Please contact your U.S. Congressman and urge a "YES" vote on S. 1069, the Digital Coast Act, which will be voted upon tomorrow, Monday, November 16 at 2:00 PM. Here are points you may wish to make:
This bill is the companion to H.R. 2189, bipartisan bill by Reps. Dutch Ruppersberger (D-MD) and Don Young (R-AK) that has been unanimously approved by the House Committee on Natural Resources, and was subsequently bundled into H.R.729, the Coastal and Great Lakes Communities Enhancement Act, that passed the House last December.
S. 1069 is a noncontroversial bipartisan bill sponsored by Senators Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), Dan Sullivan (R-AK) and Maria Cantwell (D-WA).
The bill elevates a project in the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) by authorizing it as a program. By consolidating coastal data from a variety of sources in one place and making it publicly accessible, the Digital Coast project is helping the nation’s Atlantic, Pacific, Gulf, Alaska and Great Lakes coastal management communities better plan for storms, flooding, natural disasters, as well as economic development and other challenges.
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 project. 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 users surveyed by NOAA indicated that their projects would not have been possible without the Digital Coast.
S. 1069 is supported by a broad coalition of organizations, including the American Planning Association, Association of State Floodplain Managers, Coastal States Organization, National Association of Counties, National Estuarine Research Reserve Association, National Flood Association, National Society of Professional Surveyors, National States Geographic Information Council, The Nature Conservancy, U.S. Geospatial Executives Organization, Geospatial Equipment and Technology Institute, and others.
Mention that your firm will be a user of Digital Coast data.
We respectfully urge your support and request voting in favor of passing S. 1069.
* * *
Either email offices now, or call Monday morning before 12:00 Noon EST
Contact members of the House of Representatives ONLY, not the U.S. Senate. To look up who your member of Congress is (by zip code), click here. Remember, your home and office may be in different districts. Contact both. Also, share this with your branch offices and employees.
