[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.
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