[Congressional Record Volume 161, Number 149 (Friday, October 9, 2015)]
[House]
[Page H6940]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                          WEATHER FORECASTING

  (Mr. FOSTER asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. FOSTER. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to discuss an example of the 
real-life consequences of underinvesting in scientific research and 
development.
  Last week, with the development of Hurricane Joaquin, we were 
reminded that U.S. weather forecasting is not what it should be. Our 
system, GFS, predicted that Joaquin would hit the Mid-Atlantic States, 
while the European model correctly predicted that it would remain at 
sea, and nobody predicted the severity of the flooding that would hit 
South Carolina. This wasn't the first time that our predictions have 
missed the mark.
  Three years ago we failed to predict the path of Hurricane Sandy, 
while the European model correctly identified that it would be a direct 
and devastating hit on New Jersey. After Sandy, we invested somewhat 
more money into the computing ability of the National Weather Service, 
but, as Joaquin has shown, it was too little, too late.
  The economic costs of unnecessary evacuations are as real as missing 
evacuations. Scientific research requires a steady investment of time 
and talent to be successful. If we continue to underinvest in essential 
infrastructure like weather forecasting, we do it at our own peril.
  I urge my colleagues to heed this warning and to start taking 
seriously the long-term investments that our R&D infrastructure 
requires.

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