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. KIL-
MER, Mr. PAPPAS, Ms. BARRAGA´N, and Mr. COHEN) introduced the fol-
lowing 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 com-
mittee concerned 
A BILL 
To improve data collection and monitoring of the Great 
Lakes, oceans, bays, estuaries, and coasts, and for other 
purposes. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Bolstering Long-term 
Understanding and Exploration of the Great Lakes, 
Oceans, Bays, and Estuaries Act’’ or the ‘‘BLUE GLOBE 
Act’’. 
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SEC. 2. PURPOSE. 
The purpose of this Act is to promote and support— 
(1) the monitoring, understanding, and explo-
ration of the Great Lakes, oceans, bays, estuaries, 
and coasts; and 
(2) the collection, analysis, synthesis, and shar-
ing of data related to the Great Lakes, oceans, bays, 
estuaries, and coasts to facilitate science and oper-
ational decision making. 
SEC. 3. SENSE OF CONGRESS. 
It is the sense of Congress that— 
(1) agencies should optimize data collection, 
management, and dissemination, to the extent prac-
ticable, to maximize their impact for research, com-
mercial, regulatory, and educational benefits and to 
foster innovation, scientific discoveries, the develop-
ment of commercial products, and the development 
of sound policy with respect to the Great Lakes, 
oceans, bays, estuaries, and coasts; 
(2) agencies should consider current and future 
needs relating to supercomputing capacity, data 
storage capacity, and public access, address gaps in 
those areas, and coordinate across agencies as need-
ed; 
(3) the United States is a leading member of 
the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission of 
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the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cul-
tural Organization, a founding member of the Atlan-
tic Ocean Research Alliance, and a key partner in 
developing the United Nations Decade of Ocean 
Science for Sustainable Development; 
(4) the Integrated Ocean Observing System and 
the Global Ocean Observing System are key assets 
and networks that bolster understanding of the ma-
rine environment; 
(5) the National Oceanographic Partnership 
Program is a meaningful venue for collaboration and 
coordination among Federal agencies, scientists, and 
ocean users; 
(6) the National Centers for Environmental In-
formation of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric 
Administration should be looked to by other Federal 
agencies as a primary, centralized repository for 
Federal ocean data; 
(7) the Marine Cadastre, a joint effort of the 
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration 
and the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, pro-
vides access to data and information for specific 
issues and activities in ocean resources management 
to meet the needs of offshore energy and planning 
efforts; 
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(8) the regional associations of the Integrated 
Ocean Observing System, certified by the National 
Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration for the 
quality and reliability of their data, are important 
sources of observation information for the Great 
Lakes, oceans, bays, estuaries, and coasts; and 
(9) the Regional Ocean Partnerships and re-
gional data portals, which provide publicly available 
tools such as maps, data, and other information to 
inform decisions and enhance marine development, 
should be supported by and viewed as collaborators 
with Federal agencies and ocean users. 
SEC. 4. DEFINITION OF ADMINISTRATOR. 
In this Act, the term ‘‘Administrator’’ means the 
Under Secretary of Commerce for Oceans and Atmosphere 
in the Under Secretary’s capacity as Administrator of the 
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. 
SEC. 5. INCREASED COORDINATION AMONG AGENCIES 
WITH RESPECT TO DATA AND MONITORING. 
(a) INTERAGENCY
OCEAN
OBSERVATION
COM-
MITTEE.—In addition to its responsibilities as of the date 
of the enactment of this Act, and in consultation with the 
associated advisory committee authorized by section 
12304(d) of the Integrated Coastal and Ocean Observa-
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tion System Act of 2009 (33 U.S.C. 3603(d)), the Inter-
agency Ocean Observation Committee shall— 
(1) work with international coordinating bodies, 
as necessary, to ensure robust, direct measurements 
of the Great Lakes, oceans, bays, estuaries, and 
coasts, including oceanographic data; and 
(2) support cross-agency and multi-platform 
synergy, by coordinating overlapping data collection 
by satellites, buoys, submarines, gliders, vessels, and 
other data collection vehicles and technologies. 
(b) FEDERAL GEOGRAPHIC DATA COMMITTEE.—In 
addition to its responsibilities as of the date of the enact-
ment of this Act, and in consultation with the National 
Geospatial Advisory Committee, the Federal Geographic 
Data Committee shall— 
(1) work with international coordinating bodies, 
as necessary, to ensure robust, continuous measure-
ments of the Great Lakes, oceans, bays, estuaries, 
and coasts, including satellite and geospatial data; 
and 
(2) support new and old data and metadata cer-
tification, quality assurance, quality control, integra-
tion, and archiving. 
(c) INTERAGENCY
COMMITTEE
ON
OCEAN
AND 
COASTAL MAPPING.—In addition to its responsibilities as 
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of the date of the enactment of this Act, and in consulta-
tion with its associated advisory panel authorized by sec-
tion 12203(g) of the Ocean and Coastal Mapping Integra-
tion Act (33 U.S.C. 3502(g)), the Interagency Committee 
on Ocean and Coastal Mapping shall— 
(1) work with international coordinating bodies, 
as necessary, to ensure robust, continuous satellite 
and direct measurements of the Great Lakes, 
oceans, bays, estuaries, and coasts, including bathy-
metric data; and 
(2) make recommendations on how to make 
data, metadata, and model output accessible to a 
broader public audience, including through geo-
graphic information system layers, graphics, and 
other visuals. 
SEC. 6. TECHNOLOGY INNOVATION TO COMBAT ILLEGAL, 
UNREPORTED, AND UNREGULATED FISHING. 
(a) DEFINITIONS.—Section 3532 of the Maritime Se-
curity and Fisheries Enforcement Act (16 U.S.C. 8001) 
is amended— 
(1) by redesignating paragraphs (6) through 
(13) as paragraphs (7) through (14), respectively; 
and 
(2) by inserting after paragraph (5) the fol-
lowing: 
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‘‘(6) INNOVATIVE
TECHNOLOGIES.—The term 
‘innovative technologies’ includes the following: 
‘‘(A) Improved satellite imagery and track-
ing. 
‘‘(B) 
Advanced 
electronic 
monitoring 
equipment. 
‘‘(C) Vessel location data. 
‘‘(D) Improved genetic, molecular, or other 
biological methods of tracking sources of sea-
food. 
‘‘(E) Electronic catch documentation and 
traceability. 
‘‘(F) Such other technologies as the Ad-
ministrator of the National Oceanic and Atmos-
pheric Administration considers appropriate.’’. 
(b) TECHNOLOGY PROGRAMS.—Section 3546 of the 
Maritime Security and Fisheries Enforcement Act (16 
U.S.C. 8016) is amended— 
(1) in paragraph (3), by striking ‘‘and’’ after 
the semicolon; 
(2) in paragraph (4), by striking the period at 
the end and inserting ‘‘; and’’; and 
(3) by adding at the end the following: 
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‘‘(5) coordinating the application of existing in-
novative technologies and the development of emerg-
ing innovative technologies.’’. 
SEC. 7. WORKFORCE STUDY. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Section 303(a) of the America 
COMPETES Reauthorization Act of 2010 (33 U.S.C. 
893c(a)) is amended— 
(1) in the matter preceding paragraph (1), by 
striking ‘‘Secretary of Commerce’’ and inserting 
‘‘Under Secretary of Commerce for Oceans and At-
mosphere’’; 
(2) in paragraph (2), by inserting ‘‘, skillsets, 
or credentials’’ after ‘‘degrees’’; 
(3) in paragraph (3), by inserting ‘‘or highly 
qualified technical professionals and tradespeople’’ 
after ‘‘atmospheric scientists’’; 
(4) in paragraph (4), by inserting ‘‘, skillsets, 
or credentials’’ after ‘‘degrees’’; 
(5) in paragraph (5)— 
(A) by striking ‘‘scientist’’; and 
(B) by striking ‘‘; and’’ and inserting ‘‘, 
observations, and monitoring;’’ 
(6) in paragraph (6), by striking ‘‘into Federal’’ 
and all that follows and inserting ‘‘, technical profes-
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sionals, and tradespeople into Federal career posi-
tions;’’ 
(7) by redesignating paragraphs (2) through 
(6) as paragraphs (3) through (7), respectively; 
(8) by inserting after paragraph (1) the fol-
lowing: 
‘‘(2) whether there is a shortage in the number 
of individuals with technical or trade-based skillsets 
or credentials suited to a career in oceanic and at-
mospheric data collection, processing, satellite pro-
duction, or satellite operations;’’; and 
(9) by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘(8) workforce diversity and actions the Fed-
eral Government can take to increase diversity in the 
scientific workforce; and 
‘‘(9) actions the Federal Government can take 
to shorten the hiring backlog for such workforce.’’. 
(b) COORDINATION.—Section 303(b) of such Act (33 
U.S.C. 893c(b)) is amended by striking ‘‘Secretary of 
Commerce’’ and inserting ‘‘Under Secretary of Commerce 
for Oceans and Atmosphere’’. 
(c) REPORT.—Section 303(c) of such Act (33 U.S.C. 
893c(c)) is amended— 
(1) by striking ‘‘the date of enactment of this 
Act’’ and inserting ‘‘the date of the enactment of the 
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Bolstering Long-term Understanding and Explo-
ration of the Great Lakes, Oceans, Bays, and Estu-
aries Act’’; 
(2) by striking ‘‘Secretary of Commerce’’ and 
inserting ‘‘Under Secretary of Commerce for Oceans 
and Atmosphere’’; and 
(3) by striking ‘‘to each committee’’ and all 
that follows through ‘‘section 302 of this Act’’ and 
inserting ‘‘to the Committee on Commerce, Science, 
and Transportation of the Senate and the Com-
mittee on Natural Resources and the Committee on 
Science, Space, and Technology of the House of 
Representatives’’. 
(d) PROGRAM AND PLAN.—Section 303(d) of such 
Act (33 U.S.C. 893c(d)) is amended— 
(1) by striking ‘‘Administrator of the National 
Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’’ and in-
serting ‘‘Under Secretary of Commerce for Oceans 
and Atmosphere’’; and 
(2) by striking ‘‘academic partners’’ and all 
that follows and inserting ‘‘academic partners.’’. 
SEC. 8. ACCELERATING INNOVATION AT COOPERATIVE IN-
STITUTES. 
(a) FOCUS ON EMERGING TECHNOLOGIES.—The Ad-
ministrator shall ensure that the goals of the Cooperative 
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Institutes of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Ad-
ministration include focusing on advancing or applying 
emerging technologies, which may include— 
(1) applied uses and development of real-time 
and other advanced genetic technologies and applica-
tions, including such technologies and applications 
that derive genetic material directly from environ-
mental samples without any obvious signs of biologi-
cal source material; 
(2) deployment of, and improvements to, the 
durability, maintenance, and other lifecycle concerns 
of advanced unmanned vehicles, regional small re-
search vessels, and other research vessels that sup-
port and launch unmanned vehicles and sensors; and 
(3) supercomputing and big data management, 
including data collected through electronic moni-
toring and remote sensing. 
(b) DATA SHARING.—Each Cooperative Institute 
shall ensure that data collected from the work of the insti-
tute, other than classified, confidential, or proprietary 
data, are archived and made publicly accessible. 
(c) COORDINATION WITH OTHER PROGRAMS.—The 
Cooperative Institutes shall work with the Interagency 
Ocean Observation Committee, the regional associations 
of the Integrated Ocean Observing System, and other 
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ocean observing programs to coordinate technology needs 
and the transition of new technologies from research to 
operations. 
SEC. 9. OCEAN INNOVATION PRIZE AND PRIORITIZATION. 
(a) OCEAN INNOVATIVE PRIZES.—Not later than 4 
years after the date of the enactment of this Act, and 
under the authority provided by section 24 of the Steven-
son-Wydler Technology Innovation Act of 1980 (15 U.S.C. 
3719), the Administrator, in consultation with the heads 
of relevant Federal agencies, including the Secretary of 
Defense, and in conjunction with nongovernmental part-
ners, as appropriate and at the discretion of the Adminis-
trator, shall establish at least one Ocean Innovation Prize 
to catalyze the rapid development and deployment of data 
collection and monitoring technology related to the Great 
Lakes, oceans, bays, estuaries, and coasts in at least one 
of the areas specified in subsection (b). 
(b) AREAS.—The areas specified in this subsection 
are the following: 
(1) Improved eDNA analytics and deployment 
with autonomous vehicles. 
(2) Plastic pollution detection, quantification, 
and mitigation, including with respect to used fish-
ing gear and tracking technologies to reduce or 
eliminate bycatch. 
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(3) Advanced satellite data and other advanced 
technology for improving scientific assessment. 
(4) New stock assessment methods using sat-
ellite data or other advanced technologies. 
(5) Advanced electronic fisheries monitoring 
equipment and data analysis tools, including im-
proved fish species recognition software, confidential 
data management, data analysis and visualization, 
and storage of electronic reports, imagery, location 
information, and other data. 
(6) Autonomous and other advanced surface ve-
hicles, underwater vehicles, or airborne platforms for 
data collection and monitoring. 
(7) Artificial intelligence and machine learning 
applications for data collection and monitoring re-
lated to the Great Lakes, oceans, bays, estuaries, 
and coasts. 
(8) Coral reef ecosystem monitoring. 
(9) Electronic equipment, chemical or biological 
sensors, data analysis tools, and platforms to iden-
tify and fill gaps in robust and shared continuous 
data related to the Great Lakes, oceans, bays, estu-
aries, and coasts to inform global earth system mod-
els. 
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(10) Means for protecting aquatic life from in-
jury or other ill effects caused, in whole or in part, 
by monitoring or exploration activities. 
(11) Discovery and dissemination of data re-
lated to the Great Lakes, oceans, bays, estuaries, 
and coasts. 
(12) Water quality monitoring, including im-
proved detection and prediction of harmful algal 
blooms and pollution. 
(13) Enhancing blue carbon sequestration and 
other ocean acidification mitigation opportunities. 
(14) Such other areas as may be identified by 
the Administrator. 
(c) PRIORITIZATION OF PROPOSALS.—In selecting re-
cipients of Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) 
and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) solicita-
tions and interagency grants for ocean innovation, includ-
ing the National Oceanographic Partnership Program, the 
Administrator shall prioritize proposals for fiscal years 
2021 and 2022 that address at least one of the areas spec-
ified in subsection (b). 
SEC. 10. REAUTHORIZATION OF NOAA PROGRAMS. 
Section 306 of the Hydrographic Services Improve-
ment Act of 1998 (33 U.S.C. 892d) is amended— 
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