May 2007 ACSM Government Affairs Update
IN THIS ISSUE …
1. ACSM
to Testify at Congressional Hearing
2. Legislation
Introduced to Survey and Map Coastline
3. FGDC Steering Committee Meeting
4. FEMA
Updates its Multi-Year Flood Hazard Identification Plan (MHIP).
ACSM to Testify at Congressional Hearing. ACSM was recently asked to testify at a hearing
before the Housing and Community Opportunity Subcommittee of the House
Financial Services Committee regarding H. R. 1682, the Flood Insurance Reform
and Modernization Act of 2007. Although most of the legislation addresses flood
insurance issues, several sections of it address the floodmap
modernization issue. This will be the focus of ACSM’s
testimony. The hearing will take place on June 12 and Curt Sumner will testify
for ACSM. The entire bill can be found at http://thomas.loc.gov
and typing in “H. R. 1682”as the bill number.
Legislation
Introduced to Survey and Map Coastline. Legislation was recently introduced in the House of
Representatives to direct the Administrator of the National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration to establish an integrated Federal ocean and coastal
mapping plan for the Great Lakes and coastal state waters, the territorial sea,
the exclusive economic zone, and the Continental Shelf of the United States,
and for other purposes. The bill, number H. R. 2400 entitled the Ocean and Coastal
Mapping Integration Act, was introduced on May 24 and sent to the Committee on
Natural Resources and the Committee on Science and Technology for
consideration.
The
legislation directs the NOAA Administrator to--
(1) identify all Federal and federally funded programs
conducting shoreline delineation and ocean or coastal mapping;
(2)
facilitate cost-effective, cooperative mapping efforts that incorporate
policies for contracting with non-Federal entities among all Federal agencies
conducting ocean and coastal mapping;
(3) facilitate the adaptation of existing technologies as well
as foster expertise in new ocean and coastal mapping technologies;
(4) develop
standards and protocols for testing innovative experimental mapping technologies;
(5) provide for the archiving, management, and distribution of
data sets as well as provide mapping products and services to the general
public in service of statutory requirements;
(6) develop data standards and protocols for use by Federal,
State, and other entities in mapping; and
(7) identify the procedures to be used for coordinating the
collection and integration of Federal ocean and coastal mapping data with State
and local government programs.
The
legislation also establishes an Interagency Committee on Ocean and Coastal
Mapping. Membership in the Committee shall be comprised of senior
representatives from Federal agencies with ocean and coastal mapping and
surveying responsibilities. The representatives shall be high-ranking officials
of their respective agencies or departments and, whenever possible, the head of
the portion of the agency or department that is most relevant to the purposes
of this Act. Membership shall include senior representatives from the National
Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the Chief of Naval Operations, the
United States Geological Survey, the Minerals Management Service, the National
Science Foundation, the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency, the United
States Army Corps of Engineers, the Coast Guard, the Environmental Protection
Agency, the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the National Aeronautics and
Space Administration, and other appropriate Federal agencies involved in ocean
and coastal mapping. The Committee shall coordinate activities, when
appropriate, with--
(1) other
Federal efforts, including the Digital Coast, Geospatial One-Stop, and the
Federal Geographic Data Committee; (2) international mapping activities; (3)
States and user groups through workshops and other appropriate mechanisms; and (4)
representatives of non-Federal entities.
Finally,
the legislation calls for a report to be submitted to Congress which will
include--
(1) an inventory of ocean and coastal mapping data within the
territorial sea and the exclusive economic zone and throughout the Continental
Shelf of the United States;
(2) an inventory and description of any new Federal or federally
funded programs conducting shoreline delineation and ocean or coastal mapping
since the previous reporting cycle;
(3) identification of priority areas in need of survey coverage
using present technologies;
(4) a resource plan that identifies when priority areas in need
of modern ocean and coastal mapping surveys can be accomplished;
(5) the status of efforts to produce integrated digital maps of
ocean and coastal areas;
(6) a description of any products resulting from coordinated
mapping efforts under this Act that improve public understanding of the coasts
and oceans, or regulatory decisionmaking;
(7) documentation of minimum and desired standards for data
acquisition and integrated metadata;
(8) a statement of the status of Federal efforts to leverage
mapping technologies, coordinate mapping activities, share expertise, and
exchange data;
(9) a statement of resource requirements for organizations to
meet the goals of the program, including technology needs for data acquisition,
processing, and distribution systems;
(10) a
statement of the status of efforts to declassify data gathered by the Navy, the
National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency, and other agencies to the extent
possible without jeopardizing national security, and make it available to
partner agencies and the public;
(11) the status of efforts to coordinate Federal programs with
State and local government programs and leverage those programs; and
(12) a description of efforts of Federal agencies to increase
contracting with non-Federal entities.
FGDC Steering Committee Meeting. Curt Sumner attended the May 23 meeting of the Federal
Geographic Data Committee (FGDC) Steering Committee.
The issue
discussed that is currently of most interest to ACSM is that of the National
Geospatial Advisory Committee (NGAC). The NGAC is being established by FGDC through
the Federal Advisory Committee Act (FACA) as a means of providing for input to
the FGDC from non-government entities. The committee will be comprised of
approximately 25 individuals. The committee members will be appointed by the
Office of the Secretary of the Interior. Nominations for positions on the
committee are due by June 28, 2007. ACSM has asked each of its four Member
Organizations to submit nominations, and hopes to submit them collectively
through ACSM because it is the organization recognized by FGDC.
One point
that was raised during the meeting with regard to the proposed composition of
the NGAC is that the current plan will place approximately five (5) individuals
that would represent federal agencies on the committee. The question that was
raised is whether is it is appropriate to place those representing federal
agencies on a committee that is intended to provide input from non-federal entities.
The answer given in response was that those federal agency representatives on
the committee could serve to address some committee issues directly. The
counter argument from the questioner was that it is not fair for federal agency
representatives to be voting members on a committee that would decide by vote
which questions or suggestions would be forwarded to FGDC.
Although
not specified within the guidelines of the FGDC criteria for submission of
nominee qualifications, a group of stakeholder organizations headed by NSGIC is
seeking to have the respective organizations submit their nominees’
qualifications to the other stakeholder organizations for review and potential
joint endorsement. The logic for this effort is that it could assist in the appointment
of a committee whose members are likely to work well together.
FEMA
Updates its Multi-Year Flood Hazard Identification Plan (MHIP).
The Federal
Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) recently updated its Multi-Year Flood Hazard
Identification Plan (MHIP), and it’s available on the FEMA website. The MHIP is FEMA’s
national plan for providing modernized digital flood hazard data and maps for
areas with greatest flood risk in support of the National Flood Insurance
Program. This latest version of the MHIP
(Version 2.5) amends MHIP Version 2.0 dated September 2006.
The new components
of the MHIP updated in Version 2.5 are the performance/projection bar charts
for the Key Performance Indicators 1 and 2, maps reflecting mapping activities
through Fiscal Years 2003-10, and appendix A, Detailed Production
Report-Sequencing by County. FEMA
updated the flood map production sequencing based on stakeholder feedback, and
is continuing to work towards achieving the program goals defined in the
Mid-Course Adjustment.
MHIP
Versions 2.0 and 2.5 are available on FEMA’s Flood
Hazard Mapping Web site at http://www.fema.gov/plan/prevent/fhm/mh_main.shtm
. Interested parties with questions
pertaining to the updated flood map production sequencing in MHIP Version 2.5
are encouraged to contact their appropriate local and State officials, who are
working with one of FEMA’s 10 Regional Offices.