[Congressional Record Volume 166, Number 132 (Monday, July 27, 2020)]
[Senate]
[Pages S4509-S4512]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
SA 2498. Mr. McCONNELL (for Mr. Peters) proposed an amendment to the
bill S. 881, to improve understanding and forecasting of space weather
events, and for other purposes; as follows:
Strike all after the enacting clause and insert the
following:
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``Promoting Research and
Observations of Space Weather to Improve the Forecasting of
Tomorrow Act'' or the ``PROSWIFT Act''.
SEC. 2. SPACE WEATHER.
(a) Policy.--It shall be the policy of the United States to
prepare and protect against the social and economic impacts
of space weather phenomena by supporting actions to improve
space weather forecasts and predictions including: sustaining
and enhancing critical observations, identifying research
needs and promoting opportunities for research-to-operations
and operations-to-research collaborations both within and
outside of the Federal Government, advancing space weather
models, engaging with all sectors of the space weather
community, including academia, the commercial sector, and
international partners, and understanding the needs of space
weather end users.
(b) Amendment to Title 51, United States Code.--Subtitle VI
of title 51, United States Code, is amended by adding after
chapter 605 the following:
[[Page S4510]]
``CHAPTER 606--SPACE WEATHER
``Sec.
``60601. Space weather.
``60602. Integrated strategy.
``60603. Sustaining and advancing critical space weather observations.
``60604. Research activities.
``60605. Space weather data.
``60606. Space weather knowledge transfer and information exchange.
``60607. Pilot program for obtaining commercial sector space weather
data.
``60608. Space weather benchmarks.
``Sec. 60601. Space weather
``(a) Findings.--
``(1) Space weather.--Congress makes the following findings
with respect to space weather:
``(A) Space weather phenomena pose a significant threat to
ground-based and space-based critical infrastructure, modern
technological systems, and humans working in space.
``(B) The effects of severe space weather on the electric
power grid, satellites and satellite communications and
information, aviation operations, astronauts living and
working in space, and space-based position, navigation, and
timing systems could have significant societal, economic,
national security, and health impacts.
``(C) Space-based and ground-based observations provide
crucial data necessary to understand, forecast, and prepare
for space weather phenomena.
``(D) Clear roles and accountability of Federal departments
and agencies are critical for efficient and effective
response to threats posed by space weather.
``(E) Space weather observation and forecasting are
essential for the success of human and robotic space
exploration.
``(F) In October 2015, the National Science and Technology
Council published a National Space Weather Strategy and a
National Space Weather Action Plan seeking to integrate
national space weather efforts and add new capabilities to
meet increasing demand for space weather information.
``(G) In March 2019, the National Science and Technology
Council published an updated National Space Weather Strategy
and Action Plan to enhance the preparedness and resilience of
the United States to space weather.
``(2) Role of federal agencies.--Congress makes the
following findings with respect to the role of Federal
agencies on space weather:
``(A) The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
provides operational space weather monitoring, forecasting,
and long-term data archiving and access for civil
applications, maintains ground-based and space-based assets
to provide observations needed for space weather forecasting,
prediction, and warnings, provides research to support
operational responsibilities, and develops requirements for
space weather forecasting technologies and science.
``(B) The Department of Defense provides operational space
weather research, monitoring, and forecasting for the
Department's unique missions and applications.
``(C) The National Aeronautics and Space Administration
provides increased understanding of the fundamental physics
of the Sun-Earth system through basic research, space-based
observations and modeling, developing new space-based
technologies and missions, and monitoring of space weather
for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration's space
missions.
``(D) The National Science Foundation provides increased
understanding of the Sun-Earth system through ground-based
measurements, technologies, and modeling.
``(E) The Department of the Interior collects, distributes,
and archives operational ground-based magnetometer data in
the United States and its territories, works with the
international community to improve global geophysical
monitoring, and develops crustal conductivity models to
assess and mitigate risks from space weather-induced electric
ground currents.
``(F) The Federal Aviation Administration provides
operational requirements for space weather services in
support of aviation and for coordination of these
requirements with the International Civil Aviation
Organization, and integrates space weather data and products
into the Next Generation Air Transportation System.
``(b) Coordination by Office of Science and Technology
Policy.--The Director of the Office of Science and Technology
Policy shall--
``(1) coordinate the development and implementation of
Federal Government activities conducted with respect to space
weather to improve the ability of the United States to
prepare for, avoid, mitigate, respond to, and recover from
potentially devastating impacts of space weather; and
``(2) coordinate the activities of the interagency working
group on space weather established under subsection (c).
``(c) Space Weather Interagency Working Group.--Not later
than 90 days after the date of enactment of the PROSWIFT Act,
the National Science and Technology Council shall establish
an interagency working group on space weather (in this
chapter referred to as the `interagency working group') to
coordinate executive branch actions that improve the
understanding and prediction of and preparation for space
weather phenomena, and coordinate Federal space weather
activities.
``(1) Membership.--The following entities shall be members
of the interagency working group:
``(A) The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
``(B) The National Aeronautics and Space Administration.
``(C) The National Science Foundation.
``(D) The Department of Defense.
``(E) The Department of the Interior.
``(F) Such other Federal agencies as the Director of the
Office of Science and Technology Policy deems appropriate.
``(2) Interagency agreements.--
``(A) The members of the interagency working group may
enter into one or more interagency agreements providing for
cooperation and collaboration in the development of space
weather spacecraft, instruments, technologies, and research
to operations and operations to research in accordance with
this chapter.
``(B) The Administrator of the National Aeronautics and
Space Administration and the Administrator of the National
Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration shall enter into one
or more interagency agreements providing for cooperation and
collaboration in the development of space weather spacecraft,
instruments, and technologies in accordance with this
chapter.
``(3) International, academic community, and commercial
sector collaboration.--Each Federal agency participating in
the space weather interagency working group established under
this subsection shall, to the extent practicable, increase
engagement and cooperation with the international community,
academic community, and commercial space weather sector on
the observational infrastructure, data, and scientific
research necessary to advance the monitoring, forecasting,
and prediction of, preparation for, and protection from,
space weather phenomena.
``(d) Space Weather Advisory Group.--
``(1) In general.--
``(A) Establishment.--Not later than 180 days after the
date of the enactment of the PROSWIFT Act, the Administrator
of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, in
consultation with other relevant Federal agencies, shall
establish a space weather advisory group (in this chapter
referred to as the `advisory group') for the purposes of
receiving advice from the academic community, the commercial
space weather sector, and space weather end users that
informs the interests and work of the interagency working
group.
``(B) Composition.--The advisory group shall be composed of
not more than 15 members appointed by the interagency working
group, of whom--
``(i) 5 members shall be representatives of the academic
community;
``(ii) 5 members shall be representatives of the commercial
space weather sector; and
``(iii) 5 members shall be nongovernmental representatives
of the space weather end user community.
``(C) Chair.--Not later than 30 days after the date on
which the last member of the advisory group is appointed
under subparagraph (B), the Administrator of the National
Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration shall appoint 1 member
as the Chair of the advisory group.
``(D) Terms.--The length of the term of each member of the
advisory group shall be 3 years beginning on the date on
which the member is appointed.
``(E) Term limits.--
``(i) In general.--A member of the advisory group may not
serve on the advisory group for more than 2 consecutive
terms.
``(ii) Chair.--A member of the advisory group may not serve
as the Chair of the advisory group for more than 2 terms,
regardless of whether the terms are consecutive.
``(2) Duties.--The advisory group shall advise the
interagency working group on the following:
``(A) Facilitating advances in the space weather enterprise
of the United States.
``(B) Improving the ability of the United States to prepare
for, mitigate, respond to, and recover from space weather
phenomena.
``(C) Enabling the coordination and facilitation of
research to operations and operations to research, as
described in section 60604(d).
``(D) Developing and implementing the integrated strategy
under section 60602 including subsequent updates and
reevaluations.
``(3) User survey.--
``(A) In general.--Not later than 180 days after the
establishment of the advisory group, the advisory group shall
conduct a comprehensive survey of the needs of users of space
weather products to identify the space weather research,
observations, forecasting, prediction, and modeling advances
required to improve space weather products.
``(B) Survey considerations.--The survey conducted under
subparagraph (A) shall--
``(i) assess the adequacy of current Federal Government
goals for lead time, accuracy, coverage, timeliness, data
rate, and data quality for space weather observations and
forecasting;
``(ii) identify options and methods to, in consultation
with the academic community and the commercial space weather
sector, improve upon the advancement of the goals described
in clause (i);
``(iii) identify opportunities for collection of new data
to address the needs of the space weather user community;
``(iv) identify methods to increase coordination of space
weather research to operations and operations to research;
[[Page S4511]]
``(v) identify opportunities for new technologies,
research, and instrumentation to aid in research,
understanding, monitoring, modeling, prediction, forecasting,
and warning of space weather; and
``(vi) identify methods and technologies to improve
preparedness for potential space weather phenomena.
``(C) Coordination with agencies.--In carrying out the
requirements of this subsection, the advisory group shall
communicate and coordinate with the interagency working group
to ensure the needs of the governmental space weather user
community are adequately and appropriately identified by the
survey under subparagraph (A).
``(D) Briefing to congress.--Not later than 30 days after
the completion of the survey under subparagraph (A), the
advisory group shall provide 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 briefing on the results of the survey under
subparagraph (A).
``(E) Publication.--Within 30 days of the briefing to
Congress, the advisory group shall make the results of the
survey under subparagraph (A) publicly available.
``(F) Reevaluation.--The advisory group shall review and
assess the survey under subparagraph (A) not less than every
3 years and update, resubmit, and republish the survey in
accordance with the requirements of subparagraphs (D) and
(E).
``(4) Federal advisory committee act.--Section 14 of the
Federal Advisory Committee Act (5 U.S.C. App.) shall not
apply to the advisory group.
``Sec. 60602. Integrated strategy
``(a) In General.--The Director of the Office of Science
and Technology Policy, in collaboration with the interagency
working group and upon the advice of the advisory group,
shall develop a strategy for coordinated observation of space
weather among members of the interagency working group (in
this chapter, referred to as the `integrated strategy'). The
integrated strategy shall identify--
``(1) observations and measurements that must be sustained
beyond the lifetime of current ground-based and space-based
assets, as described under section 60603, that are essential
for space weather research, models, forecasting, and
prediction;
``(2) new observations and measurements that may
significantly improve space weather forecasting and
prediction; and
``(3) plans for follow-on space-based observations under
section 60603.
``(b) Considerations.--In developing the integrated
strategy in subsection (a), the Director of the Office of
Science and Technology Policy shall consider, as appropriate,
the following:
``(1) Potential contributions of commercial solutions,
prize authority, academic and international partnerships,
microsatellites, small satellite options, ground-based
instruments, and hosted payloads for observations identified
in section 60602(a)(2).
``(2) Work conducted before the date of enactment of the
PROSWIFT Act by the National Science and Technology Council
with respect to space weather.
``(3) The survey under section 60601(d).
``(4) Any relevant recommendations from the most recent
National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine
Decadal Survey for Solar and Space Physics (Heliophysics).
``(c) Review of Integrated Strategy.--
``(1) Review.--The Administrator of the National
Aeronautics and Space Administration and the Administrator of
the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, in
consultation with Federal agencies participating in the
interagency working group, shall enter into an agreement with
the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine
to review the integrated strategy developed in this section.
``(2) Considerations.--The review from paragraph (1) shall
also consider the current state, capability, and feasibility
of the commercial space weather sector to provide new and
supplemental observations and measurements that may
significantly improve space weather forecasting and
prediction.
``(3) Transmittal.--The Director of the Office of Science
and Technology Policy, the Administrator of the National
Aeronautics and Space Administration, and the Administrator
of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration shall
transmit the integrated strategy and the results of the
review required under paragraph (1) to the Committee on
Science, Space, and Technology of the House of
Representatives and the Committee on Commerce, Science, and
Transportation of the Senate not later than 1 year after the
date of the completion of the survey under section
60601(d)(3). The integrated strategy and its review shall be
made publicly available within 30 days of submittal to
Congress.
``(d) Implementation Plan.--Not later than 180 days after
delivery of the review of the integrated strategy in
subsection (c)(3), the interagency working group shall
develop a plan to implement the integrated strategy,
including an estimate of the cost and schedule required for
implementation. Upon completion, the interagency working
group shall submit the implementation plan to the Committees
on Science, Space, and Technology and Armed Services of the
House of Representatives and the Committees on Commerce,
Science, and Transportation and Armed Services of the Senate.
The implementation plan shall be made publicly available
within 30 days of submittal to Congress.
``(e) Reevaluation.--The Director, in collaboration with
the interagency working group, shall update the integrated
strategy not later than 1 year after the reevaluation of the
user survey from section 60601(d)(3)(F) in accordance with
the requirements of subsections (a) through (d).
``Sec. 60603. Sustaining and advancing critical space weather
observations
``(a) Policy.--It is the policy of the United States to--
``(1) establish and sustain a baseline capability for space
weather observations and to make such observations and data
publicly available; and
``(2) obtain enhanced space weather observations, as
practicable, to advance forecasting and prediction
capability, as informed by the integrated strategy in section
60602.
``(b) Sustaining Baseline Space-based Observational
Capabilities.--
``(1) The Administrator of the National Aeronautics and
Space Administration shall, in cooperation with the European
Space Agency and other international and interagency
partners, maintain operations of the Solar and Heliospheric
Observatory/Large Angle and Spectrometric Coronagraph
(referred to in this section as `SOHO/LASCO') for as long as
the satellite continues to deliver quality observations.
``(2) The Administrator of the National Aeronautics and
Space Administration shall prioritize the reception of SOHO/
LASCO data.
``(3) The Administrator of the National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration shall maintain, for as long as is
practicable, operations of current space-based observational
assets, including but not limited to the Geostationary
Operational Environmental Satellites system, and the Deep
Space Climate Observatory.
``(c) Backup Space-based Observational Capability.--The
Administrator of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration, in coordination with the Secretary of Defense
and the Administrator of the National Aeronautics and Space
Administration, shall work with Federal and international
partners in order to secure reliable backup baseline
capability for near real-time coronal mass ejection imagery,
solar wind, solar imaging, coronal imagery, and other
relevant observations required to provide space weather
forecasts.
``(d) SOHO/LASCO Operational Contingency Plan.--The
Administrator of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration shall develop an operational contingency plan
to provide continuous space weather forecasting in the event
of an unexpected SOHO/LASCO failure, and prior to the
implementation of the backup space-based baseline
observational capability in section 60603(c).
``(e) Briefing.--Not later than 120 days after the date of
enactment of the PROSWIFT Act, the Administrator of the
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration shall provide
a briefing to the Committee on Science, Space, and Technology
of the House of Representatives and the Committee on
Commerce, Science, and Transportation of the Senate on the
plan to secure reliable backup baseline capability described
in subsection (c) and the SOHO/LASCO operational contingency
plan developed under subsection (d).
``(f) Sustaining Ground-based Observational Capability.--
The Director of the National Science Foundation, the Director
of the United States Geological Survey, the Secretary of the
Air Force, and, as practicable in support of the Air Force,
the Secretary of the Navy, shall each--
``(1) maintain and improve ground-based observations of the
Sun, as necessary and advisable, to help meet the needs
identified in the survey under section 60601(d)(3); and
``(2) continue to provide space weather data through
ground-based facilities, including radars, lidars,
magnetometers, neutron monitors, radio receivers, aurora and
airglow imagers, spectrometers, interferometers, and solar
observatories.
``(g) Considerations.--In implementing subsections (b),
(c), and (d), the Administrators of the National Aeronautics
and Space Administration and the National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration, the Directors of the National
Science Foundation and United States Geological Survey, and
the Secretaries of the Air Force and the Navy shall
prioritize cost-effective and reliable solutions.
``(h) Ground-based Observational Data.--The Director of the
National Science Foundation shall--
``(1) make available to the public key data streams from
the platforms and facilities described in subsection (d) for
research and to support space weather model development;
``(2) develop experimental models for scientific purposes;
and
``(3) support the transition of the experimental models to
operations where appropriate.
``(i) Enhanced Space-based Observations.--The Administrator
of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, in
coordination with the Secretary of Defense, should develop
options to build and deploy space-based observational
capabilities, beyond the baseline capabilities referenced in
subsection (b), that may improve space weather measurements
and observations. These supplemental observational
capabilities could include commercial solutions,
[[Page S4512]]
prize authority, academic partnerships, microsatellites,
ground-based instruments, and opportunities to deploy the
instrument or instruments as a secondary payload on an
upcoming planned launch.
``Sec. 60604. Research activities
``(a) Basic Research.--The Director of the National Science
Foundation, the Administrator of the National Aeronautics and
Space Administration, and the Secretary of Defense, shall--
``(1) continue to carry out basic research on heliophysics,
geospace science, and space weather; and
``(2) support competitive, peer-reviewed proposals for
conducting research, advancing modeling, and monitoring of
space weather and its impacts, including the science goals
outlined in decadal surveys in solar and space physics
conducted by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering,
and Medicine.
``(b) Multidisciplinary Research.--
``(1) Findings.--Congress finds that the multidisciplinary
nature of solar and space physics creates funding challenges
that require coordination across scientific disciplines and
Federal agencies.
``(2) Sense of congress.--It is the sense of Congress that
science centers could coordinate multidisciplinary solar and
space physics research. The Administrator of the National
Aeronautics and Space Administration and Director of the
National Science Foundation should support competitively
awarded grants for multidisciplinary science centers that
advance solar and space physics research, including research-
to-operations and operations-to-research processes.
``(3) Multidisciplinary research.--The Director of the
National Science Foundation, the Administrator of the
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and the
Administrator of the National Aeronautics and Space
Administration, shall each pursue multidisciplinary research
in subjects that further the understanding of solar physics,
space physics, and space weather.
``(c) Science Missions.--The Administrator of the National
Aeronautics and Space Administration should implement
missions that meet the science objectives identified in solar
and space physics decadal surveys conducted by the National
Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine.
``(d) Research to Operations; Operations to Research.--The
interagency working group shall, upon consideration of the
advice of the advisory group, develop formal mechanisms to--
``(1) transition the space weather research findings,
models, and capabilities of the National Aeronautics and
Space Administration, the National Science Foundation, the
United States Geological Survey, and other relevant Federal
agencies, as appropriate, to the National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration and the Department of Defense;
``(2) enhance coordination between research modeling
centers and forecasting centers; and
``(3) communicate the operational needs of space weather
forecasters of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration and Department of Defense, as appropriate, to
the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, the
National Science Foundation, and the United States Geological
Survey.
``Sec. 60605. Space weather data
``(a) In General.--The Administrator of the National
Aeronautics and Space Administration and the Director of the
National Science Foundation shall continue to--
``(1) make space weather-related data obtained for
scientific research purposes available to space weather
forecasters and operations centers; and
``(2) support model development and model applications to
space weather forecasting.
``(b) Research.--The Administrator of the National Oceanic
and Atmospheric Administration shall make space weather-
related data obtained from operational forecasting available
for research.
``Sec. 60606. Space weather knowledge transfer and
information exchange
``Not later than 180 days after the date of enactment of
the PROSWIFT Act, the Administrator of the National Oceanic
and Atmospheric Administration, in collaboration with the
Administrator of the National Aeronautics and Space
Administration and the Director of the National Science
Foundation, shall enter into an arrangement with the National
Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine to establish
a Space Weather Government-Academic-Commercial Roundtable to
facilitate communication and knowledge transfer among
Government participants in the space weather interagency
working group established under section 60601(c), the
academic community, and the commercial space weather sector
to--
``(1) facilitate advances in space weather prediction and
forecasting;
``(2) increase coordination of space weather research to
operations and operations to research; and
``(3) improve preparedness for potential space weather
phenomena.
``Sec. 60607. Pilot program for obtaining commercial sector
space weather data
``(a) Establishment.--Not later than 12 months after the
date of enactment of the PROSWIFT Act, the Administrator of
the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration may
establish a pilot program under which the Administrator will
offer to enter into contracts with one or more entities in
the commercial space weather sector for the provision to the
Administrator of space weather data generated by such an
entity that meets the standards and specifications published
under subsection (b).
``(b) Data Standard and Specifications.--Not later than 18
months after the date of enactment of the PROSWIFT Act, the
Administrator of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration, in consultation with the Secretary of
Defense, may publish standards and specifications for ground-
based, ocean-based, air-based, and space-based commercial
space weather data and metadata.
``(c) Contracts.--
``(1) In general.--Within 12 months after the date of
transmission of the review of the integrated strategy to
Congress under section 60602(c)(3) and taking into account
the results of the review, the Administrator of the National
Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration may offer to enter,
through an open competition, into at least one contract with
one or more commercial space weather sector entities capable
of providing space weather data that--
``(A) meets the standards and specifications established
for providing such data under subsection (b); and
``(B) is provided in a manner that allows the Administrator
of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to
calibrate and evaluate the data for use in space weather
research and forecasting models of the National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration, the Department of Defense, or
both.
``(2) Assessment.--If one or more contract is entered into
under paragraph (1), not later than 4 years after the date of
enactment of the PROSWIFT Act, the Administrator of the
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration shall assess,
and submit to the Committees on Science, Space, and
Technology and Armed Services of the House of Representatives
and the Committees on Commerce, Science, and Transportation
and Armed Services of the Senate, a report on the extent to
which the pilot program has demonstrated data provided under
contracts described in paragraph (1) meet the standards and
specifications established under subsection (b) and the
extent to which the pilot program has demonstrated--
``(A) the viability of assimilating the commercially
provided data into National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration space weather research and forecasting models;
``(B) whether, and by how much, the data so provided add
value to space weather forecasts of the National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration and the Department of Defense; and
``(C) the accuracy, quality, timeliness, validity,
reliability, usability, information technology security, and
cost-effectiveness of obtaining commercial space weather data
from commercial sector providers.
``Sec. 60608. Space weather benchmarks
``The interagency working group established under section
60601(c) shall periodically review and update the benchmarks
described in the report of the National Science and
Technology Council entitled `Space Weather Phase 1
Benchmarks' and dated June 2018, as necessary, based on--
``(1) any significant new data or advances in scientific
understanding that become available; or
``(2) the evolving needs of entities impacted by space
weather phenomena.''.
(c) Technical and Conforming Amendments.--
(1) The table of chapters of title 51, United States Code,
is amended by adding after the item relating to chapter 605
the following:
``606. Space Weather.......................................60601''.....
(2) Section 809 of the National Aeronautics and Space
Administration Authorization Act of 2010 (42 U.S.C. 18388)
and the item relating to that section in the table of
contents under section 1(b) of that Act (Public Law 111-267;
124 Stat. 2806) are repealed.
____________________