[Congressional Bills 117th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 4237 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

<DOC>






117th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                S. 4237

  To establish and maintain a coordinated program within the National 
  Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration that improves wildfire, fire 
weather, fire risk, and smoke related forecasting, detection, modeling, 
observations, and service delivery, and to address growing needs in the 
           wildland-urban interface, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                              May 17, 2022

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

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
  To establish and maintain a coordinated program within the National 
  Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration that improves wildfire, fire 
weather, fire risk, and smoke related forecasting, detection, modeling, 
observations, and service delivery, and to address growing needs in the 
           wildland-urban interface, 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 ``Fire Ready Nation 
Act of 2022''.
    (b) Table of Contents.--The table of contents for this Act is as 
follows:

Sec. 1. Short title; table of contents.
Sec. 2. Definitions.
Sec. 3. Establishment of fire weather services program.
Sec. 4. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration data 
                            management.
Sec. 5. Digital fire weather services and data management.
Sec. 6. High-performance computing.
Sec. 7. Government Accountability Office report on fire weather 
                            services program.
Sec. 8. Fire weather testbed.
Sec. 9. Fire weather surveys and assessments.
Sec. 10. Incident Meteorologist Service.
Sec. 11. Automated surface observing system.
Sec. 12. Emergency response activities.
Sec. 13. Government Accountability Office report on interagency 
                            wildfire forecasting, prevention, planning, 
                            and management bodies.
Sec. 14. Amendments to Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act relating 
                            to wildfire mitigation.
Sec. 15. Wildfire technology modernization amendments.
Sec. 16. Cooperation; coordination; support to non-Federal entities.
Sec. 17. International coordination.
Sec. 18. Submissions to Congress regarding the fire weather services 
                            program, incident meteorologist workforce 
                            needs, and National Weather Service 
                            workforce support.
Sec. 19. Authorization of appropriations.

SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS.

    In this Act:
            (1) Administration.--The term ``Administration'' means 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) Decadal.--The term ``decadal'' means a time range from 
        multiple years to multiple decades.
            (4) Earth system model.--The term ``Earth system model'' 
        means a mathematical model containing all components of the 
        Earth, namely the atmosphere, oceans, land, cryosphere, and 
        biosphere. The Earth system model represents the critical 
        physical, chemical, and biological processes and the 
        interactions among those processes in hydrological and 
        biogeochemical cycles that affect weather and climate.
            (5) Fire environment.--The term ``fire environment'' 
        means--
                    (A) the environmental conditions, such as soil 
                moisture, vegetation, topography, snowpack, atmospheric 
                temperature, moisture, and wind, that influence--
                            (i) fuel and fire behavior; and
                            (ii) smoke dispersion and transport; and
                    (B) the associated environmental impacts occurring 
                during and after fire events.
            (6) Fire weather.--The term ``fire weather'' means any type 
        of weather conditions that influence the start, spread, 
        character, or behavior of wildfire or fires at the wildland-
        urban interface and all associated meteorological and chemical 
        phenomena, including air quality, smoke, and meteorological 
        parameters such as relative humidity, air temperature, wind 
        speed and direction, and atmospheric composition and chemistry, 
        including emissions and mixing heights.
            (7) Impact-based decision support services.--The term 
        ``impact-based decision support services'' means forecast 
        advice and interpretative services the Administration provides 
        to help core partners, such as emergency personnel and public 
        safety officials, make decisions when weather, water, and 
        climate impact the lives and livelihoods of the people of the 
        United States.
            (8) Seasonal.--The term ``seasonal'' means a time range 
        between 3 months and 2 years.
            (9) Secretary.--The term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary 
        of Commerce.
            (10) Smoke.--The term ``smoke'' means emissions, including 
        the gases and particles released into the air as a result of 
        combustion.
            (11) State.--The term ``State'' means a State, the District 
        of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, Guam, American 
        Samoa, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, the 
        United State Virgin Islands, the Federated States of 
        Micronesia, the Republic of the Marshall Islands, or the 
        Republic of Palau.
            (12) Subseasonal.--The term ``subseasonal'' means a time 
        range between 2 weeks and 3 months.
            (13) 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).
            (14) Under secretary.--The term ``Under Secretary'' means 
        the Under Secretary of Commerce for Oceans and Atmosphere.
            (15) Weather enterprise.--The term ``weather enterprise'' 
        means--
                    (A) individuals, organizations, offices, programs, 
                or any other form of entity from public, private, and 
                academic sectors that contribute to the research, 
                development, and production of weather forecast 
                products; and
                    (B) primary consumers of those weather forecast 
                products.
            (16) Wildfire.--The term ``wildfire'' means any 
        nonstructure fire that occurs in vegetation or natural fuels, 
        originating from an unplanned ignition.
            (17) Wildland-urban interface.--The term ``wildland-urban 
        interface'' means the area, zone, or region of transition 
        between unoccupied or undeveloped land and human development 
        where structures and other human development meet or 
        intermingle with undeveloped wildland or vegetative fuels.

SEC. 3. ESTABLISHMENT OF FIRE WEATHER SERVICES PROGRAM.

    (a) In General.--The Under Secretary shall establish and maintain a 
coordinated fire weather services program within the Administration.
    (b) Program Functions.--The functions of the program established 
under subsection (a), consistent with the priorities described in 
section 101 of the Weather Research and Forecasting Innovation Act of 
2017 (15 U.S.C. 8511), shall be--
            (1) to support readiness, responsiveness, understanding, 
        and overall resilience of the United States to wildfires, fire 
        weather, smoke, and other associated conditions, hazards, and 
        impacts in built and natural environments and at the wildland-
        urban interface;
            (2) to collaboratively disseminate accurate, precise, 
        effective, and timely risk communications, forecasts, watches, 
        and warnings relating to wildfires, fire weather, air quality, 
        smoke, and other associated conditions, hazards, and impacts, 
        as applicable, in collaboration with Federal land management 
        agencies;
            (3) to partner with and support the public, Federal, State, 
        and Tribal governments, and academic and local partners through 
        the development of capabilities, impact-based decision support 
        services, and overall service delivery and utility;
            (4) to conduct and support research and development of new 
        and innovative models, technologies, techniques, products, 
        systems, processes, and procedures to improve understanding of 
        wildfires, fire weather, air quality, the fire environment, 
        including impacts of climate variability and changing climate 
        conditions, smoke, and associated conditions, hazards, and 
        impacts, and to transition such research into effective 
        operations;
            (5) to develop strong research-to-operations and 
        operations-to-research transitions, in order to facilitate 
        delivery of products, services, and tools to operational users 
        and platforms; and
            (6) to develop, in coordination with Federal land 
        management agencies, impact-based decision support services 
        that operationalize and integrate the functions described in 
        paragraphs (1) through (5) in order to provide comprehensive 
        impact-based decision support services that encompass the fire 
        environment.
    (c) Program Priorities.--In developing and implementing the program 
established under subsection (a), the Under Secretary shall 
prioritize--
            (1) development of a fire weather-enabled Earth system 
        model and data assimilation systems that--
                    (A) are capable of prediction and forecasting 
                across all timescales;
                    (B) include variables associated with fire weather, 
                air quality from smoke, and the fire environment, and 
                other variables, as determined by the Under Secretary;
                    (C) improve understanding of the connections 
                between fire weather and modes of climate variability; 
                and
                    (D) incorporate emerging techniques such as 
                artificial intelligence, machine learning, and cloud 
                computing;
            (2) advancement of observational capabilities, including 
        satellite-, airborne-, air-, and ground-based systems and 
        technologies that--
                    (A) identify--
                            (i) high-risk pre-ignition conditions;
                            (ii) conditions that influence fire 
                        behavior and spread including those conditions 
                        that suppress active fire events; and
                            (iii) fire risk values;
                    (B) support real-time notification of ignitions;
                    (C) support observations and data collection of 
                fire weather and fire environment variables for 
                development of the model and systems under paragraph 
                (1); and
                    (D) support forecasts and advancing understanding 
                and research of the impacts of wildfires on human 
                health, ecosystems, climate, transportation, and 
                economies; and
            (3) development and implementation of advanced and user-
        oriented impact-based decision tools, science, and technologies 
        that--
                    (A) ensure real-time and retrospective data, 
                products, and services are findable, accessible, 
                interoperable, usable, inform further research, and are 
                analysis- and decision-ready;
                    (B) provide targeted information throughout the 
                fire lifecycle including pre-ignition, detection, 
                forecasting, post-fire, and monitoring phases; and
                    (C) support early assessment of post-fire hazards, 
                such as air quality, debris flows, mudslides, and 
                flooding.
    (d) Program Activities.--In developing and implementing the program 
established under subsection (a), the Under Secretary may--
            (1) conduct relevant physical and social science research 
        activities in support of the functions described in subsection 
        (b) and the priorities described in subsection (c);
            (2) conduct relevant activities, in coordination with 
        Federal land management agencies, to assess fuel 
        characteristics, including moisture, loading, and other 
        parameters used to determine fire risk levels and outlooks;
            (3) support and conduct research that assesses impacts to 
        marine, riverine, and other relevant ecosystems, which may 
        include forest and rangeland ecosystems, resulting from 
        activities associated with mitigation of and response to 
        wildfires;
            (4) support and conduct attribution science research 
        relating to wildfires, fire weather, fire risk, smoke, and 
        associated conditions, risks, and impacts;
            (5) develop smoke and air quality forecasts, forecast 
        guidance, and prescribed burn weather forecasts, and conduct 
        research on the impact of such forecasts on response behavior 
        that minimizes health-related impacts from smoke exposure;
            (6) use, in coordination with Federal land management 
        agencies, wildland fire resource intelligence to inform fire 
        environment impact-based decision support products and services 
        for safety;
            (7) evaluate and provide data, tools, and services to 
        support determinations for the implementation of mitigation 
        measures such as prescribed burns and selective thinning;
            (8) provide comprehensive training to ensure staff of the 
        program established under subsection (a) is properly equipped 
        to deliver the impact-based decision support products and 
        services described in paragraphs (1) through (6); and
            (9) acquire through contracted purchase private sector-
        produced observational data to fill identified gaps, as needed.
    (e) Collaboration; Agreements.--
            (1) Collaboration.--The Under Secretary shall, as the Under 
        Secretary considers appropriate, collaborate and consult with 
        partners in the weather and climate enterprises, academic 
        institutions, States, Tribal governments, local partners, and 
        Federal agencies, including land and fire management agencies, 
        in the development and implementation of the program 
        established under subsection (a).
            (2) Agreements.--The Under Secretary may enter into 
        agreements in support of the functions described in subsection 
        (b), the priorities described in subsection (c), the activities 
        described in subsection (d), and activities carried out under 
        section 8.

SEC. 4. NATIONAL OCEANIC AND ATMOSPHERIC ADMINISTRATION DATA 
              MANAGEMENT.

    Section 301 of the Weather Research and Forecasting Innovation Act 
of 2017 (15 U.S.C. 8531) is amended--
            (1) by redesignating subsections (f) and (g) as subsections 
        (g) and (h), respectively; and
            (2) by inserting after subsection (e) the following:
    ``(f) Data Availability and Management.--
            ``(1) In general.--The Under Secretary shall--
                    ``(A) make data and metadata generated or collected 
                by the National Oceanic and Administration that the 
                Under Secretary has the legal right to redistribute 
                fully and openly available, in accordance with chapter 
                35 of title 44, United States Code and the Foundations 
                for Evidence-Based Policymaking Act of 2018 (Public Law 
                115-435; 132 Stat. 5529) and the amendments made by 
                that Act, and preserve and curate such data and 
                metadata, in accordance with chapter 31 of title 44, 
                United States Code (commonly known as the `Federal 
                Records Act of 1950'), in order to maximize use of such 
                data and metadata; and
                    ``(B) manage and steward the access, archival, and 
                retrieval activities for the data and metadata 
                described in subparagraph (A) by--
                            ``(i) using--
                                    ``(I) enterprise-wide 
                                infrastructure, emerging technologies, 
                                commercial partnerships, and the 
                                skilled workforce needed to provide 
                                appropriate data management from 
                                collection to broad access; and
                                    ``(II) associated information 
                                services; and
                            ``(ii) pursuing the maximum 
                        interoperability of data and information by--
                                    ``(I) leveraging data, information, 
                                knowledge, and tools from across the 
                                Federal Government to support equitable 
                                access, cross-sectoral collaboration 
                                and innovation, and local planning and 
                                decision-making; and
                                    ``(II) developing standards and 
                                practices for the adoption and citation 
                                of digital object identifiers for 
                                datasets, models, and analytical tools.
            ``(2) Collaboration.--In carrying out this subsection, the 
        Under Secretary shall collaborate with such Federal partners 
        and stakeholders as the Under Secretary considers relevant--
                    ``(A) to develop standards to pursue maximum 
                interoperability of data, information, knowledge, and 
                tools across the Federal Government, convert historical 
                records into common digital formats, and improve access 
                and usability of data by partners and stakeholders;
                    ``(B) to identify and solicit relevant data from 
                Federal and international partners and other relevant 
                stakeholders, as the Under Secretary considers 
                appropriate; and
                    ``(C) to develop standards and practices for the 
                adoption and citation of digital object identifiers for 
                datasets, models, and analytical tools.''.

SEC. 5. DIGITAL FIRE WEATHER SERVICES AND DATA MANAGEMENT.

    (a) In General.--
            (1) Digital presence.--The Under Secretary shall develop 
        and maintain a comprehensive, centralized, and publicly 
        accessible digital presence designed to promote findability, 
        accessibility, interoperability, usability, and utility of the 
        services, tools, data, and information produced by the program 
        established under section 3(a).
            (2) Digital platform and tools.--In carrying out paragraph 
        (1), the Under Secretary shall--
                    (A) seek to ensure the digital platform and tools 
                of the Administration integrate geospatial data, 
                decision support tools, training, and best practices to 
                provide real-time fire weather forecasts and address 
                fire-related issues and needs; and
                    (B) strive to enhance community resilience, 
                ecosystem values, and economic growth and development 
                by helping communities and other users of the digital 
                platform and tools address their issues, needs, and 
                challenges through maximum usability and utility.
    (b) Public Availability.--The Under Secretary shall make all data, 
research, reports, findings, surveys, and assessments relevant to the 
program established under section 3(a), as determined by the Under 
Secretary, available in a publicly accessible digital format.
    (c) Internet-Based Tools.--In carrying out subsections (a) and (b), 
the Under Secretary shall develop and implement internet-based tools, 
such as webpages and smartphone and other mobile applications, to 
increase utility and access to services and products for the benefit of 
users.
    (d) Data Management.--The Under Secretary shall develop and 
maintain services that provide public access to digital fire weather 
data and information--
            (1) to improve understanding and historical analysis of 
        wildfire and fire weather science, including inventories of 
        fire emissions required for multi-decadal model runs;
            (2) to support--
                    (A) the archiving, stewardship, utility, and 
                preservation of wildfire and fire weather data 
                including satellite-, ground-, airborne-, and air-based 
                observations; and
                    (B) real-time and retrospective model forecasts;
            (3) to promote findability, interoperability, analysis- and 
        decision-readiness, and reusability of historical and near 
        real-time data across Federal, State, Tribal, and local users, 
        including ensuring digital access and machine-readability of 
        historical fire weather records; and
            (4) to support equitable access, cross-sectoral 
        collaboration and innovation, and local planning and decision 
        making.

SEC. 6. HIGH-PERFORMANCE COMPUTING.

    (a) In General.--The Under Secretary shall seek to acquire 
sufficient high-performance computing resources and capacity for 
research, operations, and data storage in support of the program 
established under section 3(a).
    (b) Considerations.--In acquiring high-performance computing 
capacity under subsection (a), the Under Secretary shall consider 
requirements needed for--
            (1) the transition of research and testbed developments 
        into operations; and
            (2) skilled workforce development.

SEC. 7. GOVERNMENT ACCOUNTABILITY OFFICE REPORT ON FIRE WEATHER 
              SERVICES PROGRAM.

    (a) In General.--Not later than 5 years after the date of the 
enactment of this Act, the Comptroller General of the United States 
shall submit to Congress a report on the program established under 
section 3(a).
    (b) Elements.--The report required by subsection (a) shall--
            (1) evaluate the performance of the program by establishing 
        initial baseline capabilities and tracking progress made toward 
        fully operationalizing the functions described in section 3(b);
            (2) assess the efficacy of cross-agency collaboration and 
        stakeholder engagement in carrying out the program and provide 
        recommendations to improve such activities;
            (3) assess the program for inefficiencies, identify 
        duplicative efforts across Federal efforts, and provide 
        relevant recommendations; and
            (4) include such other recommendations as the Comptroller 
        General determines are appropriate to improve the program.

SEC. 8. FIRE WEATHER TESTBED.

    (a) Establishment of Fire Weather Testbed.--The Under Secretary 
shall establish a fire weather testbed that enables engagement across 
the Federal Government, State and local governments, academia, private 
and federally funded research laboratories, the private sector, and 
end-users in order to evaluate the accuracy and usability of 
technology, models, fire weather products and services, and other 
research to accelerate the implementation, transition to operations, 
and use of new capabilities by the Administration, Federal and land 
management agencies, and other relevant stakeholders.
    (b) Uncrewed Aircraft Systems.--
            (1) In general.--The Under Secretary shall--
                    (A) research and assess the role and potential of 
                uncrewed aircraft systems to improve data collection in 
                support of modeling, observations, predictions, 
                forecasts, and impact-based decision support services; 
                and
                    (B) transition uncrewed aircraft systems 
                technologies from research to operations as the Under 
                Secretary considers appropriate.
            (2) Pilot required.--In carrying out paragraph (1), not 
        later than 1 year after the date of the enactment of this Act, 
        the Under Secretary shall conduct at least 1 pilot of uncrewed 
        aircraft systems for fire weather and fire environment 
        observations.
            (3) Savings clause.--
                    (A) In general.--In carrying out activities under 
                this subsection, the Under Secretary shall ensure that 
                any testing or deployment of uncrewed aircraft systems 
                follow procedures, restrictions, and protocols 
                established by the heads of the Federal agencies with 
                statutory or regulatory jurisdiction over any airspace 
                in which wildfire response activities are conducted 
                during an active wildfire event.
                    (B) Consultation and coordination.--The Under 
                Secretary shall consult and coordinate with relevant 
                Federal land management agencies and the Federal 
                Aviation Administration to develop processes for the 
                appropriate deployment of the systems described in 
                subparagraph (A).

SEC. 9. FIRE WEATHER SURVEYS AND ASSESSMENTS.

    (a) Annual Post-Fire-Weather Season Survey and Assessment.--
            (1) In general.--During the second winter following the 
        enactment of this Act, and each year thereafter, the Under 
        Secretary shall conduct a post-fire-weather season survey and 
        assessment.
            (2) Elements.--After conducting a post-fire-weather season 
        survey and assessment under paragraph (1), the Under Secretary 
        shall--
                    (A) investigate any gaps in data collected during 
                the assessment;
                    (B) identify and implement strategies and 
                procedures to improve program services and information 
                dissemination;
                    (C) update systems, processes, strategies, and 
                procedures to enhance the efficiency and reliability of 
                data obtained from the assessment;
                    (D) evaluate the accuracy and efficacy of physical 
                fire weather forecasting information for each incident 
                included in the survey and assessment; and
                    (E) assess and refine performance measures, as 
                needed.
    (b) Surveys and Assessments Following Individual Wildfire Events.--
The Under Secretary may conduct surveys and assessments following 
individual wildfire events as the Under Secretary determines necessary.
    (c) Goal.--In carrying out activities under this section, the Under 
Secretary shall seek to increase the number of post-wildfire community 
impact studies, including by surveying individual and collective 
responses and incorporating other applicable topics of social science 
research.
    (d) Annual Briefing.--Not less frequently than once each year, the 
Under Secretary shall provide a briefing to the appropriate committees 
of Congress that provides--
            (1) an overview of the fire season; and
            (2) an outlook for the fire season for the coming year.
    (e) Coordination.--In conducting any survey or assessment under 
this section, the Under Secretary shall coordinate with Federal, State, 
and local partners, Tribal governments, private entities, and such 
institutions of higher education as the Under Secretary considers 
relevant in order to--
            (1) improve operations and collaboration; and
            (2) optimize data collection, sharing, integration, 
        assimilation, and dissemination.
    (f) Data Availability.--The Under Secretary shall make the data and 
findings obtained from each assessment conducted under this section 
available to the public in an accessible digital format as soon as 
practicable after conducting the assessment.
    (g) Service Improvements.--The Under Secretary shall make best 
efforts to incorporate the results and recommendations of each 
assessment conducted under this section into the research and 
development plan and operations of the Administration.

SEC. 10. INCIDENT METEOROLOGIST SERVICE.

    (a) Establishment.--The Under Secretary shall establish and 
maintain an Incident Meteorologist Service within the National Weather 
Service (in this section referred to as the ``Service'').
    (b) Inclusion of Existing Incident Meteorologists.--The Service 
shall include--
            (1) the incident meteorologists of the Administration as of 
        the date of this enactment of this Act; and
            (2) such incident meteorologists of the Administration as 
        may be appointed after such date.
    (c) Functions.--The Service shall provide--
            (1) on-site impact-based decision support services to 
        Federal, State, Tribal government, and local government 
        emergency response agencies preceding, during, and following 
        wildland fires or other events that threaten life or property, 
        including high-impact and extreme weather events; and
            (2) support to Federal, State, Tribal government, and local 
        government decision makers, partners, and stakeholders for 
        seasonal planning.
    (d) Deployment.--The Service shall be deployed--
            (1) as determined by the Under Secretary; or
            (2) at the request of the head of another Federal agency.
    (e) Staffing and Resources.--In establishing and maintaining the 
Service, the Under Secretary shall identify, acquire, and maintain 
adequate levels of staffing and resources to meet user needs.
    (f) Symbol.--
            (1) In general.--The Under Secretary may--
                    (A) create, adopt, and publish in the Federal 
                Register a symbol for the Service; and
                    (B) restrict the use of such symbol as appropriate.
            (2) Use of symbol.--The Under Secretary may authorize the 
        use of a symbol adopted under this subsection by any individual 
        or entity as the Under Secretary considers appropriate.
            (3) Contract authority.--The Under Secretary may award 
        contracts for the creation of symbols under this subsection.
            (4) Offense.--It shall be unlawful for any person--
                    (A) to represent themselves as an official of the 
                Service absent the designation or approval of the Under 
                Secretary;
                    (B) to manufacture, reproduce, or otherwise use any 
                symbol adopted by the Under Secretary under this 
                subsection, including to sell any item bearing such a 
                symbol, unless authorized by the Under Secretary; or
                    (C) to violate any regulation promulgated by the 
                Secretary under this subsection.
    (g) Support for Incident Meteorologists.--The Under Secretary shall 
provide resources, access to real-time fire weather forecasts, 
training, administrative and logistical support, and access to 
professional counseling or other forms of support as the Under 
Secretary considers appropriate for the betterment of the emotional and 
mental health and well-being of incident meteorologists and other 
employees of the Administration involved with response to high-impact 
and extreme fire weather events.

SEC. 11. AUTOMATED SURFACE OBSERVING SYSTEM.

    (a) Joint Assessment and Plan.--
            (1) In general.--The Under Secretary, in collaboration with 
        the Administrator of the Federal Aviation Administration and 
        the Secretary of Defense, shall--
                    (A) conduct an assessment of resources, personnel, 
                procedures, and activities necessary to maximize the 
                functionality and utility of the automated surface 
                observing system of the United States that identifies--
                            (i) key system upgrades needed to improve 
                        observation quality and utility for weather 
                        forecasting, aviation safety, and other users;
                            (ii) improvements needed in observations 
                        within the planetary boundary layer, including 
                        mixing height;
                            (iii) improvements needed in public 
                        accessibility of observational data;
                            (iv) improvements needed to reduce latency 
                        in reporting of observational data;
                            (v) relevant data to be collected for the 
                        production of forecasts or forecast guidance 
                        relating to atmospheric composition, including 
                        particulate and air quality data, and aviation 
                        safety;
                            (vi) areas of concern regarding operational 
                        continuity and reliability of the system, which 
                        may include needs for on-night staff, 
                        particularly in remote and rural areas and 
                        areas where system failure would have the 
                        greatest negative impact to the community;
                            (vii) stewardship, data handling, data 
                        distribution, and product generation needs 
                        arising from upgrading and changing the 
                        automated surface observation systems;
                            (viii) possible solutions for areas of 
                        concern identified under clause (vi), including 
                        with respect to the potential use of backup 
                        systems, power and communication system 
                        reliability, staffing needs and personnel 
                        location, and the acquisition of critical 
                        component backups and proper storage location 
                        to ensure rapid system repair necessary to 
                        ensure system operational continuity; and
                            (ix) research, development, and transition 
                        to operations needed to develop advanced data 
                        collection, quality control, and distribution 
                        so that the data are provided to models, users, 
                        and decision support systems in a timely 
                        manner; and
                    (B) develop and implement a plan that addresses the 
                findings of the assessment conducted under subparagraph 
                (A), including by seeking and allocating resources 
                necessary to ensure that system upgrades are 
                standardized across the Administration, the Federal 
                Aviation Administration, and the Department of Defense 
                to the extent practicable.
            (2) Standardization.--Any system standardization 
        implemented under paragraph (1)(B) shall not impede activities 
        to upgrade or improve individual units of the system.
            (3) Remote automatic weather station coordination.--The 
        Under Secretary, in collaboration with relevant Federal 
        agencies and the National Interagency Fire Center, shall assess 
        and develop cooperative agreements to improve coordination, 
        interoperability standards, operations, and placement of remote 
        automatic weather stations for the purpose of improving utility 
        and coverage of remote automatic weather stations, automated 
        surface observation systems, and other similar stations and 
        systems for weather and climate operations.
    (b) Report to Congress.--
            (1) In general.--Not later than 2 years after the date of 
        the enactment of this Act, the Under Secretary, in 
        collaboration with the Administrator of the Federal Aviation 
        Administration and the Secretary of Defense, shall submit to 
        the appropriate committees of Congress a report that--
                    (A) details the findings of the assessment required 
                by subparagraph (A) of subsection (a)(1); and
                    (B) the plan required by subparagraph (B) of such 
                subsection.
            (2) Elements.--The report required by paragraph (1) shall 
        include a detailed assessment of appropriations required--
                    (A) to address the findings of the assessment 
                required by subparagraph (A) of subsection (a)(1); and
                    (B) to implement the plan required by subparagraph 
                (B) of such subsection.
    (c) Government Accountability Office Report.--Not later than 4 
years after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Comptroller 
General of the United States shall submit to Congress a report that--
            (1) evaluates the functionality, utility, reliability, and 
        operational status of the automated surface observing system 
        across the Administration, the Federal Aviation Administration, 
        and the Department of Defense;
            (2) evaluates the progress, performance, and implementation 
        of the plan required by subsection (a)(1)(B);
            (3) assesses the efficacy of cross-agency collaboration and 
        stakeholder engagement in carrying out the plan and provides 
        recommendations to improve such activities;
            (4) evaluates the operational continuity and reliability of 
        the system, particularly in remote and rural areas and areas 
        where system failure would have the greatest negative impact to 
        the community, and provides recommendations to improve such 
        continuity and reliability;
            (5) assesses Federal coordination regarding the remote 
        automatic weather station network, air resource advisors, and 
        other Federal observing assets used for weather and climate 
        modeling and response activities, and provides recommendations 
        for improvements; and
            (6) includes such other recommendations as the Comptroller 
        General determines are appropriate to improve the system.

SEC. 12. EMERGENCY RESPONSE ACTIVITIES.

    (a) Definitions.--In this section:
            (1) Basic pay.--The term ``basic pay'' includes any 
        applicable locality-based comparability payment under section 
        5304 of title 5, United States Code, any applicable special 
        rate supplement under section 5305 of such title, or any 
        equivalent payment under a similar provision of law.
            (2) Covered employee.--The term ``covered employee'' means 
        an employee of the Department of Commerce.
            (3) Covered services.--The term ``covered services'' means 
        services performed by a covered employee while--
                    (A) serving as an incident meteorologist 
                accompanying a wildland firefighter crew;
                    (B) serving--
                            (i) on an incident management team;
                            (ii) as an emergency response specialist;
                            (iii) at the National Interagency Fire 
                        Center;
                            (iv) at a Geographic Area Coordination 
                        Center; or
                            (v) at an operations center; or
                    (C) serving in a capacity determined by the 
                Secretary, or the Under Secretary acting on behalf of 
                the Secretary, to be primarily relating to emergency 
                response activities.
            (4) Employee.--The term ``employee'' has the meaning given 
        that term in section 2105 of title 5, United States Code.
            (5) Premium pay.--The term ``premium pay'' means premium 
        pay for the purposes of section 5547(a) of title 5, United 
        States Code.
    (b) Waiver.--
            (1) In general.--Any premium pay received by a covered 
        employee for covered services shall be disregarded in 
        calculating the aggregate of the basic pay and premium pay for 
        the covered employee for purposes of applying the limitation on 
        premium pay under section 5547(a) of title 5, United States 
        Code.
            (2) Limitation.--A covered employee may be paid premium pay 
        that is disregarded under paragraph (1) only to the extent that 
        the aggregate of the basic pay and premium pay paid to that 
        covered employee in the applicable calendar year, including 
        premium pay that is disregarded under that paragraph, does not 
        exceed the rate of basic pay for a position at level II of the 
        Executive Schedule under section 5313 of title 5, United States 
        Code, as in effect at the end of that calendar year.
    (c) Application.--If the application of subsection (b) results in 
the payment of additional pay to a covered employee of a type that is 
normally creditable as basic pay for retirement or any other purpose, 
that additional pay shall not--
            (1) be considered to be basic pay of the covered employee 
        for any purpose; or
            (2) be used in computing a lump-sum payment to the covered 
        employee for accumulated and accrued annual leave under section 
        5551 or 5552 of title 5, United States Code.
    (d) Amendment.--Section 5542(a)(5) of title 5, United States Code, 
is amended by inserting ``, the Department of Commerce,'' after 
``Interior''.
    (e) Effective Date.--This section and the amendment made by this 
section shall take effect as if enacted on January 1, 2020.
    (f) Derivation of Funds.--Any amounts used to pay covered employees 
for covered services shall not be derived from amounts made available 
to the Administration or amounts saved by reducing the number of full-
time-equivalent employees of the Administration.
    (g) Policies and Procedures for Health, Safety, and Well-Being.--
The Under Secretary shall maintain policies and procedures that ensure 
that the deployment of a covered employee to perform a covered service 
will not compromise the health, safety, and well-being of the covered 
employee.

SEC. 13. GOVERNMENT ACCOUNTABILITY OFFICE REPORT ON INTERAGENCY 
              WILDFIRE FORECASTING, PREVENTION, PLANNING, AND 
              MANAGEMENT BODIES.

    Not later than 1 year after the date of the enactment of this Act, 
the Comptroller General of the United States shall submit to Congress a 
report that--
            (1) identifies all Federal interagency bodies established 
        for the purpose of wildfire forecasting, prevention, planning, 
        and management (such as wildfire councils, commissions, and 
        workgroups), including--
                    (A) the Wildland Fire Leadership Council;
                    (B) the National Interagency Fire Center;
                    (C) the Wildland Fire Management Policy Committee;
                    (D) the Wildland Fire Mitigation and Management 
                Commission;
                    (E) the National Interagency Fire Center;
                    (F) the National Interagency Coordination Center;
                    (G) the National Predictive Services Oversight 
                Group;
                    (H) the Interagency Council for Advancing 
                Meteorological Services;
                    (I) the National Wildfire Coordinating Group;
                    (J) the National Multi-Agency Coordinating Group; 
                and
                    (K) the Mitigation Framework Leadership Group;
            (2) evaluates the roles, functionality, and utility of such 
        interagency bodies;
            (3) evaluates the progress, performance, and implementation 
        of such interagency bodies;
            (4) assesses efficacy and identifies potential overlap and 
        duplication of such interagency bodies in carrying out 
        interagency collaboration with respect to wildfire prevention, 
        planning, and management; and
            (5) includes such other recommendations as the Comptroller 
        General determines are appropriate to streamline and improve 
        wildfire forecasting, prevention, planning, and management, 
        including recommendations regarding the interagency bodies for 
        which the addition of the Administration is necessary to 
        improve wildfire forecasting, prevention, planning, and 
        management.

SEC. 14. AMENDMENTS TO INFRASTRUCTURE INVESTMENT AND JOBS ACT RELATING 
              TO WILDFIRE MITIGATION.

    The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (Public Law 117-58; 135 
Stat. 429) is amended--
            (1) in section 70202--
                    (A) in paragraph (1)--
                            (i) in subparagraph (J), by striking ``; 
                        and'' and inserting a semicolon;
                            (ii) in subparagraph (K), by striking the 
                        period at the end and inserting a semicolon; 
                        and
                            (iii) by adding at the end the following:
                    ``(L) the Committee on Commerce, Science, and 
                Transportation of the Senate; and'';
                    ``(M) the Committee on Science, Space, and 
                Technology of the House of Representatives.''; and
                    (B) in paragraph (6)--
                            (i) in subparagraph (B), by striking ``; 
                        and'' and inserting a semicolon;
                            (ii) in subparagraph (C), by striking the 
                        period at the end and inserting ``; and''; and
                            (iii) by adding at the end the following:
                    ``(D) The Secretary of Commerce, acting through the 
                Under Secretary of Commerce for Oceans and 
                Atmosphere.''; and
            (2) in section 70203(b)(1)(B)--
                    (A) in the matter preceding clause (i), by striking 
                ``9'' and inserting ``not fewer than 10'';
                    (B) in clause (i)--
                            (i) in subclause (IV), by striking ``; 
                        and'' and inserting a semicolon;
                            (ii) in subclause (V), by adding ``and'' at 
                        the end; and
                            (iii) by adding at the end the following:
                                    ``(VI) the National Oceanic and 
                                Atmospheric Administration.'';
                    (C) in clause (iv), by striking ``; and'' and 
                inserting a semicolon; and
                    (D) by adding at the end the following:
                            ``(vi) if the Secretaries determine it to 
                        be appropriate, 1 or more representatives from 
                        the relevant line offices of the National 
                        Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration; and''.

SEC. 15. WILDFIRE TECHNOLOGY MODERNIZATION AMENDMENTS.

    Section 1114 of the John D. Dingell, Jr. Conservation, Management, 
and Recreation Act (43 U.S.C. 1748b-1) is amended--
            (1) in subsection (c)(3), by inserting ``the National 
        Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration,'' after ``Federal 
        Aviation Administration,'';
            (2) in subsection (e)(2)--
                    (A) by redesignating subparagraph (B) as 
                subparagraph (C); and
                    (B) by inserting after subparagraph (A) the 
                following:
                    ``(B) Consultation.--
                            ``(i) In general.--In carrying out 
                        subparagraph (A), the Secretaries shall consult 
                        with the Under Secretary of Commerce for Oceans 
                        and Atmosphere regarding any development of 
                        impact-based decision support services that 
                        relate to wildlife-related activities of the 
                        National Oceanic and Atmospheric 
                        Administration.
                            ``(ii) Definition of impact-based decision 
                        support services.--In this subparagraph, the 
                        term `impact-based decision support services' 
                        means forecast advice and interpretative 
                        services the National Oceanic and Atmospheric 
                        Administration provides to help core partners, 
                        such as emergency personnel and public safety 
                        officials, make decisions when weather, water, 
                        and climate impact the lives and livelihoods of 
                        the people of the United States.''; and
            (3) in subsection (f)--
                    (A) by redesignating paragraphs (1) and (2) as 
                subparagraphs (A) and (B), respectively, and moving 
                such subparagraphs, as so redesignated, 2 ems to the 
                right;
                    (B) by striking ``The Secretaries'' and inserting 
                the following:
            ``(1) In general.--The Secretaries''; and
                    (C) by adding at the end the following:
            ``(2) Collaboration.--In carrying out paragraph (1), the 
        Secretaries shall collaborate with the Under Secretary of 
        Commerce for Oceans and Atmosphere to improve coordination, 
        utility of systems and assets, and interoperability of data for 
        smoke prediction, forecasting, and modeling.''.

SEC. 16. COOPERATION; COORDINATION; SUPPORT TO NON-FEDERAL ENTITIES.

    (a) Cooperation.--Each Federal agency shall cooperate and 
coordinate with the Under Secretary, as appropriate, in carrying out 
this Act and the amendments made by this Act.
    (b) Coordination.--
            (1) In general.--In meeting the requirements under this Act 
        and the amendments made by this Act, the Under Secretary shall 
        coordinate, and as appropriate, establish agreements with 
        Federal and external partners to fully use and leverage 
        existing assets, systems, networks, technologies, and sources 
        of data.
            (2) Inclusions.--Coordination carried out under paragraph 
        (1) shall include coordination with--
                    (A) the National Interagency Fire Center, including 
                the Predictive Services Program that provides impact-
                based decision support services to the wildland fire 
                community at the Geographic Area Coordination Center 
                and the National Interagency Coordination Center;
                    (B) the National Wildfire Coordinating Group; and
                    (C) relevant interagency bodies identified in the 
                report required by section 13.
            (3) Consultation.--In carrying out this subsection, the 
        Under Secretary shall consult with Federal partners including--
                    (A) the National Aeronautics and Space 
                Administration;
                    (B) the Department of the Interior;
                    (C) the Federal Emergency Management Agency;
                    (D) the National Science Foundation;
                    (E) the United States Geological Survey;
                    (F) the Department of Agriculture;
                    (G) the Environmental Protection Agency;
                    (H) the Department of Energy;
                    (I) the Department of Defense;
                    (J) the National Institute of Standards and 
                Technology; and
                    (K) such other departments and agencies as the 
                Under Secretary considers relevant.
    (c) Coordination With Non-Federal Entities.--Not later than 540 
days after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Under Secretary 
shall develop and submit to the appropriate committees of Congress a 
process for annual coordination with Tribal, State, and local 
governments to assist the development of improved fire weather products 
and services.
    (d) Support to Non-Federal Entities.--In carrying out the 
activities under this Act and the amendments made by this Act, the 
Under Secretary may provide support to non-Federal entities by making 
funds and resources available through--
            (1) competitive grants;
            (2) contracts under the mobility program under subchapter 
        VI of chapter 33 of title 5, United States Code (commonly 
        referred to as the ``Intergovernmental Personnel Act Mobility 
        Program'');
            (3) cooperative agreements; and
            (4) colocation agreements as described in section 502 of 
        the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration 
        Commissioned Officer Corps Amendments Act of 2020 (33 U.S.C. 
        851 note prec.).

SEC. 17. INTERNATIONAL COORDINATION.

    (a) In General.--The Under Secretary may develop collaborative 
relationships and agreements with foreign partners and counterparts to 
address transboundary issues pertaining to wildfires, fire weather, 
smoke, air quality, and associated conditions and hazards or other 
relevant meteorological phenomena, as appropriate, to facilitate full 
and open exchange of data and information.
    (b) Consultation.--In carrying out activities under this section, 
the Under Secretary shall consult with the Department of State and such 
other Federal partners as the Under Secretary considers relevant.

SEC. 18. SUBMISSIONS TO CONGRESS REGARDING THE FIRE WEATHER SERVICES 
              PROGRAM, INCIDENT METEOROLOGIST WORKFORCE NEEDS, AND 
              NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WORKFORCE SUPPORT.

    (a) Report to Congress.--Not later than 540 days after the date of 
the enactment of this Act, the Under Secretary shall submit to the 
appropriate committees of Congress--
            (1) the plan described in subsection (b);
            (2) the assessment described in subsection (c); and
            (3) the assessment described in subsection (d).
    (b) Fire Weather Services Program Plan.--
            (1) Elements.--The plan submitted under subsection (a)(1) 
        shall detail--
                    (A) the observational data, modeling requirements, 
                ongoing computational needs, research, development, and 
                technology transfer activities, data management, 
                skilled-personnel requirements, engagement with 
                relevant Federal emergency and land management agencies 
                and partners, and corresponding resources and timelines 
                necessary to achieve the functions described in 
                subsection (b) of section 3 and the priorities 
                described in subsection (c) of such section; and
                    (B) plans and needs for all other activities and 
                requirements under this Act and the amendments made by 
                this Act.
            (2) Submittal of annual budget for plan.--Following 
        completion of the plan submitted under subsection (a)(1), the 
        Under Secretary shall, not less frequently than once each year 
        concurrent with the submission of the budget by the President 
        to Congress under section 1105 of title 31, submit to Congress 
        a proposed budget corresponding with the elements detailed in 
        the plan.
    (c) Incident Meteorologist Workforce Needs Assessment.--
            (1) In general.--The Under Secretary shall conduct a 
        workforce needs assessment on the current and future demand for 
        additional incident meteorologists for wildfires and other 
        high-impact fire weather events.
            (2) Elements.--The assessment required by paragraph (1) 
        shall include the following:
                    (A) A description of staffing levels as of the date 
                on which the assessment is submitted under subsection 
                (a)(2) and projected future staffing levels.
                    (B) An assessment of the state of the 
                infrastructure of the National Weather Service as of 
                the date on which the assessment is submitted and 
                future needs of such infrastructure in order to meet 
                current and future demands, including with respect to 
                information technology support and logistical and 
                administrative operations.
            (3) Considerations.--In conducting the assessment required 
        by paragraph (1), the Under Secretary shall consider factors 
        including projected climate conditions, infrastructure, all 
        hazard meteorological response system equipment, user needs, 
        and feedback from relevant stakeholders.
    (d) Support Services Assessment.--
            (1) In general.--The Under Secretary shall conduct a 
        workforce support services assessment with respect to employees 
        of the National Weather Service engaged in emergency response.
            (2) Elements.--The assessment required by paragraph (1) 
        shall include the following:
                    (A) An assessment of need for further support of 
                employees of the National Weather Service engaged in 
                emergency response through services provided by the 
                Public Health Service.
                    (B) A detailed assessment of appropriations 
                required to secure the level of support services needed 
                as identified in the assessment described in 
                subparagraph (A).
            (3) Additional support services.--Following the completion 
        of the assessment required by paragraph (1), the Under 
        Secretary shall seek to acquire additional support services to 
        meet the needs identified in the assessment.

SEC. 19. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.

    There is authorized to be appropriated to the Administration to 
carry out this Act and the amendments made by this Act--
            (1) $55,000,000 for fiscal year 2023;
            (2) $125,000,000 for fiscal year 2024;
            (3) $135,000,000 for fiscal year 2025;
            (4) $150,000,000 for fiscal year 2026; and
            (5) $200,000,000 for fiscal year 2027.
                                 <all>