[Senate Report 109-356]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]



                                                       Calendar No. 653

109th Congress                                                   Report
 2nd Session                     SENATE                         109-356
_______________________________________________________________________

       NATIONAL INTEGRATED DROUGHT INFORMATION SYSTEM ACT OF 2006

                               __________

                              R E P O R T

                                 OF THE

           COMMITTEE ON COMMERCE, SCIENCE, AND TRANSPORTATION

                                   on

                                S. 2751



                                     

      September 29, 2006.--Ordered to be printed


                          _______

                      U.S. GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE

49-010                       WASHINGTON : 2006
















       SENATE COMMITTEE ON COMMERCE, SCIENCE, AND TRANSPORTATION
                       one hundred ninth congress
                             second session

                     TED STEVENS, Alaska, Chairman
                 DANIEL K. INOUYE, Hawaii, Co-Chairman
JOHN McCAIN, Arizona                 JOHN D. ROCKEFELLER IV, West 
CONRAD BURNS, Montana                    Virginia
TRENT LOTT, Mississippi              JOHN F. KERRY, Massachusetts
KAY BAILEY HUTCHISON, Texas          BYRON L. DORGAN, North Dakota
OLYMPIA J. SNOWE, Maine              BARBARA BOXER, California
GORDON H. SMITH, Oregon              BILL NELSON, Florida
JOHN ENSIGN, Nevada                  MARIA CANTWELL, Washington
GEORGE ALLEN, Virginia               FRANK LAUTENBERG, New Jersey
JOHN E. SUNUNU, New Hampshire        E. BENJAMIN NELSON, Nebraska
JIM DEMINT, South Carolina           MARK PRYOR, Arkansas
DAVID VITTER, Louisiana
                    Lisa Sutherland, Staff Director
                 Christine Kurth, Deputy Staff Director
                    Kenneth Nahigian, Chief Counsel
     Margaret Cummisky, Democratic Staff Director and Chief Counsel
 Samuel Whitehorn, Democratic Deputy Staff Director and General Counsel


















                                                       Calendar No. 653
109th Congress                                                   Report
                                 SENATE
 2nd Session                                                    109-356

======================================================================



 
       NATIONAL INTEGRATED DROUGHT INFORMATION SYSTEM ACT OF 2006

                                _______
                                

               September 29, 2006.--Ordered to be printed

                                _______
                                

       Mr. Stevens, from the Committee on Commerce, Science, and 
                Transportation, submitted the following

                              R E P O R T

                         [To accompany S. 2751]

    The Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, to 
which was referred the bill (S. 2751) to strengthen the 
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's drought 
monitoring and forecasting capabilities, having considered the 
same, reports favorably thereon without amendment and 
recommends that the bill do pass.

                          Purpose of the Bill

  The purpose of S. 2751, is to create an effective drought 
early warning system, coordinate Federal drought research, 
build upon existing drought, weather, and climate monitoring 
and assessment programs and be incorporated into the Global 
Earth Observing System of System.

                          Background and Needs

  Droughts are a regular and historical phenomena that have 
impacted various regions of the United States throughout 
history. They are a normal part of climate. According to the 
glossary of meteorology, a drought is defined as ``a period of 
abnormally dry weather sufficiently prolonged for the lack of 
water to cause serious hydrologic imbalance in the affected 
area.'' Put simply, a drought is a period of long-term dry 
weather that persists long enough to cause significant problems 
such as crop damage, water supply shortages, and fire risks. 
Deficiencies in precipitation may include reduced rain or snow 
levels (compared to climate norms) but may also be aggravated 
by such factors as wind, temperature, relative humidity, and 
cloud cover.
  The severity of the drought depends upon how little rain 
falls/snow melts, the duration of the lack of rain/snow melt, 
and the size of the affected area. Droughts are primarily 
broken down into four categories: meteorological, where there 
is less rain than usual; agricultural, where the amount of 
moisture in the soil no longer meets the needs of a particular 
crop; hydrological, where surface and subsurface water supplies 
are below normal; and socioeconomic where physical water 
shortages begin to affect the population at large.

                         Summary of Provisions

  The bill would direct the Undersecretary for Oceans and 
Atmosphere to establish a National Integrated Drought 
Information System within the National Oceanic and Atmospheric 
Agency (NOAA). The bill states that the system shall provide an 
effective early warning system that shall allow for ``usable, 
reliable, and timely drought forecasts'' that shall be 
communicated to all stakeholdlers and shall be transmitted in 
real time when possible. The bill also would instruct the 
Undersecretary for Oceans and Atmosphere to work with other 
Federal agencies and to coordinate with Federal, State, local 
and tribal governments, research institutions and the private 
sector.
  Existing efforts by Federal, State, and other entities 
provide a broad base of monitoring and assessment information 
on which the National Integrated Drought Information System 
(NIDIS) can be built. The Committee expects NOAA to coordinate 
the activities of NIDIS with existing established monitoring, 
assessment, and prediction programs with relevance to drought, 
such as: the National Drought Mitigation Center at the 
University of Nebraska, NOAA's Regional Climate Centers and 
Regional Integrated Sciences and Assessments program, and 
university-based programs with expertise in climatic, mesonet, 
or drought-related issues, including NOTAA's regional and State 
partnerships and Cooperative Institutes.
  The legislation would authorize $8 million in fiscal year 
(FY) 2007, $9 million in FY 2008, $10 million in FY 2009 and FY 
2010 and $11 million in FY 2011 and FY 2012.

                          Legislative History

  National Integrated Drought Information System Act of 2006 
(S. 2751) was introduced by Senator Ben Nelson on May 4, 2006, 
and referred to the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and 
Transportation. On July 19, 2006, the Committee considered the 
bill in an open Executive Session. The Committee, without 
objection, adopted the bill and ordered S. 2751 be reported.

                            Estimated Costs

  In compliance with subsection (a)(3) of paragraph 11 of rule 
XXVI of the Standing Rules of the Senate, the Committee states 
that, in its opinion, it is necessary to dispense with the 
requirements of paragraphs (1) and (2) of that subsection in 
order to expedite the business of the Senate.

                      Regulatory Impact Statement

  In accordance with paragraph 11(b) of rule XXVI of the 
Standing Rules of the Senate, the Committee provides the 
following evaluation of the regulatory impact of the 
legislation, as reported:

                       NUMBER OF PERSONS COVERED

  The bill does not authorize any new regulations and therefore 
will not subject any individuals or businesses to new 
regulations.

                            ECONOMIC IMPACT

  S. 2751 would authorize $8 million in FY 2007, $9 million in 
FY 2008, $10 million in FY 2009 and FY 2010 and $11 million for 
each of FY 2011 and FY 2012 in appropriations to Secretary of 
Commerce for use by the Undersecretary for Oceans and 
Atmosphere. These funding levels are not expected to have an 
inflationary impact on the nation's economy.

                                PRIVACY

  The reported bill would have little, if any, impact on the 
personal privacy of U.S. citizens.

                               PAPERWORK

  The reported bill should not significantly increase paperwork 
requirements for individuals and businesses.

                      Section-by-Section Analysis

Section 1. Short title.
  Section 1 would establish the short title of the bill as the 
``National Integrated Drought Information System Act of 2006.''
Section 2. NOAA program to monitor and forecast droughts.
  Section 2 would establish a National Integrated Drought 
Information System within the National Oceanic and Atmospheric 
Administration.
  The section would require that the system shall provide an 
effective early warning system that shall allow for ``usable, 
reliable, and timely drought forecasts'' that shall be 
communicated to all stakeholders and shall be transmitted in 
real time when possible. The section also would require the 
system to communicate drought information to policymakers at 
all levels of government and to the public and the private 
sector. The section also would require that other Federal 
agencies cooperate with the Undersecretary. Finally, the 
section would provide a definition of drought.
Section 3. Authorization of appropriations.
  Section 3 would authorize $8 million in FY 2007, $9 million 
in FY 2008, $10 million in FY 2009 and FY 2010 and $11 million 
in FY 2011 and FY 2012 in appropriations to Secretary of 
Commerce for use by the Undersecretary for Oceans and 
Atmosphere.

                        Changes in Existing Law

  In compliance with paragraph 12 of rule XXVI of the Standing 
Rules of the Senate, the Committee states that the bill as 
reported would make no change to existing law.

                                  
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