[Congressional Record Volume 163, Number 53 (Monday, March 27, 2017)]
[House]
[Pages H2450-H2452]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
PACIFIC NORTHWEST EARTHQUAKE PREPAREDNESS ACT OF 2017
Mr. BARLETTA. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the
bill (H.R. 654) to direct the Administrator of the Federal Emergency
Management Agency to carry out a plan for the purchase and installation
of an earthquake early warning system for the Cascadia Subduction Zone,
and for other purposes, as amended.
The Clerk read the title of the bill.
The text of the bill is as follows:
H.R. 654
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of
the United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE; DEFINITION.
(a) Short Title.--This Act may be cited as the ``Pacific
Northwest Earthquake Preparedness Act of 2017''.
(b) Cascadia Subduction Zone Defined.--In this Act, the
term ``Cascadia Subduction Zone'' means the landward-dipping
fault that is approximately 684 miles long, separates the
Juan de Fuca and North America plates, and stretches along a
portion of the western coast of the United States beginning
off Cape Mendocino, California, along the State of Oregon,
the State of Washington, to Northern Vancouver Island,
British Columbia.
SEC. 2. EARTHQUAKE EARLY WARNING SYSTEM FOR CASCADIA
SUBDUCTION ZONE.
(a) Plan for Purchase and Installation.--
(1) Development and funding.--The Administrator of the
Federal Emergency Management Agency shall--
(A) develop a plan for the purchase and installation of an
earthquake early warning system for the Cascadia Subduction
Zone; and
(B) identify the funds necessary for implementation of the
plan.
(2) Submission to congress.--Not later than 90 days after
the date of enactment of this Act, the Administrator shall
submit to the appropriate committees of Congress a copy of
the plan.
(b) Report to Congress.--Not later than 1 year after the
date of enactment of this Act, the Administrator shall submit
to the appropriate committees of Congress a report that
summarizes the actions taken to implement the plan.
(c) Definitions.--In this section, the following
definitions apply:
(1) Appropriate committees of congress.--The term
``appropriate committees of Congress'' means the Committee on
Transportation and Infrastructure of the House of
Representatives and the Committee on Homeland Security and
Governmental Affairs of the Senate.
(2) Earthquake early warning system.--The term ``earthquake
early warning system'' includes--
(A) improvements to regional and geodetic networks that
support building a capability for an earthquake early warning
system; and
(B) seismometers, Global Positioning System receivers, and
associated infrastructure.
SEC. 3. EARTHQUAKE AND TSUNAMI TASK FORCE.
(a) In General.--The President shall establish an
Earthquake and Tsunami Task Force for the purpose of
developing a comprehensive strategy and recommendations on
how the Nation should prepare and plan for, mitigate against,
respond to, recover from, and more successfully adapt to a
covered event in the Cascadia Subduction Zone.
(b) Task Force.--
(1) Membership.--The membership of the Task Force shall
include a cross section of subject matter experts
representing the following:
(A) Relevant Federal agencies.
(B) The States of Oregon, Washington, and California.
(C) Indian tribes, local governments, and private sector
representatives that may be impacted by a covered event in
the Cascadia Subduction Zone.
(D) Universities, academia, and research institutions with
expertise in topics relevant to the work of the Task Force.
(2) Chairperson.--The Administrator (or the Administrator's
designee) shall serve as the chairperson of the Task Force.
(3) Detailed employees.--Members of the Task Force may
detail employees to assist the Administrator (or the
Administrator's designee) in fulfilling the responsibilities
of the Task Force.
(c) Comprehensive Strategy.--
(1) Strategy.--The comprehensive strategy to be developed
under subsection (a) shall include the following:
(A) A description of how Federal agencies will coordinate
to develop the ability to prepare and plan for, mitigate
against, respond to, recover from, and more successfully
adapt to the impacts of a covered event in the Cascadia
Subduction Zone.
(B) A strategy to ensure collaboration between the
Department of Transportation, the Department of Energy, the
Coast Guard, the Corps of Engineers, and other Federal
agencies, as appropriate, for purposes of--
(i) completing a needs assessment of Federal facilities in
need of hardening for a covered event; and
(ii) developing a strategic plan to mitigate and retrofit
Federal, State, tribal, and local critical assets for
freight, energy, and transit purposes to withstand a covered
event and to help save lives during and immediately after a
covered event.
(C) A strategy--
(i) to assist State, tribal, and local governments in
developing and implementing a coordinated and comprehensive
plan to prioritize Federal, State, tribal, local, and private
investments and activities to develop the ability to prepare
and plan for, mitigate against, respond to, recover from, and
more successfully adapt to the impacts of a covered event in
the Cascadia Subduction Zone; and
(ii) to link any existing statewide mitigation plan with
such a coordinated and comprehensive plan.
(D) With respect to the strategy described in subparagraph
(C), an examination of the feasibility of the public sector,
the private sector, and individuals to acquire earthquake
insurance.
(E) An identification of funding opportunities to implement
the comprehensive strategy and any recommendations made by
the Task Force, including--
(i) existing funding opportunities across Federal agencies
and other sources; and
(ii) potential new funding opportunities.
(F) An identification of barriers to obtaining funding for
the implementation of the comprehensive strategy and
recommendations on how to remove the barriers.
(G) A strategy for appropriate Federal agencies to
collaborate with and assist State, tribal, and local
governments in developing recommendations for cost-effective
mitigation alternatives for aging State, tribal, and locally
owned critical infrastructure.
(H) A strategy for assisting State, tribal, and local
governments in developing a recovery plan prior to a covered
event in the Cascadia Subduction Zone that addresses how
State, tribal, and local governments may want to rebuild
after the event.
(I) An identification of the steps taken to date to develop
an onshore and offshore earthquake early warning system and a
description of the purpose and scope of such a system.
(J) An evaluation of the types of offshore earthquake early
warning systems and recommendations and a cost estimate for
an earthquake early warning system appropriate for the
Cascadia Subduction Zone.
(K) Recommendations on how an earthquake early warning
system should operate, including whether and how the system
should interface with the private sector.
(L) A description of appropriate roles and responsibilities
for Federal, State, local, and tribal governments, including
who should operate and maintain an earthquake early warning
system, the cost of the system, and possible funding sources
for the system.
(M) A plan on how to integrate an earthquake early warning
system into existing and new public alert warning systems and
technologies, including mobile systems.
(2) Use of existing plans.--In developing the comprehensive
strategy, the Task Force may use existing plans, studies, and
other resources.
(d) Recommendations.--The recommendations to be developed
by the Task Force under subsection (a) shall include
recommendations on--
(1) potential administrative or legislative changes
required to implement the comprehensive strategy;
(2) the funding required to implement the comprehensive
strategy and the recommendations; and
[[Page H2451]]
(3) the order of priority for implementation of the
comprehensive strategy.
(e) National Academies.--
(1) Collaboration.--The Task Force shall work
simultaneously and collaboratively with the National
Academies.
(2) Agreement.--The Task Force shall enter into an
agreement with the National Academies under which the
National Academies shall develop recommendations for a
Federal research strategy to advance scientific understanding
of a Cascadia Subduction Zone earthquake and resulting
tsunami preparedness, including the following:
(A) Geologic conditions, ground motions, and tsunami
hazards.
(B) Implications of an effective automated early warning
system.
(C) Effects of mega-earthquake and tsunami events on the
built and natural environment.
(D) Social and behavioral factors for effective disaster
preparedness and response.
(E) Cost-effective mitigation alternatives for legacy and
aging infrastructure.
(F) Strategic planning for freight, energy, and transit
network robustness.
(G) Tools that help communities invest their resources for
the greatest benefit.
(H) Any other topics identified as necessary by the Task
Force or the National Academies.
(f) Report.--Not later than 18 months after the date of
enactment of this Act, the Administrator shall submit to the
Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure of the House
of Representatives and the Committee on Homeland Security and
Governmental Affairs of the Senate a report of the Task Force
that includes the following:
(1) The comprehensive strategy to be developed under
subsection (a).
(2) The recommendations to be developed under subsections
(a), (d), and (e).
(g) Definitions.--In this section, the following
definitions apply:
(1) Administrator.--The term ``Administrator'' means the
Administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
(2) Covered event.--The term ``covered event'' means an
earthquake, tsunami, or combined earthquake and tsunami
event.
(3) Task force.--The term ``Task Force'' means the Federal
interagency task force to be established under subsection
(a).
SEC. 4. NATIONAL PREPARATION AND RESPONSE EFFORTS RELATING TO
EARTHQUAKES AND TSUNAMIS.
The Administrator of the Federal Emergency Management
Agency shall be responsible for the Nation's efforts to
reduce the loss of life and property, and to protect the
Nation, from an earthquake, tsunami, or combined earthquake
and tsunami event by developing the ability to prepare and
plan for, mitigate against, respond to, recover from, and
more successfully adapt to such an event.
SEC. 5. ADDITIONAL HAZARD MITIGATION ACTIVITIES.
Section 404 of the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and
Emergency Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 5170c) is amended by
adding at the end the following:
``(f) Use of Assistance.--Recipients of hazard mitigation
assistance provided under this section and section 203 may
use the assistance to conduct activities to help reduce the
risk of future damage, hardship, loss, or suffering in any
area affected by earthquake hazards, including--
``(1) improvements to regional seismic networks in support
of building a capability for earthquake early warning;
``(2) improvements to geodetic networks in support of
building a capability for earthquake early warning; and
``(3) improvements to seismometers, Global Positioning
System receivers, and associated infrastructure in support of
building a capability for earthquake early warning.''.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from
Pennsylvania (Mr. Barletta) and the gentleman from Oregon (Mr. DeFazio)
each will control 20 minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Pennsylvania.
General Leave
Mr. BARLETTA. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members
may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks
and include extraneous material on H.R. 654, as amended.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the
gentleman from Pennsylvania?
There was no objection.
Mr. BARLETTA. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
We know earthquakes pose one of the greatest natural hazards here in
the United States. They strike without warning and result in
potentially catastrophic casualties and damage to buildings and
infrastructure.
The Pacific Northwest is at risk of severe earthquakes, tsunamis, and
volcanic eruptions. According to the experts, a massive earthquake is
coming to the area. We just don't know when. Six years ago this month,
a 9.0 earthquake in Japan created a tsunami that killed over 15,000
people and caused a nuclear disaster.
Earthquakes cannot be prevented, but their impacts on life, property,
and the economy can be managed. FEMA is responsible for coordinating
the Federal response to a catastrophic earthquake, and has been
diligently working to help States plan and prepare for an earthquake.
Good planning and preparedness can save lives and property.
H.R. 654, the Pacific Northwest Earthquake Preparedness Act of 2017,
directs FEMA to plan the development of an earthquake early warning
system for the Cascadia Subduction Zone. The bill also directs the
President to establish an earthquake and tsunami task force to develop
a comprehensive strategy and recommendations on how to prepare and plan
for seismic events.
I want to commend the ranking member for his leadership on this
critical national issue. He has been an advocate for his State and the
Pacific Northwest, supporting preparedness and mitigation efforts and
the development of a public West Coast earthquake early warning system.
I urge my colleagues to support this bill, and I reserve the balance
of my time.
House of Representatives, Committee on Science, Space,
and Technology,
Washington, DC, March 27, 2017.
Hon. Bill Shuster,
Chairman, Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure,
House of Representatives, Washington, DC.
Dear Mr. Chairman: I am writing concerning H.R. 654, the
``Pacific Northwest Earthquake Preparedness Act of 2017,''
which was reported by your Committee on March 9, 2017.
H.R. 654 contains provisions within the Committee on
Science, Space, and Technology's Rule X jurisdiction. In
order to expedite this bill for floor consideration, the
Committee on Science, Space, and Technology will forego
action on the bill. This is being done on the basis of our
mutual understanding that doing so will in no way diminish or
alter the jurisdiction of the Committee on Science, Space,
and Technology with respect to the appointment of conferees,
or to any future jurisdictional claim over the subject
matters contained in the bill or similar legislation.
I would request that, in any final version of the
legislation, the Committee on Science, Space, and Technology
be included as a recipient of the reports called for in
Sections 2 and 3 of the bill.
I would appreciate your response to this letter confirming
this understanding, and would request that you include a copy
of this letter and your response in the Congressional Record
during the floor consideration of this bill. Thank you in
advance for your cooperation.
Sincerely,
Lamar Smith,
Chairman.
____
House of Representatives, Committee on Transportation and
Infrastructure,
Washington, DC, March 27, 2017.
Hon. Lamar Smith,
Chairman, Committee on Science, Space, and Technology,
Washington, DC.
Dear Chairman Smith: Thank you for your letter regarding
H.R. 654, the Pacific Northwest Earthquake Preparedness Act
of 2017. I appreciate your willingness to expedite
consideration of this legislation before the House of
Representatives, and accordingly, understand that the
Committee on Science, Space, and Technology will not seek to
litigate its claim of jurisdictional interest in this bill.
The Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure concurs
with the mutual understanding that by foregoing the
litigation of its claim of jurisdictional interest in the
bill at this time, the Committee on Science, Space, and
Technology does not waive any claim to jurisdiction over the
subject matter contained in this bill or similar legislation
in the future. In addition, should a conference on this bill
become necessary, I would work with the Committee on Science,
Space, and Technology to litigate its jurisdictional claim
and, if such a claim is established by the Parliamentarians,
support your request to be represented on the conference
committee.
I will insert copies of this exchange in the Congressional
Record during consideration on the House floor. I look
forward to working with the Committee on Science, Space, and
Technology as the bill moves through the legislative process.
Sincerely,
Bill Shuster,
Chairman.
Mr. DeFAZIO. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
I thank the chairman for his kind words for the work I have been
doing for a number of years on this issue.
I traveled with the committee last year to Japan to see what lessons
they learned from the horrible earthquake 6 years ago, in which more
than 15,000 people perished. They did have in place a land-based and
near-ocean early warning system, which gave them enough time to shut
down the high-speed trains, get people out of elevators in buildings,
shut down production lines, mitigating economic losses
[[Page H2452]]
and property damage. But, unfortunately, the system was not adequate to
predict the height of the tsunami, and 15,000 people died.
They are now deploying a realtime deep ocean system. It is time for
the United States to emulate that. The Cascadia Subduction Zone, off
the coast of northern California and Oregon, has had at least a dozen
massive earthquakes over the last 5,000 years. It is currently well
overdue for an earthquake. If we had in place a deep ocean system near
the southern end of that fault where they expect the major quake will
start, it would give enough warning time for people on the coast of
Oregon, and at least those a little further up the coast, to seek
higher ground and not be inundated. It would provide more time in the
valleys, and up in Portland and up in Seattle for transit systems to be
shut down and people to take shelter. So this could save many lives.
This bill directs FEMA to develop a plan to identify the necessary
funds and the potential costs to purchase the equipment for an
earthquake early warning system. It is basically off-the-shelf
technology.
It requires the President to establish an earthquake and tsunami task
force. The task force will consist of representatives from potentially
impacted areas, as well as earthquake and tsunami experts to develop
comprehensive strategy recommendations on how the Nation should prepare
for, mitigate against, respond to, recover from, and adapt to an
earthquake, tsunami, or combined event in the Cascadia Subduction Zone.
I strongly recommend this bill to my colleagues. We should learn from
the disaster in Japan and take action here to save lives and property
in the event of this quake in the Cascadia Subduction Zone.
Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
Mr. BARLETTA. Mr. Speaker, again, I urge my colleagues to vote
``yes'' on H.R. 654, as amended, and I yield back the balance of my
time.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the
gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Barletta) that the House suspend the
rules and pass the bill, H.R. 654, 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. BARLETTA. Mr. 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.
____________________