House and Senate committees advance reauthorization legislation for NOAA’s Digital Coast program

Key Takeaways

OCTOBER 21 UPDATE: On October 21, the U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation favorably advanced the Senate's companion reauthorization bill (S. 2245) out of committee. The Digital Coast Reauthorization Act now awaits a floor vote in both chambers of Congress.

On September 17, the U.S. House Natural Resources Committee unanimously passed the bipartisan Digital Coast Reauthorization Act (H.R. 4256), which would reauthorize the Digital Coast program through 2030. Advancing reauthorization for this program is vital to counties as it provides accurate, comprehensive information for coastal management and planning to communities across the country. The bipartisan reauthorization bill was introduced by Reps. Rob Wittman (R-Va.) and Dave Min (D-Calif.) 

What is the Digital Coast program?

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) Digital Coast program provides coastal mapping and environmental data to the public through a collaborative online tool that combines data from hundreds of public and private partners — including dozens of participating counties. NOAA additionally hosts training programs to ensure local users can leverage the full benefits of the initiative. NOAA first introduced Digital Coast in 2007 as an online platform for coastal management data. In 2020, President Trump signed the Digital Coast Act (P.L. 116-223) which designated Digital Coast as a congressionally recognized program. NACo strongly supported this action.

How does Digital Coast help counties?

Coastal counties need access to useful, high-quality data as they manage their water resources. Digital Coast is a successful program that helps counties make informed emergency management, environmental planning and infrastructure siting decisions by acting as a comprehensive source for coastal data. Reauthorizing the Digital Coast program ensures that counties will continue to have access to the data and resources local leaders need to be effective decision makers for their communities.

Next steps and additional information

The Digital Coast Reauthorization Act now awaits a floor vote in the U.S. House of Representatives before heading to the U.S. Senate for further consideration. NACo will continue to advocate for passage of this legislation. 

NACo is a member of the Digital Coast Partnership Advocacy Coalition and works to connect counties with Digital Coast resources. More information about NOAA’s Digital Coast program can be found here.