H.R. 261 would prohibit the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) from requiring permits to install and operate undersea fiber optic cables within a national marine sanctuary if the activity has been authorized by another federal or state agency. The bill also would remove the requirement for NOAA to renew special use permits (SUP) every 5 years for such activities.
The bill would require NOAA to update its regulations, publish them in the Federal Register, and conduct outreach to inform the public of the changes. Using information from the agency, CBO estimates that the costs to implement H.R. 261 would be insignificant over the 2025-2030 period. Any related spending would be subject to the availability of appropriated funds.
Under current law, NOAA may collect and spend SUP fees without further appropriation to carry out its responsibilities. The receipt and spending of those fees are recorded as direct spending. Under the bill, CBO expects that the agency would issue fewer SUPs, thereby reducing the amount of fees collected. CBO estimates that the resulting reduction in fee collections and associated spending would have a negligible effect on net direct spending over the 2025-2036 period.
The CBO staff contact for this estimate is Aurora Swanson. The estimate was reviewed by H. Samuel Papenfuss, Deputy Director of Budget Analysis.
