[Congressional Record Volume 169, Number 120 (Thursday, July 13, 2023)]
[Senate]
[Page S2854]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

  SA 733. Mr. PADILLA (for himself and Mr. Cornyn) submitted an 
amendment intended to be proposed by him to the bill S. 2226, to 
authorize appropriations for fiscal year 2024 for military activities 
of the Department of Defense, for military construction, and for 
defense activities of the Department of Energy, to prescribe military 
personnel strengths for such fiscal year, and for other purposes; which 
was ordered to lie on the table; as follows:

        At the end of subtitle G of title X, add the following:

     SEC. 1083. CONDUCT OF WINTER SEASON RECONNAISSANCE OF 
                   ATMOSPHERIC RIVERS IN THE WESTERN UNITED 
                   STATES.

       (a) Findings.--Congress finds the following:
       (1) Every year, storms threaten lives and property and 
     cause significant disruptions to travel and commerce.
       (2) During the cool season from October through April, the 
     western United States and other regions around the United 
     States are significantly impacted by atmospheric rivers.
       (3) For key regions across the western United States, 70 to 
     90 percent of days on which the National Weather Service 
     issued either watches, warnings, or advisories for any hazard 
     type were associated with land-falling atmospheric rivers.
       (4) Atmospheric rivers are relatively long, narrow regions 
     in the atmosphere, below 10,000 feet, that behave like rivers 
     of water vapor pushed along by strong winds. Outside the 
     tropics, atmospheric rivers are responsible for more than 90 
     percent of the horizontal movement of water vapor. 
     Atmospheric rivers shift locations following large-scale 
     weather patterns, carrying an amount of water vapor on 
     average equivalent to roughly 15 to 25 times the average flow 
     of water at the mouth of the Mississippi River.
       (5) Precipitation and flooding in the western United States 
     from high-impact storms are largely controlled by 
     characteristics of land-falling atmospheric rivers, 
     accounting for up to 50 percent of annual precipitation and 
     more than 90 percent of major flood events.
       (6) Conducting atmospheric river reconnaissance during the 
     winter season in the United States significantly enhances 
     storm observations and improves forecasts of storm landfall 
     and intensity.
       (7) The National Winter Season Operations Plan, the goal of 
     which is to improve the accuracy and timeliness of severe 
     winter season storm forecasting and warning services provided 
     by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the 
     Air Force, and the Navy, coordinates Federal efforts to 
     provide enhanced weather observations of extreme winter 
     season storms that impact the United States and calls for 
     atmospheric river reconnaissance to be conducted annually off 
     the West Coast of the United States.
       (8) The National Winter Season Operations Plan coordinates 
     requirements for winter season reconnaissance observations 
     provided by the 53rd Weather Reconnaissance Squadron of the 
     Air Force Reserve Command and the Aircraft Operations Center 
     of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
       (9) The 2021 report of the Science Advisory Board of the 
     National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration entitled, 
     ``Priorities for Weather Research'' recommended that the 
     Federal Government, ``Leverage and expand atmospheric river 
     (AR) observations to improve flood and drought prediction and 
     to enable forecast-informed reservoir operations. Water and 
     emergency managers often cope with too much or too little 
     water and require better information on storms that produce 
     extreme precipitation. However, precipitation prediction 
     skill has not improved substantially in the last 20 years. 
     The multi-agency, OSTP-led Earth System Prediction Roadmap 
     (2020) identified expanded research, observations and 
     communication needed to better anticipate and mitigate water 
     cycle extremes and their cascading impacts, including 
     atmospheric river type storms.''.
       (b) Conduct of Reconnaissance.--
       (1) In general.--Subject to the availability of 
     appropriations, the 53rd Weather Reconnaissance Squadron of 
     the Air Force Reserve Command and the National Oceanic and 
     Atmospheric Administration shall provide aircraft, personnel, 
     and equipment necessary to meet the mission requirements for 
     winter season atmospheric river reconnaissance in the western 
     United States annually from November 1 through March 31.
       (2) Activities.--In carrying out paragraph (1), the 53rd 
     Weather Reconnaissance Squadron of the Air Force Reserve 
     Command, in consultation with the Administrator of the 
     National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, shall--
       (A) improve the accuracy and timeliness of atmospheric 
     river forecasts and warning services in the western United 
     States;
       (B) collect data in sensitive oceanic regions where 
     conventional, upper-air observations are lacking and 
     satellites are unable to effectively resolve the position and 
     vertical structure of an atmospheric river and of other 
     nearby essential atmospheric structures offshore;
       (C) support water management decisions and flood 
     forecasting through the execution of targeted airborne 
     dropsonde and buoy observations over the eastern, central, 
     and western north Pacific Ocean to improve forecasts of the 
     landfall and impacts of atmospheric rivers for civil 
     authorities and military decision makers;
       (D) participate in the research and operations partnership 
     that guides flight planning and uses research methods to 
     improve and expand the capabilities and effectiveness of 
     atmospheric river reconnaissance over time; and
       (E) undertake such other additional activities as the 53rd 
     Weather Reconnaissance Squadron considers appropriate to 
     further the atmospheric river reconnaissance mission.
       (c) Reports.--
       (1) Air force.--
       (A) In general.--Not later than 90 days after the date of 
     the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of the Air Force, in 
     consultation with the Administrator of the National Oceanic 
     and Atmospheric Administration, shall submit to the 
     appropriate committees of Congress a comprehensive report on 
     the resources necessary for the 53rd Weather Reconnaissance 
     Squadron of the Air Force Reserve Command to continue to 
     support, through December 31, 2035--
       (i) the National Hurricane Operations Plan;
       (ii) the National Winter Season Operations Plan; and
       (iii) any other operational requirements relating to 
     weather reconnaissance, to include annual support from 
     November 1 through March 31 for atmospheric river 
     reconnaissance in the western United States.
       (B) Appropriate committees of congress.--In this paragraph, 
     the term ``appropriate committees of Congress'' means--
       (i) the Committee on Armed Services of the Senate;
       (ii) the Subcommittee on Defense of the Committee on 
     Appropriations of the Senate;
       (iii) the Committee on Armed Services of the House of 
     Representatives; and
       (iv) the Subcommittee on Defense of the Committee on 
     Appropriations of the House of Representatives.
       (2) Commerce.--Not later than 90 days after the date of the 
     enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Commerce 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 comprehensive 
     report on the resources necessary for the National Oceanic 
     and Atmospheric Administration to continue to support, 
     through December 31, 2035--
       (A) the National Hurricane Operations Plan;
       (B) the National Winter Season Operations Plan; and
       (C) any other operational requirements relating to weather 
     reconnaissance, to include annual support from November 1 
     through March 31 for atmospheric river reconnaissance in the 
     western United States.
                                 ______