119-HR-187 Investigative Journalist Impact Analysis

Summary

• Purpose and scope: H.R. 187 directs Interior and the Forest Service to adopt shared standards for geospatial data on access, restrictions, and fishing rules for federal waterways, then digitize and publish those datasets on set timelines; it explicitly does not alter legal authority over navigable waters or fisheries. [1]Library of Congress — Text - H.R.187 - 119th Congress (2025-2026) | Congress.gov
• Status: Passed the House on January 21, 2025 and passed the Senate without amendment by voice vote on December 16, 2025. [2]Library of Congress — Amendments - H.R.187 - 119th Congress (2025-2026) | Congr…
• Baseline significance: Outdoor recreation accounted for 2.3% of U.S. GDP in 2023 ($639.5B value added), with boating/fishing the largest conventional activity—indicating a sizable user base for improved waterway information. [6]U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis — BEA News Release: Outdoor Recreation Satelli…
• Why it matters administratively: GAO has long found fragmented federal geospatial spending and duplicative datasets; common standards/interoperability are intended to curb duplication and improve discoverability. [7]U.S. Government Accountability Office — GAO-15-193: Geospatial Data—Progress Ne…[3]Federal Geographic Data Committee — FGDC Standards—NSDI | Geospatial Standards

Economic Effects

Likely impacts on businesses, labor, and markets.

• Reduced information frictions for operators and outfitters: Centralized, standardized maps of closures, no‑wake zones, seasonal rules, and access points can cut planning time and compliance errors for guides, marinas, rental fleets, and event organizers; fishing-restriction data must update in “real time,” while other layers refresh at least twice per year. [1]Library of Congress — Text - H.R.187 - 119th Congress (2025-2026) | Congress.gov
• Sector scale: With outdoor recreation contributing $639.5B in value added in 2023—and boating/fishing at $36.8B—marginal efficiency gains in information delivery plausibly produce meaningful aggregate benefits even if per-user savings are small. [6]U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis — BEA News Release: Outdoor Recreation Satelli…
• Coordination savings to government: Prior GAO work documents billions spent on geospatial investments and persistent duplication; using FGDC standards and the Geospatial Platform can reduce redundant collections and improve reuse. [7]U.S. Government Accountability Office — GAO-15-193: Geospatial Data—Progress Ne…[3]Federal Geographic Data Committee — FGDC Standards—NSDI | Geospatial Standards
• Third‑party innovation: The Act permits partnerships with states, Tribes, technology and geospatial companies, enabling commercial navigation and recreation apps to integrate authoritative restriction layers (e.g., closures, decontamination stations) with clearer licensing and update cadence. [1]Library of Congress — Text - H.R.187 - 119th Congress (2025-2026) | Congress.gov
• Navigation data caveat: The bill’s “bathymetric and depth charts, as feasible” language will rely on NOAA ENCs and USACE Inland ENCs; both agencies warn that viewers/derived products are not for official navigation—so H.R. 187 outputs should link to authoritative ENCs to avoid liability and user confusion. [5]NOAA Office of Coast Survey — NOAA Office of Coast Survey—Online Viewer disclai…[8]Data.gov / USACE / USDOT BTS — USACE Inland Electronic Navigational Charts—Data…
• Budget signal: As of December 18, 2025, Congress.gov lists no CBO cost estimate for H.R. 187; the text does not add new appropriations, implying agencies must absorb costs or seek annual funding. [1]Library of Congress — Text - H.R.187 - 119th Congress (2025-2026) | Congress.gov

Social Effects

Implications for users, communities, and equity.

• User safety and clarity: Consolidated maps of no‑wake zones, exclusion areas, speed limits, and seasonal closures can reduce confusion for visiting boaters. While causation cannot be claimed, safety context is material: the Coast Guard’s 2024 report counted 3,887 incidents and 556 deaths; top contributing factors include inattention, lookout, inexperience, and speed—issues that clear local rules may help mitigate. [9]USCG Boating Safety Division — U.S. Coast Guard—Accident Statistics (Boating)
• Access equity: Roughly 16% of U.S. adults are “smartphone‑only,” and broadband adoption is markedly lower among low‑income and rural households. Agencies should provide offline/printable and low‑bandwidth options and maintain public comment avenues to avoid widening digital divides. [10]Pew Research Center — Pew Research—Internet & Broadband Fact Sheet (smartphone-…[11]Pew Research Center — Pew Research (2024)—Americans’ Use of Mobile Technology a…
• Tribal and community coordination: The Act authorizes partnership with Tribal natural‑resource agencies, offering a mechanism to incorporate culturally appropriate access guidance while respecting data‑sovereignty concerns. [1]Library of Congress — Text - H.R.187 - 119th Congress (2025-2026) | Congress.gov
• Protection of sensitive resources: Statutes allow/require withholding precise locations of historic and archaeological sites from public datasets, addressing looting and resource‑damage risks as agencies publish new GIS layers. [4]Legal Information Institute (Cornell) — 54 U.S.C. § 307103 — Access to informat…[12]Legal Information Institute (Cornell) — 16 U.S.C. § 470hh — ARPA confidentialit…

Environmental Effects

Potential outcomes for ecosystems and resource use.

• Compliance with spatial rules: Publishing up‑to‑date closures, gear limits, no‑wake zones, anchoring limits, and catch‑and‑release requirements can improve adherence and reduce inadvertent violations, particularly in multi‑jurisdictional waters and around protected areas. NOAA and partners already host MPA inventories; aligning H.R. 187 datasets with these reduces confusion. [1]Library of Congress — Text - H.R.187 - 119th Congress (2025-2026) | Congress.gov[13]NOAA — NOAA National Marine Protected Areas Center—MPA Inventory
• Aquatic invasive species (AIS): Trailed boats are a documented vector; standardized, easily discoverable inspection and decontamination requirements can lower spread risk by improving boater compliance. Empirical literature notes continuing risk despite self‑reported “clean, drain, dry” behaviors. [14]US EPA HERO — Aquatic Invasive Species transport via trailered boats (Fisheries…[15]Web search · turn 5 #5
• Wake/vegetation impacts: Independent reviews find recreational boat traffic and mooring can reduce submerged aquatic vegetation and alter habitats important for juvenile fish, especially in constrained or sheltered waters. Clearer communication of no‑wake and sensitive‑area zones may mitigate these pressures. [16]Ambio (Springer) via NIH/PMC — Effects of boat traffic and mooring on aquatic v…[17]PubMed — Recreational boating degrades vegetation important for fish recruitmen…
• Noise and wildlife disturbance: Small recreational boats are a ubiquitous source of sound in shallow coastal habitats; mapping speed limits, exclusion zones, and seasonal protections may help managers target compliance. [18]Marine Pollution Bulletin (Elsevier) — Small recreational boats: ubiquitous sou…
• Emissions context: Recreational marine engines are regulated for exhaust and evaporative emissions under EPA rules; increased activity can raise local emissions absent cleaner fleets, but the Act itself is information‑only. [19]U.S. EPA — EPA—Regulations for Emissions from Marine Spark-Ignition Engines

Temporal Analysis

Short‑term versus long‑term effects given statutory deadlines and existing federal mapping programs.

1. 0–30 months after enactment: Agencies develop joint standards with FGDC (interoperability, formats, metadata). Near‑term effects are administrative (schema, governance, pipelines) with minimal on‑water change. [1]Library of Congress — Text - H.R.187 - 119th Congress (2025-2026) | Congress.gov
2. Up to 5 years: Agencies digitize and publish specified layers (access points, restrictions, navigation information, fishing rules). Most datasets must refresh at least twice per year; fishing restrictions update in real time. Expect gradual user adoption as private apps ingest feeds. [1]Library of Congress — Text - H.R.187 - 119th Congress (2025-2026) | Congress.gov
3. Beyond 5 years: If aligned to NOAA ENC/USACE IENC ecosystems and FGDC standards, datasets can converge into mainstream charts and compliance apps. NOAA is already rescheming ENCs toward the new S‑101 standard (production starting 2026), which favors deeper integration with machine‑readable layers. [20]Web search · turn 10 #8

Unintended Consequences

• Latency and error propagation: Twice‑yearly updates for many layers may lag behind on‑the‑ground changes; cross‑checks with state/local orders remain necessary to avoid outdated restrictions. [1]Library of Congress — Text - H.R.187 - 119th Congress (2025-2026) | Congress.gov
• Interagency overlap: Marine restrictions and MPAs also involve NOAA and fishery councils; without tight coordination, duplicate or conflicting polygons/rules could proliferate across portals. [13]NOAA — NOAA National Marine Protected Areas Center—MPA Inventory
• Sensitive‑site exposure: Even with statutory protections, implementing agencies must rigorously screen datasets to prevent revealing locations of cultural or archaeological resources. [4]Legal Information Institute (Cornell) — 54 U.S.C. § 307103 — Access to informat…[12]Legal Information Institute (Cornell) — 16 U.S.C. § 470hh — ARPA confidentialit…
• Digital divide: Heavy reliance on smartphone/web delivery risks excluding low‑income and rural users; agencies should provide offline, printable products and multilingual guidance. [11]Pew Research Center — Pew Research (2024)—Americans’ Use of Mobile Technology a…
• Funding/priority risk: No posted CBO score and no explicit appropriations in the text reviewed increase dependence on annual budgets and leadership attention for sustained data quality. [1]Library of Congress — Text - H.R.187 - 119th Congress (2025-2026) | Congress.gov

Assessment

Bottom line: analytical stance (not advocacy).

Overall stance: Favorable. The Act is narrowly scoped to data standardization and publication, addresses a real coordination gap highlighted by GAO, and serves a large, economically significant user base. Environmental outcomes hinge on better compliance with existing spatial rules rather than new use; confidentiality provisions reduce (but do not eliminate) disclosure risks. Execution risks—funding, data latency, equity of access, and alignment with NOAA/USACE authoritative products—are manageable with clear governance and disclaimers. [7]U.S. Government Accountability Office — GAO-15-193: Geospatial Data—Progress Ne…[6]U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis — BEA News Release: Outdoor Recreation Satelli…[1]Library of Congress — Text - H.R.187 - 119th Congress (2025-2026) | Congress.gov[5]NOAA Office of Coast Survey — NOAA Office of Coast Survey—Online Viewer disclai…

Key Metrics

Sources: BEA (2024 release for 2023 data); USCG Recreational Boating Statistics 2024; H.R. 187 text. [6]U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis — BEA News Release: Outdoor Recreation Satelli…[9]USCG Boating Safety Division — U.S. Coast Guard—Accident Statistics (Boating)[1]Library of Congress — Text - H.R.187 - 119th Congress (2025-2026) | Congress.gov

Sourcing (selected)

Primary documents and datasets used for this assessment.

• Bill text and status: Congress.gov H.R. 187 (text; actions/status through Dec. 16, 2025). [1]Library of Congress — Text - H.R.187 - 119th Congress (2025-2026) | Congress.gov[2]Library of Congress — Amendments - H.R.187 - 119th Congress (2025-2026) | Congr…
• Economic baseline: BEA Outdoor Recreation Satellite Account—national/state statistics (2023 release). [6]U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis — BEA News Release: Outdoor Recreation Satelli…
• Geospatial governance: GAO‑15‑193 on geospatial duplication; FGDC standards and GDA. [7]U.S. Government Accountability Office — GAO-15-193: Geospatial Data—Progress Ne…[3]Federal Geographic Data Committee — FGDC Standards—NSDI | Geospatial Standards
• Boating safety baseline: U.S. Coast Guard accident statistics (2024). [9]USCG Boating Safety Division — U.S. Coast Guard—Accident Statistics (Boating)
• Environmental literature: Effects of boat traffic on vegetation/fisheries; boat noise in shallow habitats; AIS via trailered boats. [16]Ambio (Springer) via NIH/PMC — Effects of boat traffic and mooring on aquatic v…[17]PubMed — Recreational boating degrades vegetation important for fish recruitmen…[18]Marine Pollution Bulletin (Elsevier) — Small recreational boats: ubiquitous sou…[14]US EPA HERO — Aquatic Invasive Species transport via trailered boats (Fisheries…
• Data‑quality safeguards: Cultural resource nondisclosure statutes; NOAA/USACE navigation disclaimers; NOAA MPA inventory context. [4]Legal Information Institute (Cornell) — 54 U.S.C. § 307103 — Access to informat…[12]Legal Information Institute (Cornell) — 16 U.S.C. § 470hh — ARPA confidentialit…[5]NOAA Office of Coast Survey — NOAA Office of Coast Survey—Online Viewer disclai…[8]Data.gov / USACE / USDOT BTS — USACE Inland Electronic Navigational Charts—Data…[13]NOAA — NOAA National Marine Protected Areas Center—MPA Inventory
• Digital access context: Pew Research on broadband and smartphone dependence. [10]Pew Research Center — Pew Research—Internet & Broadband Fact Sheet (smartphone-…[11]Pew Research Center — Pew Research (2024)—Americans’ Use of Mobile Technology a…