Posted on September 4, 2025
Rep Min: “Digital Coast has been a hallmark example of federal and local partnership.”
Washington, D.C. – Today, Representative Dave Min (D-CA-47) delivered testimony in support of his bipartisan legislation to reauthorize the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) Digital Coast Program. This program compiles hundreds of open-access datasets, interactive tools, and trainings that are helping coastal communities effectively plan for the future and protect their shoreline. These datasets have far-reaching applications, from allowing California to generate more accurate tsunami models, to helping researchers at UC Irvine study coastal flooding risks.
Watch Rep. Min’s testimony from the House Natural Resources’ Subcommittee on Water, Wildlife, and Fisheries here.
“In Orange County, which I represent, a study by the US Geological Survey found that up to two thirds of our region’s beaches could disappear this century. NOAA’s Digital Coast exists because coastal communities cannot navigate these challenges on our own. Digital Coast compiles hundreds of data sets on coastal hazards, from high resolution satellite imagery to economic impacts, and provides them to the public for free […] Digital Coast has been a hallmark example of federal and local partnership.”
The committee hearing on Rep. Min’s bill is an important step towards his bill becoming law. Right now, many coastal communities lack access to the science and technology needed to confront growing risks, enhance public safety, and protect critical resources. This bill fills a critical need by reauthorizing Digital Coast and clarifying that datasets must be free and fully available to the public. This program has already created thousands of new high-technology jobs while providing necessary data to respond to the ever evolving threats of climate change.
Rep. Rob Wittman (R-VA-01) and Senators Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) and Lisa Murkowski (R-AL) co-lead the legislation. Additional cosponsors include Reps. Kevin Mullin (D-CA-15), Buddy Carter (R-GA-1), Raja Krishnamoorthi (R-IL-8), Amata Radewagen (R-AS), Sarah Elfreth (D-MD-3), Mike Ezell (R-MS-4), Marcy Kaptur (D-OH-9), and Jen Kiggans (R-VA-2).
Bill text can be found here.
