H.R. 2731 — Great Lakes Mapping Act of 2025

This section directs the NOAA Administrator to complete, by December 31, 2030, a collaborative high-resolution mapping effort for the lakebeds of the Great Lakes (i.e., survey and map lakebed bathymetry, or underwater topography). The effort requires (1) completing a high-resolution lakebed map; (2) collecting and processing high-resolution bathymetric data; (3) cataloging existing bathymetric and related data; and (4) collecting, cataloging, and storing metadata. The Administrator must coordinate with Great Lakes-bordering state governors and relevant state agencies, the National Ocean Mapping, Exploration, and Characterization Council, the Lakebed 2030 Regional Initiative of the Great Lakes Observing System, other regional ocean observing systems, and other relevant entities. The Administrator must make completed portions of the map publicly available during the effort; release the full map, metadata, and other required data within 180 days after completion (to the extent practicable); and incorporate the data into nautical charts and other products for resource mapping and habitat characterization (e.g., for navigation, fisheries, and environmental management). This section authorizes $50 million annually for FY2025 through FY2029 for the mapping effort, with funds available through FY2030, and specifies that it does not alter processes under the Digital Coast Act or Ocean and Coastal Mapping Integration Act.