Volume 153, No. 83 covering the 1st Session of the 110th Congress (2007 - 2008) was published by the Congressional Record.
The Congressional Record is a unique source of public documentation. It started in 1873, documenting nearly all the major and minor policies being discussed and debated.
“INTRODUCTION OF THE OCEAN AND COASTAL MAPPING INTEGRATION ACT” mentioning the Environmental Protection Agency was published in the Extensions of Remarks section on pages E1108-E1109 on May 21, 2007.
The publication is reproduced in full below:
INTRODUCTION OF THE OCEAN AND COASTAL MAPPING INTEGRATION ACT
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HON. MADELEINE Z. BORDALLO
of guam
in the house of representatives
Monday, May 21, 2007
Ms. BORDALLO. Madam Speaker, Thomas Jefferson, in 1807, signed into law an Act requiring the President ``to cause a survey to be taken of the coast of the United States . . . together with such other matters as he may deem proper for completing an accurate chart of every part of the coasts.'' The mapping and charting of our coasts and marine waters continues to be an issue of great national importance two hundred years later.
President Jefferson's original intent with that Act was to provide seafarers with nautical charts that would allow for them to safely navigate in the new nation's coastal waters. Since that time, our mapping needs have expanded significantly, and federal agencies have risen to the occasion. Today, at least ten federal agencies conduct mapping and surveying activities to support myriad U.S. interests. Mapping continues, of course, to be done to ensure safe navigation. Understanding the contours of our ocean's floors is imperative for national security. Hydrographic surveys are used to locate and protect cultural resources, such as shipwrecks, and natural formations and other areas worthy of protection. We use them to identify sensitive habitats, and to manage and conserve fishery resources and protected species. Mapping efforts are conducted to identify sources of energy for the country, and to ensure that energy development is done in a way that is compatible with other uses of our oceans, and that protects the natural resources that exist there. Mapping is, in addition, necessary to ensure that ocean observation platforms are sited in a similarly sensitive way.
These ten agencies, along with dozens of private entities, academic institutions, and state and territorial agencies, conduct these activities in a largely, if not entirely, uncoordinated matter. Agencies may use a variety of techniques and spatial frameworks in collecting data and developing products, which leads to incompatibility between data sets and products from one agency to another. One agency is generally unaware of mapping efforts being undertaken by other entities, leading to redundant efforts and unnecessary spending. In addition, these data are not easily accessible, and there exists no central portal through which they can be obtained. The lack of availability means that the public and private sectors both miss out on a significant and useful informational resource.
As you are well aware, the U.S. Commission on Ocean Policy released a report at the request of the President recommending actions needed to improve ocean policy in the United States. The work of this Commission, as well as that of the Pew Oceans Commission, is being carried on and championed by the Joint Ocean Commission Initiative. The Subcommittee on Fisheries, Wildlife and Oceans, which I chair, held a hearing on March 29, 2007, to learn of the most pressing problems with our current ocean management system. A recurring theme during this hearing was that the lack of coordination between federal agencies and other levels of government is a serious shortcoming of our current ocean management framework. It is in the spirit of this need for better coordination that I introduce today the Ocean and Coastal Mapping Integration Act.
Among the suggestions made by the U.S. Commission on Ocean Policy was a recommendation that existing federal mapping activities be consolidated and coordinated, and that the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) lead this effort. At the same time, the National Research Council (NRC) completed a study to identify the most pressing national needs for coastal mapping and charting. This study, requested by NOAA, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and the United States Geological Survey (USGS), three of the primary agencies involved in ocean and coastal surveys, identified the same need for coordination. Their findings included a need for a consistent spatial framework, increased access to geospatial data and mapping products, and increased inter- and intra-agency communication, cooperation, and coordination. The bili that I have introduced today is a direct response to these recommendations.
I have already described the myriad reasons for mapping our oceans and coasts. As a resident of the island of Guam, whose Exclusive Economic Zone includes approximately 80,000 square miles of ocean, it is easy for me to understand the urgency of these needs. I recognize, however, that many Americans, especially those that do not live on the coast, may not share a similar appreciation for the need to improve our country's capabilities in this area. For them, I offer a more simple statement of need. And that is, are not the lands that lay beneath our waters as much a part of this country and our resources as those that lie on our highest peaks and in our deepest valleys? We have mapped every plateau, river, and canyon across our landscape, but have very little detailed information on what lies beneath the waters of our Exclusive Economic Zone and the Great Lakes. Where would we be if 200 years ago Thomas Jefferson had not sent Lewis and Clark out to explore the uncharted West? The need for improving our mapping and charting capabilities could be as simple as a desire to fully understand the extent and nature of our resources.
For some, the thirst for knowledge and to learn what lies beneath our waters may not be a compelling argument for seeking to improve our ocean and coastal mapping capabilities. The issue, however, can be further explained and reframed. If the United States Senate were to ratify the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, we will have the opportunity to extend our seaward claim to the edge of our continental shelf, where an estimated $1.3 trillion in oil, mineral, and sedentary species resources lie. Without proof of the extent of that shelf, we forgo these claims.
It is in the interest of national and economic security, the advancement of ocean science, the protection of our cultural and natural resources, and safety of navigation to better coordinate the ocean and coastal mapping capabilities of the United States. By passing this Act, Congress will ensure that our mapping and charting needs are met in an efficient and coordinated manner, that ocean science will advance, and that ocean exploration technologies will continue to develop. It is my hope that my colleagues will support this bill and that they will join me in ensuring that federal agencies' mapping and charting capabilities and products are developed and utilized to their full potential.
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