[Congressional Record Volume 164, Number 81 (Thursday, May 17, 2018)]
[Senate]
[Pages S2776-S2778]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




        NATIONAL VOLCANO EARLY WARNING AND MONITORING SYSTEM ACT

  Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate 
proceed to the immediate consideration of Calendar No. 150, S. 346.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will report the bill by title.
  The bill clerk read as follows:

       A bill (S. 346) to provide for the establishment of the 
     National Volcano Early Warning and Monitoring System.

  There being no objection, the Senate proceeded to consider the bill, 
which had been reported from the Committee on Energy and Natural 
Resources, with amendments, as follows:

[[Page S2777]]

  (The parts of the bill intended to be stricken are shown in boldface 
brackets and the parts of the bill intended to be inserted are shown in 
italic.)

                                 S. 346

       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 Volcano Early 
     Warning and Monitoring System Act''.

     [SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

       [Congress finds that--
       [(1) the United States and the territories of the United 
     States contain 169 hazardous volcanoes;
       [(2) since 1980, eruptions have claimed many lives and cost 
     billions of dollars in property damage in the United States;
       [(3) ash eruptions pose a hazard to high-flying jet 
     aircraft, including the more than 50,000 passengers who 
     travel on jets over Alaska and the North Pacific every day;
       [(4) in 1989, an eruption of Redoubt Volcano, Alaska, 
     caused in-flight failure of all 4 engines of a passenger 
     Boeing 747 aircraft;
       [(5) international flights over the Commonwealth of the 
     Northern Mariana Islands and the intense domestic air traffic 
     of the Pacific Northwest also face potential engine failure 
     in the event of an eruption;
       [(6) mudflows from ice-clad Cascade volcanoes of the States 
     of Washington, Oregon, and California pose a serious hazard 
     to cities and transportation arteries in the Pacific 
     Northwest;
       [(7) lava flows, toxic gas emissions, and explosions impact 
     residents and visitors to the State of Hawaii and have the 
     potential to cause catastrophic property damage;
       [(8) frequent seismic unrest requires careful monitoring in 
     the Mammoth Lakes area of the State of California and 
     Yellowstone National Park in the States of Wyoming, Montana, 
     and Idaho;
       [(9) modern technology, in the form of geophysical 
     monitoring networks on the ground and the use of near real-
     time satellite data, makes possible early warnings typically 
     weeks or months before eruptions, giving emergency response 
     agencies and the public time to prepare, which minimizes 
     potential damage to property and loss of life;
       [(10) the efficacy of monitoring is being demonstrated by--
       [(A) the successful forecasts and warnings of Augustine 
     Volcano in 1986 and 2006, Redoubt Volcano in 1989 through 
     1990 and 2009, and Mt. Spurr in 1992; and
       [(B) warnings and forecasts of lava flow advancement in 
     Hawaii during the ongoing eruption of Kilauea;
       [(11) the United States Geological Survey and university 
     and State partners of the United States Geological Survey 
     operate--
       [(A) the Alaska Volcano Observatory located in Anchorage 
     and Fairbanks, Alaska;
       [(B) the Cascades Volcano Observatory located in Vancouver, 
     Washington;
       [(C) the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory located in Hawai`i 
     Volcanoes National Park, Hawaii;
       [(D) the Yellowstone Volcano Observatory located in 
     Yellowstone National Park in the States of Wyoming, Montana, 
     and Idaho; and
       [(E) the California Volcano Observatory, located in Menlo 
     Park, California; and
       [(12) a detailed survey of the volcanoes in the United 
     States and the monitoring status of those volcanoes has 
     revealed numerous serious monitoring gaps, leaving the United 
     States exposed to preventable damage from large volcanic 
     eruptions.]

     SEC. [3]2. DEFINITIONS.

       In this Act:
       (1) Secretary.--The term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary 
     of the Interior, acting through the Director of the United 
     States Geological Survey.
       (2) System.--The term ``System'' means the National Volcano 
     Early Warning and Monitoring System established under section 
     4 3(a)(1).

     SEC. [4]3. NATIONAL VOLCANO EARLY WARNING AND MONITORING 
                   SYSTEM.

       (a) Establishment.--
       (1) In general.--The Secretary shall establish within the 
     United States Geological Survey a system, to be known as the 
     ``National Volcano Early Warning and Monitoring System'', to 
     monitor, warn, and protect citizens of the United States from 
     undue and avoidable harm from volcanic activity.
       (2) Purposes.--The purposes of the System are--
       (A) to organize, modernize, standardize, and stabilize the 
     monitoring systems of the volcano observatories in the United 
     States, which includes the Alaska Volcano Observatory, 
     California Volcano Observatory, Cascades Volcano Observatory, 
     Hawaiian Volcano Observatory, and Yellowstone Volcano 
     Observatory; and
       (B) to unify the monitoring systems of volcano 
     observatories in the United States into a single 
     interoperative system.
       (3) Objective.--The objective of the System is to monitor 
     all the volcanoes in the United States at a level 
     commensurate with the threat posed by the volcanoes by--
       (A) upgrading existing networks on monitored volcanoes;
       (B) installing new networks on unmonitored volcanoes; and
       (C) employing geodetic and other components when 
     applicable.
       (b) System Components.--
       (1) In general.--The System shall include--
       (A) a national volcano watch office that is operational 24 
     hours a day and 7 days a week;
       (B) a national volcano data center; and
       (C) an external grants program to support research in 
     volcano monitoring science and technology.
       (2) Modernization activities.--Modernization activities 
     under the System shall include the comprehensive application 
     of emerging technologies, including digital broadband 
     seismometers, real-time continuous Global Positioning System 
     receivers, satellite and airborne radar interferometry, 
     acoustic pressure sensors, and spectrometry to measure gas 
     emissions.
       (c) Management.--
       (1) Management plan.--
       (A) In general.--Not later than 180 days after the date of 
     enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall submit to Congress 
     a 5-year management plan for establishing and operating the 
     System.
       (B) Inclusions.--The management plan submitted under 
     subparagraph (A) shall include--
       (i) annual cost estimates for modernization activities and 
     operation of the System;
       (ii) annual milestones, standards, and performance goals; 
     and
       (iii) recommendations for, and progress towards, 
     establishing new, or enhancing existing, partnerships to 
     leverage resources.
       (2) Advisory committee.--The Secretary shall establish an 
     advisory committee to assist the Secretary in implementing 
     the System, to be comprised of representatives of relevant 
     agencies and members of the scientific community, to be 
     appointed by the Secretary.
       (3) Partnerships.--The Secretary may enter into cooperative 
     agreements with institutions of higher education and State 
     agencies designating the institutions of higher education and 
     State agencies as volcano observatory partners for the 
     System.
       (4) Coordination.--The Secretary shall coordinate the 
     activities under this Act with the heads of relevant Federal 
     agencies, including--
       (A) the Secretary of Transportation;
       (B) the Administrator of the Federal Aviation 
     Administration;
       (C) the Administrator of the National Oceanic and 
     Atmospheric Administration; and
       (D) the Director of the Federal Emergency Management 
     Administration.
       (d) Annual Report.--Annually, the Secretary shall submit to 
     Congress a report that describes the activities carried out 
     under this Act.

     SEC. [5]4. FUNDING.

       (a) Authorization of Appropriations.--There are authorized 
     to be appropriated such sums as are necessary to carry out 
     this Act for each of fiscal years 2017 through 2027.
       (b) Effect on Other Sources of Federal Funding.--Amounts 
     made available under this section shall supplement, and not 
     supplant, Federal funds made available for other United 
     States Geological Survey hazards activities and programs.

  Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the 
committee-reported amendments be agreed to, the Murkowski amendment at 
the desk be agreed to, and the bill, as amended, be read a third time.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  The committee-reported amendments were agreed to.
  The amendment (No. 2252) was agreed to, as follows:

        (Purpose: To modify the authorization of appropriations)

       On page 8, strike lines 18 through 21 and insert the 
     following:
       (a) Authorization of Appropriations.--There is authorized 
     to be appropriated to carry out this Act $55,000,000 for the 
     period of fiscal years 2019 through 2023.

  The bill was ordered to be engrossed for a third reading and was read 
the third time.
  Mr. McCONNELL. I know of no further debate on the bill.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The bill having been read the third time, the 
question is, Shall the bill pass?
  The bill (S. 346), as amended, was passed, as follows:

                                 S. 346

       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 Volcano Early 
     Warning and Monitoring System Act''.

     SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS.

       In this Act:
       (1) Secretary.--The term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary 
     of the Interior, acting through the Director of the United 
     States Geological Survey.
       (2) System.--The term ``System'' means the National Volcano 
     Early Warning and Monitoring System established under section 
     3(a)(1).

     SEC. 3. NATIONAL VOLCANO EARLY WARNING AND MONITORING SYSTEM.

       (a) Establishment.--
       (1) In general.--The Secretary shall establish within the 
     United States Geological Survey a system, to be known as the 
     ``National Volcano Early Warning and Monitoring System'', to 
     monitor, warn, and protect citizens

[[Page S2778]]

     of the United States from undue and avoidable harm from 
     volcanic activity.
       (2) Purposes.--The purposes of the System are--
       (A) to organize, modernize, standardize, and stabilize the 
     monitoring systems of the volcano observatories in the United 
     States, which includes the Alaska Volcano Observatory, 
     California Volcano Observatory, Cascades Volcano Observatory, 
     Hawaiian Volcano Observatory, and Yellowstone Volcano 
     Observatory; and
       (B) to unify the monitoring systems of volcano 
     observatories in the United States into a single 
     interoperative system.
       (3) Objective.--The objective of the System is to monitor 
     all the volcanoes in the United States at a level 
     commensurate with the threat posed by the volcanoes by--
       (A) upgrading existing networks on monitored volcanoes;
       (B) installing new networks on unmonitored volcanoes; and
       (C) employing geodetic and other components when 
     applicable.
       (b) System Components.--
       (1) In general.--The System shall include--
       (A) a national volcano watch office that is operational 24 
     hours a day and 7 days a week;
       (B) a national volcano data center; and
       (C) an external grants program to support research in 
     volcano monitoring science and technology.
       (2) Modernization activities.--Modernization activities 
     under the System shall include the comprehensive application 
     of emerging technologies, including digital broadband 
     seismometers, real-time continuous Global Positioning System 
     receivers, satellite and airborne radar interferometry, 
     acoustic pressure sensors, and spectrometry to measure gas 
     emissions.
       (c) Management.--
       (1) Management plan.--
       (A) In general.--Not later than 180 days after the date of 
     enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall submit to Congress 
     a 5-year management plan for establishing and operating the 
     System.
       (B) Inclusions.--The management plan submitted under 
     subparagraph (A) shall include--
       (i) annual cost estimates for modernization activities and 
     operation of the System;
       (ii) annual milestones, standards, and performance goals; 
     and
       (iii) recommendations for, and progress towards, 
     establishing new, or enhancing existing, partnerships to 
     leverage resources.
       (2) Advisory committee.--The Secretary shall establish an 
     advisory committee to assist the Secretary in implementing 
     the System, to be comprised of representatives of relevant 
     agencies and members of the scientific community, to be 
     appointed by the Secretary.
       (3) Partnerships.--The Secretary may enter into cooperative 
     agreements with institutions of higher education and State 
     agencies designating the institutions of higher education and 
     State agencies as volcano observatory partners for the 
     System.
       (4) Coordination.--The Secretary shall coordinate the 
     activities under this Act with the heads of relevant Federal 
     agencies, including--
       (A) the Secretary of Transportation;
       (B) the Administrator of the Federal Aviation 
     Administration;
       (C) the Administrator of the National Oceanic and 
     Atmospheric Administration; and
       (D) the Director of the Federal Emergency Management 
     Administration.
       (d) Annual Report.--Annually, the Secretary shall submit to 
     Congress a report that describes the activities carried out 
     under this Act.

     SEC. 4. FUNDING.

       (a) Authorization of Appropriations.--There is authorized 
     to be appropriated to carry out this Act $55,000,000 for the 
     period of fiscal years 2019 through 2023.
       (b) Effect on Other Sources of Federal Funding.--Amounts 
     made available under this section shall supplement, and not 
     supplant, Federal funds made available for other United 
     States Geological Survey hazards activities and programs.

  Mr. McCONNELL. I ask unanimous consent that the motion to reconsider 
be considered made and laid upon the table.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.

                          ____________________