Rep. Blake Moore
Bipartisan legislation sponsored by U.S. Rep. Blake Moore (R-UT) to digitize and standardize mapping information for federal waters, such as access points and permissible uses, on Nov. 20 cleared the U.S. House Natural Resources Committee and now heads to the full chamber for consideration.
“I am grateful to the House Natural Resources Committee for their overwhelming support of this bill,” said Rep. Moore, who introduced the Modernizing Access to Our Public (MAP) Waters Act, H.R. 6127, in November 2023 to provide for the standardization, consolidation, and publication of data relating to public outdoor recreational use of federal waterways among federal land and water management agencies.
“The House Natural Resources Committee’s passage of my MAP Waters Act is a step in the right direction toward enhancing access to our beautiful waterways for visitors to enjoy for years to come,” Rep. Moore said. “This bill will modernize water access data and open the door to more public and private-sector cooperation so outdoor enthusiasts can have the tools they need to better recreate on federal waters.”
If enacted, H.R. 6127 specifically would require the secretaries of the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the U.S. Department of the Interior to develop interagency standards for data collection and dissemination related to federal waterways and fishing restrictions within 30 days of enactment, according to a bill summary provided by the congressman.
Additionally, the measure would require the secretaries of Agriculture and the Interior to publish online Geographic Information System data on federal waterways and fishing restrictions within four years, the summary says.
H.R. 6127 is companion legislation to the same-named S. 3123, introduced in October 2023 by U.S. Sens. John Barrasso (R-WY) and Angus King (I-ME) in their chamber.