No official summary available for this bill.
[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 5601 Introduced in Senate (IS)]
<DOC>
118th CONGRESS
2d Session
S. 5601
To improve the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's
weather research, support improvements in weather forecasting and
prediction, expand commercial opportunities for the provision of
weather data, and for other purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
December 18 (legislative day, December 16), 2024
Ms. Cantwell (for herself and Mr. Cruz) introduced the following bill;
which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Commerce,
Science, and Transportation
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To improve the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's
weather research, support improvements in weather forecasting and
prediction, expand commercial opportunities for the provision of
weather data, and for other purposes.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE; TABLE OF CONTENTS.
(a) Short Title.--This Act may be cited as the ``Weather Research
and Forecasting Innovation Reauthorization Act of 2024'' or the
``Weather Act Reauthorization Act of 2024''.
(b) Table of Contents.--The table of contents for this Act is as
follows:
Sec. 1. Short title; table of contents.
Sec. 2. Definitions.
TITLE I--REAUTHORIZATION OF THE WEATHER RESEARCH AND FORECASTING
INNOVATION ACT OF 2017
Sec. 101. Public safety priority.
Sec. 102. United States weather research and forecasting.
Sec. 103. Verification of the Origins of Rotation in Tornadoes
Experiment - United States of America
(VORTEX-USA).
Sec. 104. Hurricane forecast improvement program.
Sec. 105. Tsunami Warning and Education Act reauthorization.
Sec. 106. Observing system planning.
Sec. 107. Observing system simulation experiments.
Sec. 108. Computing resources prioritization.
Sec. 109. Earth prediction innovation center.
Sec. 110. Satellite architecture planning.
Sec. 111. Improving uncrewed activities.
Sec. 112. Interagency Council for Advancing Meteorological Services.
Sec. 113. Ocean observations.
Sec. 114. Consolidation of reports.
Sec. 115. Precipitation forecast improvement program.
TITLE II--ENHANCING FEDERAL WEATHER FORECASTING AND INNOVATION
Sec. 201. Weather innovation for the next generation.
Sec. 202. Radar next program.
Sec. 203. Data voids in highly vulnerable areas of the United States.
Sec. 204. Atmospheric rivers forecast improvement program.
Sec. 205. Coastal flooding and storm surge forecast improvement
program.
Sec. 206. Aviation weather and data innovation.
Sec. 207. NESDIS partnership program, transition program, and
operational planning.
Sec. 208. Advanced weather interactive processing system.
Sec. 209. Reanalysis and reforecasting.
Sec. 210. National Weather Service workforce.
Sec. 211. Artificial intelligence for weather forecasting.
Sec. 212. Composition of the atmosphere and atmospheric observations.
Sec. 213. Project to improve forecasts of coastal marine fog.
TITLE III--COMMERCIAL WEATHER AND ENVIRONMENTAL OBSERVATIONS
Sec. 301. Commercial Data Program.
Sec. 302. Commercial Data Pilot Program.
Sec. 303. Contracting authority and avoidance of duplication.
Sec. 304. Data assimilation, management, and sharing practices.
Sec. 305. Clerical amendment.
TITLE IV--COMMUNICATING WEATHER TO THE PUBLIC
Sec. 401. Definitions.
Sec. 402. Hazardous weather or water event risk communication.
Sec. 403. Hazard communication research and engagement.
Sec. 404. National Weather Service communications improvement.
Sec. 405. NOAA Weather Radio modernization.
Sec. 406. Post-storm surveys and assessments.
Sec. 407. Government Accountability Office report on alert
dissemination for hazardous weather or
water events.
Sec. 408. Data collection management and protection.
TITLE V--IMPROVING WEATHER INFORMATION FOR AGRICULTURE AND WATER
MANAGEMENT
Sec. 501. Weather and climate information in agriculture and water
management.
Sec. 502. National integrated drought information system.
Sec. 503. National Mesonet Program.
Sec. 504. National Coordinated Soil Moisture Monitoring Network.
Sec. 505. National Water Center.
Sec. 506. Satellite transfers briefing.
TITLE VI--HARMFUL ALGAL BLOOM AND HYPOXIA RESEARCH AND CONTROL
AMENDMENTS ACT OF 2024
Sec. 601. Short title.
Sec. 602. Amendments to the Harmful Algal Blooms and Hypoxia Research
and Control Act of 1998.
Sec. 603. Other harmful algal bloom matters.
TITLE VII--PREVENTING HEALTH EMERGENCIES AND TEMPERATURE-RELATED
ILLNESS AND DEATHS ACT OF 2024
Sec. 701. Short title.
Sec. 702. Definitions.
Sec. 703. National Integrated Heat Health Information System
Interagency Committee.
Sec. 704. National Integrated Heat Health Information System.
Sec. 705. Authorization of appropriations.
TITLE VIII--NATIONAL LANDSLIDE PREPAREDNESS ACT REAUTHORIZATION ACT OF
2024
Sec. 801. Short title.
Sec. 802. Certain definitions under Flood Level Observation,
Operations, and Decision Support Act.
Sec. 803. Reauthorization of National Landslide Preparedness Act.
TITLE IX--ILLEGAL RED SNAPPER ENFORCEMENT ACT
Sec. 901. Short title.
Sec. 902. Methodology for identifying the country of origin of red
snapper imported into the United States.
TITLE X--ACCELERATING NETWORKING, CYBERINFRASTRUCTURE, AND HARDWARE FOR
OCEANIC RESEARCH ACT
Sec. 1001. Short title.
Sec. 1002. Definitions.
Sec. 1003. Plan to improve cybersecurity and telecommunications of U.S.
Academic Research Fleet.
TITLE XI--OTHER AUTHORITIES
Sec. 1101. Meteorological observations in the Arctic region.
Sec. 1102. Unfunded priorities list, reports, and plans.
Sec. 1103. Miscellaneous authorities.
SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS.
(a) In General.--In this Act, the terms ``seasonal'', ``State'',
``subseasonal'', ``Under Secretary'', ``weather enterprise'', ``weather
data'', and ``weather industry'' have the meanings given such terms in
section 2 of the Weather Research and Forecasting Innovation Act of
2017 (15 U.S.C. 8501).
(b) Weather Data Defined.--Section 2 of the Weather Research and
Forecasting Innovation Act of 2017 (15 U.S.C. 8501) is amended--
(1) by redesignating paragraph (5) as paragraph (6); and
(2) by inserting after paragraph (4) the following new
paragraph:
``(5) Weather data.--The term `weather data' means
information used to track and predict weather conditions and
patterns, including forecasts, observations, and derivative
products from such information.''.
TITLE I--REAUTHORIZATION OF THE WEATHER RESEARCH AND FORECASTING
INNOVATION ACT OF 2017
SEC. 101. PUBLIC SAFETY PRIORITY.
Section 101 of the Weather Research and Forecasting Innovation Act
of 2017 (15 U.S.C. 8511) is amended to read as follows:
``SEC. 101. PUBLIC SAFETY PRIORITY.
``(a) In General.--The Under Secretary shall--
``(1) ensure the National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration focuses on providing accurate and timely weather
forecasts that protect lives and property and enhance the
national economy;
``(2) through the Director of the National Weather Service,
coordinate and implement observational infrastructure, weather
forecasting, communications, and impact-based decision support
services; and
``(3) work to improve operation weather forecasts,
products, and services through nimble, flexible, and mobile
methods.
``(b) Research.--In conducting research, the Under Secretary shall
prioritize improving weather data, modeling, computing, forecasting,
and warnings for the protection of life and property and for the
enhancement of the national economy.''.
SEC. 102. UNITED STATES WEATHER RESEARCH AND FORECASTING.
Section 110 of the Weather Research and Forecasting Innovation Act
of 2017 (15 U.S.C. 8519) is amended to read as follows:
``SEC. 110. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.
``(a) Authorization of Appropriations.--There are authorized to be
appropriated to the Office of Oceanic and Atmospheric Research to carry
out this title the following:
``(1) $163,794,000 for fiscal year 2025, of which--
``(A) $91,058,000 is authorized for weather
laboratories and cooperative institutes;
``(B) $39,491,000 is authorized for the United
States Weather Research Program;
``(C) $21,125,000is authorized for tornado, severe
storm, and next generation radar research; and
``(D) $12,120,000 is authorized for the joint
technology transfer initiative described in section
102(b)(4) of this title.
``(2) $165,432,000 for fiscal year 2026, of which--
``(A) $91,968,000 is authorized for weather
laboratories and cooperative institutes;
``(B) $39,886,000 is authorized for the United
States Weather Research Program;
``(C) $21,336,000 is authorized for tornado, severe
storm, and next generation radar research; and
``(D) $12,241,000 is authorized for the joint
technology transfer initiative described in section
102(b)(4) of this title.
``(3) $167,086,000 for fiscal year 2027, of which--
``(A) $92,888,000 is authorized for weather
laboratories and cooperative institutes;
``(B) $40,285,000 is authorized for the United
States Weather Research Program;
``(C) $21,550,000 is authorized for tornado, severe
storm, and next generation radar research; and
``(D) $12,364,000 is authorized for the joint
technology transfer initiative described in section
102(b)(4) of this title.
``(4) $168,757,000 for fiscal year 2028, of which--
``(A) $93,817,000 is authorized for weather
laboratories and cooperative institutes;
``(B) $40,688,000 is authorized for the United
States Weather Research Program;
``(C) $21,765,000 is authorized for tornado, severe
storm, and next generation radar research; and
``(D) $12,487,000 is authorized for the joint
technology transfer initiative described in section
102(b)(4) of this title.
``(5) $170,444,000 for fiscal year 2029, of which--
``(A) $94,755,000 is authorized for weather
laboratories and cooperative institutes;
``(B) $41,094,000 is authorized for the United
States Weather Research Program;
``(C) $21,983,000 is authorized for tornado, severe
storm, and next generation radar research; and
``(D) $12,612,000 is authorized for the joint
technology transfer initiative described in section
102(b)(4) of this title.
``(b) Limitation.--No additional funds are authorized to carry out
this title or the amendments made by this title.''.
SEC. 103. VERIFICATION OF THE ORIGINS OF ROTATION IN TORNADOES
EXPERIMENT - UNITED STATES OF AMERICA (VORTEX-USA).
(a) In General.--Section 103 of the Weather Research and
Forecasting Innovation Act of 2017 (15 U.S.C. 8513) is amended to read
as follows:
``SEC. 103. VERIFICATION OF THE ORIGINS OF ROTATION IN TORNADOES
EXPERIMENT - UNITED STATES OF AMERICA (VORTEX-USA).
``(a) In General.--The Under Secretary, in collaboration with the
United States weather industry and academic partners, shall maintain a
program for rapidly improving tornado forecasts, predictions, and
warnings, including forecaster training in radar interpretation and
information integration from new sources.
``(b) Goal.--The goal of the program under subsection (a) shall be
to develop and extend accurate tornado forecasts, predictions, and
warnings in order to reduce the loss of life or property related to
tornadoes, with a focus on the following:
``(1) Improving the effectiveness and timeliness of tornado
forecasts, predictions, and warnings.
``(2) Optimizing lead time and providing actionable
information beyond one hour in advance.
``(3) Transitioning from warn-on-detection to warn-on-
forecast.
``(c) Innovative Observations.--The Under Secretary shall ensure
the program under subsection (a) periodically examines, tests, and
evaluates the value of incorporating innovative observations, such as
novel sensor technologies, observation tools or networks, crewed or
uncrewed systems, and hosted instruments on commercial aircrafts,
vessels, and satellites, with respect to the improvement of tornado
forecasts, predictions, and warnings.
``(d) Activities.--The Under Secretary shall award grants for
research, including relating to the following:
``(1) Implementing key goals and achieving program
milestones to the maximum extent practicable as outlined by the
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's 2019 report,
`Tornado Warning Improvement and Extension Program Plan'.
``(2) In coordination with the National Science and
Technology Council's Social and Behavioral Sciences
Subcommittee, improving the social, behavioral, risk,
communication, and economic sciences regarding vulnerabilities,
risk communication, and delivery of information critical for
reducing the loss of life or property related to tornadoes.
``(3) Improving the physical sciences, computer modeling,
and tools related to tornado formation, the impacts of
tornadoes on the built and natural environment, and the
interaction of tornadoes and hurricanes.
``(e) Priority Institutions.--
``(1) In general.--In awarding grants under subsection (d),
the Under Secretary may prioritize awarding grants to minority-
serving institutions.
``(2) Definition of minority-serving institution.--In this
subsection, the term `minority-serving institution' means--
``(A) a part B institution (as defined in section
322 of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C.
1061));
``(B) a Hispanic-serving institution (as defined in
section 502(a) of that Act (20 U.S.C. 1101a(a)));
``(C) a Tribal College or University (as defined in
section 316(b) of that Act (20 U.S.C. 1059c(b)));
``(D) an Alaska Native-serving institution (as
defined in section 317(b) of that Act (20 U.S.C.
1059d(b)));
``(E) a Native Hawaiian-serving institution (as
defined in section 317(b) of that Act (20 U.S.C.
1059d(b)));
``(F) a Predominantly Black Institution (as defined
in section 318(b) of that Act (20 U.S.C. 1059e(b)));
``(G) an Asian American and Native American Pacific
Islander-serving institution (as defined in section
320(b) of that Act (20 U.S.C. 1059g(b))); or
``(H) a Native American-serving, nontribal
institution (as defined in section 319(b) of that Act
(20 U.S.C. 1059f(b))).
``(f) Warnings.--In carrying out subsection (a), the Under
Secretary, in coordination with the program established under section
403(a) of the Weather Act Reauthorization Act of 2024, shall--
``(1) conduct and transition to operations the research
necessary to develop and deploy probabilistic weather forecast
guidance technology for tornadoes and related weather
phenomena;
``(2) incorporate into tornado modeling and forecasting, as
appropriate, social, behavioral, risk, communication, and
economic sciences;
``(3) enhance workforce training on radar interpretation
and use of tornado warning systems; and
``(4) expand computational resources, including cloud
computing, to support higher-resolution modeling to advance the
capability for warn-on-forecast.
``(g) Tornado Rating System.--The Under Secretary, in collaboration
with local communities and emergency managers, shall--
``(1) evaluate the system used as of the date of the
enactment of this section to rate the severity of tornadoes;
``(2) determine whether updates to such system are required
to ensure such ratings accurately reflect the severity of
tornados; and
``(3) if determined necessary, update such system.
``(h) Annual Budget.--The Under Secretary shall, not less
frequently than annually, submit to Congress a proposed budget
corresponding with carrying out this section.
``(i) Authorization of Appropriations.--There is authorized to be
appropriated to the Under Secretary to carry out this section
$11,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2025 through 2030, of which not
less than $2,000,000 each fiscal year shall be used for prioritized
grants awarded under subsection (e).''.
(b) Clerical Amendment.--The table of contents in section 1(b) of
the Weather Research and Forecasting Innovation Act of 2017 is amended
by amending the item relating to section 103 to read as follows:
``Sec. 103. Verification of the Origins of Rotation in Tornadoes
Experiment - United States of America
(VORTEX-USA).''.
SEC. 104. HURRICANE FORECAST IMPROVEMENT PROGRAM.
Section 104 of the Weather Research and Forecasting Innovation Act
of 2017 (15 U.S.C. 8514) is amended to read as follows:
``SEC. 104. HURRICANE FORECAST IMPROVEMENT PROGRAM.
``(a) In General.--The Under Secretary, in collaboration with the
United States weather industry and academic partners, shall maintain a
program to improve hurricane forecasting, predictions, and warnings.
``(b) Goal.--The goal of the program under subsection (a) shall be
to develop and extend accurate hurricane forecasts, predictions, and
warnings in order to reduce the loss of life or property related to
hurricanes, with a focus on the following:
``(1) Improving the understanding, prediction, and
communication of rapid intensity change and projected path of
hurricanes, including probabilistic methods for hurricane
hazard mapping.
``(2) Improving the forecast and impact-based communication
of inland flooding, compound flooding, and storm surges from
hurricanes, in coordination with the program established under
section 205 of the Weather Act Reauthorization Act of 2024.
``(3) Incorporating social, behavioral, risk,
communication, and economic sciences to clearly inform response
to prevent the loss of life or property.
``(4) Evaluating and incorporating, as appropriate,
innovative observations, including acoustic or infrasonic
measurements, novel sensor technologies, observation tools or
networks, crewed or uncrewed systems, and hosted instruments on
commercial aircrafts, vessels, and satellites.
``(c) Activities.--In carrying out subsection (a), the Under
Secretary shall award grants for research, including relating to the
following:
``(1) Implementing key strategies and following priorities
and objectives outlined by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration's 2019 report `Hurricane Forecast Improvement
Program'.
``(2) In coordination with the National Science and
Technology Council's Social and Behavioral Sciences
Subcommittee and other relevant interagency committees,
improving the social, behavioral, risk, communications, and
economic sciences related to vulnerabilities, risk
communication, and delivery of information critical for
reducing the loss of life or property related to hurricanes.
``(3) Improving the physical sciences, operational
modeling, and tools related to hurricane formation, the impacts
of wind and water-based hurricane hazards on the built and
natural environment, and the interaction of hurricanes and
tornadoes.
``(d) Warnings.--In carrying out subsection (a), the Under
Secretary, in coordination with the program established under section
403(a) of the Weather Act Reauthorization Act of 2024, shall--
``(1) conduct and transition to operations the research
necessary to develop and deploy probabilistic weather forecast
guidance technology relating to hurricanes and related weather
phenomena;
``(2) incorporate into hurricane modeling and forecasting,
as appropriate, social, behavioral, risk, communication, and
economic sciences research; and
``(3) expand computational resources, including cloud
computing, to support and improve higher-resolution operational
modeling of hurricanes and related weather phenomena.
``(e) Annual Report.--Not later than June 1 of each year until
2029, the Under Secretary, in consultation with the Secretary of
Defense, shall submit to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and
Transportation of the Senate and the Committee on Science, Space, and
Technology of the House of Representatives a report that includes the
following:
``(1) The number and causes of missed mission requirements
for the National Hurricane Operations Plan and the National
Winter Season Operations Plan, including those related to
equipment malfunction, aircraft availability, aircraft
maintenance, flight hour limits, and availability of pilots or
other air and maintenance crew members.
``(2) Requirements related to the plans described in
paragraph (1) that were requested by forecasters but not
tasked, and the reasons why those were not tasked.
``(3) A workforce management plan addressing any shortfalls
in human capital resources that are necessary for hurricane
observational data collection aboard aircraft or uncrewed
systems.
``(4) A summary of--
``(A) hurricane technology that is under research
and development to improve confidence in hurricane
track and intensity predictions;
``(B) hurricane technology that is at the prototype
demonstration stage or beyond; and
``(C) plans for transitioning the hurricane
technology described in subparagraph (B) into
operations.''.
SEC. 105. TSUNAMI WARNING AND EDUCATION ACT REAUTHORIZATION.
(a) Title Heading.--The Tsunami Warning and Education Act (enacted
as title VIII of the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and
Management Reauthorization Act of 2006 (Public Law 109-479)) is amended
in the title heading, by inserting ``RESEARCH,'' after ``WARNING,''.
(b) Purposes.--Section 803 of the Tsunami Warning and Education Act
(33 U.S.C. 3202) is amended--
(1) in paragraph (2), by inserting ``timeliness and''
before ``accuracy'';
(2) in paragraph (7), by striking ``and'' after the
semicolon;
(3) in paragraph (8), by striking the period and inserting
``; and''; and
(4) by adding at the end the following new paragraph:
``(9) to ensure data and metadata are managed, archived,
and made available for operations, research, education, and
mitigation activities in accordance with section 305 of the
Weather Research and Forecasting Innovation Act of 2017.''.
(c) Tsunami Forecasting and Warning Program.--Section 804 of the
Tsunami Warning and Education Act (33 U.S.C. 3203) is amended--
(1) in subsection (b)--
(A) in paragraph (4), by inserting ``, using
industry and scientific best practices,'' after
``operational condition'';
(B) in paragraph (5)--
(i) in subparagraph (C), by striking
``global seismic network'' and inserting
``Global Seismic Network'';
(ii) by redesignating subparagraphs (D),
(E), (F), and (G), as subparagraphs (E), (F),
(G), and (H), respectively; and
(iii) by inserting after subparagraph (C)
the following new subparagraph:
``(D) the global navigation satellite system (GNSS)
network;'';
(C) by amending paragraph (6) to read as follows:
``(6) ensure data quality and management systems, support
data and metadata access and archiving, and support the
requirements of the program pursuant to the Foundations for
Evidence-Based Policymaking Act of 2018 (Public Law 115-435)
and chapter 31 of title 44, United States Code;'';
(D) in paragraph (7)--
(i) by amending the matter preceding
subparagraph (A) to read as follows: ``include
a cooperative effort among the Administration,
the United States Geological Survey (USGS), the
National Aeronautics and Space Administration
(NASA), and the National Science Foundation
(NSF) under which the Director of USGS, the
Director of the NSF, and the Administrator of
NASA shall--'';
(ii) in subparagraph (A), by striking
``and'' at the end; and
(iii) by adding at the end the following
new subparagraphs:
``(C) provide reliable and real-time support for
the GNSS network data streams from NSF, NASA, and USGS
maintained networks, and supplement instrumentation
coverage for rapid earthquake assessment;
``(D) assess the data and information relating to
warning systems of collaborating agencies for potential
utilization in NOAA's warning system, taking into
consideration advancement in research and technology;
``(E) incorporate, as practicable, tsunami
notifications and warnings in the USGS Earthquake Early
Warning System; and
``(F) incorporate, as practicable, preliminary
analysis or data from the National Earthquake
Information Center regarding the source and magnitude
of an offshore earthquake within five minutes of
detection;'';
(E) in paragraph (8)--
(i) by inserting `` and decision support
aides'' after ``graphical warning products,'';
and
(ii) by inserting ``-prone'' after
``tsunami'';
(F) in paragraph (9), by striking ``and'' after the
semicolon;
(G) in paragraph (10), by striking the period and
inserting ``; and''; and
(H) by adding at the end the following new
paragraph:
``(11) update tsunami inundation maps, models, or other
geographic products, in order to best support, as appropriate,
relevant agencies with tsunami mitigation and recovery
activities.'';
(2) in subsection (c)--
(A) by striking paragraph (1) and redesignating
paragraphs (2) and (3) as paragraphs (1) and (2),
respectively; and
(B) in paragraph (1), as so redesignated--
(i) by striking ``the Atlantic Ocean,
including the Caribbean Sea and Gulf of Mexico,
that are determined--'' and inserting ``the
Pacific, Arctic, and Atlantic Oceans, including
the Caribbean Sea and Gulf of Mexico, that are
determined to pose significant risks of tsunami
for States and United States territories along
the coastal areas of such regions; and''; and
(ii) by striking subparagraphs (A) and (B);
(3) by redesignating subsections (d), (e), (f), and (g) as
subsections (e), (f), (g), and (h), respectively;
(4) by inserting after subsection (c) the following new
subsection:
``(d) Tsunami Warning Alert Level Evaluation.--The Administrator,
in collaboration with social scientists, emergency personnel, and high-
risk communities, shall--
``(1) evaluate tsunami alert levels terminology, timing,
and effectiveness;
``(2) determine if such alerts produce the desired response
and understanding from possible tsunami-prone communities; and
``(3) if necessary, update the alert level system for
increased effectiveness.'';
(5) in subsection (e), as so redesignated--
(A) in paragraph (1)--
(i) in the matter preceding subparagraph
(A), by inserting ``responsible for Alaska, the
continental United States, Hawaii, United
States territories, and international entities
the Administrator determines appropriate''
before the period;
(ii) in subparagraph (A), by striking
``which is primarily responsible for Alaska and
the continental United States''; and
(iii) in subparagraph (B), by striking ``,
which is primarily responsible for Hawaii, the
Caribbean, and other areas of the Pacific not
covered by the National Center'';
(B) in paragraph (2)--
(i) in subparagraph (A), by inserting
``current,'' after ``sea level,'';
(ii) in subparagraph (B), by striking ``and
volcanic eruptions'' and inserting ``volcanic
eruptions, or other sources'';
(iii) in subparagraph (C), by striking
``buoy data and tidal'' and inserting ``and
coastal'';
(iv) in subparagraph (E), by striking
``Integrated Ocean Observing System of the
Administration'' and inserting ``United States
and global ocean and coastal observing
system'';
(v) in subparagraph (H), by inserting
``monitoring needs,'' after ``response,''; and
(vi) by amending subparagraph (I) to read
as follows:
``(I) Providing a Tsunami Warning Coordinator to
coordinate with partners and stakeholders products and
services of the centers supported or maintained under
paragraph (1).'';
(C) by amending paragraph (3) to read as follows:
``(3) Fail-safe warning capability.--The Administrator
shall support and maintain fail-safe warning capability for the
tsunami warning centers supported or maintained under paragraph
(1), and such centers shall conduct at least one service back
up drill biannually.'';
(D) in paragraph (4)--
(i) by amending the matter preceding
subparagraph (A) to read as follows: ``The
Administrator shall coordinate with the weather
forecast offices of the National Weather
Service, the centers supported or maintained
under paragraph (1), and such national and
regional program offices of the Administration
as the Administrator or the coordinating
committee, as established in section 805(b),
consider appropriate to ensure that regional
and local weather forecast offices--'';
(ii) in subparagraph (B), by striking
``and'' after the semicolon;
(iii) in subparagraph (C), by striking the
period and inserting ``; and''; and
(iv) by adding at the end the following new
subparagraph:
``(D) conduct education and outreach efforts to
help prepare coastal communities for tsunami
hazards.'';
(E) in paragraph (5)--
(i) in the section heading, by striking
``Uniform'' and inserting ``Standardized'';
(ii) in subparagraph (A), by striking
``uniform'' and inserting ``standardized'';
(iii) in subparagraph (C)(ii), by striking
``uniform'' and inserting ``standardized'';
(iv) in subparagraph (D), by striking
``and'' after the semicolon;
(v) in subparagraph (E), by striking the
period and inserting ``; and''; and
(vi) by adding at the end the following new
subparagraph:
``(F) align the analytic techniques and
methodologies of the existing tsunami warning centers
supported or maintained under paragraph (1) to ensure
seamless continuity of operations and mitigate risk of
operational failure by prioritizing investments that
include--
``(i) replacing end of life equipment;
``(ii) ensuring product consistency;
``(iii) enabling consistent operational
process for backup capabilities;
``(iv) mitigating existing operational
security risks; and
``(v) meeting information security
requirements specified in chapter 35 of title
44, United States Code.''; and
(F) by adding at the end the following new
paragraph:
``(7) Reporting.--Not later than 180 days after the date of
the enactment of this paragraph and annually thereafter until
such time as all relevant requirements have been satisfied, the
Administrator shall provide to the Committee on Science, Space,
and Technology of the House of Representatives and the
Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation of the
Senate an update briefing on the progress of the following:
``(A) Standardizing products and procedures under
paragraph (5), including tsunami assessments, forecast
guidance, and related products.
``(B) Migrating the message generation systems of
the centers supported or maintained under paragraph (1)
to the Advanced Weather Information Processing Systems,
or successor systems.
``(C) The structural reorganization effort, if
necessary, to align such centers' organizational
charts.
``(D) The expected timeline for the full completion
of standardizing such centers' products and
procedures.'';
(6) in subsection (f), as so redesignated--
(A) in paragraph (1)--
(i) in the matter preceding subparagraph
(A), by inserting ``detect, measure, and''
after ``used to'';
(ii) in subparagraph (B), by striking
``and'' after the semicolon;
(iii) in subparagraph (C), by striking
``and the Advanced National Seismic System''
and inserting ``the Advanced National Seismic
System, and the global navigation satellite
system (GNSS); and''; and
(iv) by adding at the end the following new
subparagraph:
``(D) ensure research is coordinated with tsunami
warning operations;''; and
(B) in paragraph (3), by inserting ``according to
industry best practices'' before the period; and
(7) in subsection (h)(2)(A), as so redesignated, by
striking ``accuracy of the tsunami model used'' and inserting
``timeliness and accuracy of the forecast used to issue the
warning''.
(d) National Tsunami Hazard Mitigation Program.--Section 805(c) of
the Tsunami Warning and Education Act (33 U.S.C. 3204(c)) is amended--
(1) in paragraph (5)--
(A) by redesignating subparagraphs (B), (C), (D),
(E), (F), and (G) as subparagraphs (C), (D), (E), (F),
(G), and (H), respectively;
(B) by inserting after subparagraph (A) the
following new subparagraph:
``(B) Coastal digital elevation models (DEMs) to
support the development of inundation maps.''; and
(C) by adding at the end the following new
subparagraphs:
``(I) Evaluation of the variation of inundation
impact resulting from tsunami-driven sediment
transport.
``(J) Evaluation of tsunami debris impact on
critical infrastructure (as such term is defined in
section 1016(e) of Public Law 107-56 (42 U.S.C.
5195c(e))) and lifelines.
``(K) High-resolution and high-quality digital
elevation models needed for at-risk coastlines, ports,
and harbors, particularly for regions not covered by
existing inundation maps.''; and
(2) in paragraph (7)(C), by inserting ``and behavioral''
after ``social'';
(e) Tsunami Research Program.--Section 806 of the Tsunami Warning
and Education Act (33 U.S.C. 3205) is amended--
(1) in subsection (a)--
(A) by striking ``section 805(d)'' and inserting
``section 805(b)''; and
(B) by inserting ``and management'' after ``data
collection'';
(2) in subsection (b)--
(A) in paragraph (1), by inserting ``deployment
and'' after ``may include'';
(B) in paragraph (3), by striking ``social science
research'' and inserting ``social and behavioral
science research, including data collection,'';
(C) in paragraph (4), by striking ``and'' after the
semicolon;
(D) by redesignating paragraph (5) as paragraph
(7); and
(E) by inserting after paragraph (4) the following
new paragraphs:
``(5) develop decision support tools;
``(6) leverage and prioritize research opportunities;
and''; and
(3) by adding at the end the following new subsection:
``(c) Research and Development Plan.--Not later than 12 months
after the date of the enactment of this subsection and not less
frequently than every 36 months thereafter, the Administrator, in
consultation with the Interagency Council for Advancing Meteorological
Services, shall develop a research and development and research to
operations plan to improve tsunami detection and forecasting
capabilities that--
``(1) identifies and prioritizes research and development
priorities to satisfy section 804;
``(2) identifies key research needs for better detecting
tsunamis that may occur in open ocean and along the coastlines
of the United States and its territories, improve forecasting
of tsunamis that are not seismically driven, and other
opportunities determined appropriate;
``(3) develops plans for transitioning research to
operations; and
``(4) identifies collaboration opportunities that may
further and align tsunami research, development, warnings, and
operations between the centers supported or maintained under
section 804, the National Tsunami Hazard Mitigation Program,
the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Center for
Tsunami Research, the National Science Foundation, the United
States Geological Survey, the Federal Emergency Management
Agency, institutions of higher education, private entities,
stakeholders, and others determined appropriate.'';
(f) Assessment of Tsunami Watches and Warnings.--
(1) In general.--The Tsunami Warning and Education Act
(enacted as title VIII of the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery
Conservation and Management Reauthorization Act of 2006 (Public
Law 109-479)) is amended by inserting after section 804 (33
U.S.C. 3203) the following:
``SEC. 804A. ASSESSMENT OF TSUNAMI WATCHES AND WARNINGS.
``(a) Assessment of Tsunami Watches and Warnings.--
``(1) In general.--Not later than 2 years after the date of
the enactment of this Act, the Under Secretary shall--
``(A) conduct an assessment of--
``(i) the tsunami watches and warnings of
the National Weather Service; and
``(ii) the information delivery to support
preparation and responses to tsunamis; and
``(B) submit to Congress a report on the findings
of the Under Secretary with respect to the assessment
required by subparagraph (A).
``(2) Elements.--The assessment required by paragraph
(1)(A) shall include the following:
``(A) An evaluation of whether the watches,
warnings, and information described in paragraph (1)(A)
effectively--
``(i) communicate risk to the general
public;
``(ii) inform action to prevent loss of
life and property;
``(iii) inform action to support tsunami
preparation and response; and
``(iv) deliver information in a manner
designed to lead to appropriate action.
``(B) Subject to subsection (b)(2), such
recommendations as the Under Secretary may have for--
``(i) legislative and administrative action
to improve the watches and warnings described
in paragraph (1)(A)(i); and
``(ii) such research as the Under Secretary
considers necessary to address the focus areas
described in paragraph (3).
``(3) Focus areas.--The assessment required by paragraph
(1)(A) shall focus on the following areas:
``(A) Ways to communicate the risks posed by
hazardous tsunami events to the public that are most
likely to result in informed decision making regarding
the mitigation of those risks.
``(B) Ways to provide actionable geographic
information to the recipient of a watch or warning for
tsunami, including partnering with emergency response
agencies, as appropriate.
``(C) Evaluation of information delivery to support
the preparation for and response to tsunamis
``(4) Consultation.--In conducting the assessment required
by paragraph (1)(A), the Under Secretary shall consult with--
``(A) individuals in the academic sector, including
individuals in the field of social and behavioral
sciences;
``(B) other weather services;
``(C) media outlets and other entities that
distribute the watches and warnings described in
paragraph (1)(A)(i);
``(D) emergency planners and responders, including
State, local, and Tribal emergency management agencies;
``(E) other government users of the watches and
warnings described in paragraph (1)(A)(i), including
the Federal Highway Administration; and
``(F) such other Federal agencies as the Under
Secretary determines rely on watches and warnings
regarding tsunamis for operational decisions.
``(5) Methodologies.--In conducting the assessment required
by paragraph (1)(A), the Under Secretary shall use such
methodologies as the Under Secretary considers are generally
accepted by the weather enterprise, including social and
behavioral sciences.
``(b) Improvements to Tsunami Watches and Warnings.--
``(1) In general.--Based on the assessment required by
subsection (a)(1)(A), the Under Secretary shall make such
improvements to the watches and warnings described in that
subsection as the Under Secretary considers necessary--
``(A) to improve the communication of the risks
posed by tsunami events; and
``(B) to provide actionable geographic information
to the recipient of a watch or warning for a tsunami.
``(2) Requirements regarding recommendations.--In
conducting the assessment required by subsection (a)(1)(A), the
Under Secretary shall ensure that any recommendation under
subsection (a)(2)(B) that the Under Secretary considers a major
change--
``(A) is validated by social and behavioral science
using a generalizable sample;
``(B) accounts for the needs of various
demographics, vulnerable populations, and geographic
regions;
``(C) responds to the needs of Federal, State,
local, and Tribal government partners and media
partners; and
``(D) accounts for necessary changes to Federally
operated watch and warning propagation and
dissemination infrastructure and protocols.''.
(2) Clerical amendment.--The table of contents for the
Tsunami Warning and Education Act (enacted as title VIII of the
Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management
Reauthorization Act of 2006 (Public Law 109-479)) is amended by
inserting after the item relating to section 804 the following:
``Sec. 804A. Assessment of tsunami watches and warnings.''.
(g) Global Tsunami Warning and Mitigation Network.--Section 807(d)
of the Tsunami Warning and Education Act (33 U.S.C. 3206(d)) is amended
by inserting ``and management'' after ``data sharing'';
(h) Tsunami Science and Technology Advisory Panel.--Section 808 of
the Tsunami Warning and Education Act (33 U.S.C. 3206a) is amended--
(1) in subsection (b)(1), by inserting ``and behavioral''
after ``social''; and
(2) by adding at the end the following:
``(e) Sunset.--The Panel shall terminate not later than six years
after the date of the enactment of the Weather Act Reauthorization Act
of 2024.''.
(i) Authorization of Appropriations.--Section 809 of the Tsunami
Warning and Education Act (33 U.S.C. 3207) is amended to read as
follows:
``SEC. 809. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.
``There are authorized to be appropriated to the Administrator to
carry out this title $30,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2024 through
2028, of which--
``(1) not less than 27 percent of the amount appropriated
for each fiscal year shall be for activities conducted at the
State level under the national tsunami hazard mitigation
program under section 805; and
``(2) not less than 8 percent of the amount appropriated
shall be for the tsunami research program under section 806.''.
SEC. 106. OBSERVING SYSTEM PLANNING.
Section 106 of the Weather Research and Forecasting Innovation Act
of 2017 (15 U.S.C. 8516) is amended--
(1) in paragraph (3)--
(A) by inserting ``Federal'' before ``observing
capabilities''; and
(B) by striking ``and'' after the semicolon;
(2) in paragraph (4)--
(A) by inserting ``, including private sector
partnerships or commercial acquisition,'' after
``options''; and
(B) by striking the period and inserting a
semicolon; and
(3) by adding at the end the following new paragraphs:
``(5) compare costs and schedule, including cost-benefit
analysis, of Federal and private sector supplemental options to
fill the observation data requirements under paragraph (1) and
gaps identified pursuant to paragraph (3); and
``(6) not later than one year after the date of the
enactment of the Weather Act Reauthorization Act of 2024,
submit to Congress a report that provides an analysis of the
technical, schedule, cost, and cost benefit analyses to place
an operational polar-orbiting environmental satellite
capability in the early morning orbit to support the weather
enterprise and the Administration's mission.''.
SEC. 107. OBSERVING SYSTEM SIMULATION EXPERIMENTS.
Section 107 of the Weather Research and Forecasting Innovation Act
of 2017 (15 U.S.C. 8517) is amended--
(1) in subsection (b)(3), by striking ``providing data''
and inserting ``comparison to current or experimental
commercial system capabilities that provide data'';
(2) in subsection (c)(1), by striking ``, including polar-
orbiting and geostationary satellite systems,'';
(3) by striking subsection (d); and
(4) by redesignating subsection (e) as subsection (d).
SEC. 108. COMPUTING RESOURCES PRIORITIZATION.
(a) Computing Research Initiative.--Section 108 of the Weather
Research and Forecasting Innovation Act of 2017 (15 U.S.C. 8518) is
amended by striking subsection (a)(3)(C) and all that follows through
subsection (b)(7) and inserting the following:
``(b) Artificial Intelligence Investments.--The Under Secretary
shall leverage artificial intelligence and machine learning
technologies to facilitate, optimize, and further leverage advanced
computing to accomplish critical missions of the National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration.
``(c) Centers of Excellence.--The Under Secretary may expand, and
where applicable establish, centers of excellence to aid the adoption
of next-generation artificial intelligence and machine learning enabled
advanced computing capabilities. Each such center may carry out
activities that include the following:
``(1) Leveraging robust public-private partnership models
to provide access to training, experience, and long-term
development of workforce and infrastructure.
``(2) Developing and optimizing tools, libraries,
algorithms, data structures, and other supporting software
necessary for specific applications on high performance
computing systems.
``(3) Applying modern artificial intelligence, deep
machine-learning, and advanced data analysis technologies to
address current and future mission challenges.
``(4) To the maximum extent practicable, exploring quantum
computing and related application partnerships with public,
private, and academic entities to improve the accuracy and
resolution of weather predictions.
``(d) Multi-Year Contracts.--The Under Secretary may enter into
multi-year contracts in accordance with section 3903 of title 41,
United States Code, and shall ensure compliance with all contract
clauses provided in such section to support operations, research, and
development related to high performance and cloud computing
infrastructure or systems with an unfunded contingent liability in the
event of cancellation.
``(e) Report.--Not later than two years after the date of the
enactment of the Weather Act Reauthorization Act of 2024, the Under
Secretary, in collaboration with the Secretary of Energy shall submit
to the Committee on Science, Space, and Technology of the House of
Representatives and the Committee on Commerce, Science, and
Transportation and the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources of the
Senate a report evaluating the following:
``(1) A best estimate of the overall value of high-
resolution probabilistic forecast guidance for hazardous
weather or water events (as such term is defined in section 401
of the Weather Act Reauthorization Act of 2024) using a next-
generation weather forecast and warning framework.
``(2) The needs for cloud computing, quantum computing, or
high-performance computing, visualization, and dissemination
collaboration between the Department of Energy and the National
Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
``(3) A timeline and guidance for implementation of the
following:
``(A) High-resolution numerical weather prediction
models.
``(B) Methods for meeting the cloud computing,
quantum computing, or high-performance computing,
visualization, and dissemination needs identified under
paragraph (2).''.
(b) Strategic Plan on High-Performance Computing and Data
Management Needs.--
(1) In general.--The Under Secretary shall make publicly
available not later than one year after the date of the
enactment of this Act, and update every 5 years thereafter
until 2035, a 10-year strategic plan that outlines the high-
performance computing and data management requirements and
needs of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
and actions and strategies to address those requirements and
needs.
(2) Plan elements.--At a minimum, the strategic plan
required by paragraph (1) shall include the following:
(A) A 10-year prospective outlook of computing
resources and upgrades needed to meet the mission needs
of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
for fisheries management, oceanographic forecasting,
and ecological forecasting missions.
(B) A discussion of--
(i) computing and processing resources of
the Administration and a 10-year projected need
for such resources, disaggregated by line
office of the Administration;
(ii) facilities, commercial contracts, and
partnerships (with other Federal agencies or
other institutions or entities) of the
Administration that are providing computing and
data management support or capacity as of such
date;
(iii) the use by the Administration of
cloud computing and other emerging
technologies, such as artificial intelligence
and machine learning;
(iv) additional technologies that have the
potential to increase effectiveness and
efficiency for data storage and processing
power, including challenges to access and use
of those technologies;
(v) the distribution of computing resources
among the operations and research functions of
the Administration;
(vi) products and services of the
Administration that have not become available
to the public because of a lack of computing
resources;
(vii) current and future workforce
development needs, such as information
technology and software engineering, of the
Administration; and
(viii) the high-performance computing
requirements of the Administration, with a
special focus on requirements that are common
across line offices of the Administration.
(C) Timelines, and performance measures for
assessing progress toward attaining goals for--
(i) computing infrastructure and
architecture of the Administration (including
facilities, hardware, and software); and
(ii) use by the Administration of
technologies that will increase effectiveness
and efficiency for data storage and processing
power, including challenges to access and use
of such technologies.
(D) A 10-year life cycle analysis of the management
of facilities, hardware, and engineering involved in
the strategic plan that includes--
(i) program formulation for project
conception, implementation, and closure; and
(ii) technical infrastructure, products,
processes, data, and personnel resources
required to achieve defined cost, schedule, and
performance objectives.
(E) If appropriate, a description of actions taken
to implement the previous plan.
(3) Public involvement.--In developing the strategic plan
required by paragraph (1), the Under Secretary shall invite
comments and other feedback from the public to inform the
strategic plan.
(4) Annual briefings.--
(A) In general.--Not later than one year after the
date of the enactment of this Act, and annually
thereafter until 2029, the Under Secretary shall brief
Congress on the progress made toward the objectives of
the strategic plan required by paragraph (1).
(B) Elements.--Each briefing required by
subparagraph (A) shall include the following:
(i) An evaluation of the progress made in
implementing the strategic plan.
(ii) Such updates to the strategic plan as
the Under Secretary considers appropriate.
SEC. 109. EARTH PREDICTION INNOVATION CENTER.
Paragraph (5) of section 102(b) of the Weather Research and
Forecasting Innovation Act of 2017 (15 U.S.C. 8512(b)) is amended--
(1) in subparagraph (D), by striking ``and'' after the
semicolon; and
(2) by striking subparagraph (E) and inserting the
following new subparagraphs:
``(E) developing community weather research
modeling systems that--
``(i) are accessible by the public in
accordance with section 10601 of the James M.
Inhofe National Defense Authorization Act for
Fiscal Year 2023 (15 U.S.C. 8512a) and
available for archive and long-term study;
``(ii) meet basic end-user requirements for
running on public computers and networks
located outside of secure National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration information and
technology systems;
``(iii) use, whenever appropriate and cost-
effective, innovative strategies and methods,
including cloud-based computing capabilities,
for hosting and management of part or all of
the system described in this subparagraph;
``(iv) use modeling systems that allow for
interoperability with new model components,
modules, and next-generation software and
coding languages;
``(v) allow for open testing and
integration of promising operational model
improvements from the broader community;
``(vi) access as close to a real-time basis
as possible operational data and metadata,
including commercially purchased data for use
in the model testing conducted by the Earth
Prediction Innovation Center pursuant to
redistribution restrictions, licensing
agreements, and applicable existing laws and
regulations; and
``(vii) provide supported and portable
versions of the unified forecast system,
including applications for fire weather,
subseasonal to seasonal forecasting, hurricane,
space weather, ocean, cryosphere, air quality,
and coastal models, that can reproduce current
operational global and regional model
prediction; and
``(F) establishing a National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration Data Lake, to be maintained
by the Administration, a commercial partner, or non-
profit entity, that consolidates and maintains a
publicly available and continuously updated collection
of data and metadata used in numerical weather
prediction for use in the Earth Prediction Innovation
Center's model testing, pursuant to redistribution
restrictions, licensing agreements, and applicable
existing laws and regulations.''.
SEC. 110. SATELLITE ARCHITECTURE PLANNING.
Section 301 of the Weather Research and Forecasting Innovation Act
of 2017 (15 U.S.C. 8531) is amended--
(1) in subsection (a), by striking paragraph (1) and
redesignating paragraphs (2), (3), and (4) as paragraphs (1),
(2), and (3), respectively;
(2) by amending subsection (b) to read as follows:
``(b) National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Satellite
Systems and Data.--
``(1) In general.--The Under Secretary shall maintain a
fleet of National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration space-
based observation platforms that provide critical operations-
focused data and information to support the mission of the
Administration to monitor the global environment in order to
protect lives and property from extreme weather and other
natural phenomena.
``(2) Collaboration.--The Under Secretary shall implement
recommendations from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration Observing Systems Council to ensure an
appropriate mix of government, academic, commercial sector, and
international partnerships in the provision of data and
information, including a broadened effort on data acquisition
through the Commercial Data Program under section 302 when cost
effective and beneficial to the Administration.
``(3) Priority.--The Under Secretary shall ensure that
platforms maintained under paragraph (1) prioritize the
development of products and services that are tailored to meet
the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's mission.
``(4) National centers for environmental information.--The
Under Secretary shall maintain the National Centers for
Environmental Information to provide a long-term archive and
access to the national and global data and metadata of the
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.''; and
(3) in subsection (f)(1), by striking ``2023'' and
inserting ``2030''.
SEC. 111. IMPROVING UNCREWED ACTIVITIES.
(a) Research and Development.--Section 102(b)(3) of the Weather
Research and Forecasting Innovation Act of 2017 (15 U.S.C. 8512(b)(3))
is amended--
(1) in subparagraph (B), by striking ``aerial'' and
inserting ``crewed and uncrewed aerial and surface''; and
(2) in subparagraph (G), by striking ``, including
commercial observing systems'' and inserting ``, including
stationary and mobile commercial observing systems, such as
uncrewed aircraft and marine systems, to provide observations
of the atmosphere and ocean, and other observations, in
cooperation with the Office of Marine and Aviation
Operations''.
(b) Use of Uncrewed Aerial Systems.--Section 102 of the Weather
Research and Forecasting Innovation Act of 2017 (15 U.S.C. 8512) is
further amended by--
(1) redesignating subsections (c) and (d) as subsections
(d) and (e), respectively; and
(2) by inserting after subsection (b) the following:
``(c) Use of Uncrewed Aerial Systems.--
``(1) In general.--In carrying out the program under this
section, the Assistant Administrator for Oceanic and
Atmospheric Research and the Assistant Administrator for the
Office of Marine and Aviation Operations, whenever practical,
shall use uncrewed aerial systems to assess damage and assist
recovery after an extreme weather or water event.
``(2) Use of systems.--In carrying out the program under
this section, the Assistant Administrator for Oceanic and
Atmospheric Research and the Assistant Administrator for the
Office of Marine and Aviation Operations, may acquire uncrewed
aerial systems and training resources for the regional offices
and partners of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration for the use and deployment of those systems in
storm assessments and response.''.
SEC. 112. INTERAGENCY COUNCIL FOR ADVANCING METEOROLOGICAL SERVICES.
(a) In General.--Section 402 of the Weather Research and
Forecasting Innovation Act of 2017 (15 U.S.C. 8542) is amended--
(1) in subsection (a)--
(A) by striking ``Advancing Weather Services'' and
inserting ``Advancing Meteorological Services (in this
section referred to as the `Interagency Council')'';
and
(B) by striking ``Committee'' each place it appears
and inserting ``Council'';
(2) by amending subsections (b) and (c) to read as follows:
``(b) Co-Chairs.--The Director of the Office of Science and
Technology Policy and the Under Secretary shall serve as co-chairs of
the Interagency Council. The Under Secretary shall serve as the Federal
Coordinator for Meteorology.
``(c) Further Coordination.--The Director of the Office of Science
and Technology Policy shall take such steps as are necessary to
coordinate the activities of the Federal Government with stakeholders
in the United States weather industry, academic partners, State
governments, and emergency managers, including by implementing
mechanisms to encourage and enable the participation of non-Federal
employees in the functions of the Interagency Council.''; and
(3) by adding at the end the following new subsections:
``(d) Functions.--The Interagency Council shall be the formal
mechanism by which all relevant Federal departments and agencies
coordinate implementation of policy and practices to ensure United
States global leadership in meteorological services. In doing so, the
Interagency Council shall review programs and support relevant weather
research and forecast innovation activities, as well as other related
implementation activities, related to Federal meteorological services,
including by carrying out the following:
``(1) Identifying and helping prioritize meteorological
research and service delivery needs, including relating to
observations, operational systems, communications, and
infrastructure.
``(2) Providing recommendations to streamline or
consolidate activities and develop greater efficiencies in
cross-agency activities.
``(3) Leveraging Earth system science research outcomes of
the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the
National Aeronautics and Space Administration, and other
relevant Federal departments and agencies, including research
outcomes related to the relevant recommended key science and
applications questions and priorities in the National Academies
of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine's 2018 report `Thriving
on Our Changing Planet: A Decadal Strategy for Earth
Observation from Space', to understand and predict high-impact
weather phenomena.
``(4) Facilitating the expansion and strengthening of
partnerships with private sector entities to advance
meteorological research, communications, and computing in
collaboration with the Earth system science, service, and
stakeholder communities.
``(5) Sharing information regarding meteorological research
improvement needs and science opportunities across relevant
Federal departments and agencies.
``(6) Providing advice to all relevant Federal departments
and agencies regarding potential collaborations and expected
level of resources needed to maintain and operate the
Interagency Council.
``(7) Enhancing communication and coordination and
promoting sharing within relevant Federal departments and
agencies and across the Interagency Council.
``(8) Developing, recruiting, and sustaining a professional
and diverse workforce for meteorological research and services.
``(e) Data Inventory.--The Interagency Council, in coordination and
avoidance of duplication with the United States Group on Earth
Observations, shall promote data and metadata access and archive
activities to increase accessibility, interoperability, and reusability
by maintaining a data inventory of meteorological observations. Not
less frequently than every two years for a period of 10 years beginning
on the date of the enactment of this subsection, the Interagency
Council shall solicit updated information from private sector entities
identifying current and near future sources of such data. Such data
shall be made available to member departments and agencies under
subsection (a).
``(f) Coordination Office.--The Interagency Meteorological
Coordination Office shall provide to the Interagency Council such
administrative and logistical support as the Interagency Council may
require, as determined by the co-chairs.
``(g) Cost Share.--Member departments and agencies of the
Interagency Council specified under subsection (a) may provide
reimbursable financial support to the Interagency Meteorological
Coordinating Office to enhance cost-sharing and collaboration related
to weather research and forecast innovation activities.
``(h) Report.--Not later than one year after the date of the
enactment of this subsection and annually thereafter until 2029, the
Interagency Council shall publish a report which identifies among
member departments and agencies specified under subsection (a) the
following:
``(1) Federal programs that use meteorological
observations, data sources, and capabilities.
``(2) Federal programs that acquire such observations,
data, and capabilities from private sector entities.
``(3) Advancements in meteorological data collection,
assimilation, and forecasting that could improve Federal
programmatic operational capabilities.
``(4) Barriers to acquiring meteorological observations,
data sources, and capabilities that could be used to better
meet Federal programmatic needs.''.
(b) References.--Any reference to the Interagency Committee for
Advancing Weather Services in any law, rule, regulation, paper,
document, map, or other record of the United States shall be deemed to
be a reference to the Interagency Council for Advancing Meteorological
Services.
SEC. 113. OCEAN OBSERVATIONS.
Subsection (b) of section 12304 of the Integrated Coastal and Ocean
Observation System Act of 2009 (33 U.S.C. 3603) is amended by adding at
the end the following new paragraph:
``(5) Ships of opportunity pilot program.--
``(A) In general.--The Administrator, in
coordination with the heads of relevant Federal
departments and agencies, shall, subject to relevant
regulations and certifications, maintain pilot programs
or projects to contract with research or commercial
ship operators for data collection and assess the
potential costs, benefits, and viability of a network
of ocean and atmospheric observing instruments
operating on research or commercial ocean vessels,
including in the Arctic, in order to supplement the
Integrated Coastal, Great Lakes, and Ocean Observation
System in improving understanding of coastal and ocean
systems and their relationships to human activities.
``(B) Standards and specifications.--The
Administrator shall ensure that data acquired through
the pilot program established pursuant to subparagraph
(A) meets the most recent standards and specifications
required for observation services and data as published
pursuant to subsection (c) of section 302 of the
Weather Research and Forecasting Innovation Act of
2017.
``(C) Report.--Not later than five years after the
date of the enactment of this paragraph, the
Administrator, in consultation with the Secretary of
Transportation, shall submit to Congress a report on
the requirements for a global network of ocean and
atmospheric instruments operating on research or
commercial ocean vessels for measurement and data
transmission.
``(D) Sunset.--This paragraph shall terminate on
the earlier of--
``(i) September 30, 2029; or
``(ii) one year after the date on which the
report required under subparagraph (B) is
submitted by the Administrator.''.
SEC. 114. CONSOLIDATION OF REPORTS.
(a) Weather Research and Forecasting Innovation Act of 2017.--
(1) In general.--The Weather Research and Forecasting
Innovation Act of 2017 is amended--
(A) in section 102 (15 U.S.C. 8512), by striking
subsection (d);
(B) by amending section 105 (15 U.S.C. 8515) to
read as follows:
``SEC. 105. WEATHER RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT PLANNING.
``Not later than two years after the date of the enactment of this
section and not less frequently than every two years thereafter, the
Under Secretary, acting through the Assistant Administrator for Oceanic
and Atmospheric Research, and in coordination with the Director of the
National Weather Service and the Assistant Administrator for Satellite
and Information Services, shall issue a research and development and
research to operations plan to maintain United States leadership in
numerical weather prediction and forecasting that--
``(1) describes the forecasting skill and technology goals,
technology transfer plan, and progress of the National Oceanic
and Atmospheric Administration in carrying out the program
conducted under section 102;
``(2) identifies and prioritizes specific research and
development activities, data collection and analysis,
predictive modeling, demonstration of potential operational
forecast application, education, training, and performance
metrics, weighted to meet the operational weather and flood-
event mission of the National Weather Service to achieve a
weather-ready Nation;
``(3) describes how the program conducted under section 102
will collaborate with Federal agencies and departments,
international partners, and stakeholders, including the United
States weather industry and academic partners, and the role of
each in advancing weather forecasting and communication;
``(4) identifies, through consultation with the National
Science Foundation, the United States weather industry, and
academic partners, research necessary to advance the scientific
understanding of weather processes and provide information to
improve weather warning and forecast systems in the United
States most effectively;
``(5) describes the ongoing research projects of the United
States Weather Research Program, the goals of those projects,
and those projects related to weather observations, short-term
weather, or subseasonal forecasts within the Office of Oceanic
and Atmospheric Research that are closest to
operationalization; and
``(6) describes how the National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration is advancing community weather modeling.'';
(C) in section 403 (15 U.S.C. 8543)--
(i) in subsection (a), by inserting ``the''
after ``Director of''; and
(ii) by amending subsection (d) to read as
follows:
``(d) Annual Briefing.--Not less frequently than once each year,
the Under Secretary shall brief the Committee on Commerce, Science, and
Transportation of the Senate and the Committee on Science, Space, and
Technology of the House of Representatives on participation in the
program under subsection (a) and shall highlight any innovations that
come from the interaction described in subsection (b).''; and
(D) by striking sections 408 through 411 and
section 414 and redesignating sections 412 and 413 as
sections 408 and 409, respectively.
(2) Clerical amendments.--The table of contents in section
1(b) of the Weather Research and Forecasting Innovation Act of
2017 is amended by striking the items relating to sections 408
through 414 and inserting the following new items:
``Sec. 408. Weather enterprise outreach.
``Sec. 409. Hurricane hunter aircraft.''.
(b) National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Authorization
Act of 1992.--The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
Authorization Act of 1992 (Public Law 102-567) is amended--
(1) in section 106, by striking subsection (c) (15 U.S.C.
1537); and
(2) in section 108 (15 U.S.C. 8520)--
(A) in subsection (a)--
(i) by striking paragraph (5); and
(ii) by redesignating paragraphs (6)
through (12) as paragraphs (5) through (11),
respectively;
(B) by striking subsection (b); and
(C) by redesignating subsection (c) as subsection
(b).
SEC. 115. PRECIPITATION FORECAST IMPROVEMENT PROGRAM.
(a) In General.--Title VI of the Weather Research and Forecasting
Innovation Act of 2017 (15 U.S.C. 8501 et seq.) is amended--
(1) by redesignating section 603 as section 604; and
(2) by inserting after section 602 the following:
``SEC. 603. PRECIPITATION FORECAST IMPROVEMENT PROGRAM.
``(a) In General.--The Under Secretary, in collaboration with the
United States weather industry, other Federal agencies, and academic
partners, shall maintain a program to improve precipitation forecasting
across timescales.
``(b) Goal.--The goal of the program under subsection (a) shall be
to provide more accurate, reliable, and timely precipitation forecasts
across timescales through the development and application of a fully
coupled Earth system prediction model in order to reduce the loss of
life or property related to precipitation extremes, with a focus on the
following:
``(1) Improving the understanding and prediction of
precipitation extremes from a variety of weather systems,
including atmospheric rivers.
``(2) Evaluating and incorporating, as appropriate,
innovative observations into operational monitoring and
forecast systems to improve precipitation forecasts.
``(3) Improving earth system model predictions of
precipitation extremes from atmospheric rivers, tropical
cyclones, summer-time thunderstorms, winter storms, and other
phenomena, in coordination with relevant programs.
``(4) Enhancing research transition to operations through
testbeds, including the evaluation of physical and social
science, technology, and other research to develop products and
services for implementation and use by relevant stakeholders.
``(5) Incorporating social, behavioral, and economic
sciences best practices into operations for more effective and
actionable watch and warning products that help drive public
safety and damage mitigation decisions in coordination with the
programs established in accordance with this Act.
``(6) Ensuring data and metadata management processes are
in place to support data access and archive for long term
research and operations among multiple partners.
``(c) Activities.--In carrying out the program under subsection
(a), the Under Secretary shall support research-to-operations work,
including relating to the following:
``(1) Implementing key strategies and following priorities
and objectives outlined by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration's `Precipitation Prediction Grand Challenge
Strategy'.
``(2) Improving the physical science, operational modeling
and tools, and technology related to better forecasting
precipitation extremes across timescales.
``(3) Improving the social, behavioral, risk,
communications, and economic sciences related to
vulnerabilities, risk communication, and delivery of
information critical for reducing the loss of life or property
related to extreme precipitation.
``(4) Conducting the research necessary to develop and
deploy probabilistic weather forecast guidance technology
relating to precipitation extremes in operational practice.
``(5) Enhancing the operational capacity of the National
Weather Service to deliver decision support for increasing
precipitation extremes.
``(6) Expanding computational resources to improve
precipitation modeling.
``(d) Annual Budget.--The Under Secretary shall, not less
frequently than annually, submit to Congress a proposed budget
corresponding with carrying out this section.
``(e) Sense of Congress.--It is the Sense of Congress that improved
precipitation forecasts should support improved water resource
management and resilience to extreme water related events, such as
floods and drought, which may include the use of enhanced streamflow
prediction.''.
(b) Clerical Amendment.--The table of contents in section 1(b) of
the Weather Research and Forecasting Innovation Act of 2017 is amended
by striking the item relating to section 603 and inserting the
following new items:
``Sec. 603. Precipitation forecast improvement program.
``Sec. 604. Definitions.''.
TITLE II--ENHANCING FEDERAL WEATHER FORECASTING AND INNOVATION
SEC. 201. WEATHER INNOVATION FOR THE NEXT GENERATION.
(a) In General.--Not later than 180 days after the date of the
enactment of this Act, the Under Secretary shall establish a Research,
Development, Test, and Evaluation Program (in this section referred to
as the ``Program'') to ensure the continued performance of weather
radar capabilities based on defined use needs and requirements,
including capabilities currently being developed.
(b) Requirements.--In carrying out the Program, the Under
Secretary, in consultation with the Interagency Council for Advancing
Meteorological Services, shall--
(1) partner with the private sector, academia, Federal,
State, and local government entities, and any other entity the
Under Secretary considers appropriate;
(2) identify, evaluate, and test existing or emerging
technologies and solutions that improve radar coverage and
performance, including by mitigating the potential impact of
interferences on weather radar;
(3) to the maximum extent practicable, research additional
solutions that could improve radar coverage and performance and
mitigate the effects of interferences on weather radar, such
as--
(A) signal processing algorithms, including the
capability to merge data from multiple radars,
including commercial radars, and other supplemental
data sources;
(B) short-term forecasting algorithms to improve
weather and water-related forecasts and warnings;
(C) gap filling radars to improve radar coverage
and provide supplemental or replacement observations in
areas impacted by interferences on weather radar;
(D) solutions to replace or mitigate the effects of
data contaminated by interferences on weather radar;
and
(E) solutions from electromagnetic sources; and
(4) develop, support, or partner with developers to provide
commercially viable technical mitigation solutions for
interferences to weather radar capabilities that are compatible
with the operational requirements of the weather radar system.
(c) Priority.--In carrying out subsection (b), the Under Secretary
shall prioritize consideration of the following technology-based
mitigation solutions:
(1) Phased array weather radar systems.
(2) Supplementing or replacing contaminated data with
commercial radar data.
(3) The use of data from meteorological towers associated
with the private sector, or similar capabilities.
(4) The installation and provision of access to rain
gauges.
(5) Any other technology-based mitigation solution the
Under Secretary determines could improve radar coverage by
overcoming interferences, beam blockage, or ghost echoes.
(d) Report; Recommendation.--
(1) In general.--Not later than two years after the date of
the enactment of this section and annually thereafter until the
Program terminates pursuant to subsection (e), the Under
Secretary shall submit to Congress a report on the
implementation of the Program, including an evaluation of each
technology-based mitigation solution identified for priority
consideration pursuant to subsection (c), and a recommendation
regarding additional identification and testing of new
technologies based on such consideration.
(2) Final recommendation.--Not later than five years after
the date of the enactment of this section, the Under Secretary
shall provide to Congress a recommendation on whether
additional research, testing, and development through the
Program established under subsection (a) is needed, and a
determination of whether a cessation of field research,
testing, development and evaluation under the Program is
appropriate.
(e) Termination.--The authority of the Under Secretary to carry out
the Program shall terminate on the earlier of--
(1) September 30, 2029; or
(2) one year after the date on which the final
recommendation required under subsection (d)(2) is submitted by
the Under Secretary.
(f) Definitions.--In this section:
(1) Ghost echo.--The term ``ghost echo'' means radar signal
reflectivity or velocity return errors in radar data due to the
proximity of an interference.
(2) Interference.--The term ``interference'' means any
natural or human-built structure that affects a weather radar
system, including any wind turbine or building that could
disrupt or limit the effectiveness of a weather radar system.
SEC. 202. RADAR NEXT PROGRAM.
(a) In General.--The Under Secretary, in consultation with the
Director of the National Weather Service, shall establish a program to
be known as the ``Radar Next Program'' (in this section referred to as
the ``program'').
(b) Requirements.--In carrying out the program, the Under Secretary
shall--
(1) develop performance and coverage requirements for the
weather radar network of the United States, including the
territories of the United States;
(2) collaborate with the weather enterprise to determine
potential solutions to update the weather radar network of the
United States that meets the requirements developed under
paragraph (1); and
(3) develop a plan in accordance with subsection (c).
(c) Plan.--
(1) In general.--The Under Secretary shall develop a plan
to replace the Next Generation Weather Radar of the National
Weather Service system in existence as of the data of the
enactment of this Act (in this subsection referred to as the
``NEXRAD system'').
(2) Elements.--The plan developed under this subsection
shall seek to continue and improve weather radar coverage in
the United States and its territories and include the
following:
(A) Estimates of quantifiable improvements in
performance, coverage, and accuracy to be made from
potential options for replacement of the NEXRAD system.
(B) Development of a proof-of-concept phased array
radar to test and determine the specifications and
requirements for such replacement.
(C) Expected actions needed to implement the
recommendations of the report published by the
Environmental Information Services Working Group of the
Science Advisory Board of the National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration in November 2023 and
entitled ``A NESDIS Observing System Backbone
Framework'' to assist in defining a radar backbone
architecture that will best serve the United States.
(D) Establishment of a weather surveillance radar
testbed for the following:
(i) Evaluation of commercial radars with
the potential to replace or supplement the
NEXRAD system.
(ii) providing technical assistance for the
use of small, gap-filling radars with private
and local partners in regions where
geographical topography prevents the full use
of large systems or in locations where such
systems may not be commercially viable.
(E) Consultation and input solicited from academia,
meteorologists, emergency managers, and public safety
or utility officials regarding the specifications and
requirements for replacement of the NEXRAD system.
(F) Prioritized locations for initial deployment of
the system that will replace the NEXRAD system.
(G) Expected locations of the system that will
replace the NEXRAD system, including sites located more
than 75 miles away from an existing NEXRAD system
station and additional appropriate locations.
(H) Expected or planned improvements to data
available for weather and water-related forecasts and
warnings from the system that will replace the NEXRAD
system.
(3) Procurement deadline.--The Under Secretary shall take
such actions as may be necessary to ensure the plan developed
under this subsection is fully implemented and executed by not
later than September 30, 2040.
(d) Radar-as-a-Service.--
(1) In general.--The Under Secretary may partner or
contract with entities outside of the National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration to fill data gaps in weather radar
coverage using diverse weather radars and data assimilation
technologies in order to--
(A) supplement data gaps in weather radar coverage,
including at low levels and wide areas, in existence as
of the date of the enactment of this Act;
(B) ensure the continued performance of the United
States' weather radar network; and
(C) better detect significant precipitation and
severe weather over a greater area across a population.
(2) Considerations.--In carrying out paragraph (1), the
Under Secretary may consider--
(A) partnering or contracting with entities that
have participated in the testbed described in
subsection (c)(3), the National Mesonet Program, or
Cooperative Research and Development Agreements; and
(B) weather camera systems and services, including
in consultation with the Federal Aviation
Administration, as viable technologies to supplement
weather forecasting and prediction needs.
(e) Updates to Congress.--The Under Secretary shall provide to the
Committee on Science, Space, and Technology of the House of
Representatives and the Committee on Commerce, Science, and
Transportation of the Senate periodic updates on the implementation of
this section.
SEC. 203. DATA VOIDS IN HIGHLY VULNERABLE AREAS OF THE UNITED STATES.
(a) In General.--The Under Secretary, in coordination with the
Director of the National Weather Service and the Administrator of the
Federal Emergency Management Agency, in consultation with the United
States weather industry, academic partners, and in accordance with
activities implemented through existing regional atmospheric, coastal,
ocean, and Great Lakes observing systems, shall carry out activities to
ensure equitable and comprehensive weather observation coverage,
impact-based decision support services, and emergency information
sharing in the United States, including the following
(1) Identifying regions in the United States and the
territories of the United States that are under-observed or
highly vulnerable to weather impacts that threaten human life,
health, and the economy.
(2) Identifying any challenges that contribute to the lack
of operations under paragraph (1).
(3) Increasing weather observations and developing new
weather observational capabilities, such as urban heat island
mapping campaigns, with respect to the regions identified under
paragraph (1).
(4) Establishing or supporting testbeds and deployments of
decision-support services to Federal, State, and local
emergency operations centers to develop and integrate new
weather, water, and climate observation or emergency
information sharing tools, with respect to the regions
identified under paragraph (1).
(5) To the maximum extent practicable, advancing weather
and water forecasting and climate modeling capabilities for the
regions identified under paragraph (1).
(6) Undertaking workforce development efforts for emergency
management officials and meteorologists in the regions
identified under paragraph (1).
(7) Using data-void-filling observations to better resolve
extreme rainfall in complex topography.
(8) Contributing to a national integrated heat health
information system.
(b) Interagency Partnership To Support Pilot Projects.--In carrying
out this section, the Under Secretary, acting through the Director of
the National Weather Service and in collaboration with the
Administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, shall
establish an interagency partnership to support pilot projects that
accelerate coordination and use of localized weather, water, and
climate data and impact-based communications in infrastructure and
emergency management decisions by Federal, State, and local officials.
(c) Priority.--At least one pilot project under subsection (b)
shall address key science challenges to using mesonet data in local
decision making and development of new tools and training for owners
and operators of critical infrastructure (as such term is defined in
section 1016(e) of Public Law 107-56 (42 U.S.C. 5195c(e))), such as
dams, energy generation and distribution facilities, nuclear power
plants, and transportation networks.
SEC. 204. ATMOSPHERIC RIVERS FORECAST IMPROVEMENT PROGRAM.
(a) In General.--The Under Secretary, in collaboration with the
United States weather industry and academic partners and in
coordination with the precipitation forecast improvement program under
section 603 of the Weather Research and Forecasting Innovation Act of
2017, as added by section 115 of this Act, shall establish an
atmospheric river forecast improvement program (in this section
referred to as the ``program'').
(b) Goal.--The goal of the program shall be to reduce the loss of
life and property and economic losses from atmospheric rivers through
the research, development, and extension of accurate, effective, and
actionable forecasts and warnings including by--
(1) establishing atmospheric river forecast skill metrics
that include assessing the benefits of dynamical modeling, data
assimilation, and machine learning improvements in the
probabilistic forecasts of landfall location, extreme wind and
precipitation, and cascading impacts;
(2) developing an atmospheric river forecast system within
a unified forecast system, and advancing next-generation
coupled modeling systems, with the capability of providing
seasonal to short-range atmospheric river forecasts that
include forecast of snow accumulation and other hydrologic
components;
(3) advancing scientific understanding of the roles of
atmospheric rivers in subseasonal to seasonal precipitation and
probabilistic predictions at subseasonal and seasonal scales;
(4) developing tools and improved forecast products to
predict periods of active or inactive atmospheric river
landfalls and inland penetration over the United States with a
focus on addressing stakeholder and public needs related to
perceiving, comprehending, and responding to atmospheric river
forecast improvements;
(5) enhancing the transition of research to operations
through the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's
testbeds, including the evaluation of physical and social
science, technology, and other research to develop products and
services for implementation and use by relevant stakeholders;
and
(6) incorporating into atmospheric river modeling and
forecasting, as appropriate, social, behavioral, risk,
communication, and economic sciences.
(c) Innovative Observations, Data Assimilation, and Modeling.--The
Under Secretary shall ensure the program periodically examines, tests,
and evaluates the value of incorporating innovative observations, data,
and measurements with respect to the improvement of atmospheric river
analysis, modeling, forecasts, predictions, and warnings.
(d) Program Plan.--Not later than 270 days after the date of the
enactment of this Act, the Under Secretary, in consultation with the
Secretary of the Air Force or the Commander of the 53rd Weather
Reconnaissance Squadron of the Air Force Reserve Command, shall develop
a plan that details the specific research, development, data
acquisition, partnerships with the weather industry and academic
partners, and technology transfer activities, as well as corresponding
resources, and timelines, necessary to achieve the goal of the program
under subsection (b). Such plan shall be made available to the public
on release.
(e) Annual Budget for Plan Submittal.--After the development of the
plan pursuant to subsection (d), the Under Secretary shall, not less
frequently than annually, submit to Congress a proposed budget
corresponding with the activities identified in such plan.
(f) Improved Modeling.--In carrying out the program, the Under
Secretary may--
(1) develop, test, and operationalize prototype high-
resolution Atmospheric River Analysis and Forecasting System
models through research and operations partnerships with
institutions of higher education and other partners outside the
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration;
(2) enhance data assimilation of current and new satellite
and ocean observations that is useful for atmospheric river
analysis and forecasting predictions;
(3) improve data processing techniques related to
atmospheric river analysis and forecasting predictions;
(4) use artificial intelligence and machine learning
methods as applicable to atmospheric river analysis and
forecasting predictions;
(5) ensure the surface and subsurface observations of the
ocean meet the needs of atmospheric river analysis and
forecasting predictions on different time scales; and
(6) to the maximum extent practicable, improve or establish
baseline weather monitoring services in areas that have
historically experienced, or are predicted to experience,
atmospheric rivers.
(g) Conduct of Reconnaissance.--The Under Secretary shall acquire
and sustain adequate aircraft, scientific equipment, and personnel to
meet mission requirements of the National Hurricane Operations Plan and
the National Winter Seasons Operation plan, and to--
(1) ensure atmospheric river air reconnaissance
observations are available throughout the expected seasons of
tropical cyclones and atmospheric rivers;
(2) to the maximum extent practicable and in accordance
with paragraph (4), ensure data and information collected are
made available for research and operations purposes;
(3) participate in research and operations partnerships
that guide flight planning and use research methods to improve
and expand the capabilities and effectiveness of atmospheric
river reconnaissance over time;
(4) develop data management strategies to ensure that data
and metadata are adequately stewarded, maintained, and
archived; and
(5) undertake such other additional activities as the Under
Secretary, in consultation with the Secretary of the Air Force,
considers appropriate to improve and grow the hurricane hunter
and atmospheric river reconnaissance mission.
(h) Improved Atmospheric River Hazard Communication.--The Under
Secretary may conduct reach and development activities in coordination
with the program established under section 403(a) to--
(1) as appropriate, develop and refine methods to
categorize the intensity of weather and oceans hazards,
including tropical cyclones and atmospheric rivers, on a
quantitative scale and the effectiveness of such scale in
hazard communication;
(2) develop best practices for communication of atmospheric
river events and hazards across regions of the United States;
(3) gather information from areas prone to hurricanes and
atmospheric rivers regarding levels of knowledge and
preparedness, including responses to early forecasts and
warnings by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration; and
(4) explore strategies and effectiveness of communicating
that hurricane and atmospheric river events are beneficial at
lower intensities versus hazardous at higher intensity.
SEC. 205. COASTAL FLOODING AND STORM SURGE FORECAST IMPROVEMENT
PROGRAM.
(a) In General.--The Under Secretary, in collaboration with the
United States weather industry and academic partners, shall establish a
coastal flooding and storm surge forecast improvement program (in this
section referred to as the ``program'').
(b) Goal.--The goal of the program shall be to reduce the loss of
life or property from coastal flooding, including high tide flooding,
and storm surge events through the development and extension of
accurate, effective, actionable, and probable forecasts and warnings.
(c) Priority.--In implementing the program, the Under Secretary
shall prioritize activities that carry out the following:
(1) Improving understanding and capacity for real-time
operational prediction of the ocean's role in coastal flooding,
including high tide flooding, and storm surge events.
(2) Improving the capacity to mitigate, adapt to, or
prevent the impacts of coastal flooding, including high tide
flooding, and storm surge events, including by improving the
understanding and capacity of coastal communities to perceive,
comprehend, and respond to forecast information.
(3) Incorporating data from in situ distributed sensors
into predictive models and re-analyses.
(4) Developing probabilistic coastal flooding, including
high tide flooding, and storm surge estimates to complement
worst-case scenario estimates, including for use in long-term
planning and risk management by States, Tribal governments,
localities, and emergency managers in coordination with the
Federal Emergency Management Agency, as appropriate.
(5) Establishing skill metrics for coastal inundation
forecasting that quantify the benefits of dynamical modeling,
data assimilation, and machine learning improvements in the
probabilistic forecast of coastal flooding, including high tide
flooding, and storm surge risk and impacts.
(6) Improving operational regional storm surge models and,
in collaboration with the United States Geological Survey, wave
prediction models to enhance probabilistic guidance and
messaging.
(d) Innovative Observations and Modeling.--The Under Secretary
shall ensure the program periodically examines, tests, and evaluates
the value of incorporating enhanced model physics, hybrid dynamical or
machine learning based prediction systems, and innovative observations,
such as novel sensor technologies, observation networks, crewed or
uncrewed systems, and hosted instruments on commercial aircrafts,
vessels, and satellites, with respect to the improvement of coastal
flooding, including high tide flooding, and storm surge forecasts,
predictions, and warnings.
(e) Program Plan.--Not later than 180 days after the date of the
enactment of this Act, the Under Secretary shall develop a plan that
details the specific research, development, data acquisition, and
technology transfer activities, as well as corresponding resources and
timelines, necessary to achieve the goal of the program under
subsection (b).
(f) Annual Budget for Plan Submittal.--After the development of the
plan pursuant to subsection (e), the Under Secretary shall, not less
frequently than annually, submit to Congress a proposed budget
corresponding with the activities identified in such plan.
SEC. 206. AVIATION WEATHER AND DATA INNOVATION.
(a) Program.--The Under Secretary shall maintain an airborne
observation program (in this section referred to as the ``program'')
for the acquisition of atmospheric sensor data and the deployment of
critical atmospheric sensors, including in partnership with the weather
enterprise.
(b) Activities.--The program shall include activities that carry
out the following:
(1) Procurement of weather data available from commercial
aircraft, as determined by the Under Secretary.
(2) Acquisition of additional vertical profile observations
that provide spatial and temporal density, as determined by the
Under Secretary.
(3) Analysis of procured data when incorporated into the
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's unified
forecast system in order to provide improved forecast
information for aircraft.
(c) Budget.--The Under Secretary shall, not less frequently than
annually, submit to Congress a proposed budget corresponding with the
activities described in subsection (b), including and analysis of
activities that can be complemented by National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration aircraft.
(d) Authorization of Appropriations.--From amounts authorized to be
appropriated for the Commercial Data Program under section 302 of the
Weather Research and Forecasting Innovation Act of 2017, there shall be
available not more than $10,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2025
through 2029 to carry out the program.
(e) Aviation Weather and Turbulence Forecasting.--The Director of
the National Weather Service shall include turbulence events, icing
conditions, or other phenomena in the forecasting capabilities of the
Aviation Weather Center and the Center Weather Service Units, and
deliver operational forecasts with consistent, timely, and accurate
weather and turbulence information for the airspace system and the
protection of lives and property.
(f) Coordination.--In carrying out subsection (e), the Director of
the National Weather Service shall give consideration to
recommendations from the Administrator of the Federal Aviation
Administration in furtherance of section 44720 of title 49, United
States Code, and improve weather and turbulence forecasting
capabilities by--
(1) designating or establishing within the Federal
Government an interagency working group to determine weather
and environmental data or observation requirements, needs, and
potential solutions related to aviation weather and turbulence
modeling or forecasting;
(2) identifying current and future potential data gaps
related to turbulence events or phenomena that can--
(A) identify or inform route specific flight
planning; and
(B) be supplemented or filled by commercial
aviation tools;
(3) transitioning research initiatives and pilot programs,
including a pilot program of instrumentation for observing
greenhouse gases and other atmospheric factors deployed on
commercial aircraft and support for the evaluation of a
sustained observing network using such instrumentation, into
operations that improve the forecasting capabilities of the
Aviation Weather Center;
(4) developing and deploying improved probabilistic
aviation weather forecast guidance technology; and
(5) updating interagency agreements as appropriate,
including to address reimbursable agreements.
(g) Next Generation Aviation Research.--Paragraph (3) of section
102(b) of the Weather Research and Forecasting Innovation Act of 2017
(15 U.S.C. 8512(b)), is amended--
(1) by redesignating subparagraphs (F) and (G) as
subparagraphs (G) and (H), respectively; and
(2) by inserting after subparagraph (E) the following new
subparagraph:
``(F) aviation weather phenomena, including
atmospheric composition and turbulence, to improve
scientific understanding and forecast capabilities for
the airspace system;''.
(h) Aviation Information Dissemination.--The Under Secretary shall
ensure the Aviation Weather Center is able, to the maximum extent
possible, to disseminate in a timely manner full resolution aviation
weather data, forecasts, and information to meet the needs of aviation
users.
(i) Provision of Weather Services to the Federal Aviation
Administration.--
(1) Sense of congress.--It is the sense of Congress that
the aviation weather services provided to the Federal Aviation
Administration by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration are critical to the functions of the Federal
Aviation Administration and the safety of the flying public.
(2) Interagency agreement.--The Under Secretary and the
Administrator of the Federal Aviation Administration shall
enter into or otherwise participate in an interagency agreement
for a period of not less than 5 years under which the National
Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration provides weather
services to the Federal Aviation Administration.
(3) Briefings.--Not less frequently than once per quarter
through 2030, the Under Secretary and the Administrator of the
Federal Aviation Administration shall provide a briefing to the
Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation of the
Senate and the Committee on Science, Space, and Technology of
the House of Representatives on the status of the provision by
the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration of weather
services to the Federal Aviation Administration and the
interagency agreement under paragraph (2)
SEC. 207. NESDIS PARTNERSHIP PROGRAM, TRANSITION PROGRAM, AND
OPERATIONAL PLANNING.
(a) Partnership Program.--
(1) In general.--The Assistant Administrator of the
National Environmental Satellite, Data, and Information Service
(in this section referred to as the ``Assistant
Administrator'') shall maintain a partnership program to
enhance engagement with the private sector, academia, and other
Federal departments and agencies (in this section referred to
as the ``partnership program'').
(2) Administration.--The Assistant Administrator, in
consultation with the Administrator of the National Aeronautics
and Space Administration, shall administer broad agency
announcements and other transactional authority or contracting
mechanisms, on an annual or more frequent basis, to support the
partnership program.
(b) Transition Program.--
(1) In general.--To support the development of next-
generation technologies, missions, data systems, spacecraft,
and instrument design, the Assistant Administrator, in
consultation with the Administrator of the National Aeronautics
and Space Administration, shall maintain a program to
transition selected awards from research and study phases into
demonstration (in this section referred to as the ``transition
program'').
(2) Considerations.--In selecting awardees for
demonstrations under the transition program, the Assistant
Administrator shall consider technologies, missions, data
systems, spacecraft, and instrument design that--
(A) improve upon the National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration's satellite architecture;
(B) have a direct impact on implementing the
recommendations of the Administration's 2018 Satellite
Observing System Architecture Study entitled,
``Building a Plan for NOAA's 21st Century Satellite
Observing System''; and
(C) meet current or future mission requirements.
(c) Operational Planning.--In carrying out the transition program ,
the Assistant Administrator shall monitor demonstration phase progress
and plan for promising results that meet mission requirements to be
transitioned into the operational satellite architecture of the
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
(d) Annual Plan.--Not less frequently than annually until 2029, the
Assistant Administrator shall submit to the Committee on Science,
Space, and Technology of the House of Representatives and the Committee
on Commerce, Science, and Transportation of the Senate an annual plan
that outlines the progress made in the partnership program under
subsection (a), the transition program under section (b), and
operational planning under subsection (c).
(e) Authorization of Appropriations.--From amounts authorized to be
appropriated to the National Environmental Satellite, Data, and
Information Service, there shall be available $20,000,000 for fiscal
years 2025 through 2029 to carry out to this section.
SEC. 208. ADVANCED WEATHER INTERACTIVE PROCESSING SYSTEM.
(a) In General.--Not later than September 30, 2030, the Under
Secretary, acting through the Director of the National Weather Service,
shall develop a strategy to transition operations of the Advanced
Weather Interactive Processing System to an operational cloud-based
environment in order to enable a more nimble, flexible, and mobile
workforce.
(b) Services.--The Under Secretary shall ensure that the Advanced
Weather Interactive Processing System in an operational cloud-based
environment referred to in subsection (a) provides impact-based
decision support services to emergency managers at the Federal, State,
local, and Tribal levels, and continues to provide the following
services:
(1) Integrating and displaying forecast data, including
meteorological, hydrological, climate, ocean, satellite, and
radar data, for National Weather Service field offices and
national centers.
(2) Acquiring and processing observational data from
sensors and local sources.
(3) Providing an interactive communications system,
including any relevant capabilities of the existing satellite
broadcast network, to connect relevant National Weather Service
employees and sites.
(4) Initiating the dissemination of weather, water, marine,
ecological, climate, aviation, and space warnings and forecasts
in a rapid and highly reliable manner.
(c) Elements.--The transition of operations required under
subsection (a) may include the following:
(1) Establishment or support of testbeds, pilot projects,
and functional testing activities to facilitate remote
evaluation and automated testing.
(2) Coordinated training efforts needed for Federal and
non-Federal users and operators of the Advanced Weather
Interactive Processing System in an operational cloud-based
environment referred to in subsection (a).
(3) Evaluation of bandwidth requirements to achieve a
quality user experience.
(4) Installation of circuits to reduce lapses in network
operations and support backup functions.
(5) Establishment of a cloud-based, remotely accessible
repository for data referred to in subsection (b)(2).
(6) Development and deployment of virtualized systems to
replace physical hardware at operational sites.
(7) Evaluation of commercial cloud providers, including
hybrid approaches, to meet mission needs.
(8) Development, testing, demonstration, evaluation, and
operationalization of forecast and warning products, consistent
with the mission and scientific expertise of the National
Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
(d) Updates to Congress.--The Under Secretary shall submit to the
Committee on Science, Space, and Technology of the House of
Representatives and the Committee on Commerce, Science, and
Transportation of the Senate periodic updates on the implementation of
this section.
(e) Continued Innovation.--Nothing in this section may be construed
as prohibiting the development of new forecast capabilities, sub-
systems, or implementing modeling advancements on the operational
computing systems of the Administration.
SEC. 209. REANALYSIS AND REFORECASTING.
The Under Secretary may support reanalysis and reforecasting
activities within the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration,
including through weather testbeds of the Administration, for--
(1) improving weather forecasts, extreme weather
predictions, and weather and climate datasets; and
(2) serving as training data for artificial intelligence
and machine learning data-driven models.
SEC. 210. NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WORKFORCE.
(a) Hiring.--The Director of the National Weather Service shall
annually submit to the Under Secretary and Congress an assessment of
the milestones, timelines, and service level expectations required for
the expeditious hiring and timely on-boarding of employees of the
National Weather Service. Each such assessment may include the
following:
(1) Recommendations to outsource hiring to any entity other
than the National Weather Service in order to meet such
milestones, timelines, and service level expectations.
(2) Determinations of the number of staff and designated
positions required at each forecasting office to provide
services to protect lives and property in the geographic region
of responsibility.
(b) Health and Morale Assessment.--The Director of the National
Weather Service shall contract or continue to partner with an entity
other than the National Weather Service to conduct an assessment of
medical impacts, including stress and long-term health impacts, on
National Weather Service employees related to required rotating shift
work. Such assessment may include options for mitigating such impacts
on employees and recommendations for improving benefits related to
required rotating shift work.
(c) Role of the Director.--Notwithstanding the results of the
assessment under subsection (a), the Director of the National Weather
Service shall establish service level standards based on staffing
levels.
(d) Designation of Service Hydrologist.--
(1) In general.--The Director of the National Weather
Service may designate at least one service hydrologist at each
Weather Forecast Office of the National Weather Service.
(2) Limitation.--Nothing in this section may be construed
to authorize or require a change in the authorized number of
full time equivalent employees of the National Weather Service
or otherwise result in the employment of any additional
employees.
(3) Performance by other employees.--Notwithstanding
paragraphs (4) and (5), the Director of the National Weather
Service may assign the performance of the responsibilities
described in this subsection to such other staff of the
National Weather Service as the Director considers appropriate
(4) Responsibilities.--In order to increase impact-based
decision support services, each service coordination
hydrologist designated under paragraph (1) shall, with respect
to hydrology, carry out the following:
(A) Be responsible for providing service to the
geographic area of responsibility covered by the
Weather Forecast Office at which the service
coordination hydrologist is employed to help ensure
that users of products and services of the National
Weather Service can respond effectively to improve
outcomes from flood events.
(B) Liaise with users of products and services of
the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration,
such as emergency managers, the public, academia, media
outlets, users in the hydropower, transportation,
recreation, and agricultural communities, and forestry,
land, fisheries, and water management interests, to
evaluate the adequacy and usefulness of the products
and services referred to in subparagraph (A), including
extended range streamflow forecasts, water supply
forecasts, drought outlooks, flood inundation mapping,
coastal inundation, and flood warnings.
(C) Collaborate with the National Water Center,
River Forecast Centers, other Weather Forecast Offices,
the National Integrate Drought Information System,
Administration offices, and Federal, State, local, and
Tribal government agencies, as the Director considers
appropriate, in developing, proposing, and implementing
plans to develop, modify, or tailor such products and
services to improve the usefulness of such products and
services.
(D) Engage in interagency partnerships with
Federal, State, local, and Tribal government agencies
to explore the use of forecast-informed reservoir
operations to reduce flood risk and inform decisions
related to water resources management.
(E) Ensure the maintenance and accuracy of flooding
and water resource management partner call lists,
appropriate office hydrologic service policy or
procedures, and other hydrologic information or
dissemination methodologies or strategies.
(F) Work closely with Federal, State, local, and
Tribal emergency and floodplain management agencies,
and other agencies relating to disaster management, to
ensure a planned, coordinated, and effective
preparedness and response effort.
(5) Additional responsibilities.--A service coordination
hydrologist designated under this subsection may, with respect
to hydrology--
(A) work with a State agency to develop plans for
promoting more effective use of products and services
of the National Weather Service throughout the State
concerned;
(B) identify priority community preparedness
objectives;
(C) develop plans to carry out the responsibilities
described in paragraph (4); and
(D) conduct flooding event preparedness planning
and citizen education efforts with and through various
State, local, and Tribal government agencies and other
disaster management-related organizations.
(e) Pilot Projects.--
(1) In general.--The Director of the National Weather
Service shall--
(A) perform pilot projects for transformational
services related to decision support services and
technology, transitioning data and services to the
cloud, provision of on-site decision support for
emergency management operations, and transition to and
communication of probabilistic models, forecasts, and
hazard information; and
(B) conduct a study to assess the capabilities
needed to scale those pilot projects toward a new, more
efficient and effective operations model.
(2) Sunset.--The authority under paragraph (1) shall
terminate two years after the date of the enactment of this
Act.
SEC. 211. ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE FOR WEATHER FORECASTING.
(a) Definitions.--In this section:
(1) Artificial intelligence.--The term ``artificial
intelligence''--
(A) has the meaning given that term in section 5002
of the National Artificial Intelligence Initiative Act
of 2020 (15 U.S.C. 9401); and
(B) includes machine learning, neural networks, and
natural language processing.
(2) Artificial intelligence weather model.--The term
``artificial intelligence weather model'' means a weather model
based primarily on artificial intelligence technology to
project future Earth system conditions based on machine
learning using weather forecasting training datasets.
(3) Curate.--The term ``curate'', with respect to a
dataset, means--
(A) to collect and maintain the dataset--
(i) to ensure and document its quality; and
(ii) to provide metadata on its provenance;
and
(B) to update the dataset periodically, as
appropriate and practicable.
(4) Numerical weather model.--The term ``numerical weather
model'' means a weather model based primarily on coupled Earth
System processes that uses numerical computation to forecast
future Earth system conditions.
(5) Observational data.--The term ``observational data''
means data and metadata from actual observations of
environmental conditions, including remote sensing and in situ
platforms.
(6) Synthetic data.--The term ``synthetic data'' means data
produced from a model or statistical method in order to fill
gaps in observational data.
(7) Weather forecasting training dataset.--The term
``weather forecasting training dataset''--
(A) means a dataset that contains continuous global
observational data and synthetic data for Earth system
variables relevant to weather forecasting, aviation
weather, marine weather, and hydrology and water
management; and
(B) may include model reanalysis and forecasts
initialized through a data assimilation system.
(b) Purpose.--The purpose of this section is to--
(1) improve accuracy and timeliness of weather, water, and
space weather forecasts and effective dissemination of critical
information;
(2) strengthen analytic capacity to inform resource
deployments in response to and to mitigate harm from weather,
water, and space weather hazards through the mandated
exploration and use of artificial intelligence by Federal
agencies;
(3) strengthen public-private partnerships to accelerate
adoption and outcomes of the use of artificial intelligence in
response to and to mitigate such harm; and
(4) strengthen public-private partnerships in highly
technical, high-risk, and high-reward fields related to
weather, water, and space weather forecasts.
(c) Earth System Forecasting and Information Delivery.--
(1) Training datasets.--Not later than 4 years after the
date of the enactment of this Act, the Under Secretary, in
consultation with the Secretary of Energy, the Administrator of
the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, the Director
of the National Science Foundation, the Director of the
National Center for Atmospheric Research, the Interagency
Council on Advancing Meteorological Services, other appropriate
Federal advisory committees as determined by the Under
Secretary, and such other technical experts as the Under
Secretary considers appropriate, shall develop and curate
comprehensive weather forecasting training datasets with
relevant Earth system data, quality information, and metadata
necessary for weather forecasting.
(2) Use of existing datasets.--In order to speed the
development of the weather forecasting training datasets
required under paragraph (1), the Under Secretary shall assess,
and to the greatest extent practicable build on, existing Earth
system reanalysis datasets of the Federal Government.
(3) Artificial intelligence weather model.--
(A) Global model.--In carrying out this subsection,
the Under Secretary, in consultation with appropriate
Federal advisory committees as determined by the Under
Secretary, may develop and test a global weather model
based on artificial intelligence technologies utilizing
data of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration to the extent possible.
(B) Regional and local models.--In addition to a
global weather model under subparagraph (A), the Under
Secretary may experiment with regional and local
weather models based on artificial intelligence
technologies.
(4) Use of artificial intelligence to disseminate
information.--In coordination with an artificial intelligence
weather model or models developed under paragraph (3), the
Under Secretary may explore the use of artificial intelligence
to enhance the dissemination of information with respect to
weather and evaluate the effectiveness of communication for
improved public understanding and preparedness.
(5) Continued support for observations, basic research, and
numerical weather models.--Notwithstanding the requirements of
this subsection, the Under Secretary shall continue to support
and advance the activities of the National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration--
(A) to collect and acquire traditional and novel
observational data relevant for artificial intelligence
and numerical weather, water, and space weather
forecasting;
(B) to advance research on the Earth system and
numerical weather model forecasting;
(C) to develop and advance numerical Earth system
modeling for predictions;
(D) to develop weather model data post-processing
techniques; and
(E) to improve data assimilation techniques.
(6) Observing system coverage.--In carrying out this
subsection, the Under Secretary may evaluate the use of cost
functions in data-driven machine learning model training to
balance inequities in observing system coverage and data poor
areas.
(7) Uncertainty quantification research.--In carrying out
this subsection, the Under Secretary may develop uncertainty
quantification research for the purpose of accurate
environmental risk and hazard communications of probabilistic
predictions and forecasts.
(8) Report.--Not later than 2 years after the date of the
enactment of this Act, and not less frequently than every 2
years thereafter through 2035, the Under Secretary shall submit
to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation of
the Senate and the Committee on Science, Space, and Technology
of the House of Representatives a report on the activities
conducted under this subsection.
(d) Advanced Artificial Intelligence Applications for Weather and
Information Delivery.--The Under Secretary shall explore advanced
applications of artificial intelligence to improve weather forecasts
and information delivery, such as by--
(1) improving data assimilation;
(2) accounting for coupled Earth system processes;
(3) using artificial intelligence weather models to
generate ensemble forecasts to more accurately assess flow-
dependent forecast uncertainties; and
(4) improving impact-based decision support to diverse
users and communities for greater societal benefits based on
those forecasts.
(e) Technical Assistance on Use of Artificial Intelligence Weather,
Water, and Space Weather Models.--
(1) In general.--The Under Secretary shall provide--
(A) technical assistance, data access, and support
for forecasters, scientists, social scientists, and
engineers to test and evaluate the use and
effectiveness of the artificial intelligence models of
the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration,
including within the testbeds of the Administration;
(B) best practices on providing forecasts based on
outputs from artificial intelligence weather models and
numerical weather models, or a combination thereof; and
(C) support for emergency managers to make
operational decisions based on outputs from artificial
intelligence weather models and numerical weather
models, or a combination thereof.
(2) Assessment of weather models.--
(A) In general.--The Under Secretary shall support
the development of a common framework for the
assessment of numerical weather models and artificial
intelligence weather models by comparing model output
and observational data over a period of time in the
past through the use of such methodologies as the Under
Secretary considers appropriate.
(B) Best practices.--In carrying out this
paragraph, the Under Secretary may develop and
disseminate best practices in collaboration with--
(i) the National Institute of Standards and
Technology, the National Aeronautics and Space
Administration, the National Science
Foundation, and the Department of Energy;
(ii) academic and research institutions;
and
(iii) the private sector.
(3) Technical assistance.--In carrying out this subsection,
the Under Secretary may provide technical assistance, best
practices, and support required under paragraph (1) through the
National Weather Service.
(4) Independent study on the impacts of artificial
intelligence weather, water, and space weather models.--The
Under Secretary may enter into an agreement with the National
Academy of Sciences or another entity as determined appropriate
by the Under Secretary to assess the impacts of artificial
intelligence weather models on the weather enterprise and make
recommendations to improve the integration of such models in
operational forecasting.
(f) Partnerships for Transformational Innovation.--
(1) In general.--The Under Secretary may explore novel
structures for partnerships with private, academic, and
international entities for research and development of
transformative innovation in weather forecasting and other
environmental forecasts--
(A) to further the understanding of weather, water,
and space weather, and their societal impact;
(B) to advance the science of weather and water
forecasting, including seasonal and subseasonal
forecasting; and
(C) to develop, evaluate, and transition artificial
intelligence weather, water, and hazard forecasting
applications to operations.
(2) Co-investment.--Subject to applicable law, the Under
Secretary may consider and adopt novel co-investment strategies
with the private academic and international sectors to carry
out paragraph (1), including--
(A) non-Federal Government contributions to
resource and support high-risk, high-return research
and development in environmental forecasting, data
science, artificial intelligence, and related fields;
(B) shared rights to intellectual property from
research and development activities under this
subsection; and
(C) other approaches to sharing resources and
results under this subsection.
(g) Availability of Dataset.--
(1) In general.--The Under Secretary shall develop and
implement a plan to make available to the public, at no cost
and subject to applicable law and policy, the following:
(A) Operational artificial intelligence weather
models developed by the National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration.
(B) Artificial intelligence weather models that are
not operational models, including experimental and
developmental models, as the Under Secretary determines
appropriate.
(C) Applicable information and documentation for
artificial intelligence weather models described in
subparagraphs (A) and (B), including a description of
intended model outputs.
(D) Subject to subsection (i), all data owned by
the Federal Government and data that the Under
Secretary has the legal right to redistribute that are
associated with artificial intelligence weather models
made available to the public pursuant to the plan and
used in operational forecasting by the Administration,
including--
(i) relevant metadata; and
(ii) data used for operational artificial
intelligence weather models used by the
Administration.
(2) Accommodations.--In developing and implementing the
plan under paragraph (1), the Under Secretary may make such
accommodations as the Under Secretary considers appropriate to
ensure that the public release of any artificial intelligence
weather model, information, documentation, or data pursuant to
the plan does not jeopardize--
(A) national security;
(B) intellectual property or redistribution rights,
including under titles 17 and 35, United States Code;
(C) any trade secret or commercial or financial
information subject to section 552(b)(4) of title 5,
United States Code;
(D) any models or data that are otherwise
restricted by contract or other written agreement; or
(E) the mission of the Administration to protect
lives and property.
(3) Report.--
(A) In general.--Not later than 1 year after the
date of the enactment of this Act, the Under Secretary
shall submit to Congress a report, in both unclassified
and classified form, regarding the risks to the
economic and intellectual security of the United States
from foreign countries of concern through access by
those countries to weather data in the United States.
(B) Elements.--The report required under
subparagraph (A) shall include--
(i) a full analysis of the national,
intellectual, and economic security
implications for the United States with respect
to intellectual property theft or cyber or
human espionage through access to weather data;
and
(ii) conclusions of the Under Secretary and
recommendations for legislative and
administrative action, if any.
(C) Foreign country of concern defined.--In this
paragraph, the term ``foreign country of concern'' has
the meaning given that term in section 9901 of the
William M. (Mac) Thornberry National Defense
Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2021 (15 U.S.C.
4651).
(h) Retention of Federal Government Expertise.--Subject to
applicable law, the Under Secretary may consider novel methods to
recruit, retrain, and retain expert personnel to support activities
under this section, including by--
(1) using methods to be competitive with salaries outside
the Federal Government;
(2) developing staff exchange programs and training
programs; and
(3) leveraging diverse hiring strategies.
(i) Protection of National Security Interests.--
(1) In general.--Notwithstanding any other provision of
this section, the Under Secretary, in consultation with the
Secretary of Defense, as appropriate, may withhold models or
data used under this section if the Under Secretary determines
doing so to be necessary to protect the national security
interests of the United States.
(2) Rule of construction.--Nothing in this section shall be
construed to supersede any other provision of law governing the
protection of the national security interests of the United
States.
SEC. 212. COMPOSITION OF THE ATMOSPHERE AND ATMOSPHERIC OBSERVATIONS.
(a) Assessments.--Not later than 2 years after the date of the
enactment of this Act, the Under Secretary shall submit to the
appropriate committees of Congress a report that includes the
following:
(1) An identification of Federal observation capabilities
and data gaps related to the composition of Earth's atmosphere,
including the troposphere and stratosphere.
(2) An analysis of Federal efforts that advance scientific
understanding of the effects on the Earth's radiation budget of
direct or indirect actions that may change the composition of
Earth's atmosphere.
(3) The current and projected use of ground based, space
based, and maritime based remote and in situ sensing
capabilities, autonomous and manned aerial platforms, and other
commercially available technologies and platforms of
opportunity to accelerate research and increase observations
and monitoring of Earth's atmosphere.
(4) Recommendations for the adaptation or expansion of
technologies and platforms identified under paragraph (3).
(5) An identification and prioritization of additional
observation and analysis capabilities needed to ensure
comprehensive monitoring that detects future changes in
atmospheric composition.
(b) Considerations.--In preparing an assessment required by
subsection (a), the Under Secretary shall consider and use, as
appropriate, reports and studies conducted by Federal agencies, the
National Research Council, or other entities.
(c) Pilot Projects.--
(1) Pilot projects.--The Under Secretary may conduct pilot
projects of atmospheric composition observational systems and
platforms including--
(A) the use of atmospheric observing instruments on
commercial and uncrewed aircraft;
(B) the use of atmospheric and oceanic observing
instruments on uncrewed ocean surface platforms or
deployed on commercial or other nondedicated ocean
vessels; and
(C) in-situ observation capability to conduct
regular atmospheric observations of the troposphere and
stratosphere.
(2) Consultation and coordination.--The Under Secretary
shall consult and coordinate with relevant Federal agencies to
develop processes for the appropriate deployment of systems and
platforms pursuant to pilot projects required by paragraph (1).
(d) Authority To Enter Into Agreements.--Notwithstanding any other
provision of law, the Under Secretary may enter into agreements, to the
extent necessary to carry out this section, with governmental and
nongovernmental entities--
(1) for the purchase of atmospheric composition data from
commercial providers;
(2) for the hosting of observational instruments on
government or private platforms; and
(3) to leverage data from international platforms as
appropriate.
(e) Definition of Appropriate Committees of Congress.--In this
section, the term ``appropriate committees of Congress'' means--
(1) the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation
of the Senate; and
(2) the Committee on Science, Space, and Technology of the
House of Representatives.
SEC. 213. PROJECT TO IMPROVE FORECASTS OF COASTAL MARINE FOG.
(a) In General.--The Under Secretary shall conduct a project to
improve forecasts of coastal marine fog.
(b) Goal.--The goal of the project required under subsection (a) is
to enhance vessel safety and reduce the economic impact of coastal
marine fog events, with a focus on--
(1) increasing the number of marine-based observations
through additional Federal platforms and commercially acquired
observations in locations where impacts from marine fog and
reduced visibility have major safety and economic impacts,
including through the use of--
(A) buoys;
(B) meteorological stations measuring visibility,
temperature, dewpoint, and wind speed and direction as
a stand-alone or co-located with water level sensors,
such as those that are part of the physical
oceanographic observation system program of the
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration;
(C) stationary platforms or drifting instruments;
(D) vessels;
(E) unmanned systems;
(F) remote sensing technologies, including rapid
refresh hyperspectral satellite imagery; and
(G) advanced algorithms that extract actionable
information from observational data, including early
detection and regular monitoring of marine fog;
(2) advancing geographic coverage, resolution, skill, and
accuracy of marine fog modeling, including, when feasible,
additional locations and advancements in marine channel
forecast capability;
(3) improving communication of marine fog advisories by the
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration;
(4) communicating risks posed by hazardous marine fog
events in a way that maximizes informed decision making by the
public; and
(5) providing decision support services based on
environmental information that is actionable to the recipient
of a marine fog advisory.
(c) Stakeholder Engagement.--In implementing the project required
under subsection (a), the Under Secretary shall meet with public and
private stakeholders regarding the planning, development, and
implementation of the project.
(d) Tribal Engagement.--The Under Secretary shall meet with Indian
tribes (as defined in section 4 of the Indian Self-Determination and
Education Assistance Act (25 U.S.C. 5304)) regarding the planning,
development, and implementation of the project required under
subsection (a).
(e) Project Plan.--Not later than one year after the date of the
enactment of this Act, the Under Secretary shall develop a plan for the
project required under subsection (a) that details the specific
research, development, and technology transfer activities, as well as
corresponding resources and timelines, necessary to achieve the goal
set forth under subsection (b).
TITLE III--COMMERCIAL WEATHER AND ENVIRONMENTAL OBSERVATIONS
SEC. 301. COMMERCIAL DATA PROGRAM.
The Weather Research and Forecasting Innovation Act of 2017 is
amended by striking section 302 (15 U.S.C. 8532) and inserting the
following:
``SEC. 302. COMMERCIAL DATA PROGRAM.
``(a) Program Establishment.--The Under Secretary, in coordination
with the heads of appropriate offices of the National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration, shall maintain a Commercial Data Program to
coordinate and execute acquisition of weather and environmental data
and services from private sector entities for operational use.
``(b) Program Elements.--The Under Secretary may acquire satellite,
ground-based, airborne, or marine-based in situ, remote sensing, or
crowd-sourced data and services for operational use relating to weather
and environmental forecasting and modeling.
``(c) Coordination and Collaboration.--The Under Secretary shall
ensure the Commercial Data Program coordinates, collaborates, and
ensures access to data across the Administration, including among the
following:
``(1) The National Mesonet Program.
``(2) The Aircraft Based Observation Program.
``(3) The National Integrated Drought Information System,
including the National Coordinated Soil Moisture Monitoring
Network.
``(4) The National Integrated Flood Information System.
``(5) The Global Ocean Monitoring and Observing Program.
``(6) The National Data Buoy Center.
``(7) The Uncrewed Systems Operation Center.
``(8) The Ocean Exploration Program.
``(9) Any other program or office the Under Secretary
determines appropriate.
``(d) Standards and Specifications.--Not later than 180 days after
the date of the enactment of this section and on a continuous basis
thereafter, the Under Secretary shall publish data, metadata, and
service standards and specifications required for acquired observation
services and data for use, licensing, and attribution to ensure
quality, impact, and compatibility of such services and data with
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration modeling capabilities,
meteorological situational awareness, and forecasting.
``(e) Prioritization.--In acquiring data and services from private
sector entities, the Under Secretary shall prioritize obtaining
surface-based, airborne-based, space-based, and coastal- and ocean-
based data, metadata, and services for operational use from entities
that participate in the Commercial Data Pilot Program or other programs
of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration that acquire
commercial data or observations.
``(f) NOAA Observing Systems and Fleet Councils.--
``(1) In general.--The Under Secretary shall maintain the
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Observing
Systems Council and the NOAA Fleet Council (in this subsection
referred to as the `Councils') to provide strategic
recommendations and guidance regarding the prioritization,
design, development, acquisition, upgrading, lifecycle,
performance monitoring, and retiring of major components of
observing systems and portfolios, including related to the
acquisition of commercial weather and environmental data and
services.
``(2) Line office coordination.--The Councils shall ensure
coordination and adherence to uniform policies by providing
guidance to all line offices of the National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration engaged in observing systems
portfolio design, technology, development, execution, and
operation.
``(3) Committee.--The Under Secretary shall maintain a
Committee within the Councils to develop and approve procedural
directives, guides, or handbooks relevant to management of data
and information, including commercial data, and coordinate data
governance and management practices across the National Oceanic
and Atmospheric Administration to promote consistent processes.
``(g) Authorization of Appropriations.--
``(1) In general.--There are authorized to be appropriated
$100,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2025 through 2029 to
carry out this section.
``(2) Sense of congress.--It is the sense of Congress that
the Under Secretary should seek to enter into contracts or
other appropriate agreements that enable the expenditure, to
the maximum extent practicable, of amounts authorized to be
appropriated or otherwise made available in a fiscal year to
carry out this section.
``(h) Data and Hosted Payloads.--Notwithstanding any other
provision of law, the Secretary of Commerce may enter into agreements
relating to the following:
``(1) The purchase of weather and environmental data and
services through contracts with private sector commercial data
and service providers.
``(2) The placement of weather instruments on co-hosted
Federal, international, or private space, airborne, maritime,
or ground platforms.
``(i) Ombudsman.--The Under Secretary shall establish or designate
at least one Ombudsman position within the Commercial Data Program to
implement the recommendations of the Observing System Council under
subsection (e) related to commercial weather and environmental data and
services acquisitions. Such an Ombudsman shall act as the liaison
between private sector data and service providers and the National
Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration with respect to receiving
recommendations and resolving issues related to engagement, testing,
contracting, or other areas related to the Administration's efforts to
acquire commercial weather and environmental data and services.
``(j) Report.--Not later than two years after the date of the
enactment of this section, the Under Secretary shall submit to the
Committee on Science, Space, and Technology of the House of
Representatives and the Committee on Commerce, Science, and
Transportation of the Senate a report evaluating the activities and
needed authorities related to data governance and management practices,
including acquisition, collection, documentation, quality control,
validation, reprocessing, storage, retrieval, dissemination, and long-
term preservation activities across all National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration line, staff, and corporate offices.''.
SEC. 302. COMMERCIAL DATA PILOT PROGRAM.
The Weather Research and Forecasting Innovation Act of 2017 is
amended by striking section 303 (15 U.S.C. 8533) and inserting the
following new section:
``SEC. 303. COMMERCIAL DATA PILOT PROGRAM.
``(a) Program Establishment.--Within the Commercial Data Program
under section 302, there shall, to the maximum extent practicable, be a
Commercial Data Pilot Program to engage with external partners and
providers to test and develop shared standards and methodologies for
quality, use, licensing, and attribution of observation services and
data, and to ensure quality, impact, and compatibility of such services
and data with National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration modeling
capabilities, meteorological situational awareness, and forecasting.
The Program is authorized to test and evaluate all sources and types of
observation services, imagery, products, and data from private sector
entities, including new and innovative surface-based, airborne-based,
space-based, and coastal- and ocean-based data, metadata, and model
components.
``(b) Criteria.--The Under Secretary shall ensure that data
acquired through the Commercial Data Pilot Program described in
subsection (a) meets the most recent standards and specifications
required for observation services and data as published pursuant to
section 302(c).
``(c) Pilot Contracts.--The Under Secretary shall, through an open
competition, regularly enter into pilot contracts with private sector
entities capable of providing observation services and data referred to
in subsection (a) that meet the standards and specifications published
pursuant to section 302(c) for so providing such services and data in a
manner that allows the Under Secretary to calibrate and evaluate such
services and data for use in National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration activities.
``(d) Assessment of Viability.--The Under Secretary shall annually
assess and submit to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and
Transportation of the Senate and the Committee on Science, Space, and
Technology of the House of Representatives a summary of the pilot
contracts entered into pursuant to subsection (c), an assessment of the
extent to which such contracts meet the standards and specifications
published pursuant to section 302(c), and any additional information
determined necessary related to the following:
``(1) The viability of integrating observation services and
data from private sector entities into National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration forecasts and models.
``(2) The expected value added or improvements from such
services and data if integrated into National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration forecasts and models.
``(3) The accuracy, quality, timeliness, validity,
reliability, usability, information technology security, and
cost-effectiveness of obtaining observation services and data
from private sector entities.
``(4) If the Under Secretary determines it is viable to
integrate such services and data into the forecasts and models
of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the
steps to integrate, not later than one year after the date of
the determination, such services and data into operational use
by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration or any
associated challenges in doing so.
``(e) Obtaining Future Data.--If an assessment under subsection (d)
demonstrates the ability of services and data from private sector
entities to meet the standards and specifications published pursuant to
section 302(c), the Under Secretary shall--
``(1) when cost-effective and feasible, obtain observation
services and data from private sector entities through the
Commercial Data Program under section 302;
``(2) as early as possible in the acquisition process for
any future National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
satellite system, determine whether there is a suitable, cost-
effective, commercial capability available or that will be
available to meet applicable instrument, spacecraft, or system
requirements before completion of the critical design phase of
such planned satellite system;
``(3) if the Under Secretary determines under paragraph (2)
that a suitable, cost-effective, commercial capability is or
will be available, determine whether and how such capability is
in the national interest if developed as a solely governmental
system; and
``(4) submit to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and
Transportation of the Senate and the Committee on Science,
Space, and Technology of the House of Representatives a report
detailing any determinations made under paragraphs (2) and (3).
``(f) Authorization of Appropriations.--From amounts authorized to
be appropriated pursuant to section 302 to carry out such section, not
less than 15 percent of such amounts each fiscal year are authorized to
be appropriated to carry out this section.''.
SEC. 303. CONTRACTING AUTHORITY AND AVOIDANCE OF DUPLICATION.
Title III of the Weather Research and Forecasting Innovation Act of
2017 is amended by adding at the end the following new section:
``SEC. 304. CONTRACTING AUTHORITY AND AVOIDANCE OF DUPLICATION.
``(a) In General.--Consistent with the authorities of other Federal
agencies that contract and partner with private sector entities,
including under section 3903 of title 41, United States Code, the Under
Secretary is authorized to use contracting mechanisms and enter into
agreements that use multiyear contract options. In carrying out
sections 302 and 303, the Under Secretary shall, to the greatest extent
possible--
``(1) enter into year-long or multiyear contracts using
contracting mechanisms that foster resiliency of service and
data purchased;
``(2) partner and contract with multiple observation
service and data providers simultaneously to reduce risks of
data gaps and improve mission robustness; and
``(3) use authorities, such as additional forms of
transaction agreements under section 301, that allow for
innovative partnerships with private sector entities.
``(b) Savings Clause.--Nothing in this title may be construed as
infringing on the acquisition authority or strategy of Federal entities
authorized under title 10, United States Code.
``(c) Unnecessary Duplication.--In meeting the requirements under
this title, the Under Secretary shall avoid unnecessary duplication
between the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the
National Aeronautics and Space Administration, other Federal
departments and agencies, and private sector entities, including
relating to corresponding expenditures of funds and employment of
personnel by--
``(1) coordinating existing activities with other civilian
Federal departments and agencies which provide, contract, or
partner with private sector entities to acquire, weather and
environmental observations and data; and
``(2) coordinating and soliciting weather and environmental
observations and data requirements and needs from other
civilian Federal departments and agencies to be acquired by the
Commercial Data Program under section 302.
``(d) Fair Compensation for Interagency Needs.--The Under
Secretary, to the maximum extent practicable, shall ensure that Federal
departments and agencies utilizing services and data under sections 302
and 303 fairly compensate the National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration, or the non-Federal entities providing such services or
data, as appropriate, for use.''.
SEC. 304. DATA ASSIMILATION, MANAGEMENT, AND SHARING PRACTICES.
Title III of the Weather Research and Forecasting Innovation Act of
2017, as amended by section 303 of this Act, is further amended by
adding at the end the following new section:
``SEC. 305. DATA ASSIMILATION, MANAGEMENT, AND SHARING PRACTICES.
``(a) Data Standards.--The Under Secretary, in collaboration with
the weather enterprise, shall seek to establish consistent and open
data and metadata standards to support open science, including simple
cloud-optimized data formats and application programming interfaces
that support findability, accessibility, usability, and preservability.
``(b) Data Infrastructure.--
``(1) In general.--The Under Secretary, in consultation
with the Chief Information Officer and appropriate program
heads, shall consolidate and arrange data infrastructure needs
to ensure efficient and effective data transfer between
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration offices by
considering the use of commercial cloud technologies, or
similar hybrid structures, to host and transmit data and
metadata.
``(2) Federal partnerships.--In carrying out paragraph (1),
the Under Secretary may partner with the heads of other Federal
departments and agencies, including the National Aeronautics
and Space Administration, the Department of Energy, the United
States Space Force, the United States Coast Guard, the United
States Navy, the Federal Aviation Administration, the United
States Forest Service, the Environmental Protection Agency, the
National Science Foundation, and the United States Geological
Survey, to collocate data with joint utility and support a
transition to cloud architectures, including commercial cloud
networks.
``(3) Long term data archive.--The Under Secretary shall
ensure the long-term management, maintenance, and stewardship
of archival data and metadata acquired through the Commercial
Data Program under section 302 is conducted within the National
Centers for Environmental Information.
``(c) Data Sharing With the Weather Enterprise.--
``(1) In general.--To the greatest extent practicable, the
Under Secretary shall--
``(A) continue to ensure the delivery of data
through sound and robust infrastructure, such as data
sharing capabilities of the industry proving grounds;
and
``(B) make accessible to members of the weather
enterprise that are United States persons data that
is--
``(i) not subject to redistribution
contract permissions; or
``(ii) purchased through the Commercial
Data Program under section 302 or shared
through international government partners.
``(2) Data assimilated into models or forecasts.--If data
described in paragraph (1)(B) must be assimilated into
numerical weather prediction models or automated forecast
guidance to satisfy terms of a redistribution contract, the
Under Secretary shall make accessible without delay to members
of the weather enterprise that are United States persons the
numerical weather prediction model or automated forecast
guidance output, as the case may be.
``(d) Data Assimilation.--
``(1) In general.--The Under Secretary, in coordination
with the Commercial Data Program under section 302, the
National Centers for Environmental Prediction, the National
Centers for Environmental Information, the Office of Oceanic
and Atmospheric Research, and any other relevant offices within
the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, shall
establish a program to test, advance, and implement data
assimilation methods, which may include artificial
intelligence, machine learning, data pre- and post-processing,
efficient input and output, and next-generation algorithms.
``(2) Data assimilation university consortium.--Through the
program established pursuant to paragraph (1), the Under
Secretary shall establish a consortium consisting of
institutions of higher education (as such term is defined in
section 101 of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C.
1001)) to address critical research challenges for data
assimilation and foster a growing data assimilation workforce.
The consortium shall seek to--
``(A) solve critical research issues for data
assimilation through innovative research;
``(B) increase significantly the number of
students, including Ph.D. candidates and other graduate
level students, in data assimilation;
``(C) use modern software and frameworks, such as
the Joint Effort for Data Assimilation Integration, or
emerging technologies, such as artificial intelligence
and machine learning techniques, to conduct data
assimilation research and development and facilitate
research- to- operations efforts to improve weather
modeling and prediction;
``(D) identify and prioritize critical research
areas in data assimilation and facilitate operations to
research efforts;
``(E) establish and enable an effective
collaboration infrastructure between National Oceanic
and Atmospheric Administration facilities, such as
laboratories, centers, or joint agency institutes, and
the research community, including a mechanism for
external partners to host Administration employees; and
``(F) establish mechanisms to enable all members of
the consortium to archive and access data required to
support the work under this subsection.
``(3) Coordination.--In carrying out this subsection, the
Under Secretary shall ensure the National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration and its associated activities focus
on research-to-operations and operations-to-research efforts,
including by coordinating and collaborating with the Joint
Center for Satellite Data Assimilation.
``(4) Data assimilation, management, and sharing practices
security.--The activities authorized under this subsection
shall be conducted in a manner consistent with subtitle D of
title VI of the Research and Development, Competition, and
Innovation Act (enacted as division B of Public Law 117-167; 42
U.S.C. 19231 et seq.).
``(e) Study on Data Management.--
``(1) In general.--Not later than 90 days after the date of
the enactment of this section, the Under Secretary shall seek
to enter into an agreement with a non-Federal entity to conduct
a study on matters concerning data practices and management
needs at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
In conducting the study, the outside entity shall--
``(A) assess the costs and benefits of current data
management needs for observational and operational
mission requirements;
``(B) develop recommendations regarding how to make
more robust and cost-effective the data portfolio of
the Administration;
``(C) identify data infrastructure technologies and
needs that are essential to the performance of modeling
systems of the Administration;
``(D) assess the sharing needs and practices of the
Administration for both internal and external
dissemination;
``(E) develop recommendations for methods of data
infrastructure sharing, including data purchased from
the commercial sector; and
``(F) develop recommendations for data standards,
formats, and protocols to support artificial
intelligence and machine learning techniques.
``(2) Authorization of appropriations.--Of amounts
authorized to be appropriated to the Commercial Data Program
under section 302, $1,000,000 shall be available to carry out
the study under paragraph (1) to remain available until
expended.''.
SEC. 305. CLERICAL AMENDMENT.
The table of contents in section 1(b) of the Weather Research and
Forecasting Innovation Act of 2017 is amended by striking the items
relating to sections 302 and 303 and inserting the following new items:
``Sec. 302. Commercial Data Program.
``Sec. 303. Commercial Data Pilot Program.
``Sec. 304. Contracting authority and avoidance of duplication.
``Sec. 305. Data assimilation, management, and sharing practices.''.
TITLE IV--COMMUNICATING WEATHER TO THE PUBLIC
SEC. 401. DEFINITIONS.
In this title:
(1) Hazardous weather or water events.--The term
``hazardous weather or water events'' means weather or water
events that have a high risk of loss of life or property,
including the following:
(A) Severe storms, such as hurricanes and short-
fused, small-scale hazardous weather or hydrologic
events produced by thunderstorms, including large hail,
damaging winds, tornadoes, and flash floods.
(B) Winter storms, such as freezing or frozen
precipitation (including freezing rain, sleet, and
snow), or combined effects of freezing or frozen
precipitation and strong winds.
(C) Other weather hazards, such as extreme heat or
cold, wildfire, drought, dense fog, high winds, and
river, coastal, or lakeshore flooding.
(2) Institution of higher education.--The term
``institution of higher education'' has the meaning given such
term in section 101 of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20
U.S.C. 1001).
(3) NOAA weather radio.--The term ``NOAA Weather Radio''
means the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
Weather Radio All Hazards network.
(4) Public cloud.--The term ``public cloud'' means an
information technology model in which service providers make
computing services, including compute and storage and develop-
and-deploy environments and applications, available on-demand
to organizations and individuals over the public internet or
other means that allows for the widest dissemination of
information.
(5) Watch; warning.--
(A) In general.--The terms ``watch'' and
``warning'', with respect to a hazardous weather or
water event, mean products issued by the National
Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, intended for
consumption by the general public, to alert the general
public to the potential for or presence of such event
and to inform action to prevent loss of life or
property.
(B) Exception.--The terms ``watch'' and ``warning''
do not include technical or specialized meteorological
or hydrological forecasts, outlooks, or model guidance
products.
SEC. 402. HAZARDOUS WEATHER OR WATER EVENT RISK COMMUNICATION.
(a) In General.--The Under Secretary shall maintain and improve the
system of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration by which
the risks of hazardous weather and water events are communicated to the
general public, with the goal of informing action and encouraging
response to prevent loss of life and property.
(b) Hazard Risk Communication Improvement and Simplification.--
(1) In general.--The Under Secretary shall maintain a
hazard risk communication program (in this subsection referred
to as the ``Program''), for the purposes of simplifying and
improving the communication of hazardous weather and water
event risks.
(2) Terminology.--The Program shall identify, eliminate, or
modify unnecessary, redundant, or confusing terms for hazardous
weather and water event communications and add new terminology,
as appropriate.
(3) Communications improvement.--The Program shall improve
the form, content, and methods of hazardous weather and water
event communications to more clearly inform action and increase
the likelihood that the public takes such action to prevent the
loss of life or property.
(4) Evaluations.--The Program shall, in coordination with
the performance branch of the National Weather Service, develop
metrics for that branch to track and evaluate the degree to
which hazardous weather and water event communications inform
action and encourage response.
(5) Support plan.--The Program shall develop a plan for the
purpose of supporting the activities described in paragraph
(3). The plan shall be periodically updated and informed by
internal and extramural research and the results of the
evaluation of hazardous weather and water event communications
conducted under paragraph (4).
(6) Methods.--In carrying out this subsection, the Program
shall develop and implement recommendations that--
(A) are based on the best and most recent
understanding from social, behavioral, risk, and
communication science research;
(B) are validated by social, behavioral, risk, and
communication science, taking into account the
importance of methods that support reproduction and
replication of scientific studies, use of rigorous
statistical analyses, and, as applicable, data analysis
supported by artificial intelligence and machine
learning technologies;
(C) account for the needs of various demographics,
vulnerable populations, and geographic regions;
(D) account for the differences between various
types of weather and water hazards;
(E) respond to the needs of Federal, State, and
local government partners and media partners; and
(F) account for necessary changes in the
infrastructure, technology, and protocols for creating
and disseminating Federally operated watches and
warnings.
(7) Coordination.--The Program shall coordinate with--
(A) Federal partners, including National
Laboratories, cooperative institutes, and regional
integrated sciences and assessments programs;
(B) State and local government partners;
(C) Indian Tribes;
(D) institutions of higher education; and
(E) media partners.
(8) Timeliness and consistency.--The Program shall develop
best practices and guidance for ensuring timely and consistent
communication across public facing platforms that disseminate
hazardous weather and water event information.
SEC. 403. HAZARD COMMUNICATION RESEARCH AND ENGAGEMENT.
(a) In General.--The Under Secretary may maintain, as appropriate,
a program to--
(1) modernize the development and communication of risk-
based, statistically reliable, probabilistic hazard
information, with the goal of informing appropriate responses
to hazardous weather or water events; and
(2) improve the fundamental social, behavioral, economic,
risk, and communication science relating to communications,
including by means of collecting voluntary data, regarding
hazardous weather or water events.
(b) Coordination.--In carrying out the program under subsection
(a), the Under Secretary shall coordinate and communicate with States,
Tribal governments, localities, and emergency managers regarding
research priorities and results.
(c) Pilot Program for Tornado Hazard Communications.--
(1) In general.--The Under Secretary, in coordination with
the VORTEX-USA program under section 103 of the Weather
Research and Forecasting Innovation Act of 2017 (15 U.S.C.
8513), as amended by section 103 of this Act, and in
collaboration with one or more eligible institutions (or
consortia thereof), shall establish a pilot program for tornado
hazard communications to test incorporation of research into
operations with respect to tornadoes.
(2) Eligible institution defined.--In this subsection, the
term ``eligible institution'' means any of the following:
(A) A historically Black college or university
located in an area of persistent poverty that is
subjected to frequent severe weather, such as
tornadoes, hurricanes, and floods.
(B) An institution of higher education in close
proximity to a Weather Forecast Office of the National
Weather Service.
(d) Pilot Study for Hurricane Hazard Communication.--
(1) In general.--The Under Secretary, in coordination with
the hurricane forecast improvement program under section 104 of
the Weather Research and Forecasting Innovation Act of 2017 (15
U.S.C. 8514), as amended by section 104 of this Act, and in
collaboration with one or more eligible institutions (or
consortia thereof), shall enter into an agreement with an
appropriate entity, as determined by the Under Secretary, to
conduct a pilot study using a mixed methods approach, including
surveys, focus groups, and interviews, to gather information
from hurricane prone population areas regarding the levels of
preparedness of such areas for hurricanes or in response to the
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's early
forecasts and warnings.
(2) Elements.--The pilot study required under paragraph (1)
shall evaluate the following:
(A) Possession of disaster supplies.
(B) Evacuation decisions.
(C) Levels of trust of tropical cyclone information
and hurricane path prediction from various sources.
(D) Access to tropical cyclone and hurricane
forecasts and warnings in such study participant's
first language.
(E) Any reasoning or deliberation by the
individuals interviewed as part of the study that may
hinder the ability or willingness of the individuals to
evacuate.
(3) Additional criteria.--The Under Secretary shall publish
the methodology of the pilot study described in paragraph (1)
on a publicly accessible website of the National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration.
(4) Eligible institution defined.--In this subsection, the
term ``eligible institution'' means any of the following:
(A) An institution of higher education, nonprofit
organization, or other institution located in a
jurisdiction eligible to participate in the program
under section 113 of the National Science Foundation
Authorization Act of 1988 (42 U.S.C. 1862g).
(B) An institution of higher education, nonprofit
organization, or other institution located in proximity
to a Weather Forecast Office of the National Weather
Service.
(e) Hurricane Social, Behavioral, and Economic Sciences.--
(1) In general.--The Under Secretary shall carry out
research and development activities to improve how the public
receives, interprets, responds to, and values hurricane
forecasts and warnings.
(2) Elements.--In conducting activities under paragraph
(1), the Under Secretary shall--
(A) conduct a comprehensive review of the manner by
which the public receives, interprets, responds to, and
makes decisions regarding hurricane forecasts and
warnings, including--
(i) how weather observations, downstream
models, and processes affect the decision tools
or products derived from hurricane forecasts
and warnings;
(ii) how hurricane forecasts and warnings
generated by decision tools and products are
used by emergency managers, governments, and
other users to benefit the public and
stakeholder groups;
(iii) how past experiences with hurricanes
impact the decision making of the general
public;
(iv) how the source of such hurricane
forecasts and warnings affects interpretation;
(v) how tropical cyclone forecasts and
warnings are received and interpreted by the
general public;
(vi) how understanding of and response to
hurricane forecasts and warnings varies across
demographic groups, including the elderly,
people with disabilities, and other vulnerable
populations;
(vii) the effect of language barriers on
the accessibility of hurricane forecasts and
warnings; and
(viii) how understanding of and response to
such hurricane forecasts and warnings varies
across geographic areas, including rural,
urban, and suburban areas;
(B) identify communication data gaps based on the
review conducted pursuant to subparagraph (A);
(C) carry out research, including data collection
and baseline assessments, in coordination with the
hurricane forecast improvement program under section
104 of the Weather Research and Forecasting Innovation
Act of 2017 (15 U.S.C. 8514), as amended by section 104
of this Act, to evaluate and quantify the economic
value of extending lead times of tropical cyclone and
hurricane forecasts and warnings, including identifying
the most affected or vulnerable populations and
potential impacts to those populations of extending
leads times;
(D) using the post-storm surveys and assessments
conducted under section 406 of this Act to conduct
retrospective or ex ante assessments of previous
hurricane forecasts and warnings to better understand
the key components of such forecasts and warnings that
affected actions or initiated behavior changes;
(E) conduct cost- benefit analyses of forecasts and
warnings improvement alternatives developed through the
hurricane forecast improvement program under section
104 of the Weather Research and Forecasting Innovation
Act of 2017 (15 U.S.C. 8514), as amended by section 104
of this Act; and
(F) conduct assessments of the risk to the elderly
for pre-, during, and post-storm periods in regions and
communities with significant elderly populations,
including retirement communities.
SEC. 404. NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE COMMUNICATIONS IMPROVEMENT.
(a) Improvement of NWS Instant Messaging Service.--The Director of
the National Weather Service shall improve the instant messaging
service used by personnel of the National Weather Service by
implementing, not later than October 1, 2027, a commercial off-the-
shelf communications solution that replaces the instant messaging
service commonly referred to as ``NWSChat''.
(b) Requirements.--The communications solution implemented under
this section shall--
(1) be hosted on the public cloud; and
(2) satisfy requirements set forth by the Director of the
National Weather Service to ensure such solution--
(A) best accommodates future growth;
(B) performs successfully with increased numbers of
users;
(C) is easy to use for the majority of users; and
(D) is similar to systems already in commercial
use.
(c) Funding.--From amounts made available for Operations, Research,
and Facilities, the Director of the National Weather Service shall
allocate not more than $3,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2025 through
2027 to carry out this section.
SEC. 405. NOAA WEATHER RADIO MODERNIZATION.
(a) In General.--The Under Secretary shall, to the maximum extent
practicable, expand coverage of the NOAA Weather Radio and ensure its
reliability. In carrying out this subsection, the Under Secretary
shall--
(1) maintain support for existing systems serving areas not
covered by or having poor quality cellular service;
(2) ensure consistent maintenance and operations
monitoring, with timely repairs to broadcast transmitter site
equipment and antennas;
(3) enhance the ability to amplify Non-Weather Emergency
Messages via NOAA Weather Radio as necessary; and
(4) acquire additional transmitters as required to expand
coverage to rural and underserved communities, units of the
National Park System, and National Recreation Areas.
(b) Modernization Initiative.--To the maximum extent practicable,
the Under Secretary shall modernize NOAA Weather Radio to ensure its
capabilities and coverage remain valuable to the public. In carrying
out this subsection, the Under Secretary shall--
(1) upgrade telecommunications infrastructure of NOAA
Weather Radio to accelerate the transition of broadcasts to
internet protocol-based communications over non-copper media;
(2) accelerate software upgrades to the Advanced Weather
Interactive Processing System, or any relevant system
successors, in order to implement partial county notifications
and alerts;
(3) enhance accessibility and usability of NOAA Weather
Radio data and feeds with feedback from relevant stakeholders,
including the private sector;
(4) develop options, including satellite backup capability
and commercial provider partnerships, for NOAA Weather Radio
continuity of service in the event of Weather Forecast Office
outages;
(5) research and develop alternative options, including
microwave capabilities, to transmit NOAA Weather Radio signals
to transmitters that are remote or do not have internet
protocol capability; and
(6) transition critical applications to the Integrated
Dissemination Program, or any relevant program successors.
(c) Priority.--In carrying out subsection (b), the Under Secretary
shall prioritize practices, capabilities, and technologies recommended
in accordance with the assessment under subsection (d) to maximize the
accessibility of NOAA Weather Radio, particularly in remote and
underserved areas of the United States.
(d) Assessment for Management and Distribution.--Not later than one
year after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Under Secretary
shall complete an assessment of access to NOAA Weather Radio. In
conducting such assessment, the Under Secretary shall take into
consideration and provide recommendations regarding the following:
(1) The need for continuous, adequate, and operational
real-time broadcasts of the NOAA Weather Radio in both urban
and rural areas.
(2) Input from relevant stakeholders on the compatibility
of NOAA Weather Radio data with third party platforms that
provide online services, such as websites and mobile device
applications, or provide NOAA Weather Radio access.
(3) The manner by which existing or new management systems
may promote consistent, efficient, and compatible access to
NOAA Weather Radio.
(4) The ability of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration to aggregate real-time broadcast feeds at one or
more central locations.
(5) Effective coordination between agencies with
responsibilities relating to emergencies and natural disasters.
(6) The potential effects of an electromagnetic pulse or
geomagnetic disturbance on NOAA Weather Radio.
(7) Any other function or element the Under Secretary
considers appropriate.
SEC. 406. POST-STORM SURVEYS AND ASSESSMENTS.
(a) In General.--The Under Secretary shall perform one or more
post-storm surveys and assessments following every hazardous weather or
water event determined by the Under Secretary to be of sufficient
societal importance to warrant a post-storm survey and assessment.
(b) Coordination.--The Under Secretary shall coordinate with
Federal, State, and local governments, private entities, and relevant
institutions of higher education (or a consortia thereof) when
conducting post-storm surveys and assessments under this section to
optimize data collection, sharing, integration, archiving, and access,
as appropriate for research needs.
(c) Data Availability.--The Under Secretary shall make the
appropriate data obtained from each post-storm survey or assessment
conducted under this section available to the public as soon as
practicable after conducting each such survey or assessment.
(d) Improvement.--In carrying out this section, the Under Secretary
shall--
(1) examine the role of uncrewed aerial and marine systems
in data collection during post-storm surveys and assessments
conducted under this section;
(2) identify gaps in tactics and procedures and update such
tactics and procedures to enhance the efficiency and
reliability of data obtained from post-storm surveys and
assessments;
(3) to the maximum extent practicable, increase the number
of post-storm community impact studies, particularly among
under-observed, underserved, or highly vulnerable populations,
including--
(A) surveying-individual responses;
(B) conducting reviews of the accuracy of prior
risk evaluations;
(C) evaluating the efficacy of prior mitigation
activity; and
(D) gathering survivability statistics; and
(4) as appropriate, integrate community-based, social,
behavioral, risk, communication, and economic sciences elements
into existing post-storm surveys and assessments, including
elements related to the efficacy of forecast and warning
information that was shared with the public, barriers that
affected the ability of the public to take action, and any
challenges with respect to messaging about the hazardous
weather or water event.
(e) Support for Employees.--The Under Secretary shall provide
training, resources, and access to professional counseling to support
the emotional and mental health and well-being of employees conducting
post-storm surveys and assessments under this section.
(f) Exemption.--Subchapter I of chapter 35 of title 44, United
States Code, shall not apply to the collection of information during a
survey or assessment conducted under subsection (a).
SEC. 407. GOVERNMENT ACCOUNTABILITY OFFICE REPORT ON ALERT
DISSEMINATION FOR HAZARDOUS WEATHER OR WATER EVENTS.
(a) In General.--Not later than 18 months after the date of the
enactment of this Act, the Comptroller General of the United States
shall submit to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation
of the Senate and the Committee on Science, Space, and Technology of
the House of Representatives a report that examines the information
technology infrastructure of the National Weather Service, specifically
regarding the system for timely public notification via alerts and
updates regarding hazardous weather or water events.
(b) Elements.--The report required by subsection (a) shall include
the following:
(1) An analysis of the information technology
infrastructure of the National Weather Service, including
software and hardware capabilities and limitations, including
an examination of server and data storage methods, broadband,
data management, and data sharing.
(2) An identification of secondary and tertiary fail-safes
for the timely distribution to the public of notifications via
alerts and updates regarding hazardous weather or water events.
(3) A determination of the extent to which public
notifications via alerts and updates regarding hazardous
weather or water events have been delayed and an identification
of possible improvements or corrective measures to address
latency in the notification process.
(4) An assessment of whether collaboration with other
Federal departments and agencies, States, or private entities
could reduce delays in notifications to the public.
(5) A description of actions being undertaken to better
identify critical steps in public notification via alerts and
updates for hazardous weather or water events that may be
vulnerable to disruption or failure in the event of
communication, technologic, or computational failure.
(6) The geographical differences in availability and
effectiveness of rural systems, including an estimated number
of rural areas affected by unreliable or unavailable systems
and barriers to obtain or upgrade such systems.
SEC. 408. DATA COLLECTION MANAGEMENT AND PROTECTION.
(a) Data Collection.--The Under Secretary may collect social,
behavioral, and economic data, including data relating to Federal
communication of hazardous weather or water events and the public
response to such communications. Where appropriate, the Under Secretary
shall encourage the collection of secondary data, purchase data, or
partner with the private sector to obtain data.
(b) Data Management.--The Under Secretary shall establish and
maintain a central repository system for the National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration for data related to the communication of and
related public response to hazardous weather or water events, including
data developed or received pursuant to this title.
(c) Protection of Data.--The Under Secretary shall ensure that data
is collected, managed, and used by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration in accordance with legal, regulatory, and contractual
obligations, including chapter 31 of title 44, United States Code, and
the Foundations for Evidence-Based Policymaking Act of 2018 (Public Law
115-435).
(d) Digital Watermarking.--The Under Secretary shall develop
methods to reduce the likelihood of unauthorized tampering with online
public notifications of hazardous weather or water events, such as
developing digital watermarks.
(e) Policies and Procedures.--The Under Secretary shall establish
policies and procedures for the collection, archiving, and managing of
data related to community response, including the response of effected
or vulnerable populations, to hazardous weather or water events.
TITLE V--IMPROVING WEATHER INFORMATION FOR AGRICULTURE AND WATER
MANAGEMENT
SEC. 501. WEATHER AND CLIMATE INFORMATION IN AGRICULTURE AND WATER
MANAGEMENT.
Section 1762 of the Food Security Act of 1985 (15 U.S.C. 8521) is
amended--
(1) by amending subsection (c) to read as follows:
``(c) Functions.--
``(1) In general.--The Under Secretary shall--
``(A) conduct and support research to improve
understanding of subseasonal to seasonal predictability
for temperature, precipitation, and other Earth system
variables and applications;
``(B) collect and use data to make usable,
reliable, and timely foundational forecasts of
subseasonal-to-seasonal temperature and precipitation;
``(C) support the advancement of multi-model
ensemble forecast systems and forecast verification and
evaluation capacity, including by--
``(i) developing advanced coupled data
assimilation methods using robust Earth system
observational data;
``(ii) developing improved coupled
subseasonal-to-seasonal ensemble prediction
systems;
``(iii) improving exchanges and
interactions between datasets across different
models and Earth system observations to
increase model accuracy of local relationships
between and drivers of ocean, land, snow, and
ice observations; and
``(iv) developing data management
strategies to support operations and research
activities;
``(D) leverage existing research and models from
the weather and Earth system enterprises to improve the
forecasts under subparagraph (B);
``(E) accelerate the operationalization of emerging
modeling technologies developed to support and assist
the cross development of fully coupled subseasonal-to-
seasonal forecast systems, including during
collaborations with other agencies and entities;
``(F) determine and provide information on how
subseasonal-to-seasonal temperature and precipitation
may relate to--
``(i) droughts;
``(ii) fires;
``(iii) tornadoes;
``(iv) hurricanes;
``(v) floods, storm surges, and coastal
inundation;
``(vi) heat waves and marine heat waves;
``(vii) winter storms, snowpack, and
permafrost thaw;
``(viii) sea ice conditions; and
``(ix) other high impact weather or
relevant weather disasters.'';
(2) by amending subsection (h) to read as follows:
``(h) Subseasonal to Seasonal Forecasting Pilot Projects.--
``(1) Establishment.--The Under Secretary shall establish
not fewer than 2 pilot projects, in accordance with paragraph
(2), within the United States Weather Research Program of the
Office of Oceanic and Atmospheric Research of the National
Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to support improved
subseasonal to seasonal precipitation forecasts for--
``(A) water management in areas of the United
States in which there is--
``(i) a high level of drought; and
``(ii) a reliance on reservoirs for water
storage; and
``(B) agriculture in the central United States.
``(2) Objectives.--In carrying out this subsection, the
Under Secretary shall ensure the following:
``(A) A pilot project under subparagraph (A) of
paragraph (1) addresses key science challenges to
improving forecasts and developing related products for
water management, including the following:
``(i) Improving operational model
resolution, both horizontal and vertical, to
resolve issues associated with mountainous
terrain, such as intensity of precipitation and
relative fraction of rain versus snow
precipitation.
``(ii) Improving modeling of interstate or
cross-boundary water movement and storage
through rivers, tributaries, and aquifers with
relation to water availability.
``(iii) Improving fidelity in the
operational modeling of the atmospheric
boundary layer in mountainous regions.
``(iv) Resolving challenges in predicting
winter atmospheric circulation and storm
tracks, including periods of blocked versus
unblocked flow over the eastern North Pacific
Ocean and western United States.
``(v) Utilizing outcomes from the
atmospheric rivers forecast improvement program
under section 204 of the Weather Act
Reauthorization Act of 2024 and the
precipitation forecast improvement program
under section 603 of the Weather Research and
Forecasting Innovation Act of 2017 to produce
operational tools and services.
``(vi) Improving the quality and temporal
and spatial resolution of observations and
accurate operational modeling of air-sea
interactions, and the influence of oceans on
subseasonal and seasonal forecasting.
``(B) A pilot project under subparagraph (B) of
paragraph (1) addresses key science challenges to
improving forecasts and developing related products for
agriculture in the central United States, including the
following:
``(i) Improving the quality and temporal
and spatial resolution of observations and
accurate operational modeling of the land
surface and hydrologic cycle, including soil
moisture and flash drought processes.
``(ii) Improving fidelity in the
operational modeling of warm season
precipitation processes.
``(iii) Understanding and predicting large-
scale upper-level dynamical flow anomalies that
occur in spring and summer.
``(iv) Improving modeling of interstate or
cross-boundary water movement and storage
through rivers, tributaries, and aquifers with
relation to water availability for agriculture.
``(3) Activities.--A pilot project under this subsection
shall include activities that carry out the following:
``(A) Best implement recommendations of the 2020
Report of the National Weather Service, entitled
`Subseasonal and Seasonal Forecasting Innovation: Plans
for the Twenty-First Century'.
``(B) Achieve measurable objectives for operational
forecast improvement.
``(C) Engage with, and leverage the resources of--
``(i) institutions of higher education (as
such term is defined in section 101 of the
Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1001));
``(ii) a consortia of institutions as
described under clause (i);
``(iii) entities within the National
Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration in
existence as of the date of the enactment of
this subsection, including Regional Climate
Centers and the National Centers for
Environmental Information; and
``(iv) other Federal agencies, as
appropriate.
``(D) Are carried out in coordination with the
Assistant Administrator for the Office of Oceanic and
Atmospheric Research and the Director of the National
Weather Service.
``(4) Sunset.--The authority under this subsection shall
terminate on the date that is 5 years after the date of the
enactment of this subsection.''; and
(3) by amending subsection (j) to read as follows:
``(j) Authorization of Appropriations.--There are authorized to be
appropriated $50,300,000 for each of fiscal years 2025 through 2029 to
carry out the activities under this section.''.
SEC. 502. NATIONAL INTEGRATED DROUGHT INFORMATION SYSTEM.
(a) In General.--Section 3 of the National Integrated Drought
Information System Act of 2006 (15 U.S.C. 313d) is amended--
(1) in subsection (a), by striking ``, through the National
Weather Service and other appropriate weather and climate
programs in the National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration,'';
(2) in subsection (b)--
(A) in paragraph (1)--
(i) in subparagraph (A), by striking
``and'' after the semicolon;
(ii) in subparagraph (B), by inserting
``and'' after the semicolon; and
(iii) by adding at the end the following
new subparagraph:
``(C) incorporates flash drought research and tools
to enhance timely response;'';
(B) in paragraph (5), by striking ``improvements in
seasonal precipitation and temperature, subseasonal
precipitation and temperature, and low flow water
prediction; and'' and inserting ``support improvements
in subseasonal to seasonal precipitation and
temperature, and low flow water prediction;'';
(C) in paragraph (6), by striking the period and
inserting a semicolon; and
(D) by adding at the end the following new
paragraphs:
``(7) advance and deploy next generation technologies
related to drought, such as monitoring, preparedness, and
forecasting capabilities utilizing artificial intelligence,
machine learning, and cloud technologies;
``(8) use observational networks, including the National
Weather Service cooperative observer program and State or
regional hydrological monitoring projects;
``(9) refine drought indicators across multiple spatial and
temporal scales;
``(10) improve decision-support products;
``(11) optimize data and resources from across the Federal
Government;
``(12) investigate and address data gaps, including
snowpack monitoring, space-based or in-situ soil moisture
monitoring, groundwater data, and data related to rapid
intensification events; and
``(13) engage with, and leverage the resources of, entities
within the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration in
existence as of the date of the enactment of the Weather Act
Reauthorization Act of 2024 to improve coordination of water
monitoring, forecasting, and management.'';
(3) in subsection (c)--
(A) in paragraph (2), by striking ``and'' after the
semicolon;
(B) in paragraph (3), by striking the period and
inserting ``; and''; and
(C) by adding at the end the following new
paragraph:
``(4) in partnership with the National Mesonet Program,
establish memoranda of understanding to provide coordinated,
high-quality data.''; and
(4) by adding at the end the following:
``(g) Modeling Update.--Not later than one year after the date of
the enactment of the Weather Act Reauthorization Act of 2024, the Under
Secretary, acting through the National Integrated Drought Information
System and the Climate Prediction Center of the National Weather
Service, shall develop a plan to incorporate existing drought products
of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and improved
dynamical and statistical forecast modeling tools into probabilistic
forecasts.''.
(b) Authorization of Appropriations.--Section 4 of the National
Integrated Drought Information System Act of 2006 (Public Law 109-430;
15 U.S.C. 313d note) is amended to read as follows:
``SEC. 4. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.
``There are authorized to be appropriated to carry out this Act--
``(1) $15,000,000 for fiscal year 2025.
``(2) $15,500,000 for fiscal year 2026.
``(3) $16,000,000 for fiscal year 2027.
``(4) $16,500,000 for fiscal year 2028.
``(5) $17,000,000 for fiscal year 2029.''.
SEC. 503. NATIONAL MESONET PROGRAM.
(a) Program.--The Under Secretary shall maintain the National
Mesonet Program (referred to in this section as the ``Program''), which
shall--
(1) obtain observations to improve understanding of and
forecast capabilities for atmospheric, drought, fire, and water
events, with a prioritization on leveraging available
commercial, academic, and other non-Federal Government
environmental data to enhance coordination across the private,
public, and academic sectors of the weather enterprise in the
United States;
(2) establish means to integrate greater density and more
types of environmental observations into the Program on an
annual basis, including by encouraging local and regional
networks of environmental monitoring stations and in situ
sensor networks, including soil moisture and ground-based
profilers, to participate in the Program;
(3) establish memoranda of understanding with networks
outside of the scope of the Program in furtherance of this
section; and
(4) coordinate with satellite data and services acquired
through the Commercial Data Program under section 302 of the
Weather Research and Forecasting Innovation Act of 2017 (15
U.S.C. 8532), as amended by section 401 of this Act.
(b) Program Elements.--In carrying out the Program, the Under
Secretary shall--
(1) increase data density by--
(A) improving and increasing the quantity and
density of environmental observations used by the
Administration and the National Weather Service to
support baseline forecasts, including nowcasts,
warnings, and hyper local forecasts that protect
individuals, businesses, agricultural production, food
security, military, and government agencies in the
United States, and enabling such individuals and
entities to operate in a safe, efficient, and orderly
manner;
(B) yielding increased quantities of boundary-layer
data to improve numerical weather prediction
performance, including in subseasonal to seasonal
timescales;
(C) identifying available terrestrial or marine
environmental data, or quantifiable gaps in such data,
to improve the understanding of air-sea interactions;
and
(D) supporting the National Weather Service in
reaching its target of a 30-minute warning time for
severe weather through better predictive model
algorithms driven by increasingly effective
observations;
(2) monitor local meteorological conditions by--
(A) acquiring soil and moisture data to monitor
soil moisture, vegetation water content, and moisture
loss from evaporation, in support of operational
forecasting, the National Integrated Drought
Information System, and local commercial, agricultural,
and emergency management needs;
(B) supporting the National Coordinated Soil
Moisture Monitoring Network in acquiring soil moisture
and related data to support the development of
decision-support products and other information
services; and
(C) expanding and enhancing environmental
observational networks in the roadway environment to
provide real-time road weather and surface conditions
for surface transportation and related economic
sectors; and
(3) administer the Program by--
(A) obtaining data in furtherance of this section
only when demonstrably cost effective and meeting or
exceeding data quality standards available to the
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
(referred to in this section as the
``Administration'');
(B) subject to the requirement in subparagraph (A),
leveraging existing networks of environmental
monitoring stations, including supplemental radar
systems, to increase the quantity and density of
environmental observations and data available to the
Administration;
(C) providing the critical technical and
administrative infrastructure needed to facilitate
rapid integration and sustained use of new and emerging
networks of environmental monitoring stations
anticipated in coming years from non-Federal Government
sources;
(D) coordinating with existing data developed by
the Administration and used for forecasts, including
data from the National Environmental Satellite, Data,
and Information Service, the Integrated Ocean Observing
System, the Global Ocean Monitoring and Observing
Program, the National Data Buoy Center, and the
National Ocean Service; and
(E) identifying and communicating to the Office of
Oceanic and Atmospheric Research and other partners
priorities of research and development needed to
advance observations in the Program.
(c) Financial and Technical Assistance.--
(1) In general.--In furtherance of the Program, in a fiscal
year, the Under Secretary may award not less than 15 percent of
the amount appropriated for the Program for that fiscal year
for financial assistance to State, Tribal, private, and
academic entities seeking to build, expand, or upgrade
equipment and capacity of mesonet systems.
(2) Other federal awards.--Financial assistance under this
subsection may be made in coordination with and in addition to
awards from other Federal agencies.
(3) Agreements.--Before receiving financial assistance
under paragraph (1), the State, Tribal, private, or academic
entity seeking financial assistance under this subsection shall
enter into an agreement with the Under Secretary to provide
data to the Program, subject to verification by the Program of
the relative operational value and evaluation of the cost of
such data, for use in weather prediction, severe weather
warnings, and emergency response.
(4) Assistance and other support.--The Under Secretary may
provide--
(A) technical assistance, project implementation
support, and guidance to State, Tribal, private, and
academic entities seeking financial assistance under
this subsection; and
(B) technical and financial assistance for
maintenance of monitoring stations in underrepresented
or remote areas of the country where it is financially
unfeasible for 1 entity to operate such stations
without such assistance.
(5) Terms.--In providing financial assistance under this
subsection, the Under Secretary shall establish terms to ensure
that each State, Tribal, private, or academic entity that
receives financial assistance under this subsection receives a
level of support commensurate with the quality and other
characteristics of the data to be provided.
(6) Determination.--A State, Tribal, private, or academic
entity may only receive financial assistance under this
subsection if the Under Secretary determines such entity will
provide sufficient financial support from non-Federal
Government sources and fully maintain the quality of the
mesonet system and associated data standards required by the
Program for a period of not less than 5 years.
(7) Priority.--The Under Secretary shall prioritize
providing assistance under paragraph (1) to not fewer than 1
entity in a remote area or an area that has a lack of
environmental monitoring stations described in subsection
(a)(2).
(d) Advisory Committee.--
(1) In general.--The Under Secretary shall ensure the
Program has an active advisory committee of subject matter
experts to make recommendations to the Administration on the
identification, implementation, procurement, and tracking of
data needed to supplement the Program, and recommend
improvements, expansions, and acquisitions of available data.
(2) Designation of existing committee.--The Under Secretary
may designate an existing advisory committee, subcommittee, or
working group of the Federal Government, including the Science
Advisory Board of the Administration, to carry out the
requirement under paragraph (1).
(3) Academic expertise.--The advisory committee under
paragraph (1), in consultation with the Program, shall include
expertise from 1 or more institutions of higher education (as
defined in section 101 of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20
U.S.C. 1001)) to assist the advisory committee to identify,
evaluate, and recommend potential partnerships, regional or
subregional consortia, and collaborative methods that would
expand the number of participants and volume of data in the
Program.
(e) Regular Briefings.--
(1) In general.--Not less frequently than annually through
2035, the Under Secretary shall provide regular briefings to
the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation of the
Senate and the Committee on Science, Space, and Technology of
the House of Representatives on all activities under the
Program.
(2) Briefing content.--Each briefing required under
paragraph (1) shall include information relating to the
following:
(A) Efforts to implement the activities described
in subsection (b).
(B) Any financial or technical assistance provided
pursuant to subsection (c).
(C) Efforts to address recommendations received
from the advisory committee under subsection (d), if
any.
(D) The potential need and associated benefits of a
coastal and ocean mesonet, or other emerging areas of
weather data needs.
(E) Progress toward eliminating gaps in weather
observation data in States and regions of the United
States.
(F) Any other topic the Under Secretary determines
relevant.
(f) Authorization of Appropriations.--From amounts authorized to be
appropriated to the National Weather Service, there shall be available
not more than the following amounts to carry out this section:
(1) $50,000,000 for fiscal year 2025.
(2) $55,000,000 for fiscal year 2026.
(3) $61,000,000 for fiscal year 2027.
(4) $68,000,000 for fiscal year 2028.
(5) $70,000,000 for fiscal year 2029.
SEC. 504. NATIONAL COORDINATED SOIL MOISTURE MONITORING NETWORK.
(a) In General.--The Under Secretary, in collaboration with the
Secretary of Agriculture, the Director of the United States Geological
Survey, the Administrator of the National Aeronautics and Space
Administration, and the heads of other relevant Federal agencies and
departments, shall support the development, deployment, and maintenance
of soil moisture monitoring networks by managing the National
Coordinated Soil Moisture Monitoring Network (in this section referred
to as the ``Network'') within the National Integrated Drought
Information System.
(b) Activities.--The Under Secretary shall ensure the Network
includes activities that carry out the following:
(1) Establishing a visible, user-friendly website.
(2) Developing a set of criteria for high-quality data
sources.
(3) Supporting research necessary to develop or improve
soil moisture monitoring products at a national scale.
(4) Increasing the number of long-term, high-quality, in
situ and remote sensing soil moisture monitoring stations
across the United States.
(5) Sharing methodologies and validation protocols with the
private sector.
(6) Engaging with the citizen science community.
(7) Developing, releasing, and promoting new, nationwide
point-based and gridded soil moisture data products that meet
the needs of diverse end-user groups.
(8) Supporting community building and outreach to the
network of individuals engaged with soil moisture information
delivery, from data provision to end-user decision making.
SEC. 505. NATIONAL WATER CENTER.
Section 301 of the Coordinated Ocean Observations and Research Act
of 2020 (42 U.S.C. 10371) is amended--
(1) in subsection (a)--
(A) in paragraph (1)(A)--
(i) in the matter preceding clause (i), by
inserting ``, within the Office of Water
Prediction of the National Weather Service,''
after ``shall establish'';
(ii) in clause (i), by striking ``and''
after the semicolon;
(iii) in clause (ii), by striking the
period and inserting ``; and''; and
(iv) by adding at the end the following new
clause:
``(iii) to lead the transition of water
research by the Federal Government, including
model development, into operations of the
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
and the National Weather Service.''; and
(B) in paragraph (2), by adding at the end the
following new subparagraphs:
``(F) Serving as the primary Center within the
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration for
research, development, collaboration, and coordination
of the water research and forecast activities of the
Administration and other centers and networks of the
Federal Government, including those of the Department
of Agriculture, the Army Corps of Engineers, the Bureau
of Reclamation, the United States Geological Survey,
and the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
``(G) Integrating and promoting consistency among
national and regional hydrological forecast operations
and service delivery.''; and
(C) by adding at the end the following:
``(3) Incorporation into unified forecast system.--The
Under Secretary shall use the Weather and Climate Operational
Supercomputing System, or any other successor system, to
support the development and implementation of advanced water
resources modeling capabilities under paragraph (2)(B) and
shall incorporate those modeling capabilities into the unified
forecast system.'';
(2) by striking subsection (b);
(3) by redesignating subsection (c) as subsection (b);
(4) by inserting after subsection (b), as redesignated by
paragraph (3), the following:
``(c) Organization.--The Under Secretary, acting through the
Director of the Office of Water Prediction of the National Weather
Service, shall--
``(1) supervise and oversee the administration, management,
and operations of each River Forecast Center of the National
Weather Service and coordinate those operations with the
National Water Center; and
``(2) administer the duties and activities of the National
Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration related to the
Cooperative Institute for Research to Operations in Hydrology,
or any successor entity, and coordinate the activities of the
Institute with the National Water Center.''; and
(5) in subsection (d)(4), by striking ``fiscal year 2024''
and inserting ``each of fiscal years 2024 through 2029''.
SEC. 506. SATELLITE TRANSFERS BRIEFING.
Not later than 180 days after the date of the enactment of this
Act, the Secretary of Commerce shall brief the Committee on Commerce,
Science, and Transportation of the Senate and the Committee on Science,
Space, and Technology of the House of Representatives on the Department
of Commerce's authorities and policies and Federal Government-wide
policies related to transferring any portion of the weather satellite
systems operated by the Department of Commerce to any other Federal
department or agency, including--
(1) a description of the process for decommissioning a
Department of Commerce operational weather satellite, any
existing agreements related to transfers of weather satellites,
whether decommissioned or not, and any reimbursable agreements
related to the transfer of physical property or the operation
of Department of Commerce weather satellites on behalf of any
other Federal department or agency; and
(2) a summary of any Department of Commerce plans for
potential transfer of existing or future weather satellite
systems to any other Federal department or agency.
TITLE VI--HARMFUL ALGAL BLOOM AND HYPOXIA RESEARCH AND CONTROL
AMENDMENTS ACT OF 2024
SEC. 601. SHORT TITLE.
This title may be cited as the ``Harmful Algal Bloom and Hypoxia
Research and Control Amendments Act of 2024''.
SEC. 602. AMENDMENTS TO THE HARMFUL ALGAL BLOOMS AND HYPOXIA RESEARCH
AND CONTROL ACT OF 1998.
(a) Assessments.--
(1) In general.--Section 603 of the Harmful Algal Blooms
and Hypoxia Research and Control Act of 1998 (33 U.S.C. 4001)
is amended--
(A) in the section heading, by striking
``assessments'' and inserting ``task force,
assessments, and action strategy'';
(B) in subsection (a)--
(i) by redesignating paragraphs (13) and
(14) as paragraphs (14) and (15), respectively;
and
(ii) by inserting after paragraph (12) the
following:
``(13) the Department of Energy;'';
(C) by striking subsections (b), (c), (d), (e),
(g), (h), and (i) and redesignating subsection (f) as
subsection (b);
(D) in subsection (b), as so redesignated--
(i) in paragraph (1), in the first
sentence, by striking ``coastal waters
including the Great Lakes'' and inserting
``marine, estuarine, and freshwater systems'';
and
(ii) in paragraph (2)--
(I) by amending subparagraph (A) to
read as follows:
``(A) examine--
``(i) the causes and ecological
consequences of hypoxia on marine and aquatic
species in their environments; and
``(ii) the costs of hypoxia, including
impacts on food safety and security;'';
(II) by redesignating subparagraphs
(B), (C), and (D) as subparagraphs (D),
(E), and (F), respectively;
(III) by inserting after
subparagraph (A) the following:
``(B) examine the effect of other environmental
stressors on hypoxia;
``(C) evaluate alternatives for reducing,
mitigating, and controlling hypoxia and its
environmental impacts;'';
(IV) in subparagraph (D), as
redesignated by subclause (II), by
inserting ``, social,'' after
``ecological''; and
(V) in subparagraph (E), as
redesignated by subclause (II), by
striking ``hypoxia modeling and
monitoring data'' and inserting
``hypoxia modeling, forecasting, and
monitoring and observation data''; and
(E) by adding at the end the following:
``(c) Action Strategy and Scientific Assessment for Marine and
Freshwater Harmful Algal Blooms.--
``(1) In general.--Not less frequently than once every 5
years, the Task Force shall complete and submit to Congress an
action strategy for harmful algal blooms in the United States.
``(2) Elements.--Each Action Strategy shall--
``(A) examine, and include a scientific assessment
of, marine and freshwater harmful algal blooms,
including such blooms--
``(i) in the Great Lakes;
``(ii) in the upper reaches of estuaries;
``(iii) in freshwater lakes and rivers;
``(iv) in coastal and marine waters; and
``(v) that originate in freshwater lakes or
rivers and migrate to coastal waters;
``(B) examine the causes, ecological consequences
or physiological consequences on fish function, and
economic or socio-cultural impacts, including food
safety and security, of harmful algal blooms;
``(C) examine the effect of other environmental
stressors on harmful algal blooms;
``(D) examine potential methods to prevent,
control, and mitigate harmful algal blooms and the
potential ecological, social, cultural, and economic
costs and benefits of such methods;
``(E) identify priorities for research needed to
advance techniques and technologies to detect, predict,
monitor, respond to, and minimize the occurrence,
duration, and severity of harmful algal blooms,
including recommendations to eliminate significant gaps
in harmful algal bloom forecasting, monitoring, and
observation data;
``(F) evaluate progress made by, and the needs of,
activities and actions of the Task Force to prevent,
control, and mitigate harmful algal blooms;
``(G) identify ways to improve coordination and
prevent unnecessary duplication of effort among Federal
agencies with respect to research on harmful algal
blooms; and
``(H) include regional chapters relating to the
requirements described in this paragraph in order to
highlight geographically and ecologically diverse
locations with significant ecological, social,
cultural, and economic impacts from harmful algal
blooms.
``(d) Consultation.--In carrying out subsections (b) and (c), the
Task Force shall consult with--
``(1) States, Indian tribes, and local governments; and
``(2) appropriate industries (including fisheries,
agriculture, and fertilizer), academic institutions, and
nongovernmental organizations with relevant expertise.''.
(2) Clerical amendment.--The table of contents in section 2
of the Coast Guard Authorization Act of 1998 (Public Law 105-
383; 112 Stat. 3412; 136 Stat. 1268) is amended by striking the
item relating to section 603 and inserting the following:
``Sec. 603. Task Force, assessments, and Action Strategy.''.
(3) Conforming amendment.--Section 102 of the Harmful Algal
Bloom and Hypoxia Amendments Act of 2004 (33 U.S.C. 4001a) is
amended by striking ``In developing'' and all that follows
through ``management.''.
(b) National Harmful Algal Bloom and Hypoxia Program.--Section 603A
of the Harmful Algal Blooms and Hypoxia Research and Control Act of
1998 (33 U.S.C. 4002) is amended--
(1) in subsection (a)--
(A) in paragraph (1)--
(i) by striking ``predicting,'' and
inserting ``monitoring, observing,
forecasting,''; and
(ii) by striking ``and'' after the
semicolon; and
(B) by striking paragraph (2) and inserting the
following:
``(2) the scientific assessment submitted under section
603(b); and
``(3) the Action Strategy.'';
(2) in subsection (c)--
(A) in paragraph (3), by striking ``ocean and Great
Lakes science and management programs and centers'' and
inserting ``programs and centers relating to the
science and management of marine, estuarine, and
freshwater systems''; and
(B) in paragraph (5), by inserting ``while
recognizing each agency is acting under its own
independent mission and authority'' before the
semicolon;
(3) in subsection (d), by striking ``Except as provided in
subsection (h), the'' and inserting ``The'';
(4) in subsection (e)--
(A) by striking paragraph (2) and inserting the
following:
``(2) examine the causes, ecological consequences, and
costs of harmful algal blooms and hypoxia;'';
(B) in paragraph (3)--
(i) in subparagraph (B), by inserting ``,
including the annual Gulf of Mexico hypoxia
zone mapping cruise'' after ``Program'';
(ii) in subparagraph (C), by striking
``and'' after the semicolon; and
(iii) by adding at the end the following:
``(E) to identify opportunities to improve
monitoring of harmful algal blooms and hypoxia, with a
particular focus on waters that may affect fisheries,
public health, or subsistence harvest;
``(F) to evaluate adaptation and mitigation
strategies to address the impacts of harmful algal
blooms and hypoxia;
``(G) to support the resilience of the seafood
industry to harmful algal blooms and to expand access
to testing for harmful algal bloom toxins, including
for subsistence and recreational harvesters, through
innovative methods that increase the efficiency and
effectiveness of such testing in rural and remote
areas;
``(H) to support sustained observations to provide
State and local entities, Indian tribes, and other
entities access to real-time or near real-time
observations data for decision-making to protect human
and ecological health and local economies; and
``(I) to assess the combined effects of harmful
algal blooms, hypoxia, and stressors such as runoff and
infrastructure changes on marine, freshwater, or
estuarine ecosystems and living resources;'';
(C) in paragraph (4), by striking ``agencies'' and
inserting ``entities, regional coastal observing
systems (as defined in section 12303 of the Integrated
Coastal and Ocean Observation System Act of 2009 (33
U.S.C. 3602)),'';
(D) in paragraph (6), by inserting ``and
communities'' after ``ecosystems'';
(E) in paragraph (8), by inserting ``and Indian
tribes'' after ``managers'';
(F) in paragraph (9)(A), by striking ``, tribal,
and local stakeholders'' and inserting ``and local
stakeholders and Indian tribes, Tribal organizations,
and Native Hawaiian organizations'';
(G) by redesignating paragraphs (3), (4), (5), (6),
(7), (8), (9), (10), and (11) as paragraphs (4), (5),
(6), (7), (8), (9), (10), (12), and (13), respectively;
(H) by inserting after paragraph (2) the following:
``(3) consult with entities that are most dependent on
coastal and water resources that may be impacted by marine and
freshwater harmful algal blooms and hypoxia, including--
``(A) State and local entities;
``(B) Indian tribes, Tribal organizations, and
Native Hawaiians organizations;
``(C) island communities;
``(D) low-population rural communities;
``(E) subsistence communities; and
``(F) fisheries and recreation industries;''; and
(I) by inserting after paragraph (10), as
redesignated by subparagraph (G), the following:
``(11) expand access to testing for harmful algal bloom
toxins, including for subsistence and recreational harvesters,
through innovative methods that increase the efficiency and
effectiveness of such testing in rural and remote areas;'';
(5) by amending subsections (f) to read as follows:
``(f) Cooperation; Duplication of Effort.--The Under Secretary
shall work cooperatively with and avoid duplication of effort of other
agencies on the Task Force and States, Indian tribes, Tribal
organizations, Native Hawaiian organizations, and nongovernmental
organizations concerned with marine and freshwater issues.''; and
(6) by striking subsection (g), (h), and (i).
(c) National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Activities.--
(1) In general.--Section 603B of the Harmful Algal Blooms
and Hypoxia Research and Control Act of 1998 (33 U.S.C. 4003)
is amended to read as follows:
``SEC. 603B. NATIONAL OCEANIC AND ATMOSPHERIC ADMINISTRATION
ACTIVITIES.
``(a) In General.--The Under Secretary shall--
``(1) carry out response activities for marine, coastal,
and Great Lakes harmful algal bloom and hypoxia events;
``(2) develop and enhance operational harmful algal bloom
observing and forecasting programs, including operational
observations and forecasting, monitoring, modeling, data
management, and information dissemination;
``(3) develop forecast modeling that includes the effect of
hurricanes and other weather events on the resuspension of
bioavailable nutrients in sediments and related interactions
with harmful algal blooms;
``(4) enhance communication and coordination among Federal
agencies carrying out activities and research relating to
marine and freshwater harmful algal bloom and hypoxia;
``(5) leverage existing resources and expertise available
from local research universities and institutions; and
``(6) use cost effective methods in carrying out this
section.
``(b) Integrated Coastal and Ocean Observation System.--The
collection of monitoring and observing data under this section shall
comply with all data standards and protocols developed pursuant to the
Integrated Coastal and Ocean Observation System Act of 2009 (33 U.S.C.
3601 et seq.). Such data shall be made available through the National
Integrated Coastal and Ocean Observation System established under
section 12304 of that Act (33 U.S.C. 3603).''.
(2) Clerical amendment.--The table of contents in section 2
of the Coast Guard Authorization Act of 1998 (Public Law 105-
383; 112 Stat. 3412; 136 Stat. 1268) is amended by striking the
item relating to section 603B and inserting the following:
``Sec. 603B. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
activities.''.
(d) Environmental Protection Agency Activities.--
(1) In general.--The Harmful Algal Bloom and Hypoxia
Research and Control Act of 1998 is amended by inserting after
section 603B (33 U.S.C. 4003) the following:
``SEC. 603C. ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY ACTIVITIES.
``(a) In General.--The Administrator shall--
``(1) carry out research on the ecology and human health
impacts of freshwater harmful algal blooms and hypoxia events;
``(2) develop and enhance operational freshwater harmful
algal bloom monitoring, observing, and forecasting programs in
lakes, rivers, and reservoirs, and coordinate with the National
Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration on such programs in the
Great Lakes and estuaries (including tributaries thereof),
including operational observations and forecasting, monitoring,
modeling, data management, and information dissemination, to
support event response, prioritization, prevention, adaptation,
and mitigation activities;
``(3) enhance communication and coordination among Federal
agencies carrying out freshwater harmful algal bloom and
hypoxia activities and research;
``(4) to the greatest extent practicable, leverage existing
resources and expertise available from Federal and State
partners and local research universities and institutions; and
``(5) use cost-effective methods in carrying out this
section.
``(b) Nonduplication.--The Administrator shall ensure that
activities carried out under subsection (a) focus on new approaches to
addressing freshwater harmful algal blooms and are not duplicative of
existing research and development programs authorized by this title or
any other law.''.
(2) Clerical amendment.--The table of contents in section 2
of the Coast Guard Authorization Act of 1998 (Public Law 105-
383; 112 Stat. 3412; 136 Stat. 1268) is amended by inserting
after the item relating to section 603B the following:
``Sec. 603C. Environmental Protection Agency activities.''.
(e) National Harmful Algal Bloom and Hypoxia Observing Network.--
(1) In general.--Section 606 of the Harmful Algal Blooms
and Hypoxia Research and Control Act of 1998 (33 U.S.C. 4005)
is amended to read as follows:
``SEC. 606. NATIONAL HARMFUL ALGAL BLOOM OBSERVING NETWORK.
``(a) In General.--The Under Secretary, acting through the National
Centers for Coastal Ocean Science and the Integrated Ocean Observing
System of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, shall
integrate Federal, State, regional, and local observing capabilities to
establish a national network of observing systems for the monitoring,
detection, and forecasting of harmful algal blooms by leveraging the
capacity of regional associations of the Integrated Ocean Observing
System, including through the incorporation of emerging technologies
and new data integration methods.
``(b) Coordination and Data Assembly.--In carrying out subsection
(a), the Program Office of the Integrated Ocean Observing System
shall--
``(1) coordinate with the National Centers for Coastal
Ocean Science regarding observations, data integration, and
information dissemination;
``(2) organize, integrate, disseminate, and provide a
central architecture to support ecological forecasting of
harmful algal blooms; and
``(3) coordinate with the Water Quality Portal to store and
serve discrete data related to the monitoring of freshwater,
estuarine, and coastal harmful algal blooms.''.
(2) Clerical amendment.--The table of contents in section 2
of the Coast Guard Authorization Act of 1998 (Public Law 105-
383; 112 Stat. 3412; 136 Stat. 1268) is amended by striking the
item relating to section 606 and inserting the following:
``Sec. 606. National harmful algal bloom observing network.''.
(f) National-Level Incubator Program.--
(1) In general.--The Harmful Algal Blooms and Hypoxia
Research and Control Act of 1998 is amended by inserting after
section 606 (33 U.S.C. 4005) the following:
``SEC. 606A. NATIONAL-LEVEL INCUBATOR PROGRAM.
``(a) In General.--The Under Secretary, in collaboration with the
Administrator and research universities and institutions, shall
establish a national-level incubator program (in this section referred
to as the `program') to increase the number of strategies,
technologies, and measures available to prevent, mitigate, and control
harmful algal blooms.
``(b) Framework.--The program shall establish a framework for
preliminary assessments of novel strategies, technologies, and measures
to prevent, mitigate, and control harmful algal blooms in order to
determine the potential effectiveness and scalability of such
technologies.
``(c) Funding.--The program shall provide merit-based funding,
using amounts otherwise available to the Under Secretary for the award
of grants, for strategies, technologies, and measures that eliminate or
reduce, through biological, chemical, or physical means, the levels of
harmful algae and associated toxins resulting from harmful algal
blooms.
``(d) Database.--The program shall include a database for
cataloging the licensing and permitting requirements, economic costs,
feasibility, effectiveness, and scalability of novel and established
strategies, technologies, and measures to prevent, mitigate, and
control harmful algal blooms.
``(e) Prioritization.--In carrying out the program, the Under
Secretary shall prioritize proposed strategies, technologies, and
measures that would, to the maximum extent practicable--
``(1) protect key habitats for fish and wildlife;
``(2) maintain biodiversity;
``(3) protect public health;
``(4) protect coastal resources of national, historical,
and cultural significance; or
``(5) benefit low-income communities, Indian tribes, and
rural communities.''.
(2) Clerical amendment.--The table of contents in section 2
of the Coast Guard Authorization Act of 1998 (Public Law 105-
383; 112 Stat. 3412; 136 Stat. 1268) is amended by inserting
after the item relating to section 606 the following:
``Sec. 606A. National-level incubator program.''.
(g) Definitions.--Section 609 of the Harmful Algal Blooms and
Hypoxia Research and Control Act of 1998 (33 U.S.C. 4008) is amended--
(1) in paragraph (1), by striking ``means the comprehensive
research plan and action strategy established under section
603B'' and inserting ``means the action strategy for harmful
algal blooms in the United States most recently submitted under
section 603(c)'';
(2) by amending paragraph (3) to read as follows:
``(3) Harmful algal bloom.--The term `harmful algal bloom'
means a high concentration of marine or freshwater algae
(including diatoms), macroalgae (including Sargassum), or
cyanobacteria resulting in nuisance conditions or harmful
impacts on marine and freshwater ecosystems, subsistence
resources, communities, or human health through the production
of toxic compounds or other biological, chemical, or physical
impacts of the bloom.'';
(3) by striking paragraph (9);
(4) by redesignating paragraphs (4), (5), (6), (7), and (8)
as paragraphs (5), (8), (9), (11), and (13), respectively;
(5) by inserting after paragraph (3) the following:
``(4) Harmful algal bloom and hypoxia event.--The term
`harmful algal bloom and hypoxia event' means the occurrence of
a harmful algal bloom or hypoxia as a result of a natural,
anthropogenic, or undetermined cause.'';
(6) in paragraph (5), as redesignated by paragraph (4)--
(A) by striking ``aquatic'' and inserting ``marine
or freshwater''; and
(B) by striking ``resident'' and inserting ``marine
or freshwater'';
(7) by inserting after paragraph (5), as redesignated by
paragraph (4), the following:
``(6) Indian tribe.--The term `Indian tribe' has the
meaning given that term in section 4 of the Indian Self-
Determination and Education Assistance Act (25 U.S.C. 5304).
``(7) Native hawaiian organization.--The term `Native
Hawaiian organization' has the meaning given that term in
section 6207 of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of
1965 (20 U.S.C. 7517) and includes the Department of Hawaiian
Home Lands and the Office of Hawaiian Affairs.'';
(8) by inserting after paragraph (9), as redesignated by
paragraph (4), the following:
``(10) Subsistence use.--The term `subsistence use' means
the customary and traditional use of fish, wildlife, or other
freshwater, coastal, or marine resources by any individual or
community to meet personal or family needs, including essential
economic, nutritional, or cultural applications.''; and
(9) by inserting after paragraph (11), as redesignated by
paragraph (4), the following:
``(12) Tribal organization.--The term `Tribal organization'
has the meaning given that term in section 4 of the Indian
Self-Determination and Education Assistance Act (25 U.S.C.
5304).''.
(h) Authorization of Appropriations.--Section 610 of the Harmful
Algal Blooms and Hypoxia Research and Control Act of 1998 (33 U.S.C.
4009) is amended--
(1) by amending subsection (a) to read as follows:
``(a) In General.--There is authorized to be appropriated to carry
out this title, for each of fiscal years 2025 through 2029--
``(1) $19,500,000 to the Under Secretary; and
``(2) $8,000,000 to the Administrator.''; and
(2) by adding at the end the following:
``(c) Transfer Authority.--As specifically provided in advance in
appropriations Acts, the Under Secretary or the Administrator may
transfer funds made available to carry out this title to the head of
any Federal department or agency, with the concurrence of such head, to
carry out, as appropriate, relevant provisions of this title and
section 9(g) of the National Integrated Drought Information System
Reauthorization Act of 2018 (33 U.S.C. 4010).''.
SEC. 603. OTHER HARMFUL ALGAL BLOOM MATTERS.
(a) In General.--Section 9(g) of the National Integrated Drought
Information System Reauthorization Act of 2018 (33 U.S.C. 4010) is
amended--
(1) in paragraph (1)--
(A) in subparagraph (B), by adding at the end the
following new sentence: ``The appropriate Federal
official may waive the non-Federal share requirements
of the preceding sentence if such official determines
no reasonable means are available through which the
recipient of the Federal share can meet the non-Federal
share requirement.''; and
(B) by adding at the end the following:
``(D) Contract, cooperative agreement, and grant
authority.--The appropriate Federal official may enter
into contracts, cooperative agreements, and grants with
States, Indian Tribes, Tribal organizations, Native
Hawaiian organizations, local governments, or other
entities to pay for or reimburse costs incurred by such
entities for the purposes of supporting the
determination of, and assessing the environmental,
economic, social, subsistence use, and public health
effects of, a harmful algal bloom or hypoxia event of
national significance.'';
(2) in paragraph (2)--
(A) in subparagraph (A), by inserting ``a
leadership official of an affected Indian Tribe, the
executive official of the District of Columbia, or the
executive official of an affected territory or
possession of the United States,'' after ``State,'';
and
(B) in subparagraph (B), by striking ``consider''
and all that follows through ``boundary.'' and
inserting ``consider factors such as--
``(i) the risk to public health and the
potential severity of the detrimental
environmental effects of the harmful algal
bloom or hypoxia event, as indicated by--
``(I) data on shellfish or water
quality obtained through sampling
programs, including baseline data, and
regulatory or advisory thresholds
established to explain management
actions related to the event;
``(II) toxin levels in fish, marine
mammals, seabirds, shellfish, or water
during the event;
``(III) toxic aerosols produced
during the event, including potential
human exposures to toxic aerosols;
``(IV) reports of human or animal
illnesses or mortalities during the
event;
``(V) any closures of fishing or
shellfish harvesting locations or
recreational public waters, including
beaches, during the event;
``(VI) the duration and spatial
extent of the event; or
``(VII) impacts to habitats or
ecosystems associated with the event;
``(ii) the potential economic, social, and
subsistence impacts associated with the harmful
algal bloom or hypoxia event, including to
fisheries and aquaculture, recreation and
tourism, monitoring and management, social or
cultural resource use, and event response
activities, assessed in comparison with
historical data from when a State or region did
not experience such an event, as possible, as
indicated by--
``(I) increases in public health
expenditures;
``(II) losses to commercial
fisheries and aquaculture industries,
recreation and tourism, real estate,
and other impacted industries or
businesses;
``(III) increases in monitoring and
management expenditures, including
costs incurred for event response and
clean-up (such as for beach clean-up
following an influx of biomass or a
fish-kill) by public or private
sectors; or
``(IV) impacts to subsistence
resources, including nutritional,
cultural, and economic effects on
subsistence communities;
``(iii) the relative magnitude of those
impacts in relation to past occurrences of
harmful algal bloom or hypoxia events that
occur on a recurrent or annual basis; and
``(iv) the geographic scope of the harmful
algal bloom or hypoxia event, including the
potential of the event to affect several
municipalities, to affect more than 1 State, or
to cross an international boundary.'';
(3) in paragraph (3), by adding at the end the following:
``(D) Indian tribe.--The term `Indian Tribe' has
the meaning given that term in section 4 of the Indian
Self-Determination and Education Assistance Act (25
U.S.C. 5304).
``(E) Native hawaiian organization.--The term
`Native Hawaiian organization' has the meaning given
that term in section 6207 of the Elementary and
Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 7517) and
includes the Department of Hawaiian Home Lands and the
Office of Hawaiian Affairs.
``(F) Tribal organization.--The term `Tribal
organization' has the meaning given that term in
section 4 of the Indian Self-Determination and
Education Assistance Act (25 U.S.C. 5304).''; and
(4) by adding at the end the following:
``(4) Authorization of appropriations.--There is authorized
to be appropriated to carry out this subsection $2,000,000 for
each of fiscal years 2025 through 2029, to remain available
until expended.''.
(b) Protect Families From Toxic Algal Blooms.--Section 128 of the
Water Resources Development Act of 2020 (33 U.S.C. 610 note) is
amended--
(1) by redesignating subsection (e) as subsection (f); and
(2) by inserting after subsection (d) the following new
subsection:
``(e) Harmful Algal Bloom Technologies.--In carrying out the
demonstration program under subsection (a), the Secretary may enter
into agreements with water and irrigation districts located in the
focus areas described in subsections (c) and (d) for the use or sale of
any new technologies developed under the program to expedite the
removal of harmful algal blooms in such areas.''.
TITLE VII--PREVENTING HEALTH EMERGENCIES AND TEMPERATURE-RELATED
ILLNESS AND DEATHS ACT OF 2024
SEC. 701. SHORT TITLE.
This title may be cited as the ``Preventing Health Emergencies And
Temperature-related Illness and Deaths Act of 2024'' or the
``Preventing HEAT Illness and Deaths Act of 2024''.
SEC. 702. DEFINITIONS.
In this title:
(1) Extreme heat.--The term ``extreme heat'' means heat
that substantially exceeds local temperature norms in terms of
any combination of the following:
(A) Duration.
(B) Intensity.
(C) Season length.
(D) Frequency.
(2) Heat.--The term ``heat'' means any combination of the
atmospheric parameters associated with modulating human
thermoregulation, such as air temperature, humidity, solar
exposure, and wind speed.
(3) Heat event.--The term ``heat event'' means an
occurrence of extreme heat of 2 days or more that may have
heat-health implications.
(4) Heat-health.--The term ``heat-health'' means health
effects to humans from heat, during or outside of heat events,
including from vulnerability and exposure, or the risk of such
effects.
(5) Planning.--The term ``planning'' means activities
performed across timescales (including days, weeks, months,
years, and decades) with scenario-based, probabilistic or
deterministic information to identify and take actions to
proactively mitigate heat-health risks.
(6) Preparedness.--The term ``preparedness'' means
activities performed across timescales with decision support
tools to manage risk in advance of a heat event and increased
ambient temperature.
(7) Tribal government.--The term ``Tribal government''
means the recognized governing body of any Indian or Alaska
Native tribe, band, nation, pueblo, village, community,
component band, or component reservation, individually
identified (including parenthetically) in the list published
most recently as of the date of enactment of this Act pursuant
to section 104 of the Federally Recognized Indian Tribe List
Act of 1994 (25 U.S.C. 5131).
SEC. 703. NATIONAL INTEGRATED HEAT HEALTH INFORMATION SYSTEM
INTERAGENCY COMMITTEE.
(a) Establishment of Committee.--There is established within the
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration an interagency
committee, to be known as the ``National Integrated Heat Health
Information System Interagency Committee'' (in this section referred to
as the ``Committee'').
(b) Purpose.--The Committee shall coordinate agencies represented
on the Committee to execute, as appropriate, activities across such
agencies to ensure a united Federal approach to reducing health risks
from heat.
(c) Membership.--
(1) In general.--In order to carry out and achieve the
purpose described in subsection (b), the Committee shall
include the following:
(A) The Director of the National Integrated Heat
Health Information System.
(B) Not fewer than 1 representative from each of
the following:
(i) From the Department of Commerce, the
following:
(I) From the National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration, the
following:
(aa) The National Weather
Service.
(bb) The Office of Oceanic
and Atmospheric Research.
(cc) The National
Environmental Satellite, Data,
and Information Service.
(II) The National Institute of
Standards and Technology.
(III) The Bureau of the Census.
(ii) From the Department of Health and
Human Services, the following:
(I) The Centers for Disease Control
and Prevention, including the National
Institute for Occupational Safety and
Health.
(II) The Office of the Assistant
Secretary of Health and Human Services
for Preparedness and Response.
(III) The Substance Abuse and
Mental Health Services Administration.
(IV) The National Institutes of
Health.
(V) The Indian Health Service.
(iii) From the Department of the Interior,
the following:
(I) The Bureau of Indian Affairs.
(II) The Bureau of Land Management.
(III) The National Park Service.
(IV) The Office of Hawaiian
Relations.
(iv) From the Environmental Protection
Agency, the following:
(I) The Office of Air and
Radiation, if the Administrator of the
Environmental Protection Agency
determines appropriate.
(II) The Office of Research and
Development, if the Administrator
determines appropriate.
(III) The Office of International
and Tribal Affairs.
(v) The Federal Emergency Management
Agency.
(vi) The Department of Defense.
(vii) The Department of Agriculture.
(viii) The Department of Housing and Urban
Development.
(ix) The Department of Transportation.
(x) The Department of Energy.
(xi) The Department of Labor, including the
Occupational Safety and Health Administration.
(xii) The Department of Veteran Affairs.
(xiii) The Department of Education.
(xiv) The Department of State.
(xv) The United States Agency for
International Development.
(xvi) Such other Federal agencies as the
Under Secretary of Commerce for Oceans and
Atmosphere considers appropriate.
(2) Selection of representatives.--The head of an agency
specified in paragraph (1)(B) shall, in appointing
representatives of the agency to the Committee, select
representatives who have expertise in areas relevant to the
responsibilities of the Committee, such as weather prediction,
health impacts, behavioral science, public health hazard
preparedness and response, or mental health services.
(3) Co-chairs.--
(A) In general.--The members of the Committee shall
select 3 individuals from among such members to serve
as co-chairs of the Committee, subject to the approval
of the Under Secretary of Commerce for Oceans and
Atmosphere.
(B) Selection.--
(i) Initial selection.--Of the co-chairs
first selected, one shall be from the National
Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, one
shall be from the Department of Health and
Human Services, and one shall be from the
Federal Emergency Management Agency.
(ii) Subsequent selection.--Subsequent co-
chairs shall be selected from among the members
of the Committee, except the National Oceanic
and Atmospheric Administration shall have the
opportunity to maintain a co-chair position.
(C) Terms.--Each co-chair shall serve for a term of
not more than 5 years.
(D) Responsibilities of co-chairs.--The co-chairs
of the Committee shall, in consultation with the
Director of the National Integrated Heat Health
Information System--
(i) determine the agenda of the Committee,
in consultation with other members of the
Committee;
(ii) direct the work of the Committee; and
(iii) convene meetings of the Committee not
less frequently than once each fiscal quarter.
(d) Responsibilities of Committee.--The Committee shall coordinate
an integrated, Federal Government-wide approach to reducing health
risks and impacts of heat, including by--
(1) developing the strategic plan required by subsection
(e);
(2) coordinating across Federal agencies on heat-health
communication, engagement, research, service delivery, and
workforce development; and
(3) building capacity and partnerships with Federal and
non-Federal entities.
(e) Strategic Plan.--
(1) In general.--Not later than 2 years after the date of
the enactment of this Act, the Committee shall submit to
Congress and make available on a public website a 5-year
strategic plan that outlines the goals and projects of the
Committee, including how the Committee will improve
coordination and integration of interagency Federal capacity
and capabilities to address health risks of heat, including--
(A) a strategy for improving and coordinating
existing Federal data collection and data management to
include sharing of data and statistics on heat-related
illnesses and mortalities and other impacts to inform
heat-related activities;
(B) a strategy for improving and coordinating
Federal activities to understand user gaps and needs,
conduct research, foster innovative solutions, and
provide actionable information and services; and
(C) mechanisms for financing heat planning and
preparedness within such agencies as the Committee
considers appropriate.
(2) Implementation.--The head of an agency represented on
the Committee may implement the portions of the strategic plan
required by paragraph (1) that are relevant to that agency.
(3) Updates.--Not later than 5 years after the submission
of the strategic plan required by paragraph (1), and every 5
years thereafter, the Committee shall brief Congress on an
update of the plan, which shall include progress made toward
goals outlined in the previous plan and new priorities that
emerge.
(f) Consultation.--In carrying out the responsibilities of the
Committee, the Committee shall consult with relevant--
(1) regional, State, Tribal, and local governments;
(2) international organizations and partners;
(3) research institutions;
(4) nongovernmental organizations and associations;
(5) medical experts with expertise in emergency response;
and
(6) environmental health, economic or business development,
or other stakeholders.
SEC. 704. NATIONAL INTEGRATED HEAT HEALTH INFORMATION SYSTEM.
(a) Establishment.--The Under Secretary of Commerce for Oceans and
Atmosphere shall establish within the National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration a system, to be known as the ``National Integrated Heat
Health Information System'' (NIHHIS) (in this section referred to as
the ``System'').
(b) Purpose.--The purpose of the System is to reduce heat-related
impacts by--
(1) improving the delivery of data, information, forecasts,
warnings, predictions, and projections related to temperature
and extreme heat and related impacts;
(2) through the Office of Oceanic and Atmospheric Research,
developing science-based solutions and tools to improve impact-
based decision support services for heat impacts to human life,
property, and the United States economy; and
(3) supporting a research program on heat health, in
coordination with the agencies represented on the National
Integrated Heat Health Information System Interagency
Committee.
(c) Data Management.--
(1) Availability.--The data and metadata associated with
the System shall be fully and openly available, within the
legal right to redistribute, in accordance with chapter 31 of
title 44, United States Code (commonly known as the ``Federal
Records Act of 1950''), and the Federal Evidence-Based
Policymaking Act of 2018 (Public Law 115-435;132 Stat. 5529)
and the amendments made by that Act, to maximize use of such
data to support the goals of the System.
(2) National centers for environmental information.--
(A) In general.--The Under Secretary of Commerce
for Oceans and Atmosphere shall manage, maintain, and
steward archival data and metadata associated with the
System within the National Centers for Environmental
Information.
(B) Warning coordination meteorologist.--The Under
Secretary of Commerce for Oceans and Atmosphere shall
designate at least one warning coordination
meteorologist, as described in section 405 of the
Weather Research and Forecasting Innovation Act of 2017
(15 U.S.C. 8545), at the National Centers for
Environmental Information.
SEC. 705. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.
There is authorized to be appropriated to the National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration to carry out sections 703 and 704, including
for any administrative costs for the National Integrated Heat Health
Information System Interagency Committee and the National Integrated
Heat Health Information System, $5,000,000 for each of fiscal years
2025 through 2029.
TITLE VIII--NATIONAL LANDSLIDE PREPAREDNESS ACT REAUTHORIZATION ACT OF
2024
SEC. 801. SHORT TITLE.
This title may be cited as the ``National Landslide Preparedness
Act Reauthorization Act of 2024''.
SEC. 802. CERTAIN DEFINITIONS UNDER FLOOD LEVEL OBSERVATION,
OPERATIONS, AND DECISION SUPPORT ACT.
(a) Definitions.--Section 12(a) of the Flood Level Observation,
Operations, and Decision Support Act (15 U.S.C. 9707(a)) is amended--
(1) by redesignating paragraphs (1) and (2) as paragraphs
(4) and (5), respectively; and
(2) by inserting before paragraph (4) (as so redesignated)
the following:
``(1) Atmospheric river.--The term `atmospheric river'
means a transient corridor of strong water vapor in the
atmosphere that--
``(A) produces significant quantities of rain or
snow; and
``(B) may be primarily beneficial to the water
supply or hazardous due to flooding.
``(2) Atmospheric river flooding event.--The term
`atmospheric river flooding event' means an atmospheric river
that--
``(A) results in flooding of rivers and streams or
other hazards to human life, property, or the economy;
and
``(B) is of particular concern to human health,
property, and the economy, as determined by the
Secretary of Commerce.
``(3) Extreme precipitation event.--The term `extreme
precipitation event' means precipitation quantities exceeding
the 5-year annual recurrence interval for a specific
location.''.
(b) Requirements.--Section 12(d)(1) of the Flood Level Observation,
Operations, and Decision Support Act (15 U.S.C. 9707(d)(1)) is amended
by inserting ``, such as precipitation resulting from hurricanes,
atmospheric river flooding events, and extreme precipitation events''
before the period at the end.
SEC. 803. REAUTHORIZATION OF NATIONAL LANDSLIDE PREPAREDNESS ACT.
(a) Definitions.--Section 2 of the National Landslide Preparedness
Act (43 U.S.C. 3101) is amended--
(1) by redesignating paragraphs (4) through (11) as
paragraphs (7), (8), (10), (11), (13), (14), (15), and (16),
respectively;
(2) by inserting after paragraph (3) the following:
``(4) Atmospheric river.--The term `atmospheric river' has
the meaning given the term in section 12(a) of the Flood Level
Observation, Operations, and Decision Support Act (15 U.S.C.
9707(a)).
``(5) Atmospheric river flooding event.--The term
`atmospheric river flooding event' has the meaning given the
term in section 12(a) of the Flood Level Observation,
Operations, and Decision Support Act (15 U.S.C. 9707(a)).
``(6) Extreme precipitation event.--The term `extreme
precipitation event' has the meaning given the term in section
12(a) of the Flood Level Observation, Operations, and Decision
Support Act (15 U.S.C. 9707(a)).'';
(3) by inserting after paragraph (8) (as so redesignated)
the following:
``(9) Institution of higher education.--The term
`institution of higher education' has the meaning given the
term in section 101(a) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20
U.S.C. 1001(a)).'';
(4) by inserting after paragraph (11) (as so redesignated)
the following:
``(12) Native hawaiian organization.--The term `Native
Hawaiian organization' has the meaning given the term in
section 6207 of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of
1965 (20 U.S.C. 7517), except that the term includes the
Department of Hawaiian Home Lands and the Office of Hawaiian
Affairs.''; and
(5) by adding at the end the following:
``(17) Tribal organization.--The term `Tribal organization'
has the meaning given the term in section 4 of the Indian Self-
Determination and Education Assistance Act (25 U.S.C. 5304).''.
(b) National Landslide Hazards Reduction Program.--
(1) Establishment.--Section 3(a)(3) of the National
Landslide Preparedness Act (43 U.S.C. 3102(a)(3)) is amended by
striking ``protect'' and inserting ``contribute to
protecting''.
(2) Program activities.--Section 3(b)(1)(C)(ii) of the
National Landslide Preparedness Act (43 U.S.C.
3102(b)(1)(C)(ii)) is amended by striking ``implement'' and
inserting ``disseminate''.
(3) National strategy.--Section 3(b)(2) of the National
Landslide Preparedness Act (43 U.S.C. 3102(b)(2)) is amended--
(A) by redesignating subparagraphs (A) through (C)
as clauses (i) through (iii), respectively, and
indenting appropriately;
(B) in the matter preceding clause (i) (as so
redesignated), by striking ``Not later than'' and
inserting the following:
``(A) In general.--Not later than''; and
(C) by adding at the end the following:
``(B) Assessment.--For purposes of the first
national strategy published after the date of enactment
of the National Landslide Preparedness Act
Reauthorization Act of 2024 under subparagraph (A), the
Secretary, in consultation with the Secretary of
Commerce, shall include an assessment of the risks that
atmospheric river flooding events and extreme
precipitation events pose to the safety of life and
property in the United States with respect to landslide
hazards.''.
(4) National landslide hazards database.--Section 3(b)(3)
of the National Landslide Preparedness Act (43 U.S.C.
3102(b)(3)) is amended--
(A) by redesignating subparagraphs (C) and (D) as
subparagraphs (D) and (E), respectively; and
(B) by inserting after subparagraph (B) the
following:
``(C) the identification of areas in need of
additional hazard risk assessment, including areas that
may be at risk due to--
``(i) hydrology or changes in hydrology
that may include erosion, drought, or other
characteristics that could impact landslide
risk;
``(ii) atmospheric river flooding events
and extreme precipitation events, as identified
by the Secretary of Commerce and the Secretary;
``(iii) geologic activity, such as volcanic
eruptions, earthquakes, or tsunamis; or
``(iv) data-poor areas or hazards with poor
monitoring that could contribute to increased
landslide risk;''.
(5) Landslide hazard and risk preparedness for
communities.--Section 3(b)(4) of the National Landslide
Preparedness Act (43 U.S.C. 3102(b)(4)) is amended--
(A) in the matter preceding subparagraph (A), by
inserting ``Native Hawaiian organizations and other
stakeholders, as appropriate,'' before ``and Indian
tribes'';
(B) in subparagraph (A)--
(i) in the matter preceding clause (i), by
striking ``local, and Tribal governments and
decisionmakers'' and inserting ``and local
governments, Indian tribes, Tribal
organizations, Native Hawaiian organizations,
and other decisionmakers'';
(ii) by striking clause (iii) and inserting
the following:
``(iii) health and safety with respect to
landslides;'';
(iii) by redesignating clause (iv) as
clause (v); and
(iv) by inserting after clause (iii) the
following:
``(iv) reducing losses from landslides,
including the threats caused by atmospheric
rivers and other extreme precipitation events;
and''; and
(C) in subparagraph (B)--
(i) in clause (i), by striking ``local, and
Tribal officials'' and inserting ``and local
officials, Indian tribes, Tribal organizations,
and Native Hawaiian organizations''; and
(ii) in clause (ii), by striking ``local,
and Tribal emergency managers'' and inserting
``and local emergency managers and emergency
managers of Indian tribes, Tribal
organizations, and Native Hawaiian
organizations''.
(6) Debris flow early warning system.--Section 3(b)(5) of
the National Landslide Preparedness Act (43 U.S.C. 3102(b)(5))
is amended--
(A) in subparagraph (B), by striking ``State,
territorial, local, and Tribal governments'' and
inserting ``State, territorial, and local governments,
Indian tribes, Tribal organizations, and Native
Hawaiian organizations'';
(B) by redesignating subparagraphs (A) through (C)
as clauses (i) through (iii), respectively, and
indenting appropriately;
(C) in the matter preceding clause (i) (as so
redesignated), by striking ``In carrying out'' and
inserting the following:
``(A) In general.--In carrying out''; and
(D) by adding at the end the following:
``(B) Consultation.--In carrying out subparagraph
(A), the Secretary may consult with an institution of
higher education described in subsection (d)(2)(B)(iv)
and other stakeholders to establish and support
emergency response procedures, as appropriate.''.
(7) Emergency response activities.--Section 3(b)(6) of the
National Landslide Preparedness Act (43 U.S.C. 3102(b)(6)) is
amended--
(A) by redesignating subparagraphs (A) through (C)
as clauses (i) through (iii), respectively, and
indenting appropriately;
(B) in the matter preceding clause (i) (as so
redesignated), by striking ``In carrying'' and
inserting the following:
``(A) In general.--In carrying'';
(C) in subparagraph (A) (as so designated)--
(i) in the matter preceding clause (i) (as
so redesignated), by inserting ``Native
Hawaiian organizations,'' before ``and Indian
tribes'';
(ii) in clause (ii) (as so redesignated),
by striking ``and'' at the end;
(iii) in clause (iii) (as so redesignated),
by striking the period at the end and inserting
``; and''; and
(iv) by adding at the end the following:
``(iv) to improve real-time risk management
during landslide events, including with respect
to landslide events caused by--
``(I) hydrology or changes in
hydrology that may include erosion,
drought, or other characteristics that
could impact landslide risk;
``(II) atmospheric river flooding
events and extreme precipitation
events, as identified by the Secretary
of Commerce and the Secretary;
``(III) geologic activity, such as
volcanic eruptions, earthquakes, or
tsunamis;
``(IV) data-poor areas or hazards
with poor monitoring that could
contribute to increased landslide risk;
or
``(V) thawing permafrost and
glacial retreat causing destabilization
of slopes.''; and
(D) by adding at the end the following:
``(B) Consultation.--In carrying out subparagraph
(A), the Secretary may consult with an institution of
higher education described in subsection (d)(2)(B)(iv)
and the private sector.''.
(8) Interagency coordinating committee on landslide
hazards.--Section 3(c)(2) of the National Landslide
Preparedness Act (43 U.S.C. 3102(c)(2)) is amended by adding at
the end the following:
``(J) The Administrator of the National Aeronautics
and Space Administration.''.
(9) Advisory committee.--Section 3(d)(2)(B) of the National
Landslide Preparedness Act (43 U.S.C. 3102(d)(2)(B)) is
amended--
(A) in clause (iii), by striking ``geological'';
and
(B) in clause (vi), by striking ``local, and Tribal
emergency management agencies'' and inserting ``and
local emergency management agencies and emergency
management agencies of Indian tribes and Native
Hawaiian organizations''.
(10) Regional partnerships.--Section 3 of the National
Landslide Preparedness Act (43 U.S.C. 3102) is amended--
(A) by redesignating subsections (e) through (i) as
subsections (f) through (j), respectively; and
(B) by inserting after subsection (d) the
following:
``(e) Regional Partnerships.--
``(1) In general.--As soon as practicable after the date of
enactment of the National Landslide Preparedness Act
Reauthorization Act of 2024, the Secretary shall establish in
the State of Alaska and other regions, as the Secretary
determines to be appropriate, a regional partnership with an
eligible partner described in paragraph (2).
``(2) Eligible partners.--An organization or institution of
higher education with expertise in landslide mapping, research,
and monitoring shall be eligible for a regional partnership
under paragraph (1).
``(3) Purposes and duties.--A regional partnership
established under paragraph (1) shall--
``(A) allow the Secretary to leverage applicable
expertise in regional organizations;
``(B) coordinate long-term landslide research
specific to the applicable region; and
``(C) align interagency landslide monitoring
efforts.''.
(11) Grant programs.--Section 3 of the National Landslide
Preparedness Act (43 U.S.C. 3102) is amended, in paragraph (1)
of subsection (f) (as so redesignated)--
(A) in subparagraph (A)(i), by striking ``local,
and Tribal governments to research, map, assess'' and
inserting ``and local governments, Indian tribes,
Tribal organizations, and Native Hawaiian organizations
to research, map, assess, monitor'';
(B) in subparagraph (B)--
(i) in clause (i), by inserting
``institutions of higher education described in
subsection (d)(2)(B)(iv),'' before ``and Indian
tribes''; and
(ii) in clause (ii)--
(I) by redesignating subclauses
(II) through (IV) as subclauses (III)
through (V), respectively; and
(II) by inserting after subclause
(I) the following:
``(II) in regions that have
recently experienced loss of life due
to landslides;''; and
(C) in subparagraph (C)--
(i) in clause (i), by inserting ``awarded''
after ``grants''; and
(ii) in clause (ii), by striking ``made''
and inserting ``or other accomplishments
resulting''.
(12) Significant events.--Section 3 of the National
Landslide Preparedness Act (43 U.S.C. 3102) is amended, in
subsection (h)(3) (as so redesignated), by striking ``local,
and Tribal partners'' and inserting ``and local partners,
Indian tribes, Tribal organizations, and Native Hawaiian
organizations''.
(13) Funding.--Section 3 of the National Landslide
Preparedness Act (43 U.S.C. 3102) is amended, in subsection (i)
(as so redesignated)--
(A) in the matter preceding paragraph (1), by
striking ``2024'' and inserting ``2029''; and
(B) in paragraph (1), by striking ``there is
authorized to be appropriated to the United States
Geological Survey, $25,000,000 to carry out this
section'' and inserting ``from amounts appropriated or
otherwise made available to the United States
Geological Survey, $35,000,000 shall be used to carry
out this section, of which not less than $10,000,000
shall be used for the purchase, deployment, and repair
of landslide early warning systems in high risk
areas''.
(c) 3D Elevation Program.--
(1) Establishment.--Section 5(a) of the National Landslide
Preparedness Act (43 U.S.C. 3104(a)) is amended--
(A) in paragraph (1)(A), by inserting ``and
derivative'' after ``3D elevation''; and
(B) in paragraph (2)(B)(i), by inserting ``,
process, and integrate'' after ``acquire''.
(2) 3D elevation federal interagency coordinating
committee.--Section 5(b)(3) of the National Landslide
Preparedness Act (43 U.S.C. 3104(b)(3)) is amended--
(A) by redesignating subparagraphs (D) and (E) as
subparagraphs (E) and (F), respectively; and
(B) by inserting after subparagraph (C) the
following:
``(D) the 3D Hydrography Program Working Group;''.
(3) Grants and cooperative agreements.--Section 5(d)(3) of
the National Landslide Preparedness Act (43 U.S.C. 3104(d)(3))
is amended by striking ``publically'' and inserting
``publicly''.
(4) Funding.--Section 5(e) of the National Landslide
Preparedness Act (43 U.S.C. 3104(e)) is amended by striking
``2024'' and inserting ``2029''.
TITLE IX--ILLEGAL RED SNAPPER ENFORCEMENT ACT
SEC. 901. SHORT TITLE.
This title may be cited as the ``Illegal Red Snapper Enforcement
Act''.
SEC. 902. METHODOLOGY FOR IDENTIFYING THE COUNTRY OF ORIGIN OF RED
SNAPPER IMPORTED INTO THE UNITED STATES.
(a) Definitions.--In this section:
(1) Administrator.--The term ``Administrator'' means the
Administrator of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration.
(2) Appropriate committees of congress.--The term
``appropriate committees of Congress'' means--
(A) the Committee on Commerce, Science, and
Transportation of the Senate; and
(B) the Committee on Science, Space, and Technology
of the House of Representatives.
(3) Under secretary.--The term ``Under Secretary'' means
the Under Secretary of Commerce for Standards and Technology
and the Director of the National Institute of Standards and
Technology.
(b) Standard Methodology for Identification.--The Under Secretary
and the Administrator, in consultation with the Commissioner of U.S.
Customs and Border Protection and the Commandant of the Coast Guard,
shall jointly develop a standard methodology based on chemical analysis
for identifying the country of origin of red snapper imported into the
United States that--
(1) is consistent with the needs of Federal and State law
enforcement agencies in combating illegal, unreported, and
unregulated fishing;
(2) minimizes processing time; and
(3) involves the use of a field kit that can be easily
carried by one individual.
(c) Report.--Not later 2 years after the date of the enactment of
this Act, the Under Secretary shall submit to the appropriate
committees of Congress a report that includes the following:
(1) A summary of the methodology developed under subsection
(b).
(2) A plan for operationalizing the methodology developed
under subsection (b).
(3) Recommendations for further research on identification
methods, including other potential applications of the
methodology.
TITLE X--ACCELERATING NETWORKING, CYBERINFRASTRUCTURE, AND HARDWARE FOR
OCEANIC RESEARCH ACT
SEC. 1001. SHORT TITLE.
This title may be cited as the ``Accelerating Networking,
Cyberinfrastructure, and Hardware for Oceanic Research Act'' or the
``ANCHOR Act''.
SEC. 1002. DEFINITIONS.
In this title:
(1) U.S. academic research fleet.--The term ``U.S. Academic
Research Fleet'' means the United States-flagged vessels that--
(A) have been accepted into, and are active
participants administered within, the University-
National Oceanographic Laboratory System;
(B) are operated as oceanographic research vessels
by research universities and laboratories;
(C) receive funding from the National Science
Foundation; and
(D) have achieved designation as a member vessel
through a standard evaluation process.
(2) Director.--The term ``Director'' means the Director of
the National Science Foundation.
(3) Oceanographic research vessel.--The term
``oceanographic research vessel'' has the meaning given the
term in section 2101 of title 46, United States Code.
SEC. 1003. PLAN TO IMPROVE CYBERSECURITY AND TELECOMMUNICATIONS OF U.S.
ACADEMIC RESEARCH FLEET.
(a) In General.--Not later than 1 year after the date of enactment
of this Act, the Director shall, in consultation with the head of any
Federal agency, university, or laboratory that owns or operates a
vessel of the U.S. Academic Research Fleet, submit to the Committee on
Commerce, Science, and Transportation of the Senate and the Committee
on Space, Science, and Technology of the House of Representatives a
plan to improve the cybersecurity and telecommunications of the U.S.
Academic Research Fleet.
(b) Elements.--The plan required by subsection (a) shall include--
(1) an assessment of the telecommunications and networking
needs of the U.S. Academic Research Fleet, consistent with the
typical scientific mission of that vessel;
(2) in accordance with guidance issued by the Cybersecurity
and Infrastructure Security Agency and the National Institute
for Standards and Technology, an assessment of cybersecurity
needs appropriate for--
(A) the ownership of vessels within the U.S.
Academic Research Fleet; and
(B) the typical research functions and topics of
such vessels;
(3) an assessment of the costs necessary to meet the needs
described in paragraphs (1) and (2), including--
(A) any necessary equipment, such as satellite
communications equipment, software, high-performance
computing clusters shipboard and shoreside, or
enterprise hardware; and
(B) estimated personnel costs in excess of current
expenditures, including any necessary training,
support, or logistics;
(4) an assessment of the time required to implement any
upgrades required to meet the needs described in paragraphs (1)
and (2) under varying budgets and funding scenarios;
(5) the adoption of common solutions or consortial
licensing agreements, or by centralizing elements of fleet
cybersecurity, telecommunications or data management at a
single facility; and
(6) in consultation with any non-Federal owners of a vessel
of the U.S. Academic Research Fleet, a spending plan for the
National Science Foundation, the Office of Naval Research, non-
Federal owners of vessels of the U.S. Academic Research Fleet,
users of the U.S. Academic Research Fleet, or any combination
thereof, to provide funding to cover the costs described in
paragraph (3).
(c) Considerations.--The Director shall, in preparing the plan
required by subsection (a), consider--
(1) the network capabilities, including speed and bandwidth
targets, necessary to meet the scientific mission needs of each
class of vessel within the U.S. Academic Research Fleet for
such purposes as--
(A) executing the critical functions and
communications of the vessel;
(B) providing network access for the health and
well-being of deployed personnel, including
communications to conduct telemedicine (including
mental health care), counseling, interviews with crisis
response providers, and other remote individual care
and services;
(C) as necessary to meet operations, uploading any
scientific data to a shoreside server, including the
copying of data off ship for disaster recovery or risk
mitigation purposes;
(D) as appropriate, conducting real-time streaming
to enable shore-based observers to participate in ship-
based maintenance or research activities;
(E) real-time coordinated viewing of--
(i) scientific instrumentation so that it
is possible to conduct scientific surveys and
seafloor mapping with fully remote subject-
matter experts; and
(ii) critical operational technology by
manufacturers and vendors so that it is
possible to carry out maintenance and repairs
to systems with limited expertise on the
vessel, with fully remote subject-matter
experts advising; and
(F) as appropriate, enabling video communications
to allow improved outreach to, and other educational
services for, K-12 students, including occasional
remote classroom teaching for instructors at sea to
improve oceanographic access for students; and
(2) in consultation with the Director of the Cybersecurity
and Infrastructure Security Agency, the Director of the
National Institute for Standards and Technology, and the heads
of other Federal agencies, as appropriate--
(A) the cybersecurity recommendations in the report
of the private scientific advisory group known as JASON
entitled ``Cybersecurity at NSF Major Facilities''
(JSR-21-10E) and dated October 2021 as applied to the
U.S. Academic Research Fleet;
(B) aligning with international standards and
guidance for information security, including the use of
encryption for sensitive information, the detection and
handling of security incidents, and other areas
determined relevant by the Director;
(C) facilitating access to cybersecurity personnel
and training of research and support personnel; and
(D) the requirements for controlled unclassified or
classified information.
TITLE XI--OTHER AUTHORITIES
SEC. 1101. METEOROLOGICAL OBSERVATIONS IN THE ARCTIC REGION.
(a) Establishment of Meteorological Observation Stations in the
Arctic Region.--The Under Secretary may take such action as may be
necessary in the development of an international basic meteorological
observation network in the Arctic region of the Western Hemisphere,
including the establishment, operation, and maintenance of observation
stations in cooperation with--
(1) the Department of State and other Federal agencies;
(2) the meteorological services and space-based assets of
the United States and foreign countries;
(3) the commercial sector;
(4) local communities and Indian Tribes in the Arctic
region; and
(5) persons engaged in air and marine commerce.
(b) Appointment and Compensation of Employees for Conduct of
Meteorological Investigations in Arctic Region.--The Secretary of
Commerce, acting through the Under Secretary, may--
(1) appoint employees for the conduct of meteorological
investigations in the Arctic region without regard to the civil
service laws and fix their compensation without regard to
chapter 51 and subchapter III of chapter 53 of title 5, United
States Code, and sections 5542, 5543, 5545, and 5546 of that
title, at base rates not to exceed the maximum scheduled rate
for GS-12 of the General Schedule under section 5332 of that
title; and
(2) grant extra compensation to employees of other Federal
agencies for taking and transmitting meteorological
observations without regard to section 5533 of title 5, United
States Code.
(c) Transfer From Other Government Departments of Surplus Equipment
and Supplies for Arctic Stations.--Subject to approval of the
President, and without charge to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration, the Secretary of the Army, the Secretary of the Air
Force, and the Secretary of the Navy may transfer to the National
Weather Service equipment and supplies that are surplus to the needs of
their respective Departments and necessary for the establishment,
maintenance, and operation of Arctic observation stations in the United
States.
(d) Sense of Congress.--It is the sense of Congress that
observations in polar regions and remote areas are important for
weather and environmental monitoring.
(e) Repeal.--The first section of the Act of February 12, 1946 (60
Stat. 4, chapter 4; 15 U.S.C. 313a) is hereby repealed.
SEC. 1102. UNFUNDED PRIORITIES LIST, REPORTS, AND PLANS.
(a) Definitions.--In this section:
(1) Administration.--The term ``Administration'' means the
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
(2) Administrator.--The term ``Administrator'' means the
Administrator of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration.
(3) Appropriate committees of congress.--The term
``appropriate committees of Congress'' means--
(A) the Committee on Commerce, Science, and
Transportation of the Senate;
(B) the Committee on Appropriations of the Senate;
(C) the Committee on Natural Resources of the House
of Representatives;
(D) the Committee on Science, Space, and Technology
of the House of Representatives; and
(E) the Committee on Appropriations of the House of
Representatives.
(4) Capital budgetary line item.--The term ``capital
budgetary line item'' means a line item in the budget
justification materials submitted to Congress in support of the
budget of the President for a fiscal year pursuant to section
1105 of title 31, United States Code, for any aircraft or
vessel for the Administration valued at more than $3,000,000.
(5) Infrastructure and assets.--The term ``infrastructure
and assets'' means--
(A) repair and construction of infrastructure,
facilities, and laboratories;
(B) instrumentation;
(C) resources for data storage and analysis,
including options for cloud-based and supercomputing
services; and
(D) with respect to the Office of Marine and
Aviation Operations, aircraft, vessels, and uncrewed
systems, associated facility construction and repair
needs, instrumentation, and requirements to operate new
and existing assets to reliably meet the mission needs
of the Administration.
(6) Unfunded priority.--The term ``unfunded priority''
means a program or mission requirement that--
(A) has not been selected for funding in the
applicable proposed budget;
(B) is necessary to fulfill a statutory or mission
requirement; and
(C) the Administrator would have recommended for
inclusion in the applicable proposed budget had
additional resources been available or had the
requirement emerged before the budget was submitted.
(b) Unfunded Priorities List.--
(1) In general.--Not later than 15 days after the date on
which the President submits to Congress the budget of the
President for a fiscal year pursuant to section 1105 of title
31, United States Code, the Administrator, in consultation with
the Assistant Administrator for each line office of the
Administration, shall submit to the appropriate committees of
Congress a report that includes a list of unfunded priorities
of the Administration.
(2) Inclusions.--The list required by paragraph (1) shall
include unfunded priorities related to the needs of the
Administration--
(A) to meet statutory and mission requirements to--
(i) protect human life, property, and the
economy from the impacts of weather, water, and
space weather;
(ii) manage the Nation's fisheries and
ocean, coastal, and Great Lakes resources; and
(iii) manage, steward, and make
improvements to data storage, accessibility,
interoperability, and utilization;
(B) with respect to infrastructure and assets to
meet statutory and mission requirements, including--
(i) needs with respect to--
(I) repair and construction of
infrastructure, facilities, and
laboratories;
(II) scientific support equipment
and instrumentation; and
(III) resources for data storage
and analysis, including options for
cloud-based and supercomputing
services; and
(ii) with respect to the Office of Marine
and Aviation Operations, in coordination with
the Assistant Administrator for Marine and
Aviation Operations, needs with respect to
aircraft and vessels, associated facility
construction and repair needs, and resources
required to operate new and existing assets;
(C) with respect to operational shortfalls that
compromise the ability of the Administration to meet
the statutory and mission requirements described in
subparagraph (A), including by compromising the ability
of the Administration to meet those requirements in a
timely manner;
(D) with respect to mitigating fishery disasters,
including in accordance with the requirements under the
heading ``fisheries disaster assistance'' in title II
of the Disaster Relief Supplemental Appropriations Act,
2023 (division N of Public Law 117-328); and
(E) with respect to transitioning successful
experimental programs under the Office of Oceanic and
Atmospheric Research as of the date of the enactment of
this Act into an operational capacity under another
office of the Administration.
(3) Prioritization.--The list required by paragraph (1)
shall--
(A) present the unfunded priorities of the
Administration in order from highest to lowest
priority, as determined by the Administrator; and
(B) with respect to each unfunded priority,
include--
(i) a brief description of the unfunded
priority and its relationship to the statutory
and mission requirements of the Administration;
(ii) an estimate of the funding level
required; and
(iii) an assessment of the status of the
design or acquisition program, if applicable.
(c) Stock Assessments and Surveys.--
(1) Planned stock assessments and surveys.--Not later than
February 1 of each year, the Administrator, in consultation
with the Assistant Administrator for Marine and Aviation
Operations and the Assistant Administrator for the National
Marine Fisheries Service, shall make available on a publicly
accessible website a list of planned stock assessments and
surveys for the upcoming fiscal year.
(2) Priority stock assessments in unfunded priorities
list.--The list required by subsection (b)(1) shall include
such priority stock assessments described in subparagraph
(B)(ii) of section 304(e)(1) of the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery
Conservation and Management Act (16 U.S.C. 1854(e)(1)), as
added by paragraph (3), that are unfunded priorities.
(3) Data poor stocks.--Section 304(e)(1) of the Magnuson-
Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act (16 U.S.C.
1854(e)(1)) is amended--
(A) by inserting ``(A)'' after ``(1)''; and
(B) by adding at the end the following:
``(B) The report required by subparagraph (A) shall
include--
``(i) an assessment of whether stock survey data is
adequately available, not available, or not
sufficiently available;
``(ii) priority stock assessments and surveys
conducted for the purpose of--
``(I) significantly decreasing uncertainty
in stock assessments;
``(II) maintaining continuity of data for
species management; or
``(III) increasing the ability of the
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
to meet the statutory and mission requirements
described in section 1102(b)(2)(A) of the
Weather Act Reauthorization Act of 2024; and
``(iii) for the priority stock assessments under
clause (ii), a description of the type, resource needs,
and estimated cost of increased survey efforts to meet
the goals under that clause.''.
(d) Capital Investment Plan.--
(1) In general.--Not later than 60 days after the date on
which the President submits to Congress the budget of the
President for a fiscal year pursuant to section 1105 of title
31, United States Code, the Administrator, in consultation with
the Assistant Administrator for Marine and Aviation Operations
and the Assistant Administrators for the line offices of the
Administration, as appropriate, shall submit to the appropriate
committees of Congress a future-years capital investment plan.
(2) Inclusions.--The plan required by paragraph (1) shall
include--
(A) the fleet replacement and modernization plan
required by section 604 of the NOAA Fleet Modernization
Act (33 U.S.C. 891b);
(B) the NOAA Aircraft Recapitalization Plan and any
plan developed to carry out section 11708 of the Don
Young Coast Guard Authorization Act of 2022 (33 U.S.C.
851 note prec.); and
(C) any other plan the Administrator considers
appropriate.
(3) Elements.--The plan required by paragraph (1) shall
identify, for each capital budgetary line item--
(A) the proposed funding level included in the
applicable proposed budget;
(B) the total estimated cost of completion;
(C) projected funding levels for each fiscal year
for the next 5 fiscal years or until completion,
whichever is earlier;
(D) an estimated completion date at the projected
funding levels; and
(E) changes, if any, in the total estimated cost of
completion or estimated completion date from previous
future-years capital investment plans submitted under
this subsection.
SEC. 1103. MISCELLANEOUS AUTHORITIES.
(a) Technical Assistance in the Pacific.--
(1) In general.--Subject to the availability of
appropriations, and at the discretion of the Secretary of
Commerce, in consultation with the Secretary of State, the
Under Secretary may provide to Pacific Island parties technical
assistance and services in line with the mission of the
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
(2) Regional capacity.--
(A) Use of existing programs, offices, and sites.--
To implement this subsection, the Under Secretary shall
primarily use existing programs, offices, and sites of
the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration in
the Pacific Islands region.
(B) Cooperative institute.--In order to further
augment existing regional capacity in the Pacific
Islands region, the Under Secretary may consider the
formation of a cooperative institute to focus and
advise on the unique needs of that region.
(3) Pacific island parties defined.--In this subsection,
the term ``Pacific Island parties'' means--
(A) the Trust Territories of the Pacific Islands;
(B) the Republic of Palau, the Republic of the
Marshall Islands, and the Federated States of
Micronesia, which have each entered into a Compact of
Free Association with the United States; and
(C) such other parties as the Under Secretary
considers appropriate.
(b) State Assistance.--The Under Secretary may provide technical
assistance, data, and operational products or services in support of
State governments, or entities and institutions partnering or
collaborating with State governments, in the voluntary production of
State climate or weather assessments.
(c) International Collaboration.--
(1) In general.--The Under Secretary, acting through the
Director of the National Weather Service, may establish and
maintain partnerships and other relationships with national and
regional weather services around the world to support the co-
development and deployment of weather and climate information
and instrumentation.
(2) Existing agreements and partnerships.--Partnerships and
other relationships established and maintained under paragraph
(1), including those provided by the international desks of the
National Centers for Environmental Prediction, shall build upon
existing agreements and partnerships with the Department of
State, the United States Agency for International Development,
and the World Meteorological Organization.
(d) App- or Web-Based Tools.--The Under Secretary may, in alignment
with the 21st Century Integrated Digital Experience Act (Public Law
115-336; 44 U.S.C. 3501 note) and the memorandum of the Director of the
Office of Management and Budget dated September 22, 2023, and entitled
``Delivering a Digital-First Public Experience'' (M-23-22), develop and
implement mobile applications, modern application programming
interfaces, or web-based tools to increase the utility of and access to
data, services, and products of the Administration.
(e) Briefing.--Not later than 1 year after the date of the
enactment of this Act, the Under Secretary, shall provide the Committee
on Commerce, Science, and Transportation of the Senate and the
Committee on Science, Space, and Technology of the House of
Representatives a briefing on the number and time commitment of intra-
agency and interagency meetings, councils, boards, and summits attended
by each line office Assistant Administrator and Deputy Administrator of
the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
<all>
Introduced in Senate
Read twice and referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation.
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