[Congressional Record Volume 160, Number 24 (Monday, February 10, 2014)]
[House]
[Pages H1691-H1693]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




 NATIONAL INTEGRATED DROUGHT INFORMATION SYSTEM REAUTHORIZATION ACT OF 
                                  2013

  Mr. HALL. Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the 
bill (H.R. 2431) to reauthorize the National Integrated Drought 
Information System as amended.
  The Clerk read the title of the bill.
  The text of the bill is as follows:

                               H.R. 2431

       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 ``National Integrated Drought 
     Information System Reauthorization Act of 2013''.

     SEC. 2. NIDIS PROGRAM AMENDMENTS.

       Section 3 of the National Integrated Drought Information 
     System Act of 2006 (15 U.S.C. 313d) is amended--
       (1) in subsection (a), by inserting before the period at 
     the end the following: ``to better inform and provide for 
     more timely decisionmaking to reduce drought related impacts 
     and costs'';
       (2) by striking subsection (b) and inserting the following:
       ``(b) System Functions.--The National Integrated Drought 
     Information System shall--
       ``(1) provide an effective drought early warning system 
     that--
       ``(A) collects and integrates information on the key 
     indicators of drought and drought impacts in order to make 
     usable, reliable, and timely forecasts of drought, including 
     assessments of the severity of drought conditions and 
     impacts; and
       ``(B) provides such information, forecasts, and assessments 
     on both national and regional levels;
       ``(2) communicate drought forecasts, drought conditions, 
     and drought impacts on an ongoing basis to public and private 
     entities engaged in drought planning and preparedness, 
     including--
       ``(A) decisionmakers at the Federal, regional, State, 
     tribal, and local levels of government;
       ``(B) the private sector; and
       ``(C) the public;
       ``(3) provide timely data, information, and products that 
     reflect local, regional, and State differences in drought 
     conditions;
       ``(4) coordinate, and integrate as practicable, Federal 
     research and monitoring in support of a drought early warning 
     system;
       ``(5) build upon existing forecasting and assessment 
     programs and partnerships, including through the designation 
     of one or more cooperative institutes to assist with National 
     Integrated Drought Information System functions; and
       ``(6) continue ongoing research and monitoring activities 
     related to drought, including research activities relating to 
     length, severity, and impacts of drought and the role of 
     extreme weather events and climate variability in drought.''; 
     and
       (3) by adding at the end the following:
       ``(e) Report.--
       ``(1) In general.--Not later than 18 months after the date 
     of enactment of the National Integrated Drought Information 
     System Reauthorization Act of 2013, the Under Secretary shall 
     transmit to the Committee on Science, Space, and Technology 
     of the House of Representatives and the Committee on 
     Commerce, Science, and Transportation of the Senate a report 
     that contains--
       ``(A) an analysis of the implementation of the National 
     Integrated Drought Information System program, including how 
     the information, forecasts, and assessments are utilized in 
     drought policy planning and response activities;
       ``(B) specific plans for continued development of such 
     program, including future milestones; and
       ``(C) an identification of research, monitoring, and 
     forecasting needs to enhance the predictive capability of 
     drought early warnings that include--
       ``(i) the length and severity of droughts;
       ``(ii) the contribution of weather events to reducing the 
     severity or ending drought conditions; and
       ``(iii) regionally specific drought impacts.
       ``(2) Consultation.--In developing the report under 
     paragraph (1), the Under Secretary shall consult with 
     relevant Federal, regional, State, tribal, and local 
     government agencies, research institutions, and the private 
     sector.''.

     SEC. 3. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.

       Section 4 of such Act (15 U.S.C. 313d note) is amended to 
     read as follows:

     ``SEC. 4. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.

       ``There are authorized to be appropriated to carry out this 
     Act $13,500,000 for each of fiscal years 2014 through 
     2018.''.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from 
Texas (Mr. Hall) and the gentlewoman from Texas (Ms. Eddie Bernice 
Johnson) each will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Texas.


                             General Leave

  Mr. HALL. Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may 
have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and to 
include extraneous material on H.R. 2431, the bill now under 
consideration.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from Texas?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. HALL. Madam Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 2431, a bill to 
reauthorize the National Integrated Drought Information System.
  I want to thank Chairman Smith for his good work in bringing this 
bill to the House floor and for his bipartisan support. I also want to 
thank the gentleman and Representative Ben Lujan of New Mexico for 
joining me as an original sponsor. In 1998, Congress passed the 
National Drought Policy Act, establishing a Commission to provide 
recommendations on Federal drought policies.
  The concept of creating a national drought monitoring and information 
system was proposed by the Commission in its 2000 report and promoted 
by various stakeholders, including the Western Governors' Association 
and in the 2004 report, ``Creating a Drought Early Warning System for 
the 21st Century.''

[[Page H1692]]

  I was pleased to become involved in this effort with former 
Congressman and now-Senator Mark Udall and to introduce the NIDIS Act 
of 2006, which Congress passed and became public law.
  NIDIS is administered within the National Oceanic and Atmospheric 
Administration. NIDIS established the U.S. Drought Portal, which has 
become a very valuable resource for decisionmakers at the Federal, 
State, and local levels, and for farmers, businessmen, and individuals.
  This Web site provides current data for weather observations, early 
warnings about droughts, and support services for managing droughts. 
The Web site includes the U.S. Drought Monitor map, another valuable 
feature that is updated weekly. For example, according to the most 
recent Drought Monitor map, about 21 percent of the U.S. is 
experiencing severe to exceptional drought conditions. More than 56 
percent of the country has abnormally dry to exceptional drought 
conditions.
  Madam Speaker, NIDIS is an example of a program that is working 
effectively and that has broad support. Rather than creating a new 
government bureaucracy, NIDIS represents a collaborative framework 
between Federal, states, and academic partners.
  The NIDIS reauthorization will improve interagency coordination, 
early warnings, critical data sharing, and decision services related to 
drought. The bill encourages further research, monitoring, and 
forecasting, along with further development of regional early warning 
systems.
  Madam Speaker, reauthorizing NIDIS will strengthen this important 
program and will help our State, it will help the local, and it will 
help the Federal officials, farmers, and water managers better prepare 
for and respond to drought.
  I urge my colleagues to support this bill.
  I reserve the balance of my time.
  Ms. EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON of Texas. Madam Speaker, I rise in support 
of H.R. 2431, and I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  I rise in support of H.R. 2431, the National Integrated Drought 
Information System Reauthorization Act of 2013. This vital program, 
known as NIDIS, was originated by my friend and former committee chair, 
Mr. Ralph Hall, in 2006. The program provides critical drought 
information to communities all across our Nation.
  Over the past three decades, it is estimated that droughts have cost 
our country hundreds of billions of dollars in economic impacts. Loss 
estimates from the 2012 drought alone run upwards of $70 billion. 
Moreover, the effects of climate change are anticipated to exacerbate 
this problem in many parts of the country, including my home State of 
Texas.
  Right now, California is experiencing its driest period in recorded 
history. Sixty-seven percent of the State of California is experiencing 
extreme or exceptional drought conditions. We all know that farmers and 
ranchers bear the brunt of these dry conditions. That hits the 
pocketbooks of every American as food prices do go up, but the damage 
is not limited to agriculture.
  For instance, in the West, conditions are again ripe for extreme 
wildfires that scarred more than 9 million acres last year, putting 
homes and properties in jeopardy.
  Tourism is suffering as water levels in lakes and rivers plummet and 
snow packs languish, leaving boats on dry land and skis in the attic. 
Communities are imposing water restrictions, and power plants and grid 
operators are taking a serious look at the emergency plans should water 
for cooling towers and hydroelectric dams fall short.

  If you look at the top five most expensive disasters in the United 
States since 1980, three of those are due to drought. The NIDIS program 
is intended to help alleviate some of the economic impacts of drought.
  Notably, one of the program's goals is to improve drought early 
warning. Advanced warning of impending droughts would allow States, 
localities, and farmers to better plan their activities so that the 
economic costs associated with droughts could be reduced or mitigated.
  In light of the scope of the economic impacts of drought, and the 
potential of the NIDIS program to lessen these impacts, I remain 
concerned about the authorization levels in H.R. 2431. My Democratic 
colleagues and I tried to modestly increase the authorization levels 
during committee consideration of the bill, but we were not successful.
  Every witness who has ever testified or spoken to our committee about 
this program has highlighted the need to improve the program's early 
warning capability. This isn't a goal that can be accomplished for 
free. It will take a sustained investment of additional funds to 
achieve results we desperately need.
  While I wish the authorization numbers in the bill before us today 
were higher, they are much better than the numbers in the Senate bill, 
which locks the program into a funding cap that is below current 
spending for the next 5 years.
  When the Federal Government is spending tens of billions of dollars 
per year to mitigate the effects of drought, I think it makes sense to 
spend a couple million extra dollars to try to reduce those massive 
costs to our taxpayers in our communities. It is pretty clear that in 
this instance an ounce of prevention will get us a pound of cure.
  In spite of these concerns, however, I support H.R. 2431 and the 
reauthorization of NIDIS, a program which provides crucial information 
to help our farmers and communities prepare for and mitigate the 
impacts of drought.
  I reserve the balance of my time.

                              {time}  1745

  Mr. HALL. Madam Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the 
gentleman from Texas (Mr. Smith), the chairman of the full committee.
  Mr. SMITH of Texas. Madam Speaker, I want to thank the former 
chairman of the Science, Space, and Technology Committee for yielding 
me time.
  H.R. 2431, the National Integrated Drought Information System 
Reauthorization Act of 2013, makes minor improvements to the NIDIS 
program and helps establish better drought forecasting and 
coordination.
  I am glad that the Science, Space, and Technology Committee's 
chairman emeritus, Congressman Ralph Hall of Texas, is the lead sponsor 
of this bill and the original author of the NIDIS authorization in 
2006. I thank the gentleman for his persistent leadership over the 
years on this issue.
  Recent droughts in Texas and around the country have been severe. The 
NIDIS program has helped State and local governments, farmers, 
ranchers, and others both monitor and predict drought conditions.
  More than one-third of the United States is currently experiencing 
moderate to severe drought conditions. By some estimates, the historic 
drought in 2012 cost our national economy as much as $70 billion.
  NIDIS is a good program that has a history of bipartisan support. It 
represents the kind of interagency and intergovernmental cooperation 
that we need to reauthorize in this difficult fiscal environment.
  As a success story, the NIDIS program currently operates the U.S. 
Drought Portal, a Web site that features a range of services related to 
drought. This includes historical data on past droughts, current data 
from climate observations, early warnings about emerging and potential 
droughts, decision support services for managing droughts, and a forum 
for stakeholders to discuss drought-related issues.
  These services have been vital to our efforts to better forecast as 
well as understand the conditions that lead to drought. This bill 
reauthorizes an important program that provides early warnings about 
potential droughts. It also supports services for local and State 
decisionmakers to better manage and prepare for drought conditions.
  I urge my colleagues to support this bill.
  Ms. EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON of Texas. Madam Speaker, I reserve the 
balance of my time.
  Mr. HALL. Madam Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from 
Arizona (Mr. Schweikert).
  Mr. SCHWEIKERT. Madam Speaker, I thank my friend from Texas, though 
at this moment I feel like I am surrounded by Texans in this particular 
discussion.
  I am from Arizona. I am actually from the desert part of Arizona in 
the desert Southwest. So why is a bill such as H.R. 2431 so important 
to us?
  The data collection and the management of the data models for those 
of us

[[Page H1693]]

who are in an arid region of the country is really, really important to 
us. We have come so far in the last couple of decades. The ability for 
my water management authorities in our reservoirs to know what is 
happening in the snowpacks all the way up into Colorado and on this 
side of the Continental Divide and learning whether we are moving into 
a ``La Nina'' or ``El Nino'' year--which actually makes huge 
differences to the expected rainfall, particularly in the winter 
months, in the desert Southwest--is important to us because we are 
getting better and better at forecasting even a year out in our 
expectations.
  And so I have great appreciation for the gentlewoman from Texas, the 
chairman emeritus, and the other chairman from Texas, one more time--
remember, as Texans, you are easterners to those of us in Arizona--
because this bill is appreciated.
  I know there is always a discussion about funding. But one of my 
great interests in this is the continued movement of the data-sharing 
as our universities across the country, particularly in the Southwest, 
build better and better and healthier and more robust models and the 
ability for that data to help States like mine manage our water 
resources into the future.
  Ms. EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON of Texas. Madam Speaker, I would simply 
urge support for H.R. 2431, and I yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. HALL. Madam Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the 
gentleman from Texas (Mr. Hall) that the House suspend the rules and 
pass the bill, H.R. 2431, as amended.
  The question was taken.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. In the opinion of the Chair, two-thirds 
being in the affirmative, the ayes have it.
  Mr. HALL. Madam Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.
  The yeas and nays were ordered.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to clause 8 of rule XX, further 
proceedings on this motion will be postponed.

                          ____________________