House · HR 4256 · 119th Congress
Digital Coast Reauthorization Act of 2025
Summary
This bill extends the Digital Coast program through 2030. The program is run by NOAA and gives coastal communities free access to data and tools for managing coastlines. It also adds a requirement to include data on underground pipes and other buried utilities.
In Favor
Coastal communities rely on this program for maps and data to plan for storms and floods. Making all data free and open helps local governments and small towns that cannot afford expensive tools. Adding underground utility data fills a real gap for planners managing coastal infrastructure.
Against
This bill locks in five more years of NOAA spending with no performance benchmarks or chance to fix problems first. Requiring all data to be fully free removes any cost-recovery option, shifting the full expense to taxpayers with no offset. Adding underground utility data expands NOAA's mission without checking whether NOAA has the capacity or expertise to handle it.
Additional Considerations
Purpose & Problem
Is the problem real and worth federal action?
This bill extends the Digital Coast program run by NOAA through the year 2030. The program provides coastal data, tools, and training to help communities manage their coastlines.
Scope & Related Provisions
Does it stay focused, or carry unrelated add-ons?
The bill stays focused on the Digital Coast program. It adds a requirement to include data on underground pipes and utility lines, which directly supports coastal mapping work.
Who Is Affected
Who benefits, and who bears the cost?
Coastal communities and local governments that use NOAA data would gain broader access to that information. NOAA takes on new duties to keep data free and to add underground utility information.
Cost & Funding
Is it affordable and responsibly funded?
The bill reauthorizes an existing program but does not include a specific dollar amount in the source documents. It shifts new duties onto NOAA to expand data access and collect underground utility data at agency cost.
Risks & Implementation
What could go wrong in practice?
NOAA must collect and share underground utility and infrastructure data, which may be hard to gather from many different sources. Keeping all program data fully free and available requires ongoing agency effort and technical upkeep.
For the actual bill text, see congress.gov.
AI-generated · Published 7/24/2026