Sponsors (4)
The bill creates standardized, searchable geospatial data and clearer public maps that improve safety, agency coordination, and conservation compliance, but it raises costs, privacy and security risks, and could reduce local flexibility in managing waterways.
Recreation users (anglers, boaters, hikers) and small businesses get clearer, searchable maps and up-to-date notices of closures/restrictions and access points so trips are safer and accidental violations are reduced.
Federal, state, and local agencies gain standardized, interoperable geospatial data and definitions so they can coordinate better, avoid duplicate work, and apply fishing/waterway restrictions consistently.
Real-time and standardized maps make it easier for resource managers and anglers to comply with conservation rules (no-take zones, gear restrictions), supporting habitat and species protection.
Recreation users and local communities may face new or clarified federal restrictions on fishing and water access and local officials may lose flexibility if agencies assert broader federal control over waterways.
Developing, publishing, and maintaining detailed, real-time GIS datasets will require substantial staff time, IT resources, and ongoing costs that could divert agency funds from other programs and increase taxpayer expense.
Publishing geospatial data risks revealing sensitive locations (endangered species sites, archaeological/paleontological resources, private-use sites) unless strong redaction and privacy protections are enforced.
Based on analysis of 7 sections of legislative text.
Requires federal agencies to adopt common geospatial standards and publish searchable GIS data on federal waterways, access facilities, and fishing restrictions within set deadlines.
Requires key federal land and water management agencies to create common standards and publish interoperable GIS data describing federal waterways, public access points, and fishing restrictions. Agencies must adopt interagency standards within 30 months and digitize and publish specified geospatial attributes within five years, keep them updated, and allow public input. The law preserves existing navigability and fishery regulatory authority, permits coordination with states, tribes, and nonfederal partners (including third-party data agreements), and requires annual progress reports to Congress through 2034. It excludes certain irrigation features and protects sensitive archaeological and paleontological site information from disclosure.
Official title: To provide for the standardization, consolidation, and publication of data relating to public outdoor recreational use of Federal waterways among Federal land and water management agencies, and for other purposes.
Introduced January 3, 2025 by Blake D. Moore · Last progress December 26, 2025