WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Angus King (I-Maine) today introduced legislation with Senator Tammy Baldwin (D-Wisc.) to help Maine’s coastal communities better prepare for storms, cope with varying sea levels, and strengthen economic development planning.

“Maine’s rocky coastline is one of our state’s most treasured assets. It is not only a top destination for tourists from across the world, but it also shapes our way of life and is central to much of our economy,” Senator King said. “The Digital Coast program at NOAA makes accurate, relevant, and detailed data available to coastal communities in Maine and around the nation while reducing duplicative efforts between local, state, and federal agencies.”

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 for use in community planning and disaster response. NOAA also trains coastal communities how to decipher and use the high-tech mapping data to make accurate decisions and smart investments in coastal communities.

The legislation introduced by Senators King and Baldwin today authorizes the next phase in coastal mapping at NOAA by ensuring that coastal managers and developers will continue to have the data to make smart choices for economic development, shoreline management, and coastal restoration. The Digital Coasts Act supports further development of the current project, including increasing access to uniform, up-to-date data, to help communities get the coastal data they need to respond to emergencies, plan for long-term coastal resilience, and manage their water resources.

The Digital Coast Act is co-sponsored by Senators Barbara Mikulski (D-Md.), Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.), Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.), Mark Begich (D-Alaska), and Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii). Bipartisan companion legislation has also been introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives.

Additional support includes: Continental Mapping Consultants, Quantum Spatial, Ozaukee County Planning and Parks Department, American Planning Association (APA), Association of State Floodplain Managers (ASFPM), Coastal States Organization (CSO), National Association of Counties (NACo), National Estuarine Research Reserve Association (NERRA), National States Geographic Information Council (NSGIC), The Nature Conservancy (TNC), Urban Land Institute (ULI), Management Association for Private Photogrammetric Surveyors (MAPPS), and National Society of Professional Surveyors (NSPS).

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