Michigan Reps. Debbie Dingell and Lisa McClain introduced a bipartisan bill today that would authorize the U.S. to provide mapping of the Great Lakes.
The Great Lakes Mapping Act would authorize $200 million and direct director the administrator of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to conduct high-resolution bathymetric mapping of lakebeds of the Great Lakes.
The region provides over $6 trillion to America's Gross Domestic Product and supports 51 million jobs, and is a critical shipping lifeline for much of the country..
“Comprehensively exploring and mapping the Great Lakes will strengthen our understanding of their underwater environment so that we can better protect them and the many species they contain and continue to foster the economic prosperity they have supported for generations," Dingell said in a statement.
“Our Great Lakes generate a GDP of $6 trillion and support over 51 million jobs, yet we have barely scratched the surface of understanding the depths of the lakes. Investing in comprehensive Great Lakes exploration will offer Michigan and the U.S. an enhanced look at what these bodies of water offer," McClain added.
According to the representatives, the Great Lakes have never been fully explored.
Bathymetry is the study of the beds or floors of water bodies, and bathymetric maps illustrate the land that lies underwater, according to the NOAA.
Under the bill, the high-resolution lakebed mapping would have to be done by Dec. 31, 2029, and the NOAA would work with relevant state agencies, the Ocean Policy Committee, the Integrated Coastal and Ocean Observing System and more.
It would also catalog the data and eventually release a high-resolution map of the Great Lakes lakebeds.
