Digital Coast Reauthorization Act of 2025
Summary
What This Bill Does
This bill reauthorizes the Digital Coast Act through 2030. Digital Coast is NOAA's coastal data, tools, and training platform for coastal managers, planners, emergency managers, and communities. The bill amends section 4 of the Digital Coast Act so data must be readily accessible and fully and freely available. It also expands the listed coastal data content to include underground infrastructure and subsurface utilities data.
The practical effect is to keep NOAA's Digital Coast program authorized for five more years and to make its data-access and infrastructure-data expectations more explicit. Coastal communities, States, Tribes, local governments, and infrastructure planners can use those data for resilience planning, flood mapping, shoreline management, utility coordination, and hazard mitigation.
Who Benefits and How
NOAA Digital Coast program staff benefit from authorization through 2030 and clearer statutory direction for data availability. State coastal zone management agencies benefit from continued access to federal geospatial data, tools, and training. Local floodplain managers and emergency managers benefit from fully available data for hazard planning. Coastal infrastructure planners and utility mapping teams benefit because underground infrastructure and subsurface utilities are explicitly included. Coastal communities benefit from better public access to data used for resilience, redevelopment, and risk-reduction decisions.
Who Bears the Burden and How
NOAA data managers must maintain fully and freely available Digital Coast datasets and incorporate underground infrastructure and subsurface utility data where appropriate. Federal and State data partners may need to coordinate data standards, quality controls, and sharing arrangements. Coastal utility owners may face requests to provide or validate subsurface infrastructure information. Program appropriators bear the funding burden if Congress continues supporting the reauthorized program.
Key Provisions
- Extends Digital Coast Act authorization from 2025 to 2030.
- Requires Digital Coast data to be fully and freely available.
- Adds underground infrastructure and subsurface utilities data to Digital Coast data coverage.
- Preserves the program's role in coastal geospatial data, tools, and training.
Evidence Chain:
This summary is generated from the full bill text using AI analysis. Expand "Detailed Analysis" below for identified beneficiaries/burden bearers.
At a Glance
What This Bill Does
Reauthorizes NOAA's Digital Coast program through 2030, requires Digital Coast data to be fully and freely available, and adds underground infrastructure and subsurface utilities data to covered coastal geospatial data.
Key Policy Areas
Coastal Management, NOAA, Geospatial Data, Infrastructure
Primary Purpose
Reauthorizes NOAA's Digital Coast program through 2030, requires Digital Coast data to be fully and freely available, and adds underground infrastructure and subsurface utilities data to covered coastal geospatial data.
Policy Domains
House resolution provisions
Identified Gains
Contextual inference, no direct clause citation- NOAA Digital Coast program staff
- State coastal zone management agencies
- Local floodplain managers
- Emergency managers
- Coastal infrastructure planners
- Coastal communities
Contextual inference, no direct clause citation
Identified Costs
Contextual inference, no direct clause citation- NOAA data managers
- Federal data partners
- State data partners
- Coastal utility owners
- Program appropriators
Contextual inference, no direct clause citation
Sponsors
Legislative Progress
ReportedAdditional sponsors: Mr. Krishnamoorthi, Mrs. Radewagen, Ms. Elfreth, Mr. Ezell, …
Committed to the Committee of the Whole House on the …
Placed on the Union Calendar, Calendar No. 310.
Reported by the Committee on Natural Resources. H. Rept. 119-358.
Committee Consideration and Mark-up Session Held
Ordered to be Reported by Unanimous Consent.
Subcommittee on Water, Wildlife and Fisheries Discharged
Subcommittee Hearings Held
Referred to the Subcommittee on Water, Wildlife and Fisheries.
Introduced in House
Bill Structure & Actor Mappings
Who is "The Secretary" in each section?
- "noaa"
- → National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
We use a combination of our own taxonomy and classification in addition to large language models to assess meaning and potential beneficiaries. High confidence means strong textual evidence. Always verify with the original bill text.
Learn more about our methodology