Press Releases

WASHINGTON - Congressman Rob Wittman (R-VA-01), Congressman Dave Min (D-CA-47), Senator Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), and Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AL) introduced bipartisan, bicameral legislation to reauthorize the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) Digital Coast Program. As coastal cities face unique and complex challenges, this bill supports thousands of open-access datasets, interactive tools, and training to help local leaders strengthen the resilience of our coasts. This program sustains thousands of new high-technology jobs while providing necessary data to respond to growing challenges that our coastal communities face. Additional cosponsors of the Digital Coast Reauthorization Act include Congressmen Kevin Mullin (D-CA-15) and Buddy Carter (R-GA-01). 

“Virginia’s First District is home to vibrant coastal communities that rely on cutting-edge data and resources to thrive, especially in the face of challenges such as extreme weather and aging infrastructure,” said Congressman Wittman. “I’m proud to help introduce the Digital Coast Reauthorization Act alongside Rep. Dave Min, legislation that will reauthorize NOAA’s Digital Coast program. This vital program collects and distributes data that will help mitigate future weather-related issues and provides communities with the tools they need to expand and plan for the future.” 

“From extreme weather to competing demands for coastal property, our coastal communities need the best available resources to respond to the mounting threat of climate change,” said Congressman Min. “NOAA’s Digital Coast Program provides essential research and data to address the adverse effects of the climate crisis, all while creating thousands of high tech jobs around America. I’m proud to be leading the charge to protect Orange County’s beautiful coastline.”

“The Great Lakes are essential to the Wisconsin way of life and our economy, but make no mistake – they face some serious and unique challenges, and our local communities need tools and information to address them, keep families safe, and support our local businesses,” said Senator Baldwin. “I am proud to once again work with my Democratic and Republican colleagues to support our local coastal communities and ensure they have the resources and data they need to prepare for disasters, keep our water clean and safe, and make smart planning decisions for the future.”

“As we confront the escalating impacts of climate change, it is crucial our coastal communities remain equipped with the tools and data they need to adapt and thrive,” said Senator Murkowski. “The Digital Coast Program has proven to be a vital resource in this effort, providing essential information and support for our local leaders to make informed decisions.”

“Digital Coast represents the best of government at work,” said Sue Schwartz, FAICP, President of the American Planning Association. “It’s innovative, collaborative, efficient, bipartisan, and cost-effective; all while helping local communities make better decisions about how to tackle tough coastal challenges. Planners benefit from access to critical data that shapes the insights they bring to residents and local leaders. The American Planning Association strongly supports the reauthorization of this vital resource for protecting and planning our communities.” 

“The Association of State Floodplain Managers applauds Representatives Min, Wittman, Mullin and Carter for introducing HR4256 to reauthorize the Digital Coast Act,” said Chad Berginnis, Executive Director of the Association of State Floodplain Managers. “Digital Coast has proven to be an essential resource for communities and researchers working to reduce flood risk, guide responsible development, and strengthen coastal resilience. This legislation ensures continued access to the data, tools, and training that coastal managers rely on every day to make accurate decisions and smart investments to protect people, property, and natural resources.”  

“NOAA’s Digital Coast provides a one-stop shop for the data, tools and training that coastal managers and researchers use to learn and do their jobs. As a collaboration between the federal government and partner organizations and used extensively by the public and private sectors, Digital Coast is government at its most effective,” said Derek Brockbank, Executive Director of Coastal States Organization. “The Digital Coast Act will ensure this important resource for all communities is authorized and funded for the next 5 years.”  

“The Digital Coast Program provides critical tools and training to leaders in coastal counties. The Digital Coast Reauthorization Act of 2025 would ensure counties can continue to utilize the informative and actionable resources to strengthen coastal resilience and support sustainable development,” said Matt Chase, Executive Director for the National Association of Counties (NACo). “As part of the Digital Coast Partnership, counties thank Representatives Min and Wittman for their bipartisan leadership and urge swift passage of this legislation.” 

“Around the coasts, National Estuarine Research Reserves help thousands in communities respond faster to immediate threats and make informed decisions to reduce future risk and build long-term resilience. The Digital Coast is a unique, go-to resource for this work—providing trusted data, tools, and training grounded in real-world needs,” said Rebecca K. Roth, Executive Director of the National Estuarine Research Reserve Association. “We see every day how this national resource for resilience helps people and communities protect homes, businesses, infrastructure, and economies. We thank Representatives Min and Wittman for their leadership on this smart federal investment in safer, stronger coasts.” 

"The Digital Coast Program empowers coastal states with the tools and data they need to address real-world challenges—from flooding and hurricanes to smart growth and resource management,” said Ken Nelson, National States Geographic Information Council (NSGIC)President. “Continued federal support is vital to strengthening the geospatial foundation that drives both our economy and our national preparedness. Reauthorizing the Digital Coast Act ensures coastal communities have the high-quality data they need to plan, protect, and prosper.” 

“To make sure that people can enjoy everything our coasts have to offer, coastal managers need to have the right tools, data and training. The Digital Coast partnership provides those products and services,” said Stephanie Bailenson, US Federal Water Policy Team Lead at The Nature Conservancy. “We’ve seen in our work across the country how Digital Coast helps coastal communities address storms and flooding while strengthening local economies. We’re happy to see the sponsors of the partnership’s reauthorization bill demonstrate the continued bi-partisan support for the partnership.”

“The provisions of the Digital Coast Reauthorization will modernize the Digital Coast program and provide for the continuation of a sustainable program to utilize geospatial technologies to map and monitor the coastal waterways of the United States, providing an invaluable benefit to the public, and to the professionals whose charge is to protect their health, safety, and welfare,” said Timothy W. Burch, PLS, Executive Director of National Society of Professional Surveyors. 

“The Digital Coast Program is a balanced approach to environmental protection and economic development in our valuable coastal areas. This bill reauthorizes and modernizes a successful program that utilizes the talent of the private sector and intergovernmental agencies by providing data and services that are essential to the economic engine that is coastal America, while conserving it's precious natural resources through geospatial data and related activities,” said John Palatiello, Founder of U.S. GEO. 

“The Digital Coast Partnership Advocacy Coalition commends Senators Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) and Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) for introducing the Digital Coast Reauthorization Act. The Coalition also wishes to thank Representatives Dave Min (D-CA) and Rob Wittman (R-VA) for their leadership in introducing the companion bill in the House. The strong bipartisan support for this measure is a demonstration of its broad appeal and value to the nation’s communities. By consolidating coastal data from a variety of sources in one place and making it publicly accessible, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) Digital Coast program is helping the coastal management community better plan for storms, flooding, natural disasters, and other challenges that impact vulnerable coastal and Great Lakes communities. Data included in the Digital Coast ranges from surveying, mapping, geospatial, economic, demographic and ecosystem data to satellite imagery. In addition to making this data publicly available online, the Digital Coast provides a wide array of visualization and prediction tools that dramatically improve the effectiveness and efficiency of coastal management projects around the country. Over the next 15 years, NOAA predicts a 411 percent return on investment from the Digital Coast program. In addition to the return on investment, the Digital Coast has played a significant role in protecting communities and natural resources from damaging natural disasters. Furthermore, 75 percent of Digital Coast users surveyed by NOAA indicated that their projects would not have been possible without the Digital Coast. By having bipartisan and bicameral introduction of the Digital Coast Reauthorization Act, we deeply appreciate your recognition of the numerous benefits the Digital Coast can provide to coastal communities and those working to make them more resilient,” said John “JB” Byrd, Coordinator, Digital Coast Partnership Advocacy Coalition. 

“As our coastlines and beaches bear the brunt of extreme weather events, flooding, chronic erosion, sea level rise, and other hazards, coastal communities need every tool at their disposal to make informed decisions and plan for a safer, more resilient future,” said Emma Haydocy, Senior Manager of Coasts and Climate Initiative at the Surfrider Foundation. “NOAA's Digital Coast program makes invaluable data accessible to the American public in light of these challenges, and reauthorizing and expanding this program will help safeguard vital coastal resources throughout the U.S. for years to come.”

The bill is endorsed by Coastal States Organization, American Planning Association, Association of State Floodplain Managers, National Association of Counties, National Society of Professional Surveyors, U.S Geospatial Executives Organization (U.S. GEO), Surfrider Foundation, The Nature Conservancy, National States Geographic Information Council, National Estuarine Research Reserve Association, Quantum Spatial Inc., Wisconsin Society of Land Surveyors, and Digital Coast Partnership Advocacy Coalition.

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