storage capacity, and public access, address gaps in 

23 those areas, and coordinate across agencies as need24 ed; 

25 (3) the United States is a leading member of 

26 the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission of 


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1 the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cul2 tural Organization, a founding member of the Atlan3 tic Ocean Research Alliance, and a key partner in 

4 developing the United Nations Decade of Ocean 

5 Science for Sustainable Development; 

6 (4) the Integrated Ocean Observing System and 

7 the Global Ocean Observing System are key assets 

8 and networks that bolster understanding of the ma9 rine environment; 

10 (5) the National Oceanographic Partnership 

11 Program is a meaningful venue for collaboration and 

12 coordination among Federal agencies, scientists, and 

13 ocean users; 

14 (6) the National Centers for Environmental In15 formation of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric 

16 Administration should be looked to by other Federal 

17 agencies as a primary, centralized repository for 

18 Federal ocean data; 

19 (7) the Marine Cadastre, a joint effort of the 

20 National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration 

21 and the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, pro22 vides access to data and information for specific 

23 issues and activities in ocean resources management 

24 to meet the needs of offshore energy and planning 

25 efforts; 


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1 (8) the regional associations of the Integrated 

2 Ocean Observing System, certified by the National 

3 Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration for the 

4 quality and reliability of their data, are important 

5 sources of observation information for the Great 

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

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

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

10 inform decisions and enhance marine development, 

11 should be supported by and viewed as collaborators 

12 with Federal agencies and ocean users. 

13 SEC. 4. DEFINITION OF ADMINISTRATOR. 

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

15 Under Secretary of Commerce for Oceans and Atmosphere 

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

17 National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. 

18 SEC. 5. INCREASED COORDINATION AMONG AGENCIES 

19 WITH RESPECT TO DATA AND MONITORING. 

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

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

23 associated advisory committee authorized by section 

24 12304(d) of the Integrated Coastal and Ocean ObservaVerDate Sep 11 2014 20:13 Jun 27, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H3748.IH H3748

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

3 (1) work with international coordinating bodies, 

4 as necessary, to ensure robust, direct measurements 

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

6 coasts, including oceanographic data; and 

7 (2) support cross-agency and multi-platform 

8 synergy, by coordinating overlapping data collection 

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

10 other data collection vehicles and technologies. 

11 (b) FEDERAL GEOGRAPHIC DATA COMMITTEE.—In 

12 addition to its responsibilities as of the date of the enact13 ment of this Act, and in consultation with the National 

14 Geospatial Advisory Committee, the Federal Geographic 

15 Data Committee shall— 

16 (1) work with international coordinating bodies, 

17 as necessary, to ensure robust, continuous measure18 ments of the Great Lakes, oceans, bays, estuaries, 

19 and coasts, including satellite and geospatial data; 

20 and 

21 (2) support new and old data and metadata cer22 tification, quality assurance, quality control, integra23 tion, and archiving. 

24 (c) INTERAGENCY COMMITTEE ON OCEAN AND

25 COASTAL MAPPING.—In addition to its responsibilities as 


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1 of the date of the enactment of this Act, and in consulta2 tion with its associated advisory panel authorized by sec3 tion 12203(g) of the Ocean and Coastal Mapping Integra4 tion Act (33 U.S.C. 3502(g)), the Interagency Committee 

5 on Ocean and Coastal Mapping shall— 

6 (1) work with international coordinating bodies, 

7 as necessary, to ensure robust, continuous satellite 

8 and direct measurements of the Great Lakes, 

9 oceans, bays, estuaries, and coasts, including bathy10 metric data; and 

11 (2) make recommendations on how to make 

12 data, metadata, and model output accessible to a 

13 broader public audience, including through geo14 graphic information system layers, graphics, and 

15 other visuals. 

16 SEC. 6. TECHNOLOGY INNOVATION TO COMBAT ILLEGAL, 

17 UNREPORTED, AND UNREGULATED FISHING. 

18 (a) DEFINITIONS.—Section 3532 of the Maritime Se19 curity and Fisheries Enforcement Act (16 U.S.C. 8001) 

20 is amended— 

21 (1) by redesignating paragraphs (6) through 

22 (13) as paragraphs (7) through (14), respectively; 

23 and 

24 (2) by inserting after paragraph (5) the fol25 lowing: 


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1 ‘‘(6) INNOVATIVE TECHNOLOGIES.—The term 

2 ‘innovative technologies’ includes the following: 

3 ‘‘(A) Improved satellite imagery and track4 ing. 

5 ‘‘(B) Advanced electronic monitoring 

6 equipment. 

7 ‘‘(C) Vessel location data. 

8 ‘‘(D) Improved genetic, molecular, or other 

9 biological methods of tracking sources of sea10 food. 

11 ‘‘(E) Electronic catch documentation and 

12 traceability. 

13 ‘‘(F) Such other technologies as the Ad14 ministrator of the National Oceanic and Atmos15 pheric Administration considers appropriate.’’. 

16 (b) TECHNOLOGY PROGRAMS.—Section 3546 of the 

17 Maritime Security and Fisheries Enforcement Act (16 

18 U.S.C. 8016) is amended— 

19 (1) in paragraph (3), by striking ‘‘and’’ after 

20 the semicolon; 

21 (2) in paragraph (4), by striking the period at 

22 the end and inserting ‘‘; and’’; and 

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


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1 ‘‘(5) coordinating the application of existing in2 novative technologies and the development of emerg3 ing innovative technologies.’’. 

4 SEC. 7. WORKFORCE STUDY. 

5 (a) IN GENERAL.—Section 303(a) of the America 

6 COMPETES Reauthorization Act of 2010 (33 U.S.C. 

7 893c(a)) is amended— 

8 (1) in the matter preceding paragraph (1), by 

9 striking ‘‘Secretary of Commerce’’ and inserting 

10 ‘‘Under Secretary of Commerce for Oceans and At11 mosphere’’; 

12 (2) in paragraph (2), by inserting ‘‘, skillsets, 

13 or credentials’’ after ‘‘degrees’’; 

14 (3) in paragraph (3), by inserting ‘‘or highly 

15 qualified technical professionals and tradespeople’’ 

16 after ‘‘atmospheric scientists’’; 

17 (4) in paragraph (4), by inserting ‘‘, skillsets, 

18 or credentials’’ after ‘‘degrees’’; 

19 (5) in paragraph (5)— 

20 (A) by striking ‘‘scientist’’; and 

21 (B) by striking ‘‘; and’’ and inserting ‘‘, 

22 observations, and monitoring;’’ 

23 (6) in paragraph (6), by striking ‘‘into Federal’’ 

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1 sionals, and tradespeople into Federal career posi2 tions;’’ 

3 (7) by redesignating paragraphs (2) through 

4 (6) as paragraphs (3) through (7), respectively; 

5 (8) by inserting after paragraph (1) the fol6 lowing: 

7 ‘‘(2) whether there is a shortage in the number 

8 of individuals with technical or trade-based skillsets 

9 or credentials suited to a career in oceanic and at10 mospheric data collection, processing, satellite pro11 duction, or satellite operations;’’; and 

12 (9) by adding at the end the following: 

13 ‘‘(8) workforce diversity and actions the Fed14 eral Government can take to increase diversity in the 

15 scientific workforce; and 

16 ‘‘(9) actions the Federal Government can take 

17 to shorten the hiring backlog for such workforce.’’. 

18 (b) COORDINATION.—Section 303(b) of such Act (33 

19 U.S.C. 893c(b)) is amended by striking ‘‘Secretary of 

20 Commerce’’ and inserting ‘‘Under Secretary of Commerce 

21 for Oceans and Atmosphere’’. 

22 (c) REPORT.—Section 303(c) of such Act (33 U.S.C. 

23 893c(c)) is amended— 

24 (1) by striking ‘‘the date of enactment of this 

25 Act’’ and inserting ‘‘the date of the enactment of the 


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1 Bolstering Long-term Understanding and Explo2 ration of the Great Lakes, Oceans, Bays, and Estu3 aries Act’’; 

4 (2) by striking ‘‘Secretary of Commerce’’ and 

5 inserting ‘‘Under Secretary of Commerce for Oceans 

6 and Atmosphere’’; and 

7 (3) by striking ‘‘to each committee’’ and all 

8 that follows through ‘‘section 302 of this Act’’ and 

9 inserting ‘‘to the Committee on Commerce, Science, 

10 and Transportation of the Senate and the Com11 mittee on Natural Resources and the Committee on 

12 Science, Space, and Technology of the House of 

13 Representatives’’. 

14 (d) PROGRAM AND PLAN.—Section 303(d) of such 

15 Act (33 U.S.C. 893c(d)) is amended— 

16 (1) by striking ‘‘Administrator of the National 

17 Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’’ and in18 serting ‘‘Under Secretary of Commerce for Oceans 

19 and Atmosphere’’; and 

20 (2) by striking ‘‘academic partners’’ and all 

21 that follows and inserting ‘‘academic partners.’’. 

22 SEC. 8. ACCELERATING INNOVATION AT COOPERATIVE IN23 STITUTES. 

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


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

3 emerging technologies, which may include— 

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

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

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

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

11 durability, maintenance, and other lifecycle concerns 

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

15 (3) supercomputing and big data management, 

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

18 (b) DATA SHARING.—Each Cooperative Institute 

19 shall ensure that data collected from the work of the insti20 tute, other than classified, confidential, or proprietary 

21 data, are archived and made publicly accessible. 

22 (c) COORDINATION WITH OTHER PROGRAMS.—The 

23 Cooperative Institutes shall work with the Interagency 

24 Ocean Observation Committee, the regional associations 

25 of the Integrated Ocean Observing System, and other 


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1 ocean observing programs to coordinate technology needs 

2 and the transition of new technologies from research to 

3 operations. 

4 SEC. 9. OCEAN INNOVATION PRIZE AND PRIORITIZATION. 

5 (a) OCEAN INNOVATIVE PRIZES.—Not later than 4 

6 years after the date of the enactment of this Act, and 

7 under the authority provided by section 24 of the Steven8 son-Wydler Technology Innovation Act of 1980 (15 U.S.C. 

9 3719), the Administrator, in consultation with the heads 

10 of relevant Federal agencies, including the Secretary of 

11 Defense, and in conjunction with nongovernmental part12 ners, as appropriate and at the discretion of the Adminis13 trator, shall establish at least one Ocean Innovation Prize 

14 to catalyze the rapid development and deployment of data 

15 collection and monitoring technology related to the Great 

16 Lakes, oceans, bays, estuaries, and coasts in at least one 

17 of the areas specified in subsection (b). 

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

19 are the following: 

20 (1) Improved eDNA analytics and deployment 

21 with autonomous vehicles. 

22 (2) Plastic pollution detection, quantification, 

23 and mitigation, including with respect to used fish24 ing gear and tracking technologies to reduce or 

25 eliminate bycatch. 


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1 (3) Advanced satellite data and other advanced 

2 technology for improving scientific assessment. 

3 (4) New stock assessment methods using sat4 ellite data or other advanced technologies. 

5 (5) Advanced electronic fisheries monitoring 

6 equipment and data analysis tools, including im7 proved fish species recognition software, confidential 

8 data management, data analysis and visualization, 

9 and storage of electronic reports, imagery, location 

10 information, and other data. 

11 (6) Autonomous and other advanced surface ve12 hicles, underwater vehicles, or airborne platforms for 

13 data collection and monitoring. 

14 (7) Artificial intelligence and machine learning 

15 applications for data collection and monitoring re16 lated to the Great Lakes, oceans, bays, estuaries, 

17 and coasts. 

18 (8) Coral reef ecosystem monitoring. 

19 (9) Electronic equipment, chemical or biological 

20 sensors, data analysis tools, and platforms to iden21 tify and fill gaps in robust and shared continuous 

22 data related to the Great Lakes, oceans, bays, estu23 aries, and coasts to inform global earth system mod24 els. 


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1 (10) Means for protecting aquatic life from in2 jury or other ill effects caused, in whole or in part, 

3 by monitoring or exploration activities. 

4 (11) Discovery and dissemination of data re5 lated to the Great Lakes, oceans, bays, estuaries, 

6 and coasts. 

7 (12) Water quality monitoring, including im8 proved detection and prediction of harmful algal 

9 blooms and pollution. 

10 (13) Enhancing blue carbon sequestration and 

11 other ocean acidification mitigation opportunities. 

12 (14) Such other areas as may be identified by 

13 the Administrator. 

14 (c) PRIORITIZATION OF PROPOSALS.—In selecting re15 cipients of Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) 

16 and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) solicita17 tions and interagency grants for ocean innovation, includ18 ing the National Oceanographic Partnership Program, the 

19 Administrator shall prioritize proposals for fiscal years 

20 2021 and 2022 that address at least one of the areas spec21 ified in subsection (b). 

22 SEC. 10. REAUTHORIZATION OF NOAA PROGRAMS. 

23 Section 306 of the Hydrographic Services Improve24 ment Act of 1998 (33 U.S.C. 892d) is amended— 


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1 (1) in paragraph (1), by striking ‘‘$70,814,000 

2 for each of fiscal years 2019 through 2023’’ and in3 serting ‘‘$71,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2021 

4 through 2024’’; 

5 (2) in paragraph (2), by striking ‘‘$25,000,000 

6 for each of fiscal years 2019 through 2023’’ and in7 serting ‘‘$34,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2021 

8 through 2024’’; 

9 (3) in paragraph (3), by striking ‘‘$29,932,000 

10 for each of fiscal years 2019 through 2023’’ and in11 serting ‘‘$38,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2021 

12 through 2024’’; 

13 (4) in paragraph (4), by striking ‘‘$26,800,000 

14 for each of fiscal years 2019 through 2023’’ and in15 serting ‘‘$45,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2021 

16 through 2024’’; and 

17 (5) in paragraph (5), by striking ‘‘$30,564,000 

18 for each of fiscal years 2019 through 2023’’ and in19 serting ‘‘$35,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2021 

20 through 2024’’. 

21 SEC. 11. BLUE ECONOMY VALUATION. 

22 (a) MEASUREMENT OF BLUE ECONOMY INDUS23 TRIES.—The Administrator, the Director of the Bureau 

24 of Economic Analysis, the Commissioner of the Bureau 

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


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1 the heads of other relevant Federal agencies, shall 

2 prioritize the collection, aggregation, and analysis of data 

3 to measure the value and impact of industries related to 

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

5 the economy of the United States, including living re6 sources, marine construction, marine transportation, off7 shore mineral extraction, ship and boat building, tourism, 

8 recreation, subsistence, and such other industries the Ad9 ministrator considers appropriate (known as ‘‘Blue Econ10 omy’’ industries). 

11 (b) COLLABORATION.—In carrying out subsection 

12 (a), the Administrator shall— 

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

14 Economic Analysis and the heads of other relevant 

15 Federal agencies to develop a Coastal and Ocean 

16 Economy Satellite Account that includes national 

17 and State-level statistics to measure the contribution 

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

19 coasts to the overall economy of the United States; 

20 and 

21 (2) collaborate with national and international 

22 organizations and governments to promote consist23 ency of methods, measurements, and definitions to 

24 ensure comparability of results between countries. 


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

2 years, the Administrator, in consultation with the Director 

3 of the Bureau of Economic Analysis, the Commissioner 

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

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

7 (1) defines the Blue Economy, in coordination 

8 with Tribal governments, academia, industry, non9 governmental organizations, and other relevant ex10 perts; 

11 (2) makes recommendations for updating North 

12 American Industry Classification System (NAICS) 

13 reporting codes to reflect the Blue Economy; and 

14 (3) provides a comprehensive estimate of the 

15 value and impact of the Blue Economy with respect 

16 to each State and territory of the United States, in17 cluding— 

18 (A) the value and impact of— 

19 (i) economic activities that are de20 pendent upon the resources of the Great 

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

22 (ii) the population and demographic 

23 characteristics of the population along the 

24 coasts; 

25 (iii) port and shoreline infrastructure; 


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1 (iv) the volume and value of cargo 

2 shipped by sea or across the Great Lakes; 

3 and 

4 (v) data collected from the Great 

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

6 including such data collected by businesses 

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

9 agricultural forecasting; and 

10 (B) to the extent possible, the qualified 

11 value and impact of the natural capital of the 

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

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

15 indirect values. 

16 SEC. 12. ADVANCED RESEARCH PROJECTS AGENCY– 

17 OCEANS. 

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

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

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

22 under subsection (b). 

23 (b) COMPREHENSIVE ASSESSMENT.— 

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


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

5 Oceans (ARPA–O) that operates in coordination 

6 with and with nonduplication of existing Federal 

7 oceanic research programs, including programs of 

8 the Office of Oceanic and Atmospheric Research of 

9 the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administra10 tion. 

11 (2) ELEMENTS.—The comprehensive assess12 ment carried out pursuant to paragraph (1) shall in13 clude— 

14 (A) an assessment of how an ARPA–O 

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

16 technological barriers in the development of 

17 ocean technologies, with the goal of enhancing 

18 the economic, ecological, and national security 

19 of the United States through the rapid develop20 ment of technologies that result in— 

21 (i) improved data collection, moni22 toring, and prediction of the ocean environ23 ment, including sea ice conditions; 

24 (ii) overcoming barriers to the appli25 cation of new and improved technologies, 


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1 such as high costs and scale of operational 

2 missions; 

3 (iii) improved management practices 

4 for protecting ecological sustainability; 

5 (iv) improved national security capac6 ity; 

7 (v) improved technology for fishery 

8 population assessments; 

9 (vi) expedited processes between and 

10 among Federal agencies to successfully 

11 identify, transition, and coordinate re12 search and development output to oper13 ations, applications, commercialization, and 

14 other uses; and 

15 (vii) ensuring that the United States 

16 maintains a technological lead in devel17 oping and deploying advanced ocean tech18 nologies; 

19 (B) an evaluation of the organizational 

20 structures under which an ARPA–O could be 

21 organized, which takes into account— 

22 (i) best practices for new research 

23 programs; 

24 (ii) consolidation and reorganization 

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1 fectuate coordination and nonduplication of 

2 such programs; 

3 (iii) metrics and approaches for peri4 odic program evaluation; 

5 (iv) capacity to fund and manage ex6 ternal research awards; and 

7 (v) options for oversight of the activ8 ity through a Federal agency, an inter9 agency organization, nongovernmental or10 ganization, or other institutional arrange11 ment; and 

12 (C) an estimation of the scale of invest13 ment necessary to pursue high priority ocean 

14 technology projects. 

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

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

17 submit to Congress a report on the comprehensive assess18 ment conducted under subsection (b). 

Æ 


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