[Senate Report 119-42]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
Calendar No. 119
119th Congress } { Report
SENATE
1st Session } { 119-42
_______________________________________________________________________
FIRE READY NATION ACT OF 2025
__________
R E P O R T
of the
COMMITTEE ON COMMERCE, SCIENCE, AND TRANSPORTATION
on
S. 306
[GRAPHIC(S) NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT]
July 16, 2025.--Ordered to be printed
_______
U.S. GOVERNMENT PUBLISHING OFFICE
59-010 WASHINGTON : 2025
SENATE COMMITTEE ON COMMERCE, SCIENCE, AND TRANSPORTATION
one hundred nineteenth congress
first session
TED CRUZ, Texas, Chairman
JOHN THUNE, South Dakota MARIA CANTWELL, Washington
ROGER F. WICKER, Mississippi AMY KLOBUCHAR, Minnesota
DEB FISCHER, Nebraska BRIAN SCHATZ, Hawaii
JERRY MORAN, Kansas EDWARD J. MARKEY, Massachusetts
DAN SULLIVAN, Alaska GARY C. PETERS, Michigan
MARSHA BLACKBURN, Tennessee TAMMY BALDWIN, Wisconsin
TODD YOUNG, Indiana TAMMY DUCKWORTH, Illinois
TED BUDD, North Carolina JACKY ROSEN, Nevada
ERIC SCHMITT, Missouri BEN RAY LUJAN, New Mexico
JOHN CURTIS, Utah JOHN W. HICKENLOOPER, Colorado
BERNIE MORENO, Ohio JOHN FETTERMAN, Pennsylvania
TIM SHEEHY, Montana ANDY KIM, New Jersey
SHELLEY MOORE CAPITO, West Virginia LISA BLUNT ROCHESTER, Delaware
CYNTHIA M. LUMMIS, Wyoming
Brad Grantz, Majority Staff Director
Lila Harper Helms, Democratic Staff Director
Calendar No. 119
119th Congress } { Report
SENATE
1st Session } { 119-42
======================================================================
FIRE READY NATION ACT OF 2025
_______
July, 16, 2025.--Ordered to be printed
_______
Mr. Cruz, from the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation,
submitted the following
R E P O R T
[To accompany S. 306]
[Including cost estimate of the Congressional Budget Office]
The Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, to
which was referred the bill (S. 306) to establish and maintain
a coordinated program within the National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration that improves wildfire, fire
weather, fire risk, and wildfire smoke related forecasting,
detection, modeling, observations, and service delivery, and
for other purposes, having considered the same, reports
favorably thereon without amendment and recommends that the
bill do pass.
Purpose of the Bill
The purpose of S. 306, the Fire Ready Nation Act of 2025,
is to establish a fire weather services program and a fire
weather testbed within the National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration (NOAA) to coordinate data collection to improve
fire weather forecasting, and for other purposes.
Background and Needs
In 2024, more than 61,000 wildfires burned over 8.8 million
acres in the United States.\1\ On average, each year, wildfires
kill 30 people, destroy 2,800 homes, burn more than 7 million
acres, and cause numerous health issues. The annual average
cost for damages and suppression of wildland fire is more than
$2 billion.\2\ Wildfires can occur across the United States;
more individual wildfires occur in the eastern portion of the
country, but wildfires are larger and burn more acreage in the
West.\3\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\1\NOAA, National Centers for Environmental Information, Monthly
Wildfires Report for Annual 2024, January 2025 (https://
www.ncei.noaa.gov/access/monitoring/monthly-report/fire/202413).
\2\NOAA, National Weather Service, ``Eyes on the Sky: A Day in the
Life of an Incident Meteorologist (IMET) on the Front Lines of a
Wildfire'' (https://www.weather.gov/news/imet-article).
\3\Congressional Research Service, Wildfire Statistics, May 2, 2022
(https://sgp.fas.org/crs/misc/IF10244.pdf).
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In February 2024, Texas saw the worst wildfire in the
State's history, ranked 5th in the history of the United
States. The Smokehouse Creek fire scorched almost 1.1 million
acres over 3 weeks, and two individuals lost their lives.\4\ In
January 2025, California faced one of its most devastating
wildfires. The Palisades Fire in Los Angeles burned over 23,000
acres. The blaze destroyed large areas of Pacific Palisades,
Topanga, and Malibu, causing mandatory evacuations and
significant property loss. Estimated damages from the fire
exceeded $35 billion, including over 16,000 structures.\5\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\4\``10 Largest Wildfires in U.S. History,'' Western Fire Chiefs
Association (https://wfca.com/wildfire-articles/biggest-wildfires-in-
us-history/).
\5\CalFire, ``The Department of Forestry and Fire Protection,''
January 28, 2025 (https://www.fire.ca.gov/).
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Fire weather prediction involves using meteorological
parameters, such as relative humidity, wind speed and
direction, and soil moisture, to determine whether conditions
favor fire growth and smoke dispersion.\6\ Drought decreases
soil moisture, and large amounts of dry fuel naturally
contribute to the start and spread of fires. Human causes, such
as prescribed burns and cooking fires, also contribute to the
start of fires. Fire Weather Watches and Red Flag Warnings are
issued to the public when dry fuels and weather conditions
support extreme fire danger.\7\ Smoke from fires can also
contribute to other hazardous conditions such as decreased
visibility on roadways, leading to traffic collisions.\8\ Smoke
can travel thousands of miles from the source fire and worsen
air quality for communities far from wildfires.\9\ Wildfire
smoke contains harmful pollutants, including particle matter
and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, and exposure to wildfire
smoke is linked to increased risk of cardiovascular and
respiratory health events.\10\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\6\``Fire Weather FAQ,'' NOAA National Weather Service (https://
www.weather.gov/jan/fireweatherfaq#T1).
\7\Ibid.
\8\``About Dense Fog and Smoke,'' NOAA National Weather Service
(https://www.weather.gov/mfl/visibility).
\9\``Challenges in Predicting Smoke Concentrations,'' Environmental
Protection Agency (https://www.epa.gov/wildfire-smoke-course/
challenges-predicting-smoke-concentrations).
\10\``Why Wildfire Smoke Is a Health Concern,'' Environmental
Protection Agency (https://www.epa.gov/wildfire-smoke-course/why-
wildfire-smoke-health-concern).
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
NOAA forecasts, tracks, and provides on-the-ground support
for wildfires through satellite data, the NOAA Incident
Meteorologist (IMET) program, and computer modeling. High-
resolution imagery and infrared data collected by satellite
allow for the detection and monitoring of fires. Infrared
imaging can detect fires at night and track wildfire movement
when smoke obstructs the ground.\11\ Satellite data also helps
firefighting efforts from the air and enables better air
quality forecasts.\12\ The National Weather Service IMETs are
deployed to the scenes of wildfire, where they work to support
agencies and first responders on the front lines.\13\ Weather
conditions influence how a fire may start, spread, and move,
and IMETs are critical for reporting this information to keep
fire crews safe. IMETs set up a fully functional portable
forecasting office at the fire scene, where they communicate
how current and future weather patterns will impact the
intensity and movement of the fire.\14\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\11\NOAA National Environmental Satellite Data and Information
Service, ``Earth From Orbit: Tracking Fires From Space,'' March 11,
2021 (https://www.nesdis.noaa.gov/news/earth-orbit-tracking-fires-
space).
\12\Ibid.
\13\NOAA National Weather Service, ``Eyes on the Sky: A Day in the
Life of an Incident Meteorologist (IMET) on the Front Lines of a
Wildfire'' (https://www.weather.gov/news/imet-article).
\14\Ibid.
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Federal agencies and private entities use computer modeling
to predict fire formation, intensity, movement, and smoke.
However, not every Federal agency performs the same type of
modeling or considers all environmental factors that impact
fires. Incorporating atmospheric information, weather, fuels,
soil moisture, smoke, and other data collected by Department of
Commerce and Department of Interior agencies would greatly
improve prediction capabilities and better inform management
practices.
Summary of Provisions
S. 306 would do the following:
Establish a comprehensive fire weather services
program within NOAA to enhance risk communication and
wildfire forecasting.
Create a user-focused digital repository for fire-
related tools, data, and information and set data
management and sharing standards across NOAA.
Establish a fire weather testbed to develop and
operationalize technologies addressing fire hazards,
including uncrewed systems.
Coordinate ground-based data collection across
Federal agencies to improve fire weather and smoke
forecasting efficiency.
Require GAO studies on NOAA's fire weather services
program and an evaluation of interagency wildfire
bodies, aiming to enhance coordination and efficiency.
Require NOAA to conduct post-fire weather
assessments to identify gaps and improve future
forecasts.
Codify the Incident Meteorologist Service,
addressing deployment compensation and ensuring on-site
decision support during extreme weather events.
Legislative History
S. 306, the Fire Ready Nation Act of 2025, was introduced
on January 29, 2025, by Senator Cantwell (for herself and
Senators Sheehy, Cruz, Lujan, Sullivan, Rosen, Murkowski, and
Padilla) and was referred to the Committee on Commerce,
Science, and Transportation of the Senate. Senator Schatz is an
additional cosponsor. On February 5, 2025, the Committee met in
open Executive Session and, by voice vote, ordered S. 306 to be
reported favorably without amendment.
118th Congress
S. 4343, the Fire Ready Nation Act of 2024, was introduced
on May 15, 2024, by Senator Cantwell (for herself and Senators
Cruz, Lujan, Sullivan, Rosen, Murkowski, Schatz, and Padilla)
and was referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and
Transportation in the Senate. On July 31, 2024, the Committee
met in open Executive Session and, by voice vote, ordered S.
4343 to be reported favorably with an amendment (in the nature
of a substitute).
117th Congress
S. 4237, the Fire Ready Nation Act of 2022, was introduced
on May 17, 2022, by Senator Cantwell (for herself and Senator
Sullivan) and was referred to the Committee on Commerce,
Science, and Transportation in the Senate. Senators Lujan,
Padilla, Murkowski, and Rosen were additional cosponsors. On
May 25, 2022, the Committee met in open Executive Session and,
by voice vote, ordered S. 4237 to be reported favorably with an
amendment (in the nature of a substitute).
Estimated Costs
In accordance with paragraph 11(a) of rule XXVI of the
Standing Rules of the Senate and section 403 of the
Congressional Budget Act of 1974, the Committee provides the
following cost estimate, prepared by the Congressional Budget
Office:
[GRAPHIC(S) NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT]
S. 306 would authorize the appropriation of specific
amounts for each fiscal years from 2026 through 2030 for the
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to
establish a fire weather services program to support wildfire
forecasting, responsiveness, and local collaborations.
Under the bill, NOAA would be required to:
Develop modeling and data systems for fire weather
predictions,
Maintain a public website to promote the program's
services and data,
Award grants to non-federal entities for program
development,
Conduct pilot projects and research on unmanned
systems for fire weather observations,
Establish an Incident Meteorologist Service within
the National Weather Service, and
Report to the Congress on the program's
implementation.
The costs of the legislation, detailed in Table 1, fall
within budget function 300 (natural resources and environment).
TABLE 1.--ESTIMATED INCREASES IN SPENDING SUBJECT TO APPROPRIATION UNDER S. 306
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By fiscal year, millions of dollars--
----------------------------------------------------------------
2025 2026 2027 2028 2029 2030 2025-2030
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Authorization.................................. 0 15 20 27 36 50 148
Estimated Outlays.............................. 0 4 12 18 26 35 95
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Enacting the bill would increase direct spending by less than $500,000 over the 2025-2035 period.
CBO assumes that the bill will be enacted in 2025 and that
the authorized amounts will be provided in each year. Based on
historical spending patterns, CBO estimates that implementing
the bill would cost $95 million over the 2025-2030 period and
$51 million after 2030.
The bill also would authorize additional premium pay in
calendar year 2025 for Department of Commerce employees
involved in emergency wildfire suppression and whose earnings,
including premium pay, exceed a specified threshold. Under
current law, employees can earn premium pay only to the extent
that their combined base and premium pay does not exceed the
greater of the GS-15 maximum or Executive Schedule Level V
salary level. Because the additional pay would apply to work
already completed, that spending is treated as direct spending.
Using information from the Forest Service, CBO estimates that
enacting S. 306 would increase direct spending by less than
$500,000 over the 2025-2030 period.
The CBO staff contact for this estimate is Kelly Durand.
The estimate was reviewed by H. Samuel Papenfuss, Deputy
Director of Budget Analysis.
Phillip L. Swagel,
Director, Congressional Budget Office.
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
S. 306, as reported, would create a fire weather services
program and fire weather testbed. These programs would not
impose any new regulatory requirements and therefore would not
subject any individuals or businesses to new regulations. It
would impact the individuals who are included as covered
employees under the Departments of Commerce, Agriculture, and
Interior, and who perform the covered services of wildland
firefighter, fire management response official, incident
meteorologist, or are on an incident management team by
providing a waiver of limitations on pay for overtime during
calendar year 2025.
Economic Impact
S. 306, as reported, is not expected to have a negative
impact on the Nation's economy. It would impact the individuals
who are included as covered employees under the Departments of
Commerce, Agriculture, and Interior and who perform the covered
services of wildland firefighter, fire management response
official, incident meteorologist, or are on an incident
management team by providing a waiver of limitations on pay for
overtime during calendar year 2025. The bill aims to have an
overall positive economic impact by reducing the loss of lives
and property to wildfires.
Privacy
S. 306, as reported, is not expected to impact the personal
privacy of individuals.
Paperwork
S. 306, as reported, would require a slight increase in
paperwork burdens to Federal agencies. The bill would require
the Under Secretary to submit several plans and reports to
Congress providing details on the fire weather services
program, incident meteorologist workforce needs, and national
weather service workforce support, among others. It would also
require the Under Secretary to conduct a yearly post-fire
season survey and assessment and make the assessment publicly
available. It would direct the newly established Fire Science
and Technology Working Group to submit a strategic plan to
Congress on interagency coordination, research, and
development. It would also direct the Comptroller General to
submit to Congress four reports regarding the fire weather
services program, interagency bodies' activities and
coordination, and the automated surface observing system.
Congressionally Directed Spending
In compliance with paragraph 4(b) of rule XLIV of the
Standing Rules of the Senate, the Committee provides that no
provisions contained in the bill, as reported, meet the
definition of congressionally directed spending items under the
rule.
Section-by-Section Analysis
Section 1. Short title; table of contents.
This section would provide that the bill may be cited as
the ``Fire Ready Nation Act of 2025''. It would include a table
of contents for the bill.
Section 2. Definitions.
This section would define the terms ``Administration'',
``appropriate committees of Congress'', ``Earth system model'',
``fire environment'', ``fire weather'', ``impact-based decision
support services'', ``Indian tribe'', ``Native Hawaiian
organization'', ``seasonal'', ``State'', ``Tribal
organization'', and ``Under Secretary.''
Section 3. Establishment of fire weather services program.
This section would establish a coordinated fire weather
services program within NOAA to support readiness and
resilience and disseminate risk communications and wildfire
forecasts. Program activities would support research, develop
smoke and air quality forecasts, and provide data and tools for
fire response, hazard communication, and mitigation. The
program would be required to ensure parity of coverage for
remote, isolated, and rural communities. To develop and
implement the program, NOAA would be required to collaborate
with relevant enterprises, academic institutions, Federal
agencies, and local partners. It would allow NOAA to support
non-Federal entities under this Act by using existing
authorities to make funds available through grants, contracts,
cooperative agreements, and co-location agreements.
Section 4. Fire weather testbed.
This section would establish a fire weather testbed to
accelerate the research and implementation of new capabilities
and technology for fire weather forecasting and support
services. It would also require a research and development
program on the use of uncrewed systems to improve data
collection as well as implementation of pilot projects to test
uncrewed systems for fire weather observations. The fire
weather testbed would be required to conduct additional pilot
projects that include elements such as products that detect
fire from satellites. It would require annual reports to
Congress on the NOAA Office of Oceanic and Atmospheric Research
projects that are closest to operationalization to describe
research that has transitioned into operations, including
research at the fire weather testbed.
Section 5. Data management and technology modernization.
This section would require that data which NOAA has the
legal right to distribute be open access. It would also require
NOAA to collaborate with Federal and non-Federal partners to
promote interoperability, usability, and accessibility of data
as well as to leverage emerging technologies and commercial
partnerships for proper data management.
It would require that other Federal agencies consult the
Under Secretary of Commerce for Oceans and Atmosphere (Under
Secretary) on development of impact-based decision support
services (e.g., forecasts and risk communication) and
associated and related technologies for fire-related activities
as well as on systems to forecast and model wildfire smoke.
This section would direct the Under Secretary to develop
and maintain a comprehensive, centralized, and publicly
accessible fire weather database to improve understanding and
historical analysis of wildfire and fire weather science and
forecasts and to support the archiving and preservation of
wildfire and fire weather data. The Under Secretary would be
required to acquire high-performance computing resources and
capacity to support data storage, research, and operational
capabilities.
Section 6. Surveys and assessments.
This section would require NOAA to conduct a yearly post-
fire season survey and assessment. Following the assessment,
the Under Secretary would be required to investigate gaps in
data collected in the evaluation, update systems and processes,
and assess and refine measures as needed. The data and findings
from each assessment would be publicly available in a digital
format. This section would allow the Under Secretary to conduct
surveys and assessments of individual wildfire events. It would
also require the Under Secretary to brief Congress annually on
the previous fire season, the outlook for the following year's
fire season, and fire weather forecasts.
This section would require the Under Secretary to
collaborate with the Administrator of the Federal Aviation
Administration and the Secretary of Defense to complete an
assessment of the United States automated surface observing
system and the resources, personnel, and activities needed to
maximize its functionality. The Under Secretary would be
required to implement a plan to address findings of this
assessment, and report to Congress on the assessment and plan.
Section 7. Incident Meteorologist Service.
This section would codify the existing Incident
Meteorologist Service within the National Weather Service. The
Incident Meteorologist Service would provide on-site decision
support services during extreme weather events and support
seasonal planning and pre-fire mitigation activities by
emergency response agencies and local stakeholders. The Under
Secretary would provide resources and training to support the
emotional and mental health of employees who respond to high-
impact and extreme fire weather events.
Section 8. Emergency response activities.
This section would define the terms ``basic pay'',
``covered employee'', ``covered services'', ``premium pay'',
``relevant congressional committees'', and ``Secretary
concerned''. This section would allow Federal firefighters and
IMETS to receive overtime compensation when working on wildfire
events and waive any premium pay or overtime limitations for
emergency response personnel and incident meteorologists during
long deployments for calendar year 2025.
This section would require the Secretary of Commerce,
Secretary of Agriculture, and Secretary of the Interior with
the Office of Management and Budget and Office of Personnel
Management to jointly develop and implement a plan to ensure
sufficient wildland firefighters, fire management response
officials, regional fire directors, deputy regional fire
directors, fire management officers, incident meteorologists,
or members of incident management teams are available each
fiscal year starting in fiscal year 2026.
Section 9. Submissions to Congress regarding the fire weather services
program, incident meteorologist workforce needs, and National
Weather Service workforce support.
This section would require the Under Secretary to submit a
report to Congress no later than 18 months after enactment that
includes the Fire Weather Services Program Plan, an Incident
Meteorologist Workforce Needs Assessment, and a Support
Services Assessment.
Section 10. Fire Science and Technology Working Group; strategic plan.
This section would establish a Fire Science and Technology
Working Group under the Interagency Committee for Advancing
Weather Services (ICAWS), chaired by the Under Secretary, to
build efficiencies among the various agencies involved with
wildfire forecasting, prevention, planning, and management. It
would also require the ICAWS to develop and submit to Congress
no later than 18 months after enactment a strategic plan for
interagency coordination, research, and development that will
improve assessments of fire environments as well as knowledge
and forecasting of wildfires and their impacts. It would sunset
the working group not later than 1 year after enactment.
Section 11. Fire weather rating system.
This section would require the Under Secretary to
collaborate with other agency chiefs to evaluate the system
used to rate wildfire risk and determine if updates are needed.
Section 12. Government Accountability Office reports.
This section would direct the Comptroller General of the
United States to submit to Congress the following reports:
A report on the Fire Weather Services Program;
A report on interagency bodies for wildfire
forecasting, prevention, planning, and management;
A report on interagency coordination related to
wildfires; and
A report on the automated surface observing system.
Section 13. Cooperation and coordination.
This section would direct cooperation and coordination
between Federal agencies in carrying out this Act. It would
authorize NOAA to develop agreements with other Federal
agencies and non-Federal entities to improve fire weather
services. This section would require that NOAA establish and
submit to Congress an annual process for coordinating with non-
Federal partners to improve fire weather services.
It would also authorize the Under Secretary to develop
collaborative relationships and agreements with foreign
partners to address transboundary issues pertaining to
wildfires, fire weather, smoke, air quality, and other hazards
as appropriate. It also would require the Under Secretary to
consult with the Department of State and other Federal partners
as the Under Secretary considers relevant.
Section 14. General provisions.
This section would require the Under Secretary to
coordinate with the Administration and with other Federal
agency heads to ensure that the activities under this Act are
not duplicative in nature.
Section 15. Authorization of appropriations.
This section would authorize the appropriation of $15
million for fiscal year 2026; $20 million for fiscal year 2027;
$27 million for fiscal year 2028; $36 million for fiscal year
2029; and $50 million for fiscal year 2030. Lastly, this
section would prohibit amounts authorized to be used to
unnecessarily duplicate activities funded under title VIII of
division D of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act.
Changes in Existing Law
In compliance with paragraph 12 of rule XXVI of the
Standing Rules of the Senate, changes in existing law made by
the bill, as reported, are shown as follows (existing law
proposed to be omitted is enclosed in black brackets, new
material is printed in italic, existing law in which no change
is proposed is shown in roman):
UNITED STATES CODE
* * * * * * *
TITLE 5--GOVERNMENT ORGANIZATION AND EMPLOYEES
* * * * * * *
PART III--EMPLOYEES
* * * * * * *
Subpart D--Pay and Allowances
* * * * * * *
CHAPTER 55--PAY ADMINISTRATION
* * * * * * *
Subchapter V--Premium Pay
* * * * * * *
Sec. 5542. Overtime rates; computation
(a) For full-time, part-time and intermittent tours of duty,
hours of work officially ordered or approved in excess of 40
hours in an administrative workweek, or (with the exception of
an employee engaged in professional or technical engineering or
scientific activities for whom the first 40 hours of duty in an
administrative workweek is the basic workweek and an employee
whose basic pay exceeds the minimum rate for GS-10 (including
any applicable locality-based comparability payment under
section 5304 or similar provision of law and any applicable
special rate of pay under section 5305 or similar provision of
law) for whom the first 40 hours of duty in an administrative
workweek is the basic workweek) in excess of 8 hours in a day,
performed by an employee are overtime work and shall be paid
for, except as otherwise provided by this subchapter, at the
following rates:
(1) * * *
(2) * * *
(3) * * *
(4) * * *
(5) Notwithstanding paragraphs (1) and (2), for an
employee of the Department of the Interior, the
Department of Commerce, or the United States Forest
Service in the Department of Agriculture engaged in
emergency wildland fire suppression activities, the
overtime hourly rate of pay is an amount equal to one
and one-half times the hourly rate of basic pay of the
employee, and all that amount is premium pay.
(6) * * *
* * * * * * *
JOHN D. DINGELL, JR. CONSERVATION, MANAGEMENT, AND RECREATION ACT
* * * * * * *
[43 U.S.C. 1748b-1]
SEC. 1114. WILDFIRE TECHNOLOGY MODERNIZATION.
(a) * * *
(b) * * *
(c) Unmanned Aircraft Systems.--
(1) Definitions.--In this subsection, the terms
``unmanned aircraft'' and ``unmanned aircraft system''
have the meanings given those terms in section 44801 of
title 49, United States Code.
(2) Establishment of program.--Not later than 180
days after the date of enactment of this Act, the
Secretary, in consultation with the Secretary of
Agriculture, shall establish a research, development,
and testing program, or expand an applicable existing
program, to assess unmanned aircraft system
technologies, including optionally piloted aircraft,
across the full range of wildland fire management
operations in order to accelerate the deployment and
integration of those technologies into the operations
of the Secretaries.
(3) Expanding use of unmanned aircraft systems on
wildfires.--In carrying out the program established
under paragraph (2), the Secretaries, in coordination
with the Federal Aviation Administration, the National
Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, State wildland
firefighting agencies, and other relevant Federal
agencies, shall enter into an agreement under which the
Secretaries shall develop consistent protocols and
plans for the use on wildland fires of unmanned
aircraft system technologies, including for the
development of real-time maps of the location of
wildland fires.
(d) * * *
(e) Wildland Fire Decision Support.--
(1) Protocol.--To the maximum extent practicable, the
Secretaries shall ensure that wildland fire management
activities conducted by the Secretaries, or conducted
jointly by the Secretaries and State wildland
firefighting agencies, achieve compliance with
applicable incident management objectives in a manner
that--
(A) minimizes firefighter exposure to the
lowest level necessary; and
(B) reduces overall costs of wildfire
incidents.
(2) Wildfire decision support system.--
(A) In general.--The Secretaries, in
coordination with State wildland firefighting
agencies, shall establish a system or expand an
existing system to track and monitor decisions
made by the Secretaries or State wildland
firefighting agencies in managing wildfires.
(B) Consultation.--
(i) In general.--In carrying out
subparagraph (A), the Secretaries shall
consult with the Under Secretary of
Commerce for Oceans and Atmosphere
regarding any development of impact-
based decision support services that
relate to wildfire-related activities
of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration.
(ii) Definition of impact-based
decision support services.--In this
subparagraph, the term ``impact-based
decision support services'' means
scientific advice and interpretative
services the National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration provides to
help core partners, such as emergency
personnel and public safety officials,
make decisions when the information
impacts the lives and livelihoods of
the people of the United States.
[(B)](C) Components.--The system established
or expanded under subparagraph (A) shall be
able to alert the Secretaries if--
(i) unusual costs are incurred;
(ii) an action to be carried out
would likely--
(I) endanger the safety of a
firefighter; or
(II) be ineffective in
meeting an applicable
suppression or protection goal;
or
(iii) a decision regarding the
management of a wildfire deviates
from--
(I) an applicable protocol
established by the Secretaries,
including the requirement under
paragraph (1); or
(II) an applicable spatial
fire management plan or fire
management plan of the
Secretary concerned.
(f) Smoke Projections From Active Wildland Fires.--[The
Secretaries]
(1) In general.--The Secretaries shall establish a
program, to be known as the ``Interagency Wildland Fire
Air Quality Response Program'', under which the
Secretary concerned--
[(1)](A) to the maximum extent practicable, shall
assign 1 or more air resource advisors to a type 1
incident management team managing a Federal wildland
fire; and
[(2)](B) may assign 1 or more air resource advisors
to a type 2 incident management team managing a
wildland fire.
(2) Collaboration.--In carrying out paragraph (1),
the Secretaries shall collaborate with the Under
Secretary of Commerce for Oceans and Atmosphere to
improve coordination, utility of systems and assets,
and interoperability of data for wildfire smoke
prediction, forecasting, and modeling.
* * * * * * *
NATIONAL OCEANIC AND ATMOSPHERIC ADMINISTRATION AUTHORIZATION ACT OF
1992
* * * * * * *
[15 U.S.C. 8520(a)(5)]
SEC. 108. UNITED STATES WEATHER RESEARCH PROGRAM.
(a) Establishment.--The Secretary of Commerce, in cooperation
with the Federal Coordinating Council for Science, Engineering,
and Technology through the Committee on Earth and Environmental
Sciences, shall establish a United States Weather Research
Program to--
(1) * * *
(2) * * *
(3) * * *
(4) * * *
(5) 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, not less frequently than once each
year, a report, including--
(A) a list of ongoing research projects;
(B) project goals and a point of contact for
each project;
(C) the five projects related to weather
observations, short-term weather, or
subseasonal forecasts within Office of Oceanic
and Atmospheric Research that are closest to
operationalization; and
(D) for each project referred to in
subparagraph (C)--
(i) the potential benefit;
(ii) any barrier to
operationalization; [and]
(iii) the plan for
operationalization, including which
line office will financially support
the project and how much the line
office intends to spend; and
(iv) a description of the research
that has been transitioned into
operations, including research at the
fire weather testbed established under
section 4(a) of the Fire Ready Nation
Act of 2025;
* * * * * * *
WEATHER RESEARCH AND FORECASTING INNOVATION ACT OF 2017
* * * * * * *
[15 U.S.C. 8531]
SEC. 301. NATIONAL OCEANIC AND ATMOSPHERIC ADMINISTRATION SATELLITE AND
DATA MANAGEMENT.
(a) * * *
(b) * * *
(c) * * *
(d) * * *
(e) * * *
(f) Data Availability and Management.--
(1) In general.--The Under Secretary shall--
(A) make data and metadata generated or
collected by the National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration that the Under
Secretary has the legal right to redistribute
fully and openly available, in accordance with
chapter 35 of title 44, United States Code, and
the Foundations for Evidence-Based Policymaking
Act of 2018 (Public Law 115-435; 132 Stat.
5529) and the amendments made by that Act, and
preserve and curate such data and metadata, in
accordance with chapter 31 of title 44, United
States Code (commonly known as the ``Federal
Records Act of 1950''), in order to maximize
use of such data and metadata; and
(B) manage and steward the access, archival,
and retrieval activities for the data and
metadata described in subparagraph (A) by--
(i) using--
(I) enterprise-wide
infrastructure, emerging
technologies, commercial
partnerships, and the skilled
workforce needed to provide
appropriate data management
from collection to broad
access; and
(II) associated information
services; and
(ii) pursuing the maximum
interoperability of data and
information by--
(I) leveraging data,
information, knowledge, and
tools from across the Federal
Government to support equitable
access, cross-sectoral
collaboration and innovation,
and local planning and
decision-making; and
(II) developing standards and
practices for the adoption and
citation of digital object
identifiers for datasets,
models, and analytical tools.
(2) Collaboration.--In carrying out this subsection,
the Under Secretary shall collaborate with such Federal
partners and stakeholders as the Under Secretary
considers relevant--
(A) to develop standards to pursue maximum
interoperability of data, information,
knowledge, and tools across the Federal
Government, convert historical records into
common digital formats, and improve access and
usability of data by partners and stakeholders;
(B) to identify and solicit relevant data
from Federal and international partners and
other relevant stakeholders, as the Under
Secretary considers appropriate; and
(C) to develop standards and practices for
the adoption and citation of digital object
identifiers for datasets, models, and
analytical tools.
[(f)](g) REPORTS.--
(1) In general.--Not later than 90 days after
September 30 of each fiscal year through September 30,
2023, the Under Secretary 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 the use of
additional transaction authority by the National
Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration during the
previous fiscal year.
(2) Contents.--Each report shall include--
(A) for each transaction agreement in effect
during the fiscal year covered by the report--
(i) an indication of whether the
transaction agreement is a
reimbursable, non-reimbursable, or
funded agreement;
(ii) a description of--
(I) the subject and terms;
(II) the parties;
(III) the responsible
National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration line
office;
(IV) the value;
(V) the extent of the cost
sharing among Federal
Government and non-Federal
sources;
(VI) the duration or
schedule; and
(VII) all milestones;
(iii) an indication of whether the
transaction agreement was renewed
during the previous fiscal year;
(iv) the technology areas in which
research projects were conducted under
that agreement;
(v) the extent to which the use of
that agreement--
(I) has contributed to a
broadening of the technology
and industrial base available
for meeting National Oceanic
and Atmospheric Administration
needs; and
(II) has fostered within the
technology and industrial base
new relationships and practices
that support the United States;
and
(vi) the total value received by the
Federal Government under that agreement
for that fiscal year; and
(B) a list of all anticipated reimbursable,
non-reimbursable, and funded transaction
agreements for the upcoming fiscal year.
[(g)](h) Rule of Construction.--Nothing in this section may
be construed as limiting the authority of the National Oceanic
and Atmospheric Administration to use cooperative research and
development agreements, grants, procurement contracts, or
cooperative agreements.
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