BLUE GLOBE Act would boost research efforts

Bipartisan legislation introduced in the U.S. House aims to strengthen ocean data collection and monitoring efforts and improve coordination of current federal and international programs.

The Bolstering Long-Term Understanding and Exploration of the Great Lakes, Oceans, Bays and Estuaries (BLUE GLOBE) Act was introduced during National Ocean Month in June by Representatives Don Young, R-Alaska, and Suzanne Bonamici, D-Ore., co-chairs of the House Oceans Caucus.

Similar legislation was introduced in the U.S. Senate in late March as S.933 by Senators Sheldon Whitehouse, D-Rhode Island, and  Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, with Whitehouse commenting at the time that “we know more about the surface of the moon than we do about our own oceans.”

The legislation would direct existing ocean-focused interagency committees to coordinate supercomputing and data storage efforts, develop cross-agency databases, and support consistent quality assurance, integration and archiving practices.

It would establish an Interagency Ocean Exploration Committee to promote exploration and improved understanding of oceans and the collection of data from indigenous, subsistence and fishing communities. It would also reauthorize NOAA’s Ocean Exploration program, Integrated Ocean and Coastal Mapping programs, and Hydrographic Services Improvement programs.

Young said he is particularly excited about the advances the legislation would make for ocean mapping capabilities and for efforts to fight illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing.

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“I look forward to continuing our work to strengthen our oceans both for Alaska, and for coastal communities across our nation,” he said.

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