[Senate Report 111-133]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]


                                                       Calendar No. 283
111th Congress                                                   Report
                                 SENATE
 2d Session                                                     111-133

======================================================================
 
        NATIONAL VOLCANO EARLY WARNING AND MONITORING SYSTEM ACT

                                _______
                                

                 March 2, 2010.--Ordered to be printed

                                _______
                                

   Mr. Bingaman, from the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, 
                        submitted the following

                              R E P O R T

                         [To accompany S. 782]

    The Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, to which was 
referred the bill (S. 782) to provide for the establishment of 
the National Volcano Early Warning and Monitoring System, 
having considered the same, reports favorably thereon with an 
amendment and recommends that the bill, as amended, do pass.
    The amendment is as follows:
    Strike all after the enacting clause and insert the 
following:

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

  This Act may be cited as the ``National Volcano Early Warning and 
Monitoring Program Act''.

SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS.

  In this Act:
          (1) Program.--The term ``program'' means the National Volcano 
        Early Warning and Monitoring Program established under section 
        3(a).
          (2) Secretary.--The term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary of 
        the Interior.

SEC. 3. NATIONAL VOLCANO EARLY WARNING AND MONITORING PROGRAM.

  (a) Establishment.--The Secretary shall establish within the United 
States Geological Survey a program to be known as the ``National 
Volcano Early Warning and Monitoring Program''.
  (b) Components.--The program shall consist of a national volcano 
watch office and data center, which shall oversee and coordinate the 
activities of United States Geological Survey regional volcano watch 
and data centers.
  (c) Purposes.--The purposes of the program are--
          (1) to monitor and study volcanoes and volcanic activity 
        throughout the United States at a level commensurate with the 
        threat posed by each volcano; and
          (2) to warn and protect people and property from undue and 
        avoidable harm from volcanic activity.

SEC. 4. MANAGEMENT.

  (a) Management Plan.--
          (1) In general.--Not later than 1 year after the date of 
        enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall prepare a management 
        plan for establishing and operating the program.
          (2) Inclusions.--The management plan shall include--
                  (A) annual cost estimates of--
                          (i) operating the program; and
                          (ii) updating the data collection, 
                        monitoring, and analysis systems;
                  (B) annual standards and performance goals; and
                  (C) recommendations for establishing new, or 
                enhancing existing, partnerships with State agencies or 
                universities.
  (b) Partnerships.--The Secretary may enter into cooperative 
agreements or partnerships with State agencies and universities, under 
which the Secretary may designate the agency or university as volcano 
observatory partners for the program.
  (c) Coordination With Other Federal Agencies.--The Secretary shall 
coordinate activities authorized under this Act with the heads of 
relevant Federal agencies including--
          (1) the Secretary of Transportation;
          (2) the Secretary of Commerce;
          (3) the Administrator of the Federal Aviation Administration; 
        and
          (4) the Director of the Federal Emergency Management 
        Administration.
  (d) Grant Program.--
          (1) In general.--The Secretary may establish a competitive 
        grant program to support research and monitoring of volcanic 
        activities in furtherance of this Act.
          (2) Cost-sharing requirement.--The non-Federal share of the 
        total cost of an activity provided assistance under this 
        subsection shall be 25 percent.
  (e) Annual Report.--The Secretary shall annually submit to Congress a 
report that describes the activities undertaken during the previous 
year to carry out this Act.

SEC. 5. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.

  There are authorized to be appropriated to carry out this Act 
$15,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2009 through 2019.

                                PURPOSE

    The purpose of S. 782, as ordered reported, is to establish 
within the United States Geological Survey a National Volcano 
Early Warning and Monitoring Program to coordinate research of 
volcanic activity in the United States.

                          BACKGROUND AND NEED

    There are over 160 hazardous volcanoes located in the 
United States and its territories. The risks to life and 
property from volcanic activity are escalating as more people 
live, work, play, and travel in volcanic regions. The United 
States has experienced six major volcanic eruptions since 1900: 
Novarupta, AK (1912); Mt. Lassen, CA (1917); Mount St. Helens, 
WA (1980); Mauna Loa, HI (1984); Mt. Augustine, AK (1986); and 
Mt. Redoubt, AK (1989).
    In addition, there have been many examples of ongoing 
volcanic activity, including the Spring 2009 eruption of 
Alaska's Redoubt Volcano near Anchorage; a series of 
earthquakes late in 2008 in Yellowstone National Park; a number 
of earthquakes and minor eruptions at Mount St. Helens in 2007 
and 2008; and the ongoing eruption of Hawaii's Kilauea Volcano, 
which is now in its 26th year of continuous eruption.
    Such incidents require ongoing monitoring, tracking, and 
response from the United States Geological Survey (USGS) and 
other authorities. The USGS works closely with the Secretary of 
Transportation, the Federal Aviation Administration, the 
Federal Emergency Management Administration, the National 
Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the Forest Service, the 
National Park Service, and other local authorities to develop 
disaster plans and early warning systems in order to prevent 
the unnecessary loss of life and property.
    Currently, the USGS has a series of volcano observatories 
that coordinate these activities. The observatories include the 
Alaska Volcano Observatory, based in Anchorage and Fairbanks, 
Alaska, which monitors the Aleutian volcanic chain; the 
Cascades Volcano Observatory, based in Vancouver, Washington, 
which monitors the Cascade Range volcanoes, including Mount St. 
Helens, Mount Rainier, and Mount Hood; the Hawaii Volcano 
Observatory, which is located in Hawaii Volcanoes National Park 
at the edge of the Kilauea Volcano; the Yellowstone Volcano 
Observatory, which monitors the caldera that occupies much of 
Yellowstone National Park; and the Long Valley Observatory, 
which monitors the Long Valley Caldera on the eastern front of 
the Sierras, California.
    Beginning in fiscal year 1996, through fiscal year 2008, 
Congress provided supplemental funding for volcano monitoring 
through the Federal Aviation Administration. These funds, $2.7 
million per year, have been primarily used to expand monitoring 
networks beyond the Cook Inlet region of Alaska to a total of 
33 volcanoes, all of which pose an ash hazard to heavily 
traveled North Pacific air traffic routes. This funding ended 
in FY 2008, however, leaving the long-term maintenance of these 
networks in jeopardy and some high threat volcanoes not 
adequately monitored.
    As ordered reported, S. 782 would establish a new program 
within the U.S.G.S. including a national volcano watch office 
and data center, to oversee and coordinate the activities of 
the regional volcano observatories.

                          LEGISLATIVE HISTORY

    S. 782 was introduced by Senators Murkowski and Begich on 
April 2, 2009. The Subcommittee on Public Lands and Forests 
held a hearing on the bill on June 17, 2009. (S. Hrg. 111-65). 
At its business meeting on December 16, 2009, the Committee on 
Energy and Natural Resources ordered S. 782 favorably reported 
with an amendment in the nature of a substitute.

                        COMMITTEE RECOMMENDATION

    The Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, in open 
business session on December 16, 2009, by a voice vote of a 
quorum present, recommends that the Senate pass S. 782, if 
amended as described herein.

                          COMMITTEE AMENDMENT

    During its consideration of S. 782, the Committee adopted 
an amendment in the nature of a substitute. As introduced, S. 
782 would have established a national volcano early warning and 
monitoring system. The committee substitute instead establishes 
a program within the U.S.G.S. to coordinate and oversee volcano 
monitoring activities. The amendment authorizes the Secretary 
of the Interior to establish a competitive grant program to 
support research and monitoring of volcanic activities in 
furtherance of this Act.
    The amendment is explained in detail in the section-by-
section analysis, below.

                      SECTION-BY-SECTION ANALYSIS

    Section 1 contains the short title, the ``National Volcano 
Early Warning and Monitoring Program Act.''
    Section 2 defines key terms used in the bill.
    Section 3(a) directs the Secretary of the Interior to 
establish the National Volcano Early Warning and Monitoring 
Program within the United States Geological Survey.
    Subsection (b) provides that the program shall consist of a 
national volcano watch office and data center, which shall 
oversee and coordinate the activities of U.S.G.S. regional 
volcano watch and data centers.
    Subsection (c) states that the purposes of the program are 
to monitor and study volcanoes and volcanic activity throughout 
the United States and to warn and protect people and property 
from undue and avoidable harm from volcanic activity.
    Section 4(a) directs the Secretary to prepare a management 
plan for establishing and operating the program within one year 
after the date of enactment.
    Subsection (b) authorizes the Secretary to enter into 
cooperative agreements or partnerships with State agencies and 
universities, under which the Secretary may designate the 
agency or university as volcano observatory partners for the 
program.
    Subsection (c) directs the Secretary to coordinate 
activities authorized under this Act with the heads of relevant 
Federal agencies, including the Secretary of Transportation, 
the Secretary of Commerce, the Administrator of the Federal 
Aviation Commission, and the Director of the Federal Emergency 
Management Administration.
    Subsection (d) provides that the Secretary may establish a 
competitive grant program to support research and monitoring of 
volcanic activities in furtherance of the Act, with a 
requirement that the non-Federal share of the total costs of an 
activity funded by the grant be at least 25 percent.
    Subsection (e) directs the Secretary to annually submit a 
report to Congress that describes the program activities 
undertaken during the previous year.
    Section 5 authorizes the appropriation of $15 million for 
each of fiscal years 2009 through 2019 to carry out the Act.

                   COST AND BUDGETARY CONSIDERATIONS

    The following estimate of costs of this measure has been 
provided by the Congressional Budget Office:

S. 782--National Volcano Early Warning and Monitoring Program Act

    Summary: S. 782 would authorize the appropriation of $75 
million over the 2010-2014 period for a U.S. Geological Survey 
(USGS) program to monitor active volcanoes and to enhance the 
agency's ability to warn the public of potentially harmful 
volcanic activity. Based on information from USGS and assuming 
appropriation of the authorized amounts, CBO estimates that 
implementing the legislation would cost $69 million over the 
2010-2014 period and $6 million after 2014. Enacting the 
legislation would not affect direct spending or revenues.
    S. 782 contains no intergovernmental or private-sector 
mandates as defined in the Unfunded Mandates Reform Act (UMRA) 
and would impose no costs on state, local, or tribal 
governments.
    Estimated cost to the Federal Government: The estimated 
budgetary impact of S. 782 is shown in the following table. The 
costs of this legislation fall within budget function 300 
(natural resources and environment).

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                                 By fiscal year, in millions of dollars--
                                                         -------------------------------------------------------
                                                            2010     2011     2012     2013     2014   2010-2014
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                  CHANGES IN SPENDING SUBJECT TO APPROPRIATION

Authorization Level.....................................       15       15       15       15       15        75
Estimated Outlays.......................................       10       14       15       15       15        69
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Basis of estimate: For this estimate, CBO assumes that the 
legislation will be enacted early in calendar year 2010 and 
that the authorized amounts will be appropriated for each 
fiscal year. Estimated outlays are based on historical spending 
patterns for similar USGS activities.
    S. 782 would authorize the appropriation of $15 million a 
year over the 2010-2014 period for the USGS to establish a 
program to monitor active volcanoes and to provide warnings to 
protect individuals and property from the harmful effects of 
volcanic activity. The bill would require USGS to designate a 
national volcano watch office and data collection center. The 
bill also would require the Secretary of the Interior to 
prepare a management plan for establishing and operating the 
program and to submit an annual report to the Congress 
describing program activities. Finally, the bill would 
establish a grant program to support research and monitoring of 
volcanic activity. Based on information from USGS and assuming 
appropriation of the authorized amounts, CBO estimates that 
implementing the legislation would cost $69 million over the 
2010-2014 period and $6 million after 2014.
    Intergovernmental and private-sector impact: S. 782 
contains no intergovernmental or private-sector mandates as 
defined in UMRA and would impose no costs on state, local, or 
tribal governments. State agencies and universities would 
benefit from grants and cooperative agreements in the bill for 
research and monitoring of volcanic activity. Any costs to 
those entities would be incurred voluntarily as a condition of 
receiving federal assistance.
    Estimate prepared by: Federal Costs: Jeff LaFave; Impact on 
State, Local, and Tribal Governments: Melissa Merrell; Impact 
on the Private Sector: Brian Prest.
    Estimate approved by: Theresa Gullo, Deputy Assistant 
Director for Budget Analysis.

                      REGULATORY IMPACT EVALUATION

    In compliance with paragraph 11(b) of rule XXVI of the 
Standing Rules of the Senate, the Committee makes the following 
evaluation of the regulatory impact which would be incurred in 
carrying out S. 782.
    The bill is not a regulatory measure in the sense of 
imposing Government-established standards or significant 
economic responsibilities on private individuals and 
businesses.
    No personal information would be collected in administering 
the program. Therefore, there would be no impact on personal 
privacy.
    Little, if any, additional paperwork would result from the 
enactment of S. 782, as ordered reported.

                   CONGRESSIONALLY DIRECTED SPENDING

    S. 782, as reported, does not contain any congressionally 
directed spending items, limited tax benefits, or limited 
tariff benefits as defined in rule XLIV of the Standing Rules 
of the Senate.

                        EXECUTIVE COMMUNICATIONS

    The testimony provided for the record by the U.S. 
Geological Survey at the June 17, 2009 Subcommittee hearing on 
S. 782 follows:

     Statement of the Geological Survey, Department of the Interior

    Mr. Chairman and Members of the Subcommittee, thank you for 
this opportunity to provide testimony on Senate Bill 782, which 
is ``to provide for the establishment of the National Volcano 
Early Warning and Monitoring System''. The Department would 
like to thank the Committee for its work on the bill, which 
recognizes a number of activities that USGS currently conducts 
under existing authorizations. The USGS operates a system of 
five Volcano Observatories for the purpose of reducing losses 
of life and property and minimizing social and economic 
disruptions during volcanic eruptions and their often 
protracted precursory phases. The USGS does this under the 
Disaster Relief Act (P.L. 93-288, popularly known as the 
Stafford Act) as the lead Federal agency with responsibility to 
provide notification for earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, and 
landslides to enhance public safety and to reduce losses 
through effective forecasts and warnings based on the best 
possible scientific information.


              u.s. volcanic hazards and usgs capabilities


    The United States ranks as one of the top countries in the 
world in the number of active and potentially active volcanoes. 
Over the past three decades, 30 U.S. volcanoes have erupted on 
nearly 100 occasions, and an additional dozen volcanoes have 
exhibited periods of anomalous activity, unrest, that initially 
were worrisome but ultimately did not culminate in eruptions.
    Volcanoes produce many kinds of destructive phenomena. In a 
few recent cases within the United States, communities near 
Mount St. Helen's in Washington have been exposed to powerful 
explosions and mud flows, and in Hawaii, Kilauea volcano has 
sent lava flows into communities and noxious gas emissions have 
caused widespread lung ailments. Most U.S. volcanoes are 
located on sparsely populated Federal lands, and it is the 
threat to communities and infrastructure downstream and 
downwind, including to military and commercial aviation, that 
drives the need to properly monitor volcanic activity and 
provide forecasts and notifications of expected hazards. The 
most recent example is the 2009 eruption of Mt. Redoubt, Alaska 
that threatened a nearby oil loading terminal and disrupted 
civilian and military aviation operations for more than a week.
    Hazardous volcanic activity will continue to occur, and the 
ongoing exposure of human life and enterprise will continue to 
be a primary consideration driving USGS volcano monitoring 
efforts. Fortunately, volcanoes exhibit precursory unrest that 
if detected and analyzed in time allows eruptions to be 
anticipated and communities at risk to be forewarned with 
reliable information in sufficient time to implement response 
plans and mitigation measures.
    Monitoring volcanic activity in the United States is the 
responsibility of the USGS Volcano Hazards Program and is 
accomplished by the Alaska Volcano Observatory, Cascades 
Volcano Observatory, Yellowstone Volcano Observatory, Long 
Valley Observatory, and Hawaiian Volcano Observatory. To make 
maximum use of the Nation's scientific resources, the USGS 
operates the observatories with the help of universities and 
other Federal and States agencies, through formal partnerships. 
With the exception of the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory, which 
was established in 1912, U.S. Volcano Observatories have been 
established in response to specific eruptions or sustained 
levels of unrest. For example, the Cascades Volcano Observatory 
in Washington State was established in 1981, following the 
catastrophic awakening of Mount St. Helens in 1980, and 
continues to assess and monitor volcanic hazards in the Pacific 
Northwest.
    The Volcano Hazards Program also maintains an international 
rapid-response team under the Volcano Disaster Assistance 
Program (VDAP), co-funded by the U.S. Office of Foreign 
Disaster Assistance within the U.S. Agency for International 
Development (USAID). This team responds to emergencies 
worldwide when called upon by the U.S. Department of State and 
also works to build volcano observatory infrastructure in other 
countries that are subject to volcanic disasters. Through VDAP, 
the USGS and its partners gain experience with a broad spectrum 
of volcano behavior and participate in disaster response and 
mitigation activities in a variety of physical and cultural 
settings, all of which inform and improve our domestic volcano-
response capabilities.
    The USGS works closely with other Federal agencies that 
contribute to volcano monitoring. The National Science 
Foundation has funded installation of geophysical instruments 
to detect ground deformation at about a dozen volcanoes for 
research projects through its EarthScope Program. Operational 
environmental satellites operated by the National Oceanic and 
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) provide important global 
remote-sensing data used by the Volcano Observatories to 
complement ground-based networks, NOAA also operates two of 
eight Volcanic Ash Advisory Centers (VAAC)--in Washington DC 
and in Anchorage, Alaska--that track the dispersion of 
volcanic-ash clouds hazardous to aircraft and disseminates this 
information to the Federal Aviation Administration, and 
commercial and military aircraft to avoid areas that may 
contain hazardous volcanic ash particles. The Smithsonian 
Institution's Global Volcanism Program supports volcano 
monitoring activities by maintaining a comprehensive database 
on the eruptive histories of volcanoes throughout the world, 
providing data that are critical input to forecasting the 
likely future activity of restless volcanoes


  rationale for a national volcano early warning and monitoring system


    We have learned from hard experience that waiting to deploy 
a robust monitoring effort until a hazardous volcano awakens 
and an unrest crisis begins means that scientists, civil 
authorities, businesses, and citizens are caught in a reactive 
mode of ``playing catch up'' with the volcano, trying to get 
instruments and civil-defense measures in place before the 
unrest escalates and the situation worsens. Precious time and 
data are lost in the weeks it can take to deploy a response to 
a reawakening volcano time and data that the public needs and 
should have to prepare for the hazards they may be confronted 
with. At present, 74% of the Nation's moderate or high threat 
volcanoes are monitored by the USGS at various levels. Of the 
most threatening U.S. volcanoes, approximately half are 
monitored with at least basic real-time sensors (primarily 
seismic arrays). Of those, the three most active volcanoes in 
the U.S. are well monitored in real-time, with a suite of 
modern instrument types and methods that provide the ability to 
track detailed changes and apply models of ongoing and expected 
activity.
    Volcanoes do not need to erupt to cause problems. Changes 
in a volcano's behavior that are noted by the local 
population--such as increased smell of sulfur gases, steaming 
at the summit, or felt earthquakes--may cause an over-reaction, 
especially if fueled by rumors of an imminent eruption. This 
over-reaction may extend beyond the average citizen to 
corporations, small businesses, and government agencies. 
Without proper instrumentation installed on a volcano, it is 
difficult to ascertain whether activity is within the range of 
normal background behavior and thus of little concern or 
precursory to a significant eruption. In contrast, a well-
instrumented volcano monitored by a local observatory coupled 
with an active program of community outreach can quickly 
replace rumors and speculation with sound scientific 
interpretation of the activity, thereby minimizing social and 
economic disruption.
    The recent eruption of Redoubt volcano, Alaska, 
demonstrates both the utility of monitoring equipment in place 
before unrest begins and the usefulness of modern 
instrumentation. Redoubt gained notoriety in its 1989-1990 
eruption when a fully loaded passenger jet nearly crashed after 
its engines were shut down in flight by ingestion of airborne 
volcanic particles. Using the basic seismic network largely 
unchanged since 1990, along with other observations of subtle 
changes in the volcano's baseline behavior, the Alaska Volcano 
Observatory detected the onset of unrest and raised the alert 
level for Redoubt in November 2008. AVO began monitoring the 
unrest closely to determine if activity was likely to escalate, 
plateau, or die down, and undertook to improve its monitoring 
capability in anticipation of a possible eruption and need for 
more data by adding instruments such as GPS, remote cameras, 
additional seismometers, and telemetry links. AVO was able to 
improve the network over a period of a few months, although the 
burdens of weather, winter, and safety concerns prevented 
installation of key new instruments that would have provided 
information about the subsurface rise of magma into the 
volcanic edifice. When the major explosive phase of the 
eruption began March 22, 2009, AVO's warnings provided the 
public--including air carriers now well aware of the need to 
avoid ash-contaminated airspace and an oil terminal in the path 
of mudflows produced by the eruption--with enough time to 
undertake preparation and mitigation measures. In hindsight, it 
was fortunate that Redoubt provided AVO with sufficient time to 
improve its monitoring network as much as it did. These 
improvements were vital to the successful response to this 
eruption.
    In 2005 the USGS published ``An Assessment of Volcanic 
Threat and Monitoring Capabilities in the United States: 
Framework for a National Volcano Early Warning System, NVEWS'' 
(http://pubs.usgs.gov/of/2005/1164/). The report is a 
comprehensive survey of installed instrumentation on the 
Nation's volcanoes together with a rigorous ranking of 
volcanoes by threats posed to people and assets. This made 
possible a ``gap'' analysis, defining the disparity between 
priority monitoring as defined by threat potential and existing 
monitoring. Aviation hazards carried substantial weight in the 
NVEWS assessment. As part of the report, the USGS developed a 
methodology for assessing aviation threat on a regional and 
local basis at each volcano and determined that about \1/3\ of 
U.S. volcanoes represent a high or very high threat to 
aviation. Worldwide, numerous instances of fast-moving aircraft 
that inadvertently flew into diffuse clouds of tiny volcanic 
particles undetected by onboard weather radar have demonstrated 
the potentially costly and life-threatening damages that can be 
sustained.
    The 2005 assessment prioritized volcanic centers where 
monitoring improvements should be upgraded: 13 in Washington, 
Oregon, and California, 3 in Hawaii, 1 in Wyoming, 28 in Alaska 
(where many active volcanoes have no ground-based monitoring 
yet pose a significant threat to aviation), and 8 in the 
Northern Mariana Islands (also an area with significant hazards 
to aviation from unmonitored volcanoes).
    The 2005 report also recommended a number of other steps 
beyond instrumentation improvements, including easier access to 
monitoring data, improved hazard-information products for 
decision-makers and the public, enhanced collaboration between 
USGS and external researchers, and innovative outreach to help 
communities develop risk-wise practices.
    Currently, the USGS is authorized to implement all of the 
recommendations contained in NVEWS Report under the Stafford 
Act. After publication of the initial report in 2005, USGS 
began taking steps to implement some of the Report's 
recommendations. In 2009, USGS plans to finalize a strategy to 
achieve the recommendations of the report. NVEWS-recommended 
upgrades planned for the upcoming year include upgrades to 
monitoring capabilities at Newberry and Crater Lake volcanoes 
in Oregon. Furthermore, $15.2 million in funding under the 
American Recovery and Reinvestment Act will be used primarily 
to modernize existing monitoring equipment at Kilauea and Mauna 
Loa volcanoes in Hawaii, at Anatahan and Sarigan volcanoes in 
the Northern Mariana Islands, at Yellowstone Caldera in 
Wyoming, and at Spurr, Redoubt and Augustine volcanoes in the 
Cook Inlet of Alaska; the software and communication systems 
used to transmit data from that equipment also will be 
modernized. Additionally, ARRA funds will be used to produce 
high-resolution topographic maps of volcanic areas in the 
Pacific Northwest that will greatly aid in development of 
volcanic-hazard mitigation plans by local communities.
    S. 782 would authorize $15 million in additional funding to 
implement NVEWS, which has been adopted as USGS policy for 
volcano hazards in ``Facing Tomorrow's Challenges--U.S. 
Geological Survey Science in the Decade 2007-2017'' (USGS 
Circular 1309).


 elements of the national volcano early warning and monitoring system 
                                (nvewms)


    1. Improved monitoring infrastructure--targeting the 
volcanoes that are significantly under-monitored for the 
threats posed. This will be done principally in Alaska, Hawaii, 
the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, California, 
Washington, Oregon, and Wyoming. In addition to installation of 
new networks and telemetry, out-dated patchwork monitoring 
systems will be modernized.
    2. Measures for reduced community vulnerability--supporting 
communities in developing plans for mitigating volcanic risk. 
As with earthquakes, a key to risk mitigation is preparation. 
This means identifying high-risk areas and community 
vulnerabilities, creating new hazard-information products, and 
continuing to build broad-based hazard awareness.
    3. An external grants program--to engage the Nation's 
broader scientific community in advancing volcano monitoring 
science and technology and the societal aspects of volcanic 
risk mitigation. Volcanology is advancing rapidly both through 
growing understanding of volcanic processes and through 
advances in technology that make possible new kinds of 
observations. Many of these advances have occurred through the 
National Science Foundation's basic research programs and 
through the efforts of USGS scientists. The framework 
identifies a need, however, to provide support for engaging the 
Nation's nonfederal scientists in applied volcanology, through 
a competitive, peer-reviewed grants process to support 
investigations complementary to but not duplicative of NSF-
supported research.
    4. Volcano Watch Office--for readily available situational 
awareness of current volcanic conditions. At present, Volcano 
Observatories mount 24/7 responses during eruption crises by 
drawing heavily from partners and other observatories, as well 
as regular daytime staff, for support. There is a danger of 
missing important precursors between such crises. A 24/7 Watch 
Office will provide backup to observatories and also serve as a 
single point of contact for other federal agencies such as FAA, 
NOAA, and the Department of Defense that require situational 
awareness around the globe and around the clock.
    5. National Volcano Data Center--as a gateway for access to 
U.S. volcano data, both within the observatory system and for 
the external scientific community. The free exchange of data 
both within the observatory system and to the broader 
scientific community and public is fundamental to scientific 
advancement, risk mitigation, and government transparency.
    The USGS will not carry out NVEWMS by itself, but will 
build on its long record of successfully partnering with 
diverse groups that have expertise and data to share in the 
mission of helping people co-exist with dangerous volcanoes. 
Our partners range from the international and national levels, 
such as with the U.S.A.I.D., the Air Force Weather Agency, 
NOAA, and the Federal Aviation Administration to the regional 
and local scale with neighboring universities and State 
agencies that are part of the structure of the Volcano 
Observatories. Using our strategic partnering approach, the 
USGS will continue to apply new efforts to implement a National 
Volcano Early Warning and Monitoring System.


                 key outcomes of nvewms implementation


    The key outcome of NVEWMS will be to strengthen the 
scientific contribution to risk mitigation. Comprehensive 
monitoring of the Nation's most hazardous volcanoes, coupled 
with greater understanding of volcanic processes, will improve 
forecasts of the onset, intensity, duration, and effects of 
expected hazards. New hazard-information products and 
dissemination methods will be developed by close collaboration 
between scientists and users. Timely and accurate warnings to 
en-route aircraft will help prevent dangerous encounters with 
volcanic ash while minimizing costly unnecessary rerouting of 
aircraft. Overall, civil authorities, businesses, and 
individuals at risk will have more time and better information 
to prepare, ensuring that their ability to respond will not lag 
behind the evolving behavior of a volcano. Volcanic unrest does 
not always culminate in eruption, and long-term volcano 
monitoring will provide sound, ongoing, scientific information 
throughout episodes of unrest so that problems related to over-
reacting or under-reacting will be minimized.
    More than a network of instruments, NVEWMS will connect the 
monitoring and research results of scientists to the needs of 
decision-makers at the national to local level so that the 
impact of volcanic activity on the Nation is minimized. The 
real needs of diverse types of users will be ascertained and 
addressed to ensure that scientific advances are effectively 
applied in the real world.


                               conclusion


    The USGS appreciates the Committee's support for NVEWS, 
which is of the utmost importance to our Nation's ability to 
respond successfully to future volcano hazards. We note that 
this funding would have to compete with existing priorities 
within the USGS. Additionally, we are concerned that the 5-year 
management plan required in Section 4 of the proposed 
legislation requires pre-decisional budget and planning 
information up to five years in advance.
    As the Nation continues to face significant threats from 
volcanic hazards in the future, the USGS will work to address 
the recommendations of the 2005 NVEWS report. The Survey has an 
exceptional record, both nationally and internationally, of 
scientific accomplishment in applied volcanology and we will 
continue to move forward with our efforts to upgrade volcano 
monitoring capacity for those areas which have been judged to 
be the highest priority.
    Mister Chairman, this concludes my remarks. I will be 
pleased to answer any questions you may have.

                        CHANGES IN EXISTING LAW

    In compliance with paragraph 12 of rule XXVI of the 
Standing Rules of the Senate, the Committee notes that no 
changes in existing law are made by the bill S. 782 as ordered 
reported.

                                  
