Sponsors (19)
The bill funds high-resolution lakebed mapping that improves navigation safety, environmental management, and local planning while creating jobs, at the cost of several hundred million dollars in federal spending and potential resource diversion or limits on public data access.
Mariners, recreational boaters, and lakeside communities gain safer navigation and reduced hazard risk because high-resolution lakebed maps will be integrated into nautical charts.
Scientists, resource managers, and state agencies get detailed bathymetric and habitat data to improve fisheries management, habitat restoration, and hazard planning.
The public, researchers, and local planners benefit from increased transparency and access to completed map data, enabling local planning, research, and community decision-making.
Taxpayers face increased federal spending (about $250 million total over FY2025–2029) plus associated administrative costs.
NOAA coordination and mapping timelines could divert staff and resources, delaying other NOAA priorities or state coordination efforts.
If map data releases are delayed or restricted for security, privacy, or proprietary reasons, public access and the bill's intended benefits for researchers and planners may be reduced.
Based on analysis of 2 sections of legislative text.
Authorizes NOAA to produce a high-resolution Great Lakes lakebed map with associated metadata and funds the effort at $50M per year for FY2025–2029.
Introduced April 8, 2025 by Lisa C. McClain · Last progress April 8, 2025
Directs the NOAA Administrator to lead a coordinated effort to survey and produce a high-resolution map of the lakebeds of the Great Lakes, including collection and processing of bathymetric data and cataloging of associated data and metadata. Requires coordination with bordering State governors and agencies, regional observing networks, and federal mapping bodies, and requires NOAA to make completed portions publicly available and to release the complete map and metadata as soon as practicable and no later than 180 days after finishing the mapping effort. Authorizes $50,000,000 per year for fiscal years 2025–2029 (available through FY2030) to carry out the mapping effort and related activities, with funds to be used by NOAA to coordinate, collect, process, and publish the high-resolution bathymetric data and supporting metadata.