119-HR-4256 Data-Driven Journalist Impact Analysis

Document 119-HR-4256: Digital Coast Reauthorization Act of 2025 — Impact Analysis

Scope of analysis: Effects of reauthorizing NOAA’s Digital Coast through 2030, adding (a) an explicit “fully and freely available” data-access mandate and (b) explicit inclusion of underground infrastructure and subsurface utilities among priority data. Findings below synthesize statutory baselines, independent benefit-cost evidence for coastal geospatial data, and social/environmental literature. [2]Legal Information Institute — 16 U.S. Code § 1467 - Establishment of the Digita…

• Program baseline and cost scale: The Digital Coast program is currently authorized at $4M per year (FY2021–FY2025). Prior CBO scoring of the 2020 authorization indicated modest outlays relative to potential benefits, suggesting a low fiscal footprint for continued authorization. [2]Legal Information Institute — 16 U.S. Code § 1467 - Establishment of the Digita…[3]Congress.gov — S. Rept. 116-234 - Digital Coast Act (includes CBO estimate)
• Economic context: BEA estimates the U.S. marine economy at $511.0B of GDP and 4.5% employment growth in 2023—underscoring the relevance of coastal data to planning and risk management. [1]BEA — Marine Economy Satellite Account, 2023 | U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis…
• Evidence on benefits of coastal geospatial data and Digital Coast services includes: large national ROIs from high-quality elevation (3DEP), measurable training/time-savings from Digital Coast Academy, and improved hazard-mitigation targeting. [6]USGS — USGS Fact Sheet: The 3D Elevation Program—Supporting Oregon’s economy (n…[7]Resources for the Future — The Societal Value of NOAA’s Digital Coast

Economic Effects

Expected impacts on businesses, income, assets, employment, and markets.

• Planning efficiency and avoided losses: National studies underlying USGS’s 3D Elevation Program (widely used by Digital Coast) estimate conservative annual benefits of ~$690M and potential benefits up to ~$13B as high-quality elevation data propagate across sectors (flood modeling, siting, transportation). Reauthorization that sustains access and integration of these datasets is likely to preserve or increase these gains. [6]USGS — USGS Fact Sheet: The 3D Elevation Program—Supporting Oregon’s economy (n…
• Workforce productivity and private-sector uptake: Digital Coast training and decision tools generate measurable willingness-to-pay and time-savings; Resources for the Future estimates $1.8–$9.7M per year in societal benefits from training alone, with single-tool uses (e.g., Sea Level Rise Viewer) avoiding $1.1–$2.2M in an infrastructure siting case. [7]Resources for the Future — The Societal Value of NOAA’s Digital Coast
• Market transparency: BEA’s Marine Economy Satellite Account and NOAA’s ENOW data, disseminated via Digital Coast, inform local investment, lending, and permitting by quantifying sectoral composition and exposure, lowering information asymmetry in coastal economies. [1]BEA — Marine Economy Satellite Account, 2023 | U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis…[9]NOAA Office for Coastal Management — Economics: National Ocean Watch (ENOW) dat…
• Construction cost control via underground utility data: Adding subsurface utilities to priority datasets can reduce change orders, delays, and damage claims when paired with Subsurface Utility Engineering (SUE) practices; FHWA finds average returns of ~$4.6 per $1 spent across 71 projects, with qualitative benefits beyond measured costs. [10]FHWA — Purdue/FHWA SUE Study – ROI of Subsurface Utility Engineering
• Damage prevention externalities: Excavation damages to buried utilities impose multi‑billion‑dollar societal costs; better mapping and data-sharing can reduce disruption, liability, and business-interruption risk. [11]Web search · turn 6 #2
• Program cost scale: Prior CBO scoring for the 2020 Act showed low outlays (authorization of $4M/year) for program execution; extending to 2030 keeps costs limited relative to potential avoided losses and planning efficiencies. [3]Congress.gov — S. Rept. 116-234 - Digital Coast Act (includes CBO estimate)

Social Effects

Distributional consequences for communities and vulnerable populations.

• Risk information access: Digital Coast tools (e.g., County Snapshots, ENOW/Marine Economy resources) lower technical barriers for local officials and residents to visualize exposure to flooding, sea-level rise, and job impacts, aiding equitable outreach and grant applications. [12]NOAA National Ocean Service — Coastal County Snapshots Delivers New Tools, Data…[9]NOAA Office for Coastal Management — Economics: National Ocean Watch (ENOW) dat…
• Targeting vulnerability: NOAA-backed Social Vulnerability Index layers (SoVI) and FEMA-endorsed CDC SVI enable planners to overlay socioeconomic vulnerability with hazard exposure, supporting prioritization of at‑risk neighborhoods. [13]Web search · turn 8 #7[14]Web search · turn 8 #8
• Capacity building: Digital Coast Academy training has quantifiable participant value and helps smaller jurisdictions with limited GIS staff use best‑practice methods for benefit-cost analysis, siting, and communication. [7]Resources for the Future — The Societal Value of NOAA’s Digital Coast

Environmental Effects

Implications for sustainability, resource use, emissions, and ecosystems.

• Sea-level rise planning: The 2022 interagency technical assessment projects 10–12 inches of average U.S. sea-level rise by 2050, increasing high‑tide flooding and erosion risks. Digital Coast’s elevation/land‑cover integration and viewers operationalize these projections for local decisions. [15]NASA — Sea Level to Rise up to a Foot by 2050, Interagency Report Finds[16]USGS — Global and regional sea level rise scenarios for the United States (over…
• Habitat and land-cover intelligence: NOAA’s C‑CAP land‑cover products (1–30 m) support wetland, marsh, and dune conservation and nature‑based solutions, which are linked to reduced flood damages and long‑term ecosystem services. [17]Web search · turn 9 #0
• Avoided damages via natural infrastructure: Peer‑reviewed analysis of Hurricane Sandy indicates coastal wetlands avoided ~$625M in direct property losses region‑wide, illustrating the payoff to data‑informed conservation and restoration. [18]NIH/NLM — The Value of Coastal Wetlands for Flood Damage Reduction in the North…
• Pollution and safety co‑benefits: Improved subsurface utility data reduce accidental line strikes and spills, with FHWA citing reduced releases and safer worksites—lowering localized environmental harms during construction. [19]FHWA — FHWA: Subsurface Utility Engineering – Benefits and Guidance

Temporal Analysis

Short-term outcomes versus long-term consequences.

Unintended Consequences and Risks

Potential second‑order effects and how to mitigate them.

• Security sensitivity of subsurface data: Publishing detailed utility maps may elevate security and tampering risks; implement tiered access, aggregation, and masking consistent with PCII protections and agency open‑data guidance that is “open by default” but exception‑based for sensitive data. [5]CISA — Protected Critical Infrastructure Information (PCII) Program[8]Legal Information Institute — 6 CFR § 29.8 - Disclosure of PCII[4]Federal CDO Council — Phase 2 Implementation of the Evidence Act: Open Data Acc…
• Data governance and liability: Integrating non‑federal proprietary utility datasets may create IP, accuracy, and liability questions; adherence to standards (e.g., ASCE 38/75) and metadata quality levels can reduce disputes. [20]Web search · turn 7 #1
• Capacity gaps: Some smaller jurisdictions may lack staff to use advanced geospatial tools; sustained training and technical assistance (Digital Coast Academy) mitigates uneven uptake. [7]Resources for the Future — The Societal Value of NOAA’s Digital Coast
• Duplication risk: Without coordination, multiple agencies could collect similar coastal datasets; the statute’s FGDC/A‑16 coordination requirements are designed to minimize duplication. [2]Legal Information Institute — 16 U.S. Code § 1467 - Establishment of the Digita…

Assessment (Analytical Stance)

Bottom-line judgment on likely effects of H.R. 4256.

Overall stance: favorable. The program’s low federal cost and strong evidence of economic and resilience benefits from high‑quality elevation, land‑cover, and socioeconomic data—combined with measurable training value—suggest positive net impacts, provided the “fully and freely available” mandate is implemented with explicit safeguards for sensitive underground infrastructure data. [3]Congress.gov — S. Rept. 116-234 - Digital Coast Act (includes CBO estimate)[6]USGS — USGS Fact Sheet: The 3D Elevation Program—Supporting Oregon’s economy (n…[7]Resources for the Future — The Societal Value of NOAA’s Digital Coast[5]CISA — Protected Critical Infrastructure Information (PCII) Program

Key Metrics

Numbers that frame expected scale and direction of impacts (see sections above for sourcing and discussion).

Sourcing (selected)

Primary statutory, federal statistical, and peer‑reviewed sources underpinning this assessment.

• Statute baseline and coordination requirements: 16 U.S.C. §1467 (Digital Coast). [2]Legal Information Institute — 16 U.S. Code § 1467 - Establishment of the Digita…
• Program cost scale (prior CBO scoring of 2020 Act). [3]Congress.gov — S. Rept. 116-234 - Digital Coast Act (includes CBO estimate)
• Marine economy statistics (BEA Marine Economy Satellite Account, 2023). [1]BEA — Marine Economy Satellite Account, 2023 | U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis…
• Elevation data benefits (USGS 3DEP; Dewberry NEEA/3D Nation). [6]USGS — USGS Fact Sheet: The 3D Elevation Program—Supporting Oregon’s economy (n…
• Digital Coast societal value (RFF case studies). [7]Resources for the Future — The Societal Value of NOAA’s Digital Coast
• Sea-level rise scenarios (2022 interagency technical report, NASA/USGS summaries). [15]NASA — Sea Level to Rise up to a Foot by 2050, Interagency Report Finds[16]USGS — Global and regional sea level rise scenarios for the United States (over…
• Wetlands risk-reduction evidence (Scientific Reports; PubMed abstract). [18]NIH/NLM — The Value of Coastal Wetlands for Flood Damage Reduction in the North…
• Open-data policy and safeguards (OMB M‑25‑05; PCII statute/rules). [4]Federal CDO Council — Phase 2 Implementation of the Evidence Act: Open Data Acc…[5]CISA — Protected Critical Infrastructure Information (PCII) Program[8]Legal Information Institute — 6 CFR § 29.8 - Disclosure of PCII
• Digital Coast tools for local decision-making (County Snapshots; ENOW). [12]NOAA National Ocean Service — Coastal County Snapshots Delivers New Tools, Data…[9]NOAA Office for Coastal Management — Economics: National Ocean Watch (ENOW) dat…
• SUE/underground utilities ROI and safety (FHWA studies/guidance). [10]FHWA — Purdue/FHWA SUE Study – ROI of Subsurface Utility Engineering[19]FHWA — FHWA: Subsurface Utility Engineering – Benefits and Guidance