[Congressional Record Volume 168, Number 192 (Monday, December 12, 2022)]
[House]
[Pages H9653-H9658]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
FLOOD LEVEL OBSERVATION, OPERATIONS, AND DECISION SUPPORT ACT
Mr. BEYER. Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the
bill (S. 558) to establish a national integrated flood information
system within the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and
for other purposes.
The Clerk read the title of the bill.
The text of the bill is as follows:
S. 558
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of
the United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE; TABLE OF CONTENTS.
(a) Short Title.--This Act may be cited as the ``Flood
Level Observation, Operations, and Decision Support Act'' or
the ``FLOODS Act''.
(b) Table of Contents.--The table of contents for this Act
is as follows:
Sec. 1. Short title; table of contents.
Sec. 2. Definitions.
Sec. 3. National Integrated Flood Information System.
Sec. 4. Observations and modeling for total water prediction.
Sec. 5. Service coordination hydrologists at River Forecast Centers of
the National Weather Service.
Sec. 6. Improving National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
communication of future flood risks and hazardous flash
flood events.
Sec. 7. Freshwater monitoring along the coast.
Sec. 8. Tornado warning improvement.
Sec. 9. Hurricane forecast improvement program.
Sec. 10. Weather and water research and development planning.
Sec. 11. Forecast communication coordinators.
Sec. 12. Estimates of precipitation frequency in the United States.
Sec. 13. Interagency Committee on Water Management and Infrastructure.
Sec. 14. National Weather Service hydrologic research fellowship
program.
Sec. 15. Identification and support of consistent, Federal set of
forward-looking, long-term meteorological information.
Sec. 16. Gap analysis on availability of snow-related data to assess
and predict flood and flood impacts.
Sec. 17. Availability to the public of flood-related data.
SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS.
In this Act:
(1) Administrator.--The term ``Administrator'' means the
Administrator of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration.
(2) State.--The term ``State'' means each State of the
United States, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of
Puerto Rico, American Samoa, Guam, the Commonwealth of the
Northern Mariana Islands, the Virgin Islands of the United
States, and any other territory or possession of the United
States.
SEC. 3. NATIONAL INTEGRATED FLOOD INFORMATION SYSTEM.
(a) In General.--The Administrator shall establish a
system, to be known as the ``National Integrated Flood
Information System'', to better inform and provide for more
timely decision making to reduce flood-related effects and
costs.
(b) System Functions.--The Administrator, through the
National Integrated Flood Information System, shall--
(1) provide an effective flood early warning system that--
(A) collects and integrates information on the key
indicators of floods and flood impacts, including streamflow,
reservoir release and diversion, precipitation, soil
moisture, snow water equivalent, land cover, and evaporative
demand;
(B) makes usable, reliable, and timely forecasts of floods;
(C) assesses the severity of flood conditions and effects;
(D) provides information described in subparagraph (A),
forecasts described in subparagraph (B), and assessments
described in subparagraph (C) at the national, regional, and
local levels, as appropriate; and
(E) communicates flood forecasts, flood conditions, and
flood impacts to appropriate entities engaged in flood
planning, preparedness, and response and post-event flood
extent, including--
(i) decision makers at the Federal, State, local, and
Tribal levels of government; and
(ii) the public;
(2) provide timely data, information, and products that
reflect differences in flood conditions among localities,
regions, watersheds, and States;
(3) coordinate and integrate, through interagency
agreements as practicable, Federal research and monitoring in
support of the flood early warning information system
provided under paragraph (1);
(4) use existing forecasting and assessment programs and
partnerships;
(5) make improvements in seasonal precipitation and
temperature, subseasonal precipitation and temperature, and
flood water prediction; and
(6) continue ongoing research and monitoring activities
relating to floods, including research activities relating
to--
(A) the prediction, length, severity, and impacts of floods
and improvement of the accuracy, timing, and specificity of
flash flood warnings;
(B) the role of extreme weather events and climate
variability in floods; and
(C) how water travels over and through surfaces.
(c) Partnerships.--The Administrator, through the National
Integrated Flood Information System, may--
(1) engage with the private sector to improve flood
monitoring, forecasts, land and topography data, and
communication, if the Administrator determines that such
engagement is appropriate, cost effective, and beneficial to
the public and decision makers described in subsection
(b)(1)(E)(i);
(2) facilitate the development of 1 or more academic
cooperative partnerships to assist in carrying out the
functions of the National
[[Page H9654]]
Integrated Flood Information System described in subsection
(b);
(3) use and support monitoring by citizen scientists,
including by developing best practices to facilitate maximum
data integration, as the Administrator considers appropriate;
(4) engage with, and leverage the resources of, entities
within the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration in
existence as of the date of the enactment of this Act, such
as the National Weather Service with respect to forecast and
warning functions, the National Integrated Drought
Information System, the Regional Climate Center, and the
National Mesonet Program, to improve coordination of water
monitoring, forecasting, and management; and
(5) engage with and support water monitoring by the United
States Geological Survey--
(A) to improve the availability and continuity of
streamflow data at critical locations through the deployment
of rapid deployment gages and the flood-hardening of at-risk
streamflow gauges; and
(B) to increase storm surge monitoring data through the
deployment of additional storm surge sensors.
(d) Consultation.--In developing and maintaining the
National Integrated Flood Information System, the
Administrator shall consult with relevant Federal, State,
local, and Tribal government agencies, research institutions,
and the private sector.
(e) Cooperation From Other Federal Agencies.--Each Federal
agency shall cooperate as appropriate with the Administrator
in carrying out this section.
SEC. 4. OBSERVATIONS AND MODELING FOR TOTAL WATER PREDICTION.
(a) Partnerships.--
(1) In general.--The Administrator shall establish
partnerships with 1 or more institutions of higher education
(as defined in section 101 of the Higher Education Act of
1965 (20 U.S.C. 1001)) to evaluate observations that would
improve total water prediction.
(2) Priority observations.--In establishing partnerships
under paragraph (1), the Administrator shall prioritize
partnerships to evaluate observations from uncrewed aerial
systems.
(b) Maintained Observations.--If the Administrator
determines that incorporating additional observations
improves total water prediction, the Administrator shall, to
the extent practicable, continue incorporating those
observations.
(c) Modeling Improvements.--The Administrator shall advance
geographic coverage, resolution, skill, and efficiency of
coastal oceanographic modeling, including efforts that
improve the coupling of and interoperability between
hydrological models and coastal ocean models.
SEC. 5. SERVICE COORDINATION HYDROLOGISTS AT RIVER FORECAST
CENTERS OF THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE.
(a) Designation of Service Coordination Hydrologists.--
(1) In general.--The Director of the National Weather
Service (in this section referred to as the ``Director'')
shall designate at least 1 service coordination hydrologist
at each River Forecast Center of the National Weather
Service.
(2) Performance by other employees.--Performance of the
responsibilities outlined in this section is not limited to
the service coordination hydrologist position.
(b) Primary Role of Service Coordination Hydrologists.--The
primary role of the service coordination hydrologist shall be
to carry out the responsibilities required by this section.
(c) Responsibilities.--
(1) In general.--Subject to paragraph (2), consistent with
the analysis described in section 409 of the Weather Research
and Forecasting Innovation Act of 2017 (Public Law 115-25;
131 Stat. 112), and in order to increase impact-based
decision support services, each service coordination
hydrologist designated under subsection (a) shall, with
respect to hydrology--
(A) be responsible for providing service to the geographic
area of responsibility covered by the River Forecast Center
at which the service coordination hydrologist is employed to
help ensure that users of products and services of the
National Weather Service can respond effectively to improve
outcomes from flood events;
(B) liaise with users of products and services of the
National Weather Service, such as the public, academia, media
outlets, users in the hydropower, transportation, recreation,
and agricultural communities, and forestry, land, fisheries,
and water management interests, to evaluate the adequacy and
usefulness of the products and services of the National
Weather Service;
(C) collaborate with such River Forecast Centers and
Weather Forecast Offices and Federal, State, local, and
Tribal government agencies as the Director considers
appropriate in developing, proposing, and implementing plans
to develop, modify, or tailor products and services of the
National Weather Service to improve the usefulness of such
products and services;
(D) engage in interagency partnerships with Federal, State,
local, and Tribal government agencies to explore the use of
forecast-informed reservoir operations to reduce flood risk;
(E) ensure the maintenance and accuracy of flooding call
lists, appropriate office flooding policy or procedures, and
other flooding information or dissemination methodologies or
strategies; and
(F) work closely with Federal, State, local, and Tribal
emergency and floodplain management agencies, and other
agencies relating to disaster management, to ensure a
planned, coordinated, and effective preparedness and response
effort.
(2) Other staff.--The Director may assign a responsibility
set forth in paragraph (1) to such other staff as the
Director considers appropriate to carry out such
responsibility.
(d) Additional Responsibilities.--
(1) In general.--Subject to paragraph (2), a service
coordination hydrologist designated under subsection (a) may,
with respect to hydrology--
(A) work with a State agency to develop plans for promoting
more effective use of products and services of the National
Weather Service throughout the State;
(B) identify priority community preparedness objectives;
(C) develop plans to meet the objectives identified under
subparagraph (B); and
(D) conduct flooding event preparedness planning and
citizen education efforts with and through various State,
local, and Tribal government agencies and other disaster
management-related organizations.
(2) Other staff.--The Director may assign a responsibility
set forth in paragraph (1) to such other staff as the
Director considers appropriate to carry out such
responsibility.
SEC. 6. IMPROVING NATIONAL OCEANIC AND ATMOSPHERIC
ADMINISTRATION COMMUNICATION OF FUTURE FLOOD
RISKS AND HAZARDOUS FLASH FLOOD EVENTS.
(a) Assessment of Flash Flood Watches and Warnings.--
(1) In general.--Not later than 2 years after the date of
the enactment of this Act, the Administrator shall--
(A) conduct an assessment of--
(i) the flash flood watches and warnings of the National
Weather Service; and
(ii) the information delivery to support preparation and
responses to floods; and
(B) submit to Congress a report on the findings of the
Administrator with respect to the assessment required by
subparagraph (A).
(2) Elements.--The assessment required by paragraph (1)(A)
shall include the following:
(A) An evaluation of whether the watches, warnings, and
information described in paragraph (1)(A) effectively--
(i) communicate risk to the general public;
(ii) inform action to prevent loss of life and property;
(iii) inform action to support flood preparation and
response; and
(iv) deliver information in a manner designed to lead to
appropriate action.
(B) Subject to subsection (b)(2), such recommendations as
the Administrator may have for--
(i) legislative and administrative action to improve the
watches and warnings described in paragraph (1)(A)(i); and
(ii) such research as the Administrator considers necessary
to address the focus areas described in paragraph (3).
(3) Focus areas.--The assessment required by paragraph
(1)(A) shall focus on the following areas:
(A) Ways to communicate the risks posed by hazardous flash
flood events to the public that are most likely to result in
informed decision making regarding the mitigation of those
risks.
(B) Ways to provide actionable geographic information to
the recipient of a watch or warning for a flash flood,
including partnering with emergency response agencies, as
appropriate.
(C) Evaluation of information delivery to support the
preparation for and response to floods.
(4) Consultation.--In conducting the assessment required by
paragraph (1)(A), the Administrator shall consult with--
(A) individuals in the academic sector, including
individuals in the field of social and behavioral sciences;
(B) other weather services;
(C) media outlets and other entities that distribute the
watches and warnings described in paragraph (1)(A)(i);
(D) floodplain managers and emergency planners and
responders, including State, local, and Tribal emergency
management agencies;
(E) other government users of the watches and warnings
described in paragraph (1)(A)(i), including the Federal
Highway Administration; and
(F) such other Federal agencies as the Administrator
determines rely on watches and warnings regarding flash
floods for operational decisions.
(5) National academy of sciences.--The Administrator shall
engage with the National Academy of Sciences, as the
Administrator considers necessary and practicable, including
by contracting with the National Research Council to review
the scientific and technical soundness of the assessment
required by paragraph (1)(A), including the recommendations
under paragraph (2)(B).
(6) Methodologies.--In conducting the assessment required
by paragraph (1)(A), the Administrator shall use such
methodologies as the Administrator considers are generally
accepted by the weather enterprise, including social and
behavioral sciences.
(b) Improvements to Flash Flood Watches and Warnings.--
(1) In general.--Based on the assessment required by
subsection (a)(1)(A), the Administrator shall make such
improvements to the watches and warnings described in that
subsection as the Administrator considers necessary--
[[Page H9655]]
(A) to improve the communication of the risks posed by
hazardous flash flood events; and
(B) to provide actionable geographic information to the
recipient of a watch or warning for a flash flood.
(2) Requirements regarding recommendations.--In conducting
the assessment required by subsection (a)(1)(A), the
Administrator shall ensure that any recommendation under
subsection (a)(2)(B) that the Administrator considers a major
change--
(A) is validated by social and behavioral science using a
generalizable sample;
(B) accounts for the needs of various demographics,
vulnerable populations, and geographic regions;
(C) responds to the needs of Federal, State, local, and
Tribal government partners and media partners; and
(D) accounts for necessary changes to federally operated
watch and warning propagation and dissemination
infrastructure and protocols.
(c) Definitions.--In this section:
(1) Watch; warning.--
(A) In general.--Except as provided in subparagraph (B),
the terms ``watch'' and ``warning'', with respect to a
hazardous flash flood event, mean products issued by the
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, intended for
use by the general public--
(i) to alert the general public to the potential for or
presence of the event; and
(ii) to inform action to prevent loss of life and property.
(B) Exclusion.--The terms ``watch'' and ``warning'' do not
include technical or specialized meteorological and
hydrological forecasts, outlooks, or model guidance products.
(2) Weather enterprise.--The term ``weather enterprise''
has the meaning given that term in section 2 of the Weather
Research and Forecasting Innovation Act of 2017 (15 U.S.C.
8501).
SEC. 7. FRESHWATER MONITORING ALONG THE COAST.
(a) Data Availability Assessment.--The Administrator shall
assess the availability of short- and long-term data on
large-scale freshwater flooding into oceans, bays, and
estuaries, including data on--
(1) flow rate, including discharge;
(2) conductivity;
(3) oxygen concentration;
(4) nutrient load;
(5) water temperature; and
(6) sediment load.
(b) Data Needs Assessment.--The Administrator shall assess
the need for additional data to assess and predict the effect
of the flooding and freshwater discharge described in
subsection (a).
(c) Inventory of Data Needs.--Based on the assessments
required by subsections (a) and (b), the Administrator shall
create an inventory of data needs with respect to the
flooding and freshwater discharge described in subsections
(a) and (b).
(d) Planning.--In planning for the collection of additional
data necessary for ecosystem-based modeling of the effect of
the flooding and freshwater discharge described in
subsections (a) and (b), the Administrator shall use the
inventory created under subsection (c).
SEC. 8. TORNADO WARNING IMPROVEMENT.
Section 103 of the Weather Research and Forecasting
Innovation Act of 2017 (15 U.S.C. 8513) is amended--
(1) by redesignating subsections (c) and (d) as subsections
(d) and (e), respectively; and
(2) by inserting after subsection (b) the following:
``(c) Innovative Observations.--The Under Secretary shall
ensure that the program periodically examines the value of
incorporating innovative observations, such as acoustic or
infrasonic measurements, observations from phased array
radars, and observations from mesonets, with respect to the
improvement of tornado forecasts, predictions, and
warnings.''.
SEC. 9. HURRICANE FORECAST IMPROVEMENT PROGRAM.
Section 104(b) of the Weather Research and Forecasting
Innovation Act of 2017 (15 U.S.C. 8514(b)) is amended--
(1) in paragraph (2), by striking ``; and'' and inserting a
semicolon;
(2) in paragraph (3), by striking the period at the end and
inserting ``; and''; and
(3) by adding at the end the following:
``(4) evaluating and incorporating, as appropriate,
innovative observations, including acoustic or infrasonic
measurements.''.
SEC. 10. WEATHER AND WATER RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT PLANNING.
Section 105(2) of the Weather Research and Forecasting
Innovation Act of 2017 (15 U.S.C. 8515(2)) is amended by
inserting ``and flood-event'' after ``operational weather''.
SEC. 11. FORECAST COMMUNICATION COORDINATORS.
Section 1762(f)(1) of the Food Security Act of 1985 (15
U.S.C. 8521(f)(1)) is amended, in the second sentence, by
striking ``may'' and inserting ``shall''.
SEC. 12. ESTIMATES OF PRECIPITATION FREQUENCY IN THE UNITED
STATES.
(a) Definitions.--In this section:
(1) Freely associated states.--The term ``Freely Associated
States'' means the Republic of Palau, the Republic of the
Marshall Islands, and the Federated States of Micronesia,
which have each entered into a Compact of Free Association
with the United States.
(2) United states.--The term ``United States'' means the 50
States of the United States, the District of Columbia, the
Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, the United States Virgin
Islands, Guam, American Samoa, the Commonwealth of the
Northern Mariana Islands, and the Freely Associated States.
(b) In General.--The Administrator shall establish a
program, to be known as the ``NOAA Precipitation Frequency
Atlas of the United States'', to compile, estimate, analyze,
and communicate the frequency of precipitation in the United
States.
(c) Functions.--The NOAA Precipitation Frequency Atlas of
the United States--
(1) shall better inform the public and provide information
on--
(A) temporal and spatial distribution of heavy
precipitation;
(B) analyses of seasonality in precipitation; and
(C) trends in annual maximum series data; and
(2) may serve as the official source of the Federal
Government on estimates of precipitation frequency and
associated information with respect to the United States.
(d) Requirements.--
(1) Coverage.--The NOAA Precipitation Frequency Atlas of
the United States shall include such estimates of the
frequency of precipitation in the United States as the
Administrator determines appropriate.
(2) Frequency.--Such estimates--
(A) shall be conducted not less frequently than once every
10 years; and
(B) may be conducted more frequently if determined
appropriate by the Administrator.
(3) Publication.--Such estimates and methodologies used to
conduct such estimates shall be--
(A) subject to an appropriate, scientific process, as
determined by the Administrator; and
(B) published on a publicly accessible website of the
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
(e) Partnerships.--The Administrator may partner with other
Federal agencies, members of the private sector, academic
cooperative partnerships, or nongovernment associations to
assist in carrying out the functions described in subsection
(c).
(f) Consultation.--In carrying out this section, the
Administrator may consult with relevant Federal, State,
local, Tribal, and Territorial government agencies, research
institutions, and the private sector, as the Administrator
determines necessary.
(g) Coordination.--In carrying out this section, the
Administrator may coordinate with other Federal agencies.
(h) Authorization of Appropriations.--There are authorized
to be appropriated to carry out this section, from amounts
otherwise authorized to be appropriated to the Administrator
to carry out this Act, $3,500,000 for each of fiscal years
2022 through 2030.
SEC. 13. INTERAGENCY COMMITTEE ON WATER MANAGEMENT AND
INFRASTRUCTURE.
(a) Establishment.--There is established a committee, to be
known as the ``Interagency Committee on Water Management and
Infrastructure'' (in this section referred to as the ``Water
Policy Committee'').
(b) Membership.--The Water Policy Committee shall be
composed of the following members:
(1) The Administrator.
(2) The Secretary of the Interior.
(3) The Administrator of the Environmental Protection
Agency.
(4) The Secretary of Agriculture.
(5) The Secretary of Commerce.
(6) The Secretary of Energy.
(7) The Secretary of the Army.
(8) The heads of such other agencies as the co-chairs
consider appropriate.
(c) Co-Chairs.--The Water Policy Committee shall be co-
chaired by the Secretary of the Interior and the
Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency.
(d) Meetings.--The Water Policy Committee shall meet not
less frequently than 6 times each year, at the call of the
co-chairs.
(e) General Purpose and Duties.--The Water Policy Committee
shall ensure that agencies and departments across the Federal
Government that engage in water-related matters, including
water storage and supplies, water quality and restoration
activities, water infrastructure, transportation on United
States rivers and inland waterways, and water forecasting,
work together where such agencies and departments have joint
or overlapping responsibilities to--
(1) improve interagency coordination among Federal agencies
and departments on water resource management and water
infrastructure issues;
(2) coordinate existing water-related Federal task forces,
working groups, and other formal cross-agency initiatives, as
appropriate;
(3) prioritize managing the water resources of the United
States and promoting resilience of the water-related
infrastructure of the United States, including--
(A) increasing water storage, water supply reliability, and
drought resiliency;
(B) improving water quality, source water protection, and
nutrient management;
(C) promoting restoration activities;
(D) improving water systems, including with respect to
drinking water, desalination, water reuse, wastewater, and
flood control; and
(E) improving water data management, research, modeling,
and forecasting;
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(4) improve interagency coordination of data management,
access, modeling, and visualization with respect to water-
related matters;
(5) promote integrated planning for Federal investments in
water-related infrastructure to enhance coordination and
protect taxpayer investment; and
(6) support workforce development and efforts to recruit,
train, and retain professionals to operate and maintain
essential drinking water, wastewater, flood control,
hydropower, water delivery, and water storage facilities in
the United States.
(f) Cross-Agency Priority Research Needs.--Not later than 1
year after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Water
Policy Committee shall develop and submit to Congress a list
of research needs that includes needs for cross-agency
research and coordination.
SEC. 14. NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HYDROLOGIC RESEARCH
FELLOWSHIP PROGRAM.
(a) Definitions.--In this section:
(1) Assistant administrator.--The term ``Assistant
Administrator'' means the Assistant Administrator for Weather
Services of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration.
(2) Decision support services.--The term ``decision support
services'' means information, including data and refined
products, that supports water resources-related decision-
making processes.
(3) Institution of higher education.--The term
``institution of higher education'' has the meaning given
that term in section 101 of the Higher Education Act of 1965
(20 U.S.C. 1001).
(4) NOAA line offices.--The term ``NOAA line offices''
means the following offices of the National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration:
(A) The National Ocean Service.
(B) The National Environmental Satellite, Data, and
Information Service.
(C) The National Marine Fisheries Service.
(D) The Office of Oceanic and Atmospheric Research.
(E) The Office of Marine and Aviation Operations.
(b) Hydrologic Research Fellowship Program.--
(1) Establishment.--The Administrator shall establish a
hydrologic research fellowship program (in this section
referred to as the ``program'') for qualified individuals.
(2) Qualified individual.--For purposes of this section, a
qualified individual is an individual who is--
(A) a citizen of the United States; and
(B) enrolled in a research-based graduate program, at an
institution of higher education, in a field that advances the
research priorities developed by the Assistant Administrator
under paragraph (7), such as--
(i) hydrology;
(ii) earth sciences;
(iii) atmospheric sciences;
(iv) computer sciences;
(v) engineering;
(vi) environmental sciences;
(vii) geosciences;
(viii) urban planning; or
(ix) related social sciences.
(3) Award guidelines.--Fellowships under the program shall
be awarded pursuant to guidelines established by the
Assistant Administrator.
(4) Selection preference.--In selecting qualified
individuals for participation in the program, the Assistant
Administrator shall give preference to applicants from
historically Black colleges and universities and minority-
serving institutions.
(5) Placement.--The program shall support the placement of
qualified individuals in positions within the executive
branch of the Federal Government where such individuals can
address and advance the research priorities developed by the
Assistant Administrator under paragraph (7).
(6) Fellowship term.--A fellowship under the program shall
be for a period of up to 2 years.
(7) Fellowship research priorities.--The Assistant
Administrator, in consultation with representatives from the
NOAA line offices, the United States Geological Survey, the
Federal Emergency Management Agency, and the Army Corps of
Engineers, as appropriate, shall develop and publish
priorities for the conduct of research by fellows, which may
include the following:
(A) Advance the collaborative development of a flexible
community-based water resources modeling system.
(B) Apply artificial intelligence and machine learning
capabilities to advance existing hydrologic modeling
capabilities.
(C) Support the evolution and integration of hydrologic
modeling within an Earth Systems Modeling Framework.
(D) Improve visualizations of hydrologic model outputs.
(E) Advance the state of coupled freshwater and salt water
modeling and forecasting capabilities.
(F) Advance understanding and process representation of
water quality parameters.
(G) Advance the assimilation of in-situ and remotely sensed
observations and data.
(H) Support the integration of social science to advance
decision support services.
(I) Develop methods to study groundwater sustainability and
estimate the efficiency of recharge management.
(c) Direct Hiring.--
(1) Authority.--During fiscal year 2022 and any fiscal year
thereafter, the head of any Federal agency may appoint,
without regard to the provisions of subchapter I of chapter
33 of title 5, United States Code, other than sections 3303
and 3328 of that title, to a position with the Federal agency
a recipient of a fellowship under the program who--
(A) earned a degree from a program described in subsection
(b)(2)(B);
(B) successfully fulfilled the requirements of the
fellowship within the executive branch of the Federal
Government; and
(C) meets qualification standards established by the Office
of Personnel Management.
(2) Exercise of authority.--The direct hire authority
provided by this subsection shall be exercised with respect
to an individual described in paragraph (1) not later than 2
years after the date on which the individual completed the
fellowship under the program.
SEC. 15. IDENTIFICATION AND SUPPORT OF CONSISTENT, FEDERAL
SET OF FORWARD-LOOKING, LONG-TERM
METEOROLOGICAL INFORMATION.
(a) Definitions.--In this section:
(1) Extreme weather.--The term ``extreme weather'' includes
observed or anticipated severe and unseasonable atmospheric
conditions, including drought, heavy precipitation,
hurricanes, tornadoes and other windstorms (including
derechos), large hail, extreme heat, extreme cold, flooding,
sustained temperatures or precipitation that deviate
substantially from historical averages, and any other weather
event that the Administrator determines qualifies as extreme
weather.
(2) Long-term.--The term ``long-term'' shall have such
meaning as the Director of the National Institute of
Standards and Technology, in consultation with the
Administrator, considers appropriate for purposes of this
section.
(3) Other environmental trends.--The term ``other
environmental trends'' means wildfires, coastal flooding,
inland flooding, land subsidence, rising sea levels, and any
other challenges relating to changes in environmental systems
over time that the Administrator determines qualify as
environmental challenges other than extreme weather.
(b) Identification and Support of Consistent, Federal Set
of Forward-looking, Long-term Meteorological Information.--
The Administrator shall identify, and support research that
enables, a consistent, Federal set of forward-looking, long-
term meteorological information that models future extreme
weather events, other environmental trends, projections, and
up-to-date observations, including mesoscale information as
determined appropriate by the Administrator.
SEC. 16. GAP ANALYSIS ON AVAILABILITY OF SNOW-RELATED DATA TO
ASSESS AND PREDICT FLOOD AND FLOOD IMPACTS.
(a) In General.--The Administrator, in consultation with
the Department of Agriculture, the Department of the
Interior, and the Army Corps of Engineers, shall conduct an
analysis of gaps in the availability of snow-related data to
assess and predict floods and flood impacts, including data
on the following:
(1) Snow water equivalent.
(2) Snow depth.
(3) Snowpack temperature.
(4) Snow and mixed-phase precipitation.
(5) Snow melt.
(6) Rain-snow line.
(b) Report.--Not later than 180 days after the date of the
enactment of this Act, the Administrator shall submit to the
Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation of the
Senate and the Committee on Science, Space, and Technology of
the House of Representatives a report on--
(1) the findings of the gap analysis required by subsection
(a); and
(2) opportunities for additional collaboration among
Federal agencies to collect snow-related data to better
assess and predict floods and flood impacts.
SEC. 17. AVAILABILITY TO THE PUBLIC OF FLOOD-RELATED DATA.
(a) In General.--The Administrator shall make flood-related
data available to the public on the website of the National
Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
(b) Cost.--The Administrator may make the data under
subsection (a) freely accessible or available at a cost that
does not exceed the cost of preparing the data.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from
Virginia (Mr. Beyer) and the gentlewoman from Oklahoma (Mrs. Bice) each
will control 20 minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Virginia.
General Leave
Mr. BEYER. 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 S. 558, the bill now under
consideration.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the
gentleman from Virginia?
There was no objection.
Mr. BEYER. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Madam Speaker, I rise in support of S. 558, the Flood Level
Observation,
[[Page H9657]]
Operations, and Decision Support Act or FLOODS Act.
Flooding is the most common weather-related natural disaster in the
United States. It affects every State in the Nation, with 99 percent of
U.S. counties having experienced a flooding event in the last 25 years.
Unfortunately, climate change is predicted to increase the frequency
and severity of extreme weather events and sea level rise, which will,
in turn, increase flooding in the future.
This bill would establish a National Integrated Flood Information
System to coordinate and integrate flood research at the National
Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, or NOAA. The bill would
designate a service coordination hydrologist at each National Weather
Service River Forecast Center and would leverage existing work within
NOAA and through partnerships to improve timely decisionmaking. It
would improve observations and modeling for total water prediction
through partnerships with other Federal agencies and academia and
create a fellowship for graduate students in hydrologic fields to work
at Federal agencies. Additionally, this bill amends the Weather
Research and Forecasting Innovation Act to improve NOAA's tornado
warning and hurricane forecasting programs.
Section 13 of the FLOODS Act would also codify the interagency Water
Subcabinet established under Executive Order 13956 through the
Interagency Committee on Water Management and Infrastructure
established in this bill. This existing interagency body plays a key
role in ensuring Federal agencies can efficiently and effectively
manage water resources in America. Codifying this body not only shows
Congress' support for these ongoing efforts, but also ensures the work
will continue unimpeded. Congress does not intend this act to require
the creation of an additional Federal interagency committee that would
be duplicative of, or even in conflict with, the existing interagency
Water Subcabinet.
Overall, this bill would improve the coordination and communication
of flood events by NOAA, as well as improve tornado warning and
hurricane forecasting. These measures will protect lives and property,
especially in regions at high risk of flooding.
I thank Senator Wicker for sponsoring this bill, and I also thank and
recognize my colleague on the Science Committee, Representative
Sherrill, for her leadership on the issue of flooding and for leading
the House companion of this bill.
Madam Speaker, I urge my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to
support the passage of this important legislation so we can send it to
the President's desk, and I reserve the balance of my time.
Mrs. BICE of Oklahoma. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I
may consume.
Madam Speaker, I, too, rise in support of the Flood Level
Observation, Operations, and Decision Support, or FLOODS Act, that we
are considering here today.
This legislation establishes and authorizes a number of activities
that will improve the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's
forecasting and communication of flood, tornado, and hurricane events.
These extreme weather events occur across the country and impact
millions of Americans each year. According to the National Weather
Service, a typical year in the U.S. sees 26,000 thunderstorms, 5,000
floods, 1,300 tornadoes, and 6 Atlantic Basin hurricanes.
My home State of Oklahoma is right in the middle of Tornado Alley. We
are home to 86,000 farms that feed and clothe our State, Nation, and
world. Entire families' livelihoods depend on weather patterns, so it
is especially important that severe weather and excessive flooding is
accurately predicted and quickly communicated.
One of the most important factors in any farmer's operation is
precipitation. It is common sense that too little rain results in a
drought. But people often overlook that too much rain also presents
problems for crop production.
Precisely predicting extreme precipitation that can cause flooding--
whether it is over the course of an entire season or from a single
extreme weather event--helps farmers determine what crops to plant,
where they are planted, and when to harvest.
But Oklahoma isn't the only State subject to the dangers of flooding.
Coastal States face different challenges and have different factors
that can drive their precipitation.
The variability in weather across our country means there are no one-
size-fits-all solutions. A mix of Federal and local services is ideal.
That leads to many bodies seeking different data. S. 558 establishes
a National Integrated Flood Information System--purposely modeled after
the National Integrated Drought Information System--to coordinate and
integrate flood research at NOAA.
It also establishes partnerships with institutions of higher
education and Federal agencies to improve total water predictions and
establishes an interagency committee to ensure coordination of Federal
departments with joint or overlapping responsibilities in water
management.
In one of the first Science, Space, and Technology Committee hearings
this Congress, we discussed this bill along with the idea of a Federal
climate service.
I am pleased to see that in the bill before us today, my colleagues
heeded my caution against increasing Federal bureaucracy by
establishing new services. Instead, this legislation focuses on what we
know works: enabling our established agencies to collect and acquire
the data they need to be successful.
Madam Speaker, I thank my colleagues who worked across the aisle to
ensure this bill reached bipartisan, bicameral consensus; I urge the
passage of this bill; and I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. BEYER. Madam Speaker, once again, I have no more speakers on this
bill, I am prepared to close, and I reserve the balance of my time.
Mrs. BICE of Oklahoma. Madam Speaker, I yield myself the balance of
my time.
Madam Speaker, the FLOOD Act will be another arrow in the quiver when
it comes to increasing knowledge that will help us adapt to changes in
the environment.
The National Integrated Flood Information System and an interagency
committee created by this legislation are critical to that effort. But
that is just the beginning. The legislation also sets the stage for
weather prediction innovation through things like the National Weather
Service hydraulic research fellowship program, and a directive to make
flood-related data available to the public.
My colleagues and I on the Science Committee had hoped this
legislation would also be accompanied by a House-produced bill called
the PRECIP Act that focuses more directly on precipitation data
improvements. But under good-faith negotiations, we will pass the
FLOODS Act today and see the PRECIP Act moved through another vehicle
by the end of this Congress.
Madam Speaker, I urge my colleagues in this Chamber and across the
Capitol to continue to work with us to see this plan through, and I
yield back the balance of my time.
Mr. BEYER. Madam Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time.
Madam Speaker, again, I thank my friend from Oklahoma for presenting
this with me. I wish we could do everything this way, but it is a very
nice thing.
Madam Speaker, as you know, I am privileged to represent one of the
most environmentally friendly districts in the country right across the
river. We never get 6 feet of snow. I can't remember a drought. We get
the occasional vestiges of a hurricane and a tornado once every 10
years that rips up somebody's garage. But it floods all the time. Not
only does it flood on the river, it floods 2 miles up the river as all
the storm sewers back up, storm sewers that were built in the 1930s or
the 1910s that can't handle the rain that we have right now.
When they reintroduced earmarks, we discovered with 1,000 nonprofits
it was difficult to pick a nonprofit for 10 earmarks. So we went to our
local governments, Alexandria, Falls Church, and Arlington, and said:
What do you need?
Every one of them asked for flood relief.
{time} 1430
This is one of those rare instances where an environmental bill has a
huge impact, even on my own district, and I
[[Page H9658]]
know it has a much greater impact on so many places around the country.
I think about poor Iowa that was under water for most of a year.
Madam Speaker, I am thrilled to be able to present this with
Representative Bice in a bipartisan way, and I urge my colleagues to
support S. 558.
Madam Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
Ms. SHERRILL. Madam Speaker, I rise in support of S. 558, the ``Flood
Level Observation, Operations, and Decision Support Act,'' or ``FLOODS
Act.''
I am the proud sponsor of H.R. 1438, the House companion to the
``FLOODS Act'' being considered today. In New Jersey, we are all too
familiar with the devastation of flooding both from historic weather
events like Hurricane Irene, Superstorm Sandy, and most recently
Tropical Storm Ida, as well as more localized high-intensity rainfall
events that don't get headlines, like the five inches of sudden
rainfall that caused flash flooding in Parsippany, New Jersey, last
October. Protecting our communities from these events, both large and
small, means giving our forecasters, local planners, and first
responders up-to-date data on where to expect precipitation and
flooding and in what amounts.
Sadly, my constituents know the life-and-death impact of not having
precise and accurate information ahead of flooding. When we experienced
horrendous flooding in the wake of Tropical Storm Ida, we tragically
lost 27 lives across New Jersey. In Woodland Park in my district, a
woman was swept away by the flooding--brave residents at the scene
tried to rescue her, but the current was too strong and they themselves
had to be rescued. In another part of my district, I heard from a
mother who, along with her young children, had to be rescued from her
home late at night during Ida after she had been told only hours
earlier that the storm would pass well to the west of her home. Knowing
the precise location of precipitation and likely flooding makes all the
difference.
As Chairwoman of the Science Committee's Subcommittee on Environment,
I have examined how to prevent flooding from occurring and how to be
resilient to flooding that does occur. However, while mitigation and
resiliency solutions such as nature-based infrastructure can help
address these issues, they cannot fix the root issue of flood
prevention without the data necessary to map and estimate the location
and nature of the flooding threat. This bill provides vital data and
tools to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and
ultimately to local stakeholders.
The FLOODS Act establishes a National Integrated Flood Information
System that improves the coordination and integration of flood research
at NOAA, designates a service coordination hydrologist at each National
Weather Service River Forecast Center, and leverages existing work
across NOAA to improve timely decision making related to flooding
events. Further, it improves observations and modeling for total water
prediction--a crucial component to understanding mechanisms that cause
flooding--through partnerships with other federal agencies and
academia. This bill continues to develop the nations' STEM workforce by
creating a fellowship for graduate students in hydrologic fields to
work at federal agencies. Additionally. this bill takes steps to
improve coordination and communication for hurricane forecasts, tornado
warnings. and other extreme weather events.
But one of the most important things needed to improve resilience to
flooding is accurate estimation of precipitation. This bill directs
NOAA to update its precipitation frequency estimates, known as Atlas
14. Atlas 14 estimates are essential for protecting lives and taxpayer
dollars, as they directly assist emergency planning. Atlas 14 estimates
are often based on precipitation data records that are in many cases
decades old. We worked closely with our colleagues on the Senate
Commerce Committee to reconcile the Atlas 14 language in this bill and
another bill I led this Congress, H.R. 1437, the PRECIP Act. The
importance of making updates to Atlas 14--and subsequently keeping
those estimates up-to-date--has become more apparent. even since we
first introduced this bill. We encourage NOAA to update the Atlas 14
estimates as frequently as practicable, more often than the 10-year
minimum requirement in this bill. And as the impacts of climate change
on extreme precipitation become impossible to ignore, we further
encourage the agency to consider assumptions of non-stationarity when
developing Atlas 14 estimates, in line with the language in my PRECIP
Act as introduced.
It is important, now more than ever, to have authoritative data and a
coordinated response to flooding events as the climate crisis worsens
for New Jerseyans, and the entire nation. The measures in this
legislation are essential to protect our homes and families from
flooding risks. I urge my colleagues to support the passage of this
bill so we can send it to the President's desk.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the
gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Beyer), that the House suspend the rules
and pass the bill, S. 558.
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. ROSENDALE. 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.
____________________