President Trump signs Digital Coast Act into law after NACo advocacy
Upcoming Events
Related News
Key Takeaways
On December 18, President Donald Trump signed into law the Digital Coast Act (S. 1069). Championed by NACo, the Digital Coast Act officially codifies the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's (NOAA's) Digital Coast program. The bipartisan legislation passed the House by voice vote and was unanimously approved by the Senate.
Digital Coast is an online resource that houses data, tools and training to help coastal counties protect county-owned infrastructure, residents and businesses against hurricanes, earthquakes, drought, tsunamis and other disasters. However, without codification, the program was not guaranteed funding to be a permanent resource to counties.
Counties work closely with NOAA, as NACo is part of NOAA’s Digital Coast Partnership. In June 2018, NACo testified before the U.S. Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Subcommittee on Oceans, Atmosphere, Fisheries and Coast Guard in support of NOAA’s Digital Cost program. Appearing on behalf of NACo, Mr. Paul Barnes, Geographic Information Services Director for Harrison County, Miss., discussed the importance of Digital Coast for county governments in preparing for and responding to natural disasters.
Attachments
Related News
House Natural Resources Committee advances Standardizing Permitting and Expediting Economic Development (SPEED) Act
On November 20, the U.S. House Committee on Natural Resources advanced the Standardizing Permitting and Expediting Economic Development (SPEED) Act (H.R. 4776), which would make important changes to streamline federal permitting and strengthen county involvement in decision-making by amending the National Environmental Policy Act. Counties support commonsense permitting reforms, and NACo secured provisions in the SPEED Act that would guarantee counties a seat at the table during federal environmental reviews.
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency releases new definition of the “waters of the United States”
On November 17, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers released a proposed rule defining what constitute the “waters of the United States” and are subject to federal regulation under the Clean Water Act. The new definition is narrower than previous rules and codifies the decision of U.S. Supreme Court in the 2023 case Sackett v. EPA.
County Countdown – Nov. 17, 2025
Every other week, NACo's County Countdown reviews top federal policy advocacy items with an eye towards counties and the intergovernmental partnership.