[Congressional Bills 113th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 2181 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

113th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                S. 2181

 To authorize and strengthen the tsunami detection, forecast, warning, 
     research, and mitigation program of the National Oceanic and 
          Atmospheric Administration, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                             March 27, 2014

 Mr. Begich (for himself, Ms. Cantwell, and Mr. Schatz) introduced the 
 following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on 
                 Commerce, Science, and Transportation

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
 To authorize and strengthen the tsunami detection, forecast, warning, 
     research, and mitigation program of the National Oceanic and 
          Atmospheric Administration, 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.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Tsunami Warning and Education 
Reauthorization Act of 2014''.

SEC. 2. REFERENCES TO THE TSUNAMI WARNING AND EDUCATION ACT.

    Except as otherwise expressly provided, whenever in this Act an 
amendment or repeal is expressed in terms of an amendment to, or repeal 
of, a section or other provision, the reference shall be considered to 
be made to a section or other provision of title VIII of the Magnuson-
Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Reauthorization Act of 2006 
(Public Law 109-479; 33 U.S.C. 3201 et seq.), also known as the 
``Tsunami Warning and Education Act''.

SEC. 3. EXPANSION OF PURPOSES OF TSUNAMI WARNING AND EDUCATION ACT.

    Section 803 (33 U.S.C. 3202) is amended--
            (1) in paragraph (1), by inserting ``research,'' after 
        ``warnings,'';
            (2) by amending paragraph (2) to read as follows:
            ``(2) to enhance and modernize the tsunami warning system 
        of the United States to increase the accuracy of forecasts and 
        warnings and reduce false alarms;'';
            (3) in paragraph (3), by inserting ``and establish 
        standards for'' before ``mapping,'';
            (4) in paragraph (4)--
                    (A) by striking ``and increase'' and inserting ``, 
                increase, and establish standards for''; and
                    (B) by inserting ``, including the warning signs of 
                locally generated tsunamis'' after ``approaching'';
            (5) in paragraph (5), by striking ``, including the Indian 
        Ocean; and'' and inserting a semicolon;
            (6) by redesignating paragraph (6) as paragraph (7); and
            (7) by inserting after paragraph (5), the following:
            ``(6) to foster resilient communities in the face of 
        tsunami and other coastal hazards; and''.

SEC. 4. MODIFICATION OF TSUNAMI FORECASTING AND WARNING PROGRAM.

    (a) Components.--Subsection (b) of section 804 (33 U.S.C. 3203) is 
amended--
            (1) in paragraph (1), by inserting ``or maintained'' after 
        ``established'';
            (2) in paragraph (4), by inserting ``and safeguarding port 
        and harbor operations'' after ``communities'';
            (3) in paragraph (6), by inserting ``, including regional 
        seismic networks previously installed in areas of sparse 
        instrumentation'' after ``networks'';
            (4) in paragraph (7)--
                    (A) by inserting ``, including graphical warning 
                products,'' after ``warnings''; and
                    (B) by inserting ``and Wireless Emergency Alerts'' 
                after ``Hazards Program''; and
            (5) in paragraph (8), by inserting ``and commercial and 
        Federal undersea communications cables'' after 
        ``technologies''.
    (b) Tsunami Warning System.--Subsection (c) of such section is 
amended to read as follows:
    ``(c) Tsunami Warning System.--The program under this section shall 
operate a tsunami warning system that--
            ``(1) is capable of forecasting tsunamis anywhere in the 
        Pacific and Arctic Ocean regions and providing adequate 
        warnings;
            ``(2) is capable of providing adequate warnings in areas of 
        the Atlantic Ocean, Caribbean Sea, and Gulf of Mexico that are 
        determined--
                    ``(A) to be geologically active, or to have 
                significant potential for geological activity; and
                    ``(B) to pose significant risks of tsunamis for 
                States along the coastal areas of the Atlantic Ocean, 
                Caribbean Sea, or Gulf of Mexico; and
            ``(3) supports other international tsunami forecasting and 
        warning efforts.''.
    (c) Tsunami Warning Centers.--Subsection (d) of such section is 
amended to read as follows:
    ``(d) Tsunami Warning Centers.--
            ``(1) Establishment.--The Administrator shall establish or 
        maintain, as part of the National Centers for Environmental 
        Prediction, centers to support the tsunami warning system 
        required by subsection (c).
            ``(2) Responsibilities.--The responsibilities of the 
        centers established or maintained pursuant to paragraph (1) 
        shall include the following:
                    ``(A) Continuously monitoring data from 
                seismological, deep ocean, and tidal monitoring 
                stations.
                    ``(B) Evaluating earthquakes that have the 
                potential to generate tsunamis.
                    ``(C) Evaluating deep ocean buoy data and tidal 
                monitoring stations for indications of tsunamis 
                resulting from earthquakes and other sources.
                    ``(D) To the extent practicable, utilizing ensemble 
                models to predict tsunamis.
                    ``(E) Ensuring supercomputing resources of the 
                National Centers for Environmental Prediction are 
                available to run, as rapidly as possible, such computer 
                models as are needed for purposes of the tsunami 
                warning system operated pursuant to subsection (c).
                    ``(F) Disseminating forecasts and tsunami warning 
                bulletins to Federal, State, and local government 
                officials and the public.
                    ``(G) Developing outreach plans to ensure close 
                integration with local Weather Forecast Offices of the 
                National Weather Service and emergency managers.
                    ``(H) Working with local Weather Forecast Offices 
                to ensure they have the technical knowledge and 
                capability to disseminate tsunami warnings to the 
                communities they serve.
                    ``(I) Evaluating effectiveness of warnings and of 
                coordination with local Weather Forecast Offices after 
                significant tsunami events.
                    ``(J) Coordinating with the tsunami hazard 
                mitigation program conducted under section 805 to 
                ensure ongoing sharing of information between 
                forecasters and emergency management officials.
                    ``(K) Making data gathered under this title and 
                post-warning analyses conducted by the National Weather 
                Service or other relevant Administration offices 
                available to researchers.
            ``(3) Redundant warning capability.--The tsunami warning 
        centers established or maintained pursuant to paragraph (1), 
        including the warning centers in Hawaii and Alaska that were 
        established under this section and in operation on the day 
        before the date of the enactment of the Tsunami Warning and 
        Education Reauthorization Act of 2014, shall maintain a 
        redundant warning capability and ability to perform back-up 
        duties for each other.
            ``(4) Coordination with national weather service.--The 
        National Weather Service regions and local forecast offices 
        shall coordinate with the centers established or maintained 
        pursuant to paragraph (1) to ensure that--
                    ``(A) they have the technical knowledge and 
                capability to disseminate tsunami warnings for the 
                communities they serve; and
                    ``(B) their connections with local emergency 
                management officials are leveraged for optimally 
                disseminating tsunami warnings and forecasts.
            ``(5) Standards.--The Administrator shall--
                    ``(A) establish uniform operational procedures for 
                the centers established or maintained pursuant to 
                paragraph (1), including the employment of software 
                applications, checklists, decision support tools, and 
                tsunami warning products that have been standardized 
                across the program established under this section;
                    ``(B) ensure that processes and products of the 
                warning system operated pursuant to subsection (c)--
                            ``(i) reflect industry best practices;
                            ``(ii) conform with internationally 
                        recognized standards for information 
                        technology; and
                            ``(iii) conform to the maximum extent 
                        practicable with other warning products and 
                        practices of the National Weather Service;
                    ``(C) ensure that future adjustments to operational 
                protocols, processes, and warning products--
                            ``(i) are made consistently across the 
                        warning system operated pursuant to subsection 
                        (c); and
                            ``(ii) are applied in a uniform manner 
                        across such warning system; and
                    ``(D) promote standards for evaluating and 
                improving tsunami forecast models.
            ``(6) Outreach.--The Administrator shall ensure the tsunami 
        warning centers established or maintained pursuant to paragraph 
        (1) develop and carry out formal outreach plans.''.
    (d) Transfer of Technology; Maintenance and Upgrades.--Subsection 
(e) of such section is amended to read as follows:
    ``(e) Transfer of Technology; Maintenance and Upgrades.--In 
carrying out this section, the Administrator shall--
            ``(1) develop requirements for the equipment used to 
        forecast tsunamis, including--
                    ``(A) provisions for multipurpose detection 
                platforms;
                    ``(B) reliability and performance metrics; and
                    ``(C) to the maximum extent practicable, how the 
                equipment will be integrated with other United States 
                and global ocean and coastal observation systems, the 
                global earth observing system of systems, the global 
                seismic networks, and the Advanced National Seismic 
                System;
            ``(2) develop and execute a plan for the transfer of 
        technology from ongoing research conducted as part of the 
        program established or maintained under section 806 into the 
        program under this section; and
            ``(3) ensure that maintaining operational tsunami detection 
        equipment is the highest priority within the program carried 
        out under this section.''.
    (e) Federal Cooperation.--Subsection (f) of such section is amended 
to read as follows:
    ``(f) Federal Cooperation.--When deploying and maintaining tsunami 
detection technologies under the program under this section, the 
Administrator shall--
            ``(1) identify which assets of other Federal agencies are 
        necessary to support such program; and
            ``(2) work with each agency identified under paragraph 
        (1)--
                    ``(A) to acquire the agency's assistance; and
                    ``(B) to prioritize the necessary assets.''.
    (f) Unnecessary Provisions.--Such section is further amended by 
striking subsections (g) through (k).

SEC. 5. MODIFICATION OF NATIONAL TSUNAMI HAZARD MITIGATION PROGRAM.

    (a) In General.--Section 805 (33 U.S.C. 3204) is amended by 
striking subsections (a) through (d) and inserting the following:
    ``(a) Program Required.--The Administrator, in consultation with 
the Administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the 
heads of such other agencies as the Administrator considers relevant, 
shall conduct a community-based tsunami hazard mitigation program to 
improve tsunami preparedness of at-risk areas in the United States and 
the territories of the United States.
    ``(b) Program Components.--The program conducted pursuant to 
subsection (a) shall include the following:
            ``(1) Technical and financial assistance to coastal States, 
        territories, tribes, and local governments to develop and 
        implement activities under this section.
            ``(2) Integration of tsunami preparedness and mitigation 
        programs into ongoing State-based hazard warning, resilience 
        planning, and risk management activities, including predisaster 
        planning, emergency response, evacuation planning, disaster 
        recovery, hazard mitigation, and community development and 
        redevelopment programs in affected areas.
            ``(3) Activities to promote the adoption of tsunami 
        resilience, preparedness, warning, and mitigation measures by 
        Federal, State, territorial, tribal, and local governments and 
        nongovernmental entities, including educational and risk 
        communication programs to discourage development in high-risk 
        areas.
            ``(4) Development of regional tsunami hazard and risk 
        assessments, using inundation models that meet programmatic 
        standards for accuracy. Such regional risk assessments may 
        include the following:
                    ``(A) The sources, sizes, and histories of tsunamis 
                in that region.
                    ``(B) Inundation models and maps of critical 
                infrastructure and socioeconomic vulnerability in areas 
                subject to tsunami inundation.
                    ``(C) Maps of evacuation areas and evacuation 
                routes.
                    ``(D) Evaluations of the size of populations that 
                will require evacuation, including populations with 
                special evacuation needs.
            ``(5) Community-based outreach and education networks and 
        programs to ensure community readiness and resilience, 
        including the following:
                    ``(A) The implementation of technical training and 
                public education programs.
                    ``(B) The development of decision support tools.
                    ``(C) The evaluation of effectiveness of tsunami 
                education efforts and development of education 
                guidelines based on that evidence as well as the 
                expertise of the Administration in hazard 
                communications.
            ``(6) Propagation of standards for community planning, 
        education, and training products, programs, and tools, 
        including standards for--
                    ``(A) mapping products;
                    ``(B) inundation models, although national 
                standards for inundation models shall not prevent 
                States, territories, tribes, and local governments from 
                designating additional areas as being at-risk based on 
                knowledge of local conditions; and
                    ``(C) effective emergency exercises.
    ``(c) Authorized Activities.--In addition to activities conducted 
under subsection (b), the program conducted pursuant to subsection (a) 
may include the following:
            ``(1) Multidisciplinary vulnerability assessment research, 
        education, and training to help integrate risk management and 
        resilience objective with community development planning and 
        policies.
            ``(2) Risk management training for the public, local 
        officials, and institutions to enhance understanding and 
        preparedness.
            ``(3) Development of practical applications for existing or 
        emerging technologies, such as modeling, remote sensing, 
        geospatial technology, engineering, and observing systems.
            ``(4) Risk management and resilience data and information 
        services, including--
                    ``(A) access to data and products derived from 
                observing and detection systems; and
                    ``(B) development and maintenance of new integrated 
                data products to support risk assessment, risk 
                management, and resilience programs.
            ``(5) Risk notification systems that coordinate with and 
        build upon existing systems and actively engage policy 
        officials, government agencies, business communities, 
        nongovernmental organizations, and the media.
    ``(d) Coordinating Committee.--
            ``(1) In general.--The Administrator shall establish a 
        coordinating committee to assist the Administrator in the 
        conduct of the program required by subsection (a).
            ``(2) Composition.--The coordinating committee shall be 
        composed of such representatives as the Administrator considers 
        appropriate to represent Federal, State, tribal, territorial, 
        and local governments.
            ``(3) Subcommittees.--The Administrator may approve the 
        formation of subcommittees to address specific program 
        components or regional issues.
            ``(4) Responsibilities.--The coordinating committee shall--
                    ``(A) recommend how funds appropriated or otherwise 
                made available to carry out the program required by 
                subsection (a) should be allocated;
                    ``(B) ensure that areas described in section 804(c) 
                in the United States and its territories have the 
                opportunity to participate in the program;
                    ``(C) provide recommendations to the Administrator 
                on how to improve continuously the TsunamiReady 
                program, particularly on ways to make communities more 
                tsunami resilient through the use of inundation maps 
                and models and other hazard mitigation practices; and
                    ``(D) ensure that all components of the program 
                required by subsection (a) are integrated with ongoing 
                State-based hazard warning, risk management, and 
                resilience activities, including--
                            ``(i) integrating with emergency response 
                        plans, disaster recovery, hazard mitigation, 
                        and community development programs in affected 
                        areas; and
                            ``(ii) integrating information to assist in 
                        tsunami evacuation route planning.
            ``(5) Exemption from faca termination requirement.--Section 
        14 of the Federal Advisory Committee Act (5 U.S.C. App. 14) 
        shall not apply to the committee established pursuant to 
        paragraph (1).''.
    (b) Report on Accreditation of TsunamiReady Program.--Not later 
than 180 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, the 
Administrator of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration 
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 which authorities and 
activities would be needed to have the TsunamiReady program of the 
National Weather Service accredited by the Emergency Management 
Accreditation Program.

SEC. 6. MODIFICATION OF TSUNAMI RESEARCH PROGRAM.

    Section 806 (33 U.S.C. 3205) is amended--
            (1) in the matter before paragraph (1), by striking ``The 
        Administrator shall'' and all that follows through ``establish 
        or maintain'' and inserting the following:
    ``(a) In General.--The Administrator shall, in consultation with 
such other Federal agencies, State governments, and academic 
institutions as the Administrator considers appropriate, the 
coordinating committee established under section 805(d), and the panel 
established under section 808(a), establish or maintain'';
            (2) in subsection (a), as designated by paragraph (1), by 
        striking ``and assessment for tsunami tracking and numerical 
        forecast modeling. Such research program shall--'' and 
        inserting the following: ``assessment for tsunami tracking and 
        numerical forecast modeling, and standards development.
    ``(b) Responsibilities.--The research program established and 
maintained pursuant to subsection (a) shall--''; and
            (3) in subsection (b), as designated by paragraph (2)--
                    (A) in paragraph (3)--
                            (i) by striking ``include'' and inserting 
                        ``conduct''; and
                            (ii) by striking ``and'' at the end;
                    (B) by redesignating paragraph (4) as paragraph 
                (5); and
                    (C) by inserting after paragraph (3) the following:
            ``(4) develop the technical basis for validation of tsunami 
        maps, numerical tsunami models, digital elevation models, and 
        forecasts; and''.

SEC. 7. GLOBAL TSUNAMI WARNING AND MITIGATION NETWORK.

    Section 807 (33 U.S.C. 3206) is amended--
            (1) by amending subsection (a) to read as follows:
    ``(a) Support for Development of International Tsunami Warning 
System.--The Administrator shall, in coordination with the Secretary of 
State and in consultation with such other agencies as the Administrator 
considers relevant, provide technical assistance and training to the 
Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission of the United Nations 
Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, the World 
Meteorological Organization of the United Nations, and such other 
international entities as the Administrator considers appropriate, as 
part of international efforts to develop a fully functional global 
tsunami forecast and warning system comprising regional tsunami warning 
networks.'';
            (2) by striking subsection (b); and
            (3) by redesignating subsections (c) and (d) as subsections 
        (b) and (c), respectively.

SEC. 8. TSUNAMI SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY, AND PREPAREDNESS PANEL.

    (a) In General.--Title VIII of the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery 
Conservation and Management Reauthorization Act of 2006 (Public Law 
109-479; 33 U.S.C. 3201 et seq.) is amended--
            (1) by redesignating section 808 as section 809; and
            (2) by inserting after section 807 the following:

``SEC. 808. TSUNAMI SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY, AND PREPAREDNESS PANEL.

    ``(a) Establishment.--
            ``(1) In general.--The Administrator shall establish a 
        panel to provide advice to the Administrator on matters 
        regarding tsunami science, technology, and preparedness.
            ``(2) Subcommittee of science advisory board.--The panel 
        established pursuant to paragraph (1) shall be a standing 
        subcommittee of the Science Advisory Board of the 
        Administration.
    ``(b) Membership.--
            ``(1) Composition.--The panel established under subsection 
        (a) shall be composed of not fewer than 7 members selected by 
        the Administrator from among individuals who have academic or 
        practical expertise in physical sciences, social sciences, 
        information technology, coastal resilience, emergency 
        management, or such other disciplines as the Administrator 
        considers appropriate.
            ``(2) Federal employment.--No member of the panel 
        established pursuant to subsection (a) may be a Federal 
        employee.
    ``(c) Responsibilities.--Not less frequently than once every 2 
years, the panel established under subsection (a) shall--
            ``(1) review the activities of the Federal Government 
        (including the activities of the program conducted under 
        section 805) relating to tsunami research, forecasting, 
        warning, and preparation;
            ``(2) submit to the Administrator and such others as the 
        Administrator considers appropriate--
                    ``(A) the findings of the panel with respect to the 
                most recent review conducted pursuant to paragraph (1); 
                and
                    ``(B) such recommendations for legislative or 
                administrative action as the panel considers 
                appropriate to improve Federal tsunami research, 
                forecasting, warning, and preparation.
    ``(d) Biennial Reports to Congress.--Not less frequently than once 
every 2 years, the Administrator 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 findings and recommendations received by the 
Administrator under subsection (c)(2).''.
    (b) Clerical Amendment.--The table of contents in section 1(b) of 
such Act is amended by striking the item relating to section 808 and 
inserting the following:

``Sec. 808. Tsunami science, technology, and preparedness panel.
``Sec. 809. Authorization of appropriations.''.

SEC. 9. REPORT ON IMPLEMENTATION OF TSUNAMI WARNING AND EDUCATION ACT.

    (a) In General.--Not later than 1 year after the date of the 
enactment of this Act, the Administrator of the National Oceanic and 
Atmospheric Administration shall submit to Congress a report on the 
implementation of the Tsunami Warning and Education Act (33 U.S.C. 3201 
et seq.), as amended by this Act.
    (b) Elements.--The report required by subsection (a) shall include 
the following:
            (1) A detailed description of the progress made in 
        implementing sections 804(d)(5), 805(b)(6), and 806(b)(4) of 
        the Tsunami Warning and Education Act (33 U.S.C. 3203, 3204, 
        3205), as amended by this Act.
            (2) A description of the ways that tsunami warnings and 
        warning products issued by the Tsunami Forecasting and Warning 
        Program established under section 804 of such Act (33 U.S.C. 
        3203), as amended by this Act, can be standardized and 
        streamlined with warnings and warning products for hurricanes, 
        coastal storms, and other coastal flooding events.

SEC. 10. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.

    Section 809, as redesignated by section 8(a)(1), is amended--
            (1) in paragraph (4)(B), by striking ``and'' at the end;
            (2) in paragraph (5)(B), by striking the period at the end 
        and inserting ``; and''; and
            (3) by adding at the end the following:
            ``(6) $36,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2015 through 
        2019, of which--
                    ``(A) not less than 27 percent of the amount 
                appropriated shall be for activities under the tsunami 
                hazard mitigation program under section 805; and
                    ``(B) not less than 8 percent of the amount 
                appropriated shall be for the tsunami research program 
                under section 806.''.

SEC. 11. REPEAL OF DUPLICATE PROVISIONS OF LAW.

    (a) Repeal.--Public Law 109-424 (120 Stat. 2902) is hereby 
repealed.
    (b) Construction.--Nothing in this section shall be construed to 
repeal, or affect in any way, title VIII of the Magnuson-Stevens 
Fishery Conservation and Management Reauthorization Act of 2006 (Public 
Law 109-479).
                                 <all>