Commercial Remote Sensing Amendment Act of 2022

Floor Speech

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Mr. LUCAS. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Madam Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 6845, the Commercial Remote Sensing Amendment Act. I introduced this bipartisan legislation along with my colleague, Representative Perlmutter, to update reporting requirements for NOAA's Office of Commercial Remote Sensing Regulatory Affairs so that Congress can monitor how regulations are impacting the growth and improvement of the commercial remote sensing industry.

Remote sensing uses data collected from satellites to produce images of the Earth. It has become a critical resource in fields like agriculture, finance, trade, and energy.

For instance, imagery and data from commercial remote sensing allows us to improve crop production by helping farmers more efficiently apply water and fertilizer. It informs future commodity prices by actively monitoring weather and crop health.

Commercial remote sensing also improves our ability to prepare for and to respond to natural disasters by informing flood plain mapping, tornado tracking, and drought monitoring, topics that are very important to the people of Oklahoma.

It can also be helpful in humanitarian relief efforts and monitoring treaty compliance, among other applications.

As you can see, commercial remote sensing provides us with critical information for many important applications. This technology is constantly evolving, and the industry is seeing tremendous growth.

To effectively support and manage remote sensing activities, it is critical that Congress receives timely and comprehensive reports so we can evaluate the state of the industry and how regulations are affecting its growth.

The Commercial Space Launch Competitiveness Act of 2015 established a reporting requirement from the Department of Commerce on the status of commercial remote sensing licensing and regulation. That requirement expired in 2020.

H.R. 6845 will reinstate the reporting requirement and keep Congress informed of agency actions, their impact on licensees, and the state of the commercial remote sensing industry. These reports to Congress will give us the information we need to ensure that the U.S. remains a global leader in this important field.

Madam Speaker, H.R. 6845 is a no-nonsense, bipartisan bill that will help ensure that the U.S. remains the global leader in the commercial remote sensing industry.

I thank my friend, Representative Perlmutter, for working with me on this legislation.

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Mr. LUCAS. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as may consume.

As I said before, commercial remote sensing provides us with critical information to a number of fields like agriculture, finance, trade, energy, and more. This, in turn, allows us to be better stewards of our resources.

H.R. 6845, the Commercial Remote Sensing Amendment Act, will help us ensure that Congress receives the updates necessary to monitor industry regulations. By updating these reporting requirements, we can ensure that the U.S. remains the global leader in this important field.

Again, I thank Representative Perlmutter for cosponsoring this bill with me, and I urge my colleagues to support this legislation.

Madam Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

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