BLUE GLOBE Act

I 117TH CONGRESS 1ST SESSION H. R. 3748 To improve data collection and monitoring of the Great Lakes, oceans, bays, estuaries, and coasts, and for other purposes. IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES JUNE 8, 2021 Ms. BONAMICI (for herself, Mr. YOUNG, Mr. HUFFMAN, Mr. CASE, Mr. KIL- MER, Mr. PAPPAS, Ms. BARRAGA´N, and Mr. COHEN) introduced the fol- lowing bill; which was referred to the Committee on Natural Resources, and in addition to the Committee on Science, Space, and Technology, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the com- mittee concerned A BILL To improve data collection and monitoring of the Great Lakes, oceans, bays, estuaries, and coasts, and for other purposes. Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa- 1 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 2 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 3 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Bolstering Long-term 4 Understanding and Exploration of the Great Lakes, 5 Oceans, Bays, and Estuaries Act’’ or the ‘‘BLUE GLOBE 6 Act’’. 7 VerDate Sep 11 2014 20:13 Jun 27, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H3748.IH H3748 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 2 •HR 3748 IH SEC. 2. PURPOSE. 1 The purpose of this Act is to promote and support— 2 (1) the monitoring, understanding, and explo- 3 ration of the Great Lakes, oceans, bays, estuaries, 4 and coasts; and 5 (2) the collection, analysis, synthesis, and shar- 6 ing of data related to the Great Lakes, oceans, bays, 7 estuaries, and coasts to facilitate science and oper- 8 ational decision making. 9 SEC. 3. SENSE OF CONGRESS. 10 It is the sense of Congress that— 11 (1) agencies should optimize data collection, 12 management, and dissemination, to the extent prac- 13 ticable, to maximize their impact for research, com- 14 mercial, regulatory, and educational benefits and to 15 foster innovation, scientific discoveries, the develop- 16 ment of commercial products, and the development 17 of sound policy with respect to the Great Lakes, 18 oceans, bays, estuaries, and coasts; 19 (2) agencies should consider current and future 20 needs relating to supercomputing capacity, data 21 storage capacity, and public access, address gaps in 22 those areas, and coordinate across agencies as need- 23 ed; 24 (3) the United States is a leading member of 25 the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission of 26 VerDate Sep 11 2014 20:13 Jun 27, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H3748.IH H3748 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 3 •HR 3748 IH the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cul- 1 tural Organization, a founding member of the Atlan- 2 tic Ocean Research Alliance, and a key partner in 3 developing the United Nations Decade of Ocean 4 Science for Sustainable Development; 5 (4) the Integrated Ocean Observing System and 6 the Global Ocean Observing System are key assets 7 and networks that bolster understanding of the ma- 8 rine environment; 9 (5) the National Oceanographic Partnership 10 Program is a meaningful venue for collaboration and 11 coordination among Federal agencies, scientists, and 12 ocean users; 13 (6) the National Centers for Environmental In- 14 formation of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric 15 Administration should be looked to by other Federal 16 agencies as a primary, centralized repository for 17 Federal ocean data; 18 (7) the Marine Cadastre, a joint effort of the 19 National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration 20 and the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, pro- 21 vides access to data and information for specific 22 issues and activities in ocean resources management 23 to meet the needs of offshore energy and planning 24 efforts; 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 20:13 Jun 27, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H3748.IH H3748 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 4 •HR 3748 IH (8) the regional associations of the Integrated 1 Ocean Observing System, certified by the National 2 Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration for the 3 quality and reliability of their data, are important 4 sources of observation information for the Great 5 Lakes, oceans, bays, estuaries, and coasts; and 6 (9) the Regional Ocean Partnerships and re- 7 gional data portals, which provide publicly available 8 tools such as maps, data, and other information to 9 inform decisions and enhance marine development, 10 should be supported by and viewed as collaborators 11 with Federal agencies and ocean users. 12 SEC. 4. DEFINITION OF ADMINISTRATOR. 13 In this Act, the term ‘‘Administrator’’ means the 14 Under Secretary of Commerce for Oceans and Atmosphere 15 in the Under Secretary’s capacity as Administrator of the 16 National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. 17 SEC. 5. INCREASED COORDINATION AMONG AGENCIES 18 WITH RESPECT TO DATA AND MONITORING. 19 (a) INTERAGENCY OCEAN OBSERVATION COM- 20 MITTEE.—In addition to its responsibilities as of the date 21 of the enactment of this Act, and in consultation with the 22 associated advisory committee authorized by section 23 12304(d) of the Integrated Coastal and Ocean Observa- 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 20:13 Jun 27, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H3748.IH H3748 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 5 •HR 3748 IH tion System Act of 2009 (33 U.S.C. 3603(d)), the Inter- 1 agency Ocean Observation Committee shall— 2 (1) work with international coordinating bodies, 3 as necessary, to ensure robust, direct measurements 4 of the Great Lakes, oceans, bays, estuaries, and 5 coasts, including oceanographic data; and 6 (2) support cross-agency and multi-platform 7 synergy, by coordinating overlapping data collection 8 by satellites, buoys, submarines, gliders, vessels, and 9 other data collection vehicles and technologies. 10 (b) FEDERAL GEOGRAPHIC DATA COMMITTEE.—In 11 addition to its responsibilities as of the date of the enact- 12 ment of this Act, and in consultation with the National 13 Geospatial Advisory Committee, the Federal Geographic 14 Data Committee shall— 15 (1) work with international coordinating bodies, 16 as necessary, to ensure robust, continuous measure- 17 ments of the Great Lakes, oceans, bays, estuaries, 18 and coasts, including satellite and geospatial data; 19 and 20 (2) support new and old data and metadata cer- 21 tification, quality assurance, quality control, integra- 22 tion, and archiving. 23 (c) INTERAGENCY COMMITTEE ON OCEAN AND 24 COASTAL MAPPING.—In addition to its responsibilities as 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 20:13 Jun 27, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00005 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H3748.IH H3748 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 6 •HR 3748 IH of the date of the enactment of this Act, and in consulta- 1 tion with its associated advisory panel authorized by sec- 2 tion 12203(g) of the Ocean and Coastal Mapping Integra- 3 tion Act (33 U.S.C. 3502(g)), the Interagency Committee 4 on Ocean and Coastal Mapping shall— 5 (1) work with international coordinating bodies, 6 as necessary, to ensure robust, continuous satellite 7 and direct measurements of the Great Lakes, 8 oceans, bays, estuaries, and coasts, including bathy- 9 metric data; and 10 (2) make recommendations on how to make 11 data, metadata, and model output accessible to a 12 broader public audience, including through geo- 13 graphic information system layers, graphics, and 14 other visuals. 15 SEC. 6. TECHNOLOGY INNOVATION TO COMBAT ILLEGAL, 16 UNREPORTED, AND UNREGULATED FISHING. 17 (a) DEFINITIONS.—Section 3532 of the Maritime Se- 18 curity and Fisheries Enforcement Act (16 U.S.C. 8001) 19 is amended— 20 (1) by redesignating paragraphs (6) through 21 (13) as paragraphs (7) through (14), respectively; 22 and 23 (2) by inserting after paragraph (5) the fol- 24 lowing: 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 20:13 Jun 27, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00006 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H3748.IH H3748 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 7 •HR 3748 IH ‘‘(6) INNOVATIVE TECHNOLOGIES.—The term 1 ‘innovative technologies’ includes the following: 2 ‘‘(A) Improved satellite imagery and track- 3 ing. 4 ‘‘(B) Advanced electronic monitoring 5 equipment. 6 ‘‘(C) Vessel location data. 7 ‘‘(D) Improved genetic, molecular, or other 8 biological methods of tracking sources of sea- 9 food. 10 ‘‘(E) Electronic catch documentation and 11 traceability. 12 ‘‘(F) Such other technologies as the Ad- 13 ministrator of the National Oceanic and Atmos- 14 pheric Administration considers appropriate.’’. 15 (b) TECHNOLOGY PROGRAMS.—Section 3546 of the 16 Maritime Security and Fisheries Enforcement Act (16 17 U.S.C. 8016) is amended— 18 (1) in paragraph (3), by striking ‘‘and’’ after 19 the semicolon; 20 (2) in paragraph (4), by striking the period at 21 the end and inserting ‘‘; and’’; and 22 (3) by adding at the end the following: 23 VerDate Sep 11 2014 20:13 Jun 27, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00007 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H3748.IH H3748 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 8 •HR 3748 IH ‘‘(5) coordinating the application of existing in- 1 novative technologies and the development of emerg- 2 ing innovative technologies.’’. 3 SEC. 7. WORKFORCE STUDY. 4 (a) IN GENERAL.—Section 303(a) of the America 5 COMPETES Reauthorization Act of 2010 (33 U.S.C. 6 893c(a)) is amended— 7 (1) in the matter preceding paragraph (1), by 8 striking ‘‘Secretary of Commerce’’ and inserting 9 ‘‘Under Secretary of Commerce for Oceans and At- 10 mosphere’’; 11 (2) in paragraph (2), by inserting ‘‘, skillsets, 12 or credentials’’ after ‘‘degrees’’; 13 (3) in paragraph (3), by inserting ‘‘or highly 14 qualified technical professionals and tradespeople’’ 15 after ‘‘atmospheric scientists’’; 16 (4) in paragraph (4), by inserting ‘‘, skillsets, 17 or credentials’’ after ‘‘degrees’’; 18 (5) in paragraph (5)— 19 (A) by striking ‘‘scientist’’; and 20 (B) by striking ‘‘; and’’ and inserting ‘‘, 21 observations, and monitoring;’’ 22 (6) in paragraph (6), by striking ‘‘into Federal’’ 23 and all that follows and inserting ‘‘, technical profes- 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 20:13 Jun 27, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00008 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H3748.IH H3748 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 9 •HR 3748 IH sionals, and tradespeople into Federal career posi- 1 tions;’’ 2 (7) by redesignating paragraphs (2) through 3 (6) as paragraphs (3) through (7), respectively; 4 (8) by inserting after paragraph (1) the fol- 5 lowing: 6 ‘‘(2) whether there is a shortage in the number 7 of individuals with technical or trade-based skillsets 8 or credentials suited to a career in oceanic and at- 9 mospheric data collection, processing, satellite pro- 10 duction, or satellite operations;’’; and 11 (9) by adding at the end the following: 12 ‘‘(8) workforce diversity and actions the Fed- 13 eral Government can take to increase diversity in the 14 scientific workforce; and 15 ‘‘(9) actions the Federal Government can take 16 to shorten the hiring backlog for such workforce.’’. 17 (b) COORDINATION.—Section 303(b) of such Act (33 18 U.S.C. 893c(b)) is amended by striking ‘‘Secretary of 19 Commerce’’ and inserting ‘‘Under Secretary of Commerce 20 for Oceans and Atmosphere’’. 21 (c) REPORT.—Section 303(c) of such Act (33 U.S.C. 22 893c(c)) is amended— 23 (1) by striking ‘‘the date of enactment of this 24 Act’’ and inserting ‘‘the date of the enactment of the 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 20:13 Jun 27, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00009 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H3748.IH H3748 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 10 •HR 3748 IH Bolstering Long-term Understanding and Explo- 1 ration of the Great Lakes, Oceans, Bays, and Estu- 2 aries Act’’; 3 (2) by striking ‘‘Secretary of Commerce’’ and 4 inserting ‘‘Under Secretary of Commerce for Oceans 5 and Atmosphere’’; and 6 (3) by striking ‘‘to each committee’’ and all 7 that follows through ‘‘section 302 of this Act’’ and 8 inserting ‘‘to the Committee on Commerce, Science, 9 and Transportation of the Senate and the Com- 10 mittee on Natural Resources and the Committee on 11 Science, Space, and Technology of the House of 12 Representatives’’. 13 (d) PROGRAM AND PLAN.—Section 303(d) of such 14 Act (33 U.S.C. 893c(d)) is amended— 15 (1) by striking ‘‘Administrator of the National 16 Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’’ and in- 17 serting ‘‘Under Secretary of Commerce for Oceans 18 and Atmosphere’’; and 19 (2) by striking ‘‘academic partners’’ and all 20 that follows and inserting ‘‘academic partners.’’. 21 SEC. 8. ACCELERATING INNOVATION AT COOPERATIVE IN- 22 STITUTES. 23 (a) FOCUS ON EMERGING TECHNOLOGIES.—The Ad- 24 ministrator shall ensure that the goals of the Cooperative 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 20:13 Jun 27, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00010 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H3748.IH H3748 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 11 •HR 3748 IH Institutes of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Ad- 1 ministration include focusing on advancing or applying 2 emerging technologies, which may include— 3 (1) applied uses and development of real-time 4 and other advanced genetic technologies and applica- 5 tions, including such technologies and applications 6 that derive genetic material directly from environ- 7 mental samples without any obvious signs of biologi- 8 cal source material; 9 (2) deployment of, and improvements to, the 10 durability, maintenance, and other lifecycle concerns 11 of advanced unmanned vehicles, regional small re- 12 search vessels, and other research vessels that sup- 13 port and launch unmanned vehicles and sensors; and 14 (3) supercomputing and big data management, 15 including data collected through electronic moni- 16 toring and remote sensing. 17 (b) DATA SHARING.—Each Cooperative Institute 18 shall ensure that data collected from the work of the insti- 19 tute, other than classified, confidential, or proprietary 20 data, are archived and made publicly accessible. 21 (c) COORDINATION WITH OTHER PROGRAMS.—The 22 Cooperative Institutes shall work with the Interagency 23 Ocean Observation Committee, the regional associations 24 of the Integrated Ocean Observing System, and other 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 20:13 Jun 27, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00011 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H3748.IH H3748 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 12 •HR 3748 IH ocean observing programs to coordinate technology needs 1 and the transition of new technologies from research to 2 operations. 3 SEC. 9. OCEAN INNOVATION PRIZE AND PRIORITIZATION. 4 (a) OCEAN INNOVATIVE PRIZES.—Not later than 4 5 years after the date of the enactment of this Act, and 6 under the authority provided by section 24 of the Steven- 7 son-Wydler Technology Innovation Act of 1980 (15 U.S.C. 8 3719), the Administrator, in consultation with the heads 9 of re [Text truncated for display. Full text available on Congress.gov.]