[Congressional Bills 105th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 910 Introduced in Senate (IS)]







105th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                 S. 910

  To authorize appropriations for carrying out the Earthquake Hazards 
  Reduction Act of 1977 for fiscal years 1998 and 1999, and for other 
                               purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                             June 16, 1997

   Mr. Frist introduced the following bill; which was read twice and 
   referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
  To authorize appropriations for carrying out the Earthquake Hazards 
  Reduction Act of 1977 for fiscal years 1998 and 1999, 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. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.

    Section 12 of the Earthquake Hazards Reduction Act of 1977 (42 
U.S.C. 7706) is amended--
            (1) in subsection (a)(7)--
                    (A) by striking ``and'' after ``1995,''; and
                    (B) by inserting before the period at the end the 
                following: ``, $19,228,000 for the fiscal year ending 
                September 30, 1998, and $19,804,000 for the fiscal year 
                ending September 30, 1999'';
            (2) in subsection (b)--
                    (A) by striking ``and'' after ``September 30, 
                1995;''; and
                    (B) by inserting before the period at the end the 
                following: ``; $51,142,000 for the fiscal year ending 
                September 30, 1998; and $52,676,000 for the fiscal year 
                ending September 30, 1999'';
            (3) in subsection (c)--
                    (A) by striking ``and'' at the end of paragraph 
                (1); and
                    (B) by inserting before the period at the end the 
                following: ``, (3) $18,450,000 for engineering research 
                and $11,920,000 for geosciences research for the fiscal 
                year ending September 30, 1998, and (4) $19,000,000 for 
                engineering research and $12,280,000 for geosciences 
                research for the fiscal year ending September 30, 
                1999''; and
            (4) in the last sentence of subsection (d)--
                    (A) by striking ``and'' after ``September 30, 
                1995,''; and
                    (B) by inserting before the period at the end the 
                following: ``, $2,000,000 for the fiscal year ending 
                September 30, 1998, and $2,060,000 for the fiscal year 
                ending September 30, 1999''.

SEC. 2. REAL-TIME SEISMIC HAZARD WARNING SYSTEM DEVELOPMENT AND PHASED 
              DEPLOYMENT.

    (a) Automatic Seismic Warning System Development and Phased 
Deployment.--
            (1) Definitions.--In this section:
                    (A) Director.--The term ``Director'' means the 
                Director of the United States Geological Survey.
                    (B) High-risk activity.--The term ``high-risk 
                activity'' means an activity that may be adversely 
                affected by a moderate to severe seismic event (as 
                determined by the Director). The term includes high-
                speed rail transportation.
                    (C) Real-time seismic warning system.--The term 
                ``real-time seismic warning system'' means a system 
                that issues warnings in real-time from a network of 
                seismic sensors to a set of analysis processors, 
                directly to receivers related to high-risk activities.
            (2) In general.--The Director shall conduct a program to 
        develop and deploy a real-time seismic warning system. The 
        Director may use funds made available to the Director pursuant 
        to this section to provide for a joint program with an entity 
        that the Director determines to be appropriate to develop and 
        deploy a real-time seismic warning system. The Director may 
        enter into such agreements or contracts as may be necessary to 
        carry out the program.
            (3) Upgrade of seismic sensors.--In carrying out a program 
        under paragraph (2), in order to increase the accuracy and 
        speed of seismic event analysis to provide for timely warning 
        signals, the Director shall provide for the upgrading of the 
        network of seismic sensors in existence at the time of the 
        establishment of the program to increase the capability of the 
        sensors--
                    (A) to measure accurately large magnitude seismic 
                events (as determined by the Director); and
                    (B) to acquire additional parametric data.
            (4) Development of communications and computation 
        infrastructure.--In carrying out a program under paragraph (2), 
        the Director shall develop a communications and computation 
        infrastructure that is necessary--
                    (A) to process the data obtained from the upgraded 
                seismic sensor network referred to in paragraph (3); 
                and
                    (B) to provide for, and carry out, such 
                communications engineering and development as is 
                necessary to facilitate--
                            (i) the timely flow of data within a real-
                        time seismic hazard warning system; and
                            (ii) the issuance of warnings to receivers 
                        related to high-risk activities.
            (5) Procurement of computer hardware and computer 
        software.--In carrying out a program under paragraph (2), the 
        Director shall procure such computer hardware and computer 
        software as may be necessary to carry out the program.
            (6) Reports on progress.--
                    (A) In general.--Not later than 120 days after the 
                date of enactment of this Act, the Director shall 
                prepare and submit to Congress a report that contains a 
                plan for implementing a real-time seismic hazard 
                warning system.
                    (B) Additional reports.--Not later than 1 year 
                after the date on which the Director submits the report 
                under subparagraph (A), and annually thereafter, the 
                Director shall prepare and submit to Congress a report 
                that summarizes the progress of the Director in 
                implementing the plan referred to in subparagraph (A).
            (7) Authorization of appropriations.--In addition to the 
        amounts made available to the Director under section 12(b) of 
        the Earthquake Hazards Reduction Act of 1977 (42 U.S.C. 
        7706(b)), there are authorized to be appropriated to the 
        Department of the Interior, to be used by the Director to carry 
        out this section, $10,000,000 for each of fiscal years 1998 and 
        1999.
    (b) Earth Science Teaching Materials.--
            (1) Definitions.--In this subsection:
                    (A) Local educational agency.--The term ``local 
                educational agency'' has the meaning given that term in 
                section 14101 of the Elementary and Secondary Education 
                Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 8801).
                    (B) School.--The term ``school'' means a nonprofit 
                institutional day or residential school that provides 
                education for any of the grades kindergarten through 
                grade 12.
            (2) Teaching materials.--In a manner consistent with the 
        requirement under section 5(b)(4)(B) of the Earthquake Hazards 
        Reduction Act of 1977 (42 U.S.C. 7704(b)(4)(B)) and subject to 
        a merit based competitive process, the Director of the National 
        Science Foundation may use funds made available to the Director 
        under section 12(c) of such Act (42 U.S.C. 7706(c)) to develop, 
        and make available to schools and local educational agencies 
        for use by schools, at a minimal cost, earth science teaching 
        materials that are designed to meet the needs of elementary and 
        secondary school teachers and students.
    (c) Improved Seismic Hazard Assessment.--
            (1) In general.--As soon as practicable after the date of 
        enactment of this Act, the Director shall conduct a project to 
        improve the seismic hazard assessment of the seismic zone in 
        East Tennessee that is described in paragraph (2).
            (2) East tennessee seismic zone.--The seismic zone 
        described in this paragraph is the seismic zone located in East 
        Tennessee, that underlies the Oak Ridge National Laboratory in 
        Oak Ridge, Tennessee and the Watts Bar nuclear plant that is 
        operated by the Tennessee Valley Authority.
            (3) Reports.--
                    (A) In general.--Not later than 1 year after the 
                date of enactment of this Act, and annually during the 
                period of the assessment, the Director shall prepare, 
                and submit to Congress a report on the findings of the 
                assessment.
                    (B) Final report.--Not later than 60 days after the 
                date of termination of the assessment conducted under 
                this subsection, the Director shall prepare and submit 
                to Congress a report concerning the findings of the 
                assessment.
            (4) Authorization of appropriations.--In addition to the 
        amounts made available to the Director under section 12(b) of 
        the Earthquake Hazards Reduction Act of 1977 (42 U.S.C. 
        7706(b)), there are authorized to be appropriated to the 
        Department of the Interior, to be used by the Director to carry 
        out this section--
                    (A) $700,000 for fiscal year 1998; and
                    (B) $1,000,000 for fiscal year 1999.
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