119-S-2245 Data-Driven Journalist Impact Analysis

Summary

What the bill does: amends the Digital Coast Act to require program data be “fully and freely available,” adds underground/subsurface utility data to covered datasets, and extends authorization to 2030. Likely effects: improved coastal hazard planning and infrastructure coordination, tempered by legitimate security and privacy considerations for critical underground assets. [1]Congress.gov — Text - S.2245 - 119th Congress (2025-2026)

• Coastal risk planning: NOAA’s interagency technical work projects 10–12 inches of U.S. sea‑level rise by 2050, which increases routine flooding; more open, interoperable coastal data can sharpen local adaptation choices. [2]NOAA National Ocean Service — 2022 Sea Level Rise Technical Report: Infographics
• Infrastructure efficiency: incorporating subsurface utility data aligns with FHWA evidence that Subsurface Utility Engineering (SUE) yields ≈$4.62 savings per $1 spent by reducing relocation conflicts and delays. [3]U.S. Federal Highway Administration — Purdue University Study – Cost Savings on…
• Data-economy gains: national elevation and coastal datasets produce significant benefits (e.g., 3DEP’s ≈$690M/year conservative benefits; potential in the low‑billions) when made free and widely usable. [4]U.S. Geological Survey — National Enhanced Elevation Assessment (3DEP) – Benefi…
• Guardrails needed: making underground infrastructure maps fully public can raise security risks; federal policy provides access‑tiering (public/restricted/non‑public) and PCII protections that agencies should apply. [6]resources.data.gov (GSA/OMB) — Supplemental Guidance on Implementing OMB M‑13‑1…[7]CISA — Protected Critical Infrastructure Information (PCII) Program

Note: Digital Coast is already a widely used NOAA platform with contributions from hundreds of partners; formalizing “fully and freely available” may primarily standardize and expand access, not create a new program. [8]NOAA OCM — Our Office – NOAA Office for Coastal Management (Digital Coast overv…

Economic Effects

Evidence-backed channels through which S. 2245 may influence costs, productivity, and markets.

• Reduced project delays and change orders: adding “underground infrastructure and subsurface utilities” to program data can enable SUE‑style conflict avoidance in transportation, broadband, and water projects (median 4.62:1 ROI; <0.5% of construction costs to collect QL‑A/QL‑B data). [3]U.S. Federal Highway Administration — Purdue University Study – Cost Savings on…
• Lower damage costs: better utility location data and easier access may reduce excavation damages; CGA has estimated societal costs around $30B annually (2019 benchmark), indicating a large avoidable loss pool. [9]ForConstructionPros (quoting CGA DIRT) — Excavation-related Damages to Utilitie…
• Productivity from open elevation/coastal data: national analyses of enhanced elevation show broad benefits across flood risk management, infrastructure siting, agriculture, and natural resources (hundreds of millions to multi‑billion per year). Free access is central to downstream private and public value creation. [4]U.S. Geological Survey — National Enhanced Elevation Assessment (3DEP) – Benefi…
• Return-on-investment within Digital Coast: NOAA reports user‑surveyed dependencies on Digital Coast resources and anticipates >400% ROI; specific tools (e.g., Sea Level Rise Viewer) have documented seven‑figure use‑case benefits. [10]NOAA OCM — About Digital Coast (ROI, training, tool benefits)
• Market dynamics: clearer open‑data defaults reduce acquisition and licensing frictions for small firms and local governments; OMB’s open data policy frames openness as the default, with exceptions for restricted data. [6]resources.data.gov (GSA/OMB) — Supplemental Guidance on Implementing OMB M‑13‑1…

Social Effects

Implications for communities, demographic groups, and vulnerable populations.

• Risk information for many residents: ~40% of the U.S. population lives in coastal counties; easier access to hazard, land‑use, and infrastructure data can improve local planning, communication, and insurance decision‑making. [11]NOAA OCM — NOAA Office for Coastal Management – Fast Facts (40% of population o…
• Public service continuity: integrating subsurface utility data supports emergency response and capital planning (e.g., alignment with HIFLD and FEMA geospatial resources used by state, local, and tribal partners). [12]CISA — Mapping Your Infrastructure: Datasets for Infrastructure Identification…
• Equity and inclusion: OSTP/CEQ’s federal guidance directs agencies to respect Indigenous Knowledge and data governance, relevant where coastal and subsurface datasets intersect with tribal lands or knowledge. [13]Web search · turn 9 #0
• Capacity gap: communities with limited GIS capacity may under‑utilize open datasets without training; Digital Coast’s training function partially addresses this by providing tools and courses for practitioners. [10]NOAA OCM — About Digital Coast (ROI, training, tool benefits)

Environmental Effects

Environmental performance, sustainability, resource use, and long‑term ecological outcomes.

• Sharper adaptation to sea‑level rise: interagency technical work projects that the U.S. will see as much sea‑level rise by 2050 as in the past century, driving more frequent high‑tide flooding; open coastal data and tools guide elevation standards, drainage, and nature‑based solutions. [2]NOAA National Ocean Service — 2022 Sea Level Rise Technical Report: Infographics
• Habitat and shoreline management: consistent, accessible coastal geospatial layers (imagery, land cover, elevation) support wetland protection, erosion control, and living‑shoreline projects with co‑benefits for biodiversity and surge attenuation. [10]NOAA OCM — About Digital Coast (ROI, training, tool benefits)
• Science-to-implementation pipeline: Digital Coast curates vetted datasets and tools from multiple NOAA offices, increasing the probability that best‑available science informs local ordinances and capital programs. [14]Web search · turn 1 #7

Temporal Analysis

How impacts may differ in the near term versus over time.

Unintended Consequences

Credible risks, trade‑offs, or side effects to monitor.

• Data quality and interoperability: Underground utility records vary widely; adherence to FGDC/NSDI and SUE quality‑level standards is necessary to avoid false confidence and mis‑locates. [5]Federal Geographic Data Committee — FGDC Policy Library – Access Guidelines for…[16]U.S. Federal Highway Administration — Applying Subsurface Utility Engineering (…
• Privacy and sovereign data: Some datasets (e.g., cultural resources, tribal knowledge) warrant restricted sharing under OSTP/CEQ Indigenous Knowledge guidance. [13]Web search · turn 9 #0

Assessment

Bottom‑line analytical judgement (not advocacy).

Neutral. The bill standardizes open access to coastal and related geospatial data and adds subsurface utility information, which is likely to yield measurable economic and environmental benefits if agencies rigorously apply existing federal access‑control, privacy, and cybersecurity frameworks for sensitive infrastructure information. [1]Congress.gov — Text - S.2245 - 119th Congress (2025-2026)[3]U.S. Federal Highway Administration — Purdue University Study – Cost Savings on…[6]resources.data.gov (GSA/OMB) — Supplemental Guidance on Implementing OMB M‑13‑1…

Sourcing

Principal sources informing this assessment.

• Bill text and status: Congress.gov S.2245 (actions; text). [1]Congress.gov — Text - S.2245 - 119th Congress (2025-2026)
• Sea‑level rise science and risk framing: NOAA 2022 Technical Report summary/graphics; USGS portal. [2]NOAA National Ocean Service — 2022 Sea Level Rise Technical Report: Infographics[17]USGS / NOAA Technical Report — Global and regional sea level rise scenarios for…
• Digital Coast program evidence (usage, ROI, training): NOAA Office for Coastal Management. [10]NOAA OCM — About Digital Coast (ROI, training, tool benefits)[8]NOAA OCM — Our Office – NOAA Office for Coastal Management (Digital Coast overv…
• Elevation data economics: USGS 3DEP / NEEA findings. [4]U.S. Geological Survey — National Enhanced Elevation Assessment (3DEP) – Benefi…
• Subsurface utility engineering outcomes: FHWA/Purdue ROI analyses. [3]U.S. Federal Highway Administration — Purdue University Study – Cost Savings on…
• Excavation damage costs baseline: CGA DIRT (2019 estimate ≈$30B). [9]ForConstructionPros (quoting CGA DIRT) — Excavation-related Damages to Utilitie…
• Security and access controls: OMB M‑13‑13 open‑data guidance; FGDC access‑risk guidelines; CISA PCII and HIFLD resources; CISA GeoServer advisory. [6]resources.data.gov (GSA/OMB) — Supplemental Guidance on Implementing OMB M‑13‑1…[5]Federal Geographic Data Committee — FGDC Policy Library – Access Guidelines for…[7]CISA — Protected Critical Infrastructure Information (PCII) Program[12]CISA — Mapping Your Infrastructure: Datasets for Infrastructure Identification…[15]CISA — CISA advisory: Lessons Learned from Incident Response (GeoServer CVE‑202…