Referred to the House Committee on Natural Resources.
The bill directs NOAA to conduct a collaborative, high-resolution survey and mapping of the lakebeds of the Great Lakes, to be completed by December 31, 2030. It requires collection and cataloging of bathymetric data and metadata, coordination with states and regional entities, and public release of completed maps and related data (with full release, to the extent practicable, within 180 days after completion).
Views on federal spending magnitude and fiscal restraint
Relative to its intended legislative type, this bill functions as a focused administrative directive establishing a NOAA-led program to create and publish a high-resolution map of the Great Lakes lakebeds, with coordination requirements and an explicit funding authorization and deadline.
The bill directs NOAA to conduct a collaborative, high-resolution survey and mapping of the lakebeds of the Great Lakes, to be completed by December 31, 2030.
It requires collection and cataloging of bathymetric data and metadata, coordination with states and regional entities, and public release of completed maps and related data (with full release, to the extent practicable, within 180 days after completion).
The bill authorizes $50 million per year for fiscal years 2025–2029 (available through 2030) to carry out the mapping effort.
Technocratic, bipartisan-friendly subject and modest cost improve prospects, but passage depends on appropriations appetite and Senate floor time.
Relative to its intended legislative type, this bill functions as a focused administrative directive establishing a NOAA-led program to create and publish a high-resolution map of the Great Lakes lakebeds, with coordination requirements and an explicit funding authorization and deadline.
Views on federal spending magnitude and fiscal restraint
These are examples from the analysis, not a ranked list of the most-affected groups.
Views on federal spending magnitude and fiscal restraint
Generally supportive: sees the mapping as a public-good investment for conservation, habitat protection, and climate resilience.
Will note missing explicit tribal consultation and may want stronger environmental and equity safeguards; some impacts are speculative.
Generally favorable but pragmatic: welcomes improved mapping for navigation, safety, and resource management while watching costs, schedule, and overlap with existing programs.
Will emphasize oversight, clear deliverables, and intergovernmental coordination.
Cautious or skeptical: accepts potential navigation and economic benefits but worries about federal spending, bureaucratic expansion, and unintended regulatory uses of the data.
Support depends on demonstrating limited cost and state control.
Reached or meaningfully advanced
Reached or meaningfully advanced
Still ahead
Still ahead
Still ahead
Technocratic, bipartisan-friendly subject and modest cost improve prospects, but passage depends on appropriations appetite and Senate floor time.
The bill has not accumulated any surfaced votes yet.
Views on federal spending magnitude and fiscal restraint
Technocratic, bipartisan-friendly subject and modest cost improve prospects, but passage depends on appropriations appetite and Senate floo…
Relative to its intended legislative type, this bill functions as a focused administrative directive establishing a NOAA-led program to create and publish a high-resolution map of the Great Lakes lakebeds, with coordina…
Go beyond the headline summary with full stakeholder mapping, legislative design analysis, passage barriers, and lens-by-lens tradeoff breakdowns.