H.R. 187 — MAPWaters Act of 2025

This section defines terms used in the Act, including: (1) “Federal fishing restriction” as a defined area in which all or certain fishing activities are temporarily or permanently prohibited or restricted by a Federal land or water management agency; (2) “Federal land or water management agency” as the Bureau of Reclamation, National Park Service, Bureau of Land Management, United States Fish and Wildlife Service, or Forest Service; (3) “Federal waterway” as waters managed by the Secretaries of Agriculture or the Interior; (4) “Federal waterway restriction” as a restriction on access or use of a Federal waterway applied under applicable law by those Secretaries; (5) “Secretaries” as the Secretary of Agriculture, acting through the Chief of the Forest Service, and the Secretary of the Interior; and (6) “State” as each of the several States, the District of Columbia, or each territory of the United States.

This section directs the Secretaries, in coordination with the Federal Geographic Data Committee (FGDC), to jointly develop and adopt interagency standards not later than 30 months after enactment of this Act. The standards ensure compatibility and interoperability among applicable Federal databases with respect to the collection and dissemination of geospatial data relating to public outdoor recreational access of Federal waterways and Federal fishing restrictions.

This section directs each of the Secretaries, not later than 5 years after the date of enactment and to the maximum extent practicable, to digitize and make publicly available online geographic information system (GIS) data on (1) federal waterway restrictions, including status and seasonal closures, limits on propulsion or anchoring, directional travel rules, and permitted uses for specific watercraft and activities (e.g., canoes, motorboats, airboats, swimming); (2) federal waterway access and navigation information, including locations and operating dates of boat ramps, portages, and fishing access sites, as well as bathymetric data and depth charts; and (3) federal fishing restrictions, including boundaries of closures and no-take zones, equipment and bait limits, and catch-and-release requirements. The Secretaries must develop a public comment process on the data in subsections (a) and (b); update such data at least twice per year and fishing restriction data in real time; exclude irrigation canals and flowage easements; and avoid disclosing sensitive historic, paleontological, or archaeological information.

This section authorizes the Secretaries (of the Interior and Agriculture) to coordinate with non-Federal partners—including State and Tribal natural resource agencies, technology and geospatial data companies, and data science experts—enter third-party agreements to implement the Act, and work with the U.S. Geological Survey to collect, aggregate, digitize, standardize, and publish required data. The section further requires all data developed under the Act to comply with applicable Federal, State, and Tribal laws (with notices to that effect) and directs the Secretaries, to the extent practicable, to incorporate existing data, maps, and resources—including those from the Modernizing Access to Our Public Land Act (16 U.S.C. 6851 et seq.) and section 103 of division DD of the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2023 (43 U.S.C. 776).

This section requires the Secretaries to submit to specified congressional committees, not later than one year after enactment of this Act and annually thereafter through March 30, 2034, a report describing progress made in meeting the requirements of this Act. The report is submitted to (1) the House Committee on Natural Resources; (2) the House Committee on Energy and Commerce; (3) the House Committee on Agriculture; (4) the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources; and (5) the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry.

This section states that nothing in this Act (1) modifies or alters the definition of “navigable waters” under federal law; (2) affects the jurisdiction or authority of state or federal agencies to regulate navigable waters; (3) modifies or alters the authority or jurisdiction of federal or state agencies to manage fisheries; or (4) authorizes or is intended to result in a change in the accessibility of waters open to hunting, fishing, or other outdoor recreation as of the date of enactment.