WASHINGTON, DC – U.S. Sen. Cory Booker (D-NJ) joined U.S. Senators Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) and Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) in cosponsoring bipartisan legislation, the Digital Coast Act, to help coastal communities better prepare for, powerful storm events, strengthen coastal development planning efforts and protect shoreline resources vital to the United States economy.
“Smart planning is essential to environmental protection, disaster preparedness, and economic investment,” said Senator Booker. “But you can’t plan well if you don’t have good data. The Digital Coast Act will help New Jersey coastal communities gain access to NOAA’s data that is so critical to protecting and restoring our coast.”
“Wisconsin’s Great Lakes are a great asset for our quality of life and also for our long-term economic security. Our shoreline communities face a variety of challenges to keep their harbors open, their waters clean and their beaches ready for visitors,” said Senator Baldwin. “This bill ensures that our Great Lakes communities have the resources and tools they need to adapt to changing environmental conditions, maintain healthy shores, and make smart planning decisions to support their local economies and way of life.”
“Digital Coast is a valuable tool that can be used by Alaskans across the state to aid in emergency preparedness for storms and coastal erosion, and private, public and commercial development projects. The data helps us to better understand Alaska’s and our nation’s coasts,” said Senator Murkowski. “We still have a long way to go in completing mapping and surveying Alaska, both inland and along our coasts, but this will help to prioritize Alaska and the Arctic as critical areas that must be mapped.”
The National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) currently assembles and hosts the Digital Coast Project, a collaborative online database of the most up-to-date coastal information, and makes it available to both the public and private sectors. Digital Coast also provides tools for coastal communities to decipher and use the high-tech mapping data to make accurate decisions and smart investments in coastal communities.
The Digital Coast Act authorizes the next phase in coastal mapping at NOAA by ensuring that communities continue to have access to critical data for efficient coastal management decisions, timely responses to emergencies and planning for long term coastal resilience. Coastal ecosystems such as tidal marshes, wetlands and seagrasses play a critical role in improving water quality, providing habitat for wildlife and protecting the shoreline from powerful storms. They are also key contributors to the United States economy. The Digital Coast Act will ensure these valuable assets are protected for current and future generations.
The Digital Coast Act is supported by: American Planning Association, Ayres Associates, Association of State Floodplain Managers, Coastal States Organization, Continental Mapping Consultants, Inc., The National Association of Counties, The Nature Conservancy, Management Association for Private Photogrammetric Surveyors (MAPPS), National Society of Professional Surveyors (NSPS), National States Geographic Information Council, 1000 Friends of Wisconsin, and Ozaukee County Planning and Parks Department.
