Sponsors (19)
The bill funds and requires creation and public release of a high-resolution Great Lakes bathymetry dataset—improving navigation safety, science, and planning—while costing taxpayers about $250M and imposing coordination and implementation burdens on federal and state agencies.
Commercial and recreational mariners, plus local harbor operators and emergency responders, will have safer navigation because NOAA must publish completed high-resolution Great Lakes bathymetry and integrate it into nautical charts.
Researchers, state agencies, regional observing systems, and the public will get access to a complete high-resolution bathymetric map of the Great Lakes by Dec 31, 2030, improving scientific understanding, habitat management, and regional resource planning.
State governments, regional observing systems, and NOAA will receive sustained federal funding (authorizes $50M/year FY2025–FY2029) to complete mapping and coordinate efforts across jurisdictions.
Taxpayers will finance roughly $250 million in authorized spending over five years (plus additional implementation costs), which could crowd out other federal priorities or require trade-offs at budget time.
NOAA, state agencies, and regional observing systems may face increased workload, coordination costs, and potential conflicts with existing data-processing, security, or privacy rules—possibly delaying releases or raising administrative burdens.
Based on analysis of 2 sections of legislative text.
Authorizes NOAA to lead a high‑resolution Great Lakes lakebed mapping effort and funds it at $50M/year for FY2025–FY2029, with data publicly archived and integrated into navigation products.
Official title: To direct the Administrator of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to conduct high-resolution surveying and mapping of the lakebeds of the Great Lakes, and for other purposes.
Introduced April 8, 2025 by Lisa C. McClain · Last progress April 8, 2025
Directs NOAA to lead a coordinated effort to produce a high‑resolution survey and public map of Great Lakes lakebeds, requiring data cataloging, archival, and incorporation into navigation products. It authorizes $50 million per year for FY2025–FY2029 (available through FY2030) and requires coordination with states, regional observing systems, and federal mapping councils while preserving existing mapping procedures under current law.