Description:
S. 3277 would direct the Department of Transportation (DOT) and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to streamline the permitting processes for commercial space transportation and commercial activities for observing the earth. The bill also would require the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) to continue operations of the International Space Station (ISS) through 2030. CBO estimates that implementing S. 3277 would cost $34 million over the 2019-2023 period, assuming appropriation of the necessary amounts. Enacting S. 3277 would affect direct spending by extending NASA’s authority to enter into enhanced-use lease agreements; therefore, pay-as-you-go procedures apply. CBO expects NASA would use that extension to enter into agreements with third parties to construct and renovate energy production, launch, and other specialized facilities. CBO estimates that enacting the bill would increase direct spending by $30 million over the 2019-2028 period. The bill would not affect revenues. CBO estimates that enacting S. 3277 would not increase net direct spending by more than $2.5 billion or on-budget deficits by more than $5 billion in any of the four consecutive 10-year periods beginning in 2029. S. 3277 would impose intergovernmental and private-sector mandates, as defined in the Unfunded Mandates Reform Act (UMRA). CBO estimates that the total cost of complying with the mandates would fall well below the annual thresholds established in UMRA for intergovernmental and private-sector mandates ($80 million and $160 million in 2018, respectively, adjusted annually for inflation).
