Flood Level Observation, Operations, and Decision Support Act or the FLOODS Act
This bill addresses forecasting and the communication of flood, tornado, and hurricane events by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).
Among other provisions, the bill
[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 8882 Introduced in House (IH)]
<DOC>
116th CONGRESS
2d Session
H. R. 8882
To establish a national integrated flood information system within the
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and for other
purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
December 4, 2020
Ms. Sherrill (for herself and Mr. Weber of Texas) introduced the
following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Science, Space,
and Technology, and in addition to the Committees on Natural Resources,
and Transportation and Infrastructure, for a period to be subsequently
determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such
provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To establish a national integrated flood information system within the
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and for other
purposes.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE; TABLE OF CONTENTS.
(a) Short Title.--This Act may be cited as the ``Flood Level
Observation, Operations, and Decision Support Act'' or the ``FLOODS
Act''.
(b) Table of Contents.--The table of contents for this Act is as
follows:
Sec. 1. Short title; table of contents.
Sec. 2. Definitions.
Sec. 3. National Integrated Flood Information System.
Sec. 4. Observations and modeling for total water prediction.
Sec. 5. Service coordination hydrologists at River Forecast Centers of
the National Weather Service.
Sec. 6. Improving National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
communication of future flood risks and
hazardous flash flood events.
Sec. 7. Freshwater monitoring along the coast.
Sec. 8. Tornado warning improvement.
Sec. 9. Hurricane forecast improvement program.
Sec. 10. Weather and water research and development planning.
Sec. 11. Forecast communication coordinators.
Sec. 12. Estimates of precipitation frequency in the United States.
Sec. 13. Interagency Coordinating Committee on Water Management.
Sec. 14. National Weather Service hydrologic research fellowship
program.
Sec. 15. Identification and support of consistent, Federal set of
forward-looking, long-term meteorological
information.
Sec. 16. Gap analysis on availability of snow-related data to assess
and predict flood and flood impacts.
Sec. 17. Availability to the public of flood-related data.
SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS.
In this Act:
(1) State.--The term ``State'' means each State of the
United States, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of
Puerto Rico, American Samoa, Guam, the Commonwealth of the
Northern Mariana Islands, the Virgin Islands of the United
States, and any other territory or possession of the United
States.
(2) Under secretary.--The term ``Under Secretary'' means
the Under Secretary of Commerce for Oceans and Atmosphere.
SEC. 3. NATIONAL INTEGRATED FLOOD INFORMATION SYSTEM.
(a) In General.--The Under Secretary shall establish a system, to
be known as the ``National Integrated Flood Information System'', to
better inform and provide for more timely decision making to reduce
flood-related effects and costs.
(b) System Functions.--The Under Secretary, through the National
Integrated Flood Information System, shall--
(1) provide an effective flood early warning system that--
(A) collects and integrates information on the key
indicators of floods and flood impacts, including
streamflow, reservoir release and diversion,
precipitation, soil moisture, snow water equivalent,
land cover, and evaporative demand;
(B) makes usable, reliable, and timely forecasts of
floods;
(C) assesses the severity of flood conditions and
effects;
(D) issues flood watches and warnings when
necessary;
(E) provides information described in subparagraph
(A), forecasts described in subparagraph (B), and
assessments described in subparagraph (C) at the
national, regional, and local levels, as appropriate;
and
(F) communicates flood forecasts, flood conditions,
and flood impacts to public and private entities
engaged in flood planning, preparedness, and response,
including--
(i) decision makers at the Federal, State,
local, and Tribal levels of government;
(ii) the private sector; and
(iii) the public;
(2) provide timely data, information, and products that
reflect differences in flood conditions among localities,
regions, watersheds, and States;
(3) coordinate and integrate, through interagency
agreements as practicable, Federal research and monitoring in
support of the flood early warning information system provided
under paragraph (1);
(4) use existing forecasting and assessment programs and
partnerships;
(5) make improvements in seasonal precipitation and
temperature, subseasonal precipitation and temperature, and
flood water prediction; and
(6) continue ongoing research and monitoring activities
relating to floods, including research activities relating to--
(A) the prediction, length, severity, and impacts
of floods and improvement of the accuracy, timing, and
specificity of flash flood warnings;
(B) the role of extreme weather events and climate
variability in floods; and
(C) how water travels over and through surfaces.
(c) Partnerships.--The Under Secretary, through the National
Integrated Flood Information System, may--
(1) engage with the private sector to improve flood
monitoring, forecasts, land and topography data, and
communication, if the Under Secretary determines that such
engagement is appropriate, cost effective, and beneficial to
the public and decision makers described in subsection
(b)(1)(F)(i);
(2) facilitate the development of 1 or more academic
cooperative partnerships to assist in carrying out the
functions of the National Integrated Flood Information System
described in subsection (b);
(3) use and support monitoring by citizen scientists,
including by developing best practices to facilitate maximum
data integration, as the Under Secretary considers appropriate;
and
(4) engage with, and leverage the resources of, entities
within the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration in
existence as of the date of the enactment of this Act, such as
the National Integrated Drought Information System, the
Regional Climate Center, and the National Mesonet Program, to
improve coordination of water monitoring, forecasting, and
management.
(d) Consultation.--In developing and maintaining the National
Integrated Flood Information System, the Under Secretary shall consult
with relevant Federal, State, local, and Tribal government agencies,
research institutions, and the private sector.
(e) Cooperation From Other Federal Agencies.--Each Federal agency
shall cooperate as appropriate with the Under Secretary in carrying out
this section.
SEC. 4. OBSERVATIONS AND MODELING FOR TOTAL WATER PREDICTION.
(a) Partnerships.--
(1) In general.--The Under Secretary shall establish
partnerships with 1 or more institutions of higher education
(as defined in section 101 of the Higher Education Act of 1965
(20 U.S.C. 1001)) to evaluate observations that would improve
total water prediction.
(2) Priority observations.--In establishing partnerships
under paragraph (1), the Under Secretary shall prioritize
partnerships to evaluate observations from unmanned aerial
systems.
(b) Maintained Observations.--If the Under Secretary determines
that incorporating additional observations improves total water
prediction, the Under Secretary shall, to the extent practicable,
continue incorporating those observations.
(c) Modeling Improvements.--The Under Secretary shall advance
geographic coverage, resolution, skill, and efficiency of coastal
oceanographic modeling, including efforts that improve the coupling of
and interoperability between hydrological models and coastal ocean
models.
(d) Geospatial Data.--The Under Secretary shall advance the
development of models to vertically transform geospatial data into a
common system for use as the Federal standard for surveys and mapping.
SEC. 5. SERVICE COORDINATION HYDROLOGISTS AT RIVER FORECAST CENTERS OF
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE.
(a) Designation of Service Coordination Hydrologists.--
(1) In general.--The Director of the National Weather
Service (in this section referred to as the ``Director'') shall
designate at least 1 service coordination hydrologist at each
River Forecast Center of the National Weather Service.
(2) Performance by other employees.--Performance of the
responsibilities outlined in this section is not limited to the
service coordination hydrologist position.
(b) Primary Role of Service Coordination Hydrologists.--The primary
role of the service coordination hydrologist shall be to carry out the
responsibilities required by this section.
(c) Responsibilities.--
(1) In general.--Subject to paragraph (2), consistent with
the analysis described in section 409 of the Weather Research
and Forecasting Innovation Act of 2017 (Public Law 115-25; 131
Stat. 112), and in order to increase impact-based decision
support services, each service coordination hydrologist
designated under subsection (a) shall, with respect to
hydrology--
(A) be responsible for providing service to the
geographic area of responsibility covered by the River
Forecast Center at which the service coordination
hydrologist is employed to help ensure that users of
products and services of the National Weather Service
can respond effectively to improve outcomes from flood
events;
(B) liaise with users of products and services of
the National Weather Service, such as the public,
academia, media outlets, users in the hydropower,
transportation, recreation, and agricultural
communities, and forestry, land, fisheries, and water
management interests, to evaluate the adequacy and
usefulness of the products and services of the National
Weather Service;
(C) collaborate with such River Forecast Centers
and Weather Forecast Offices and Federal, State, local,
and Tribal government agencies as the Director
considers appropriate in developing, proposing, and
implementing plans to develop, modify, or tailor
products and services of the National Weather Service
to improve the usefulness of such products and
services;
(D) engage in interagency partnerships with
Federal, State, local, and Tribal government agencies
to explore the use of forecast-informed reservoir
operations to reduce flood risk;
(E) ensure the maintenance and accuracy of flooding
call lists, appropriate office flooding policy or
procedures, and other flooding information or
dissemination methodologies or strategies; and
(F) work closely with Federal, State, local, and
Tribal emergency and floodplain management agencies,
and other agencies relating to disaster management, to
ensure a planned, coordinated, and effective
preparedness and response effort.
(2) Other staff.--The Director may assign a responsibility
set forth in paragraph (1) to such other staff as the Director
considers appropriate to carry out such responsibility.
(d) Additional Responsibilities.--
(1) In general.--Subject to paragraph (2), a service
coordination hydrologist designated under subsection (a) may,
with respect to hydrology--
(A) work with a State agency to develop plans for
promoting more effective use of products and services
of the National Weather Service throughout the State;
(B) identify priority community preparedness
objectives;
(C) develop plans to meet the objectives identified
under subparagraph (B); and
(D) conduct flooding event preparedness planning
and citizen education efforts with and through various
State, local, and Tribal government agencies and other
disaster management-related organizations.
(2) Other staff.--The Director may assign a responsibility
set forth in paragraph (1) to such other staff as the Director
considers appropriate to carry out such responsibility.
(e) Placement With State and Local Emergency and Floodplain
Managers.--
(1) In general.--In carrying out this section, the Director
may place a service coordination hydrologist designated under
subsection (a) with a State or local emergency or floodplain
manager, if the Director determines that such placement is
necessary or convenient to carry out this section.
(2) Treatment.--If the Director determines that the
placement of a service coordination hydrologist with a State or
local emergency or floodplain manager under paragraph (1) is
near a River Forecast Center of the National Weather Service,
such placement shall be treated as designation of the service
coordination hydrologist at such River Forecast Center for
purposes of subsection (a).
SEC. 6. IMPROVING NATIONAL OCEANIC AND ATMOSPHERIC ADMINISTRATION
COMMUNICATION OF FUTURE FLOOD RISKS AND HAZARDOUS FLASH
FLOOD EVENTS.
(a) Assessment of Flash Flood Watches and Warnings.--
(1) In general.--Not later than 2 years after the date of
the enactment of this Act, the Under Secretary shall--
(A) conduct an assessment of--
(i) the flash flood watches and warnings of
the National Weather Service; and
(ii) the information delivery to support
preparation and responses to floods; and
(B) submit to Congress a report on the findings of
the Under Secretary with respect to the assessment
required by subparagraph (A).
(2) Elements.--The assessment required by paragraph (1)(A)
shall include the following:
(A) An evaluation of whether the watches, warnings,
and information described in paragraph (1)(A)--
(i) communicate risk to the general public;
(ii) inform action to prevent loss of life
and property;
(iii) inform action to support flood
preparation and response; and
(iv) deliver information in a manner
designed to lead to appropriate action.
(B) Subject to subsection (b)(2), such
recommendations as the Under Secretary may have for--
(i) legislative and administrative action
to improve the watches and warnings described
in paragraph (1)(A)(i); and
(ii) such research as the Under Secretary
considers necessary to address the focus areas
described in paragraph (3).
(3) Focus areas.--The assessment required by paragraph
(1)(A) shall focus on the following areas:
(A) Ways to communicate the risks posed by
hazardous flash flood events to the public that are
most likely to result in informed decision making
regarding the mitigation of those risks.
(B) Ways to provide actionable geographic
information to the recipient of a watch or warning for
a flash flood, including partnering with emergency
response agencies, as appropriate.
(C) Evaluation of information delivery to support
the preparation for and response to floods.
(4) Consultation.--In conducting the assessment required by
paragraph (1)(A), the Under Secretary shall consult with--
(A) such line offices of the National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration as the Under Secretary
considers relevant, including--
(i) the National Ocean Service;
(ii) the National Weather Service; and
(iii) the Office of Oceanic and Atmospheric
Research;
(B) individuals in the academic sector, including
individuals in the field of social and behavioral
sciences;
(C) other weather services;
(D) media outlets and other entities that
distribute the watches and warnings described in
paragraph (1)(A)(i);
(E) floodplain managers and emergency planners and
responders, including State, local, and Tribal
emergency management agencies;
(F) other government users of the watches and
warnings described in paragraph (1)(A)(i), including
the Federal Highway Administration; and
(G) such other Federal agencies as the Under
Secretary determines rely on watches and warnings
regarding flash floods for operational decisions.
(5) National academy of sciences.--The Under Secretary
shall engage with the National Academy of Sciences, as the
Under Secretary considers necessary and practicable, including
by contracting with the National Research Council to review the
scientific and technical soundness of the assessment required
by paragraph (1)(A), including the recommendations under
paragraph (2)(B).
(6) Methodologies.--In conducting the assessment required
by paragraph (1)(A), the Under Secretary shall use such
methodologies as the Under Secretary considers are generally
accepted by the weather enterprise, including social and
behavioral sciences.
(b) Improvements to Flash Flood Watches and Warnings.--
(1) In general.--Based on the assessment required by
subsection (a)(1)(A), the Under Secretary shall make such
improvements to the watches and warnings described in that
subsection as the Under Secretary considers necessary--
(A) to improve the communication of the risks posed
by hazardous flash flood events; and
(B) to provide actionable geographic information to
the recipient of a watch or warning for a flash flood.
(2) Requirements regarding recommendations.--In conducting
the assessment required by subsection (a)(1)(A), the Under
Secretary shall ensure that any recommendation under subsection
(a)(2)(B) that the Under Secretary considers a major change--
(A) is validated by social and behavioral science
using a generalizable sample;
(B) accounts for the needs of various demographics,
vulnerable populations, and geographic regions;
(C) responds to the needs of Federal, State, local,
and Tribal government partners and media partners; and
(D) accounts for necessary changes to federally
operated watch and warning propagation and
dissemination infrastructure and protocols.
(c) Definitions.--In this section:
(1) Watch; warning.--
(A) In general.--Except as provided in subparagraph
(B), the terms ``watch'' and ``warning'', with respect
to a hazardous flash flood event, mean products issued
by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration,
intended for use by the general public--
(i) to alert the general public to the
potential for or presence of the event; and
(ii) to inform action to prevent loss of
life and property.
(B) Exclusion.--The terms ``watch'' and ``warning''
do not include technical or specialized meteorological
and hydrological forecasts, outlooks, or model guidance
products.
(2) Weather enterprise.--The term ``weather enterprise''
has the meaning given that term in section 2 of the Weather
Research and Forecasting Innovation Act of 2017 (15 U.S.C.
8501).
SEC. 7. FRESHWATER MONITORING ALONG THE COAST.
(a) Data Availability Assessment.--The Under Secretary shall assess
the availability of short- and long-term data on large-scale freshwater
flooding into oceans, bays, and estuaries, including data on--
(1) flow rate, including discharge;
(2) conductivity;
(3) oxygen concentration;
(4) nutrient load;
(5) water temperature; and
(6) sediment load.
(b) Data Needs Assessment.--The Under Secretary shall assess the
need for additional data to assess and predict the effect of the
flooding and freshwater discharge described in subsection (a).
(c) Inventory of Data Needs.--Based on the assessments required by
subsections (a) and (b), the Under Secretary shall create an inventory
of data needs with respect to the flooding and freshwater discharge
described in subsections (a) and (b).
(d) Planning.--In planning for the collection of additional data
necessary for ecosystem-based modeling of the effect of the flooding
and freshwater discharge described in subsections (a) and (b), the
Under Secretary shall use the inventory created under subsection (c).
SEC. 8. TORNADO WARNING IMPROVEMENT.
Section 103 of the Weather Research and Forecasting Innovation Act
of 2017 (15 U.S.C. 8513) is amended--
(1) by redesignating subsections (c) and (d) as subsections
(d) and (e), respectively; and
(2) by inserting after subsection (b) the following:
``(c) Innovative Observations.--The Under Secretary shall ensure
that the program periodically examines the value of incorporating
innovative observations, such as acoustic or infrasonic measurements,
observations from phased array radars, and observations from mesonets,
with respect to the improvement of tornado forecasts, predictions, and
warnings.''.
SEC. 9. HURRICANE FORECAST IMPROVEMENT PROGRAM.
Section 104(b) of the Weather Research and Forecasting Innovation
Act of 2017 (15 U.S.C. 8514(b)) is amended--
(1) in paragraph (2), by striking ``; and'' and inserting a
semicolon;
(2) in paragraph (3), by striking the period at the end and
inserting ``; and''; and
(3) by adding at the end the following:
``(4) evaluating and incorporating, as appropriate,
innovative observations, including acoustic or infrasonic
measurements.''.
SEC. 10. WEATHER AND WATER RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT PLANNING.
Section 105(2) of the Weather Research and Forecasting Innovation
Act of 2017 (15 U.S.C. 8515(2)) is amended by inserting ``and flood-
event'' after ``operational weather''.
SEC. 11. FORECAST COMMUNICATION COORDINATORS.
Section 1762(f)(1) of the Food Security Act of 1985 (15 U.S.C.
8521(f)(1)) is amended, in the second sentence, by striking ``may'' and
inserting ``shall''.
SEC. 12. ESTIMATES OF PRECIPITATION FREQUENCY IN THE UNITED STATES.
(a) Definitions.--In this section:
(1) Freely associated states.--The term ``Freely Associated
States'' means the Republic of Palau, the Republic of the
Marshall Islands, and the Federated States of Micronesia, which
have each entered into a Compact of Free Association with the
United States.
(2) United states.--The term ``United States'' means the 50
States of the United States, the District of Columbia, the
Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, the United States Virgin Islands,
Guam, American Samoa, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana
Islands, and the Freely Associated States.
(b) In General.--The Administrator of the National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration shall establish a program, to be known as
the ``NOAA Precipitation Frequency Atlas of the United States'', to
compile, estimate, analyze, and communicate the frequency of
precipitation in the United States.
(c) Functions.--The NOAA Precipitation Frequency Atlas of the
United States--
(1) shall better inform the public and provide information
on--
(A) temporal and spatial distribution of heavy
precipitation;
(B) analyses of seasonality in precipitation; and
(C) trends in annual maximum series data; and
(2) may serve as the official source of the Federal
Government on estimates of precipitation frequency and
associated information with respect to the United States.
(d) Requirements.--
(1) Coverage.--The NOAA Precipitation Frequency Atlas of
the United States shall include such estimates of the frequency
of precipitation in the United States as the Administrator
determines appropriate.
(2) Frequency.--Such estimates--
(A) shall be conducted not less frequently than
once every 10 years; and
(B) may be conducted more frequently if determined
appropriate by the Administrator.
(3) Publication.--Such estimates and methodologies used to
conduct such estimates shall be--
(A) subject to an appropriate, scientific process,
as determined by the Administrator; and
(B) published on a publicly accessible website of
the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
(e) Partnerships.--The Administrator may partner with other Federal
agencies, members of the private sector, academic cooperative
partnerships, or nongovernment associations to assist in carrying out
the functions described in subsection (c).
(f) Consultation.--In carrying out this section, the Administrator
may consult with relevant Federal, State, local, Tribal, and
Territorial government agencies, research institutions, and the private
sector, as the Administrator determines necessary.
(g) Coordination.--In carrying out this section, the Administrator
may coordinate with other Federal agencies.
(h) Authorization of Appropriations.--There are authorized to be
appropriated to carry out this section, from amounts otherwise
authorized to be appropriated to the Administrator to carry out this
Act, $3,500,000 for each of fiscal years 2021 through 2030.
SEC. 13. INTERAGENCY COORDINATING COMMITTEE ON WATER MANAGEMENT.
(a) Establishment.--There is established a committee, to be known
as the ``Interagency Coordinating Committee on Water Management'' (in
this section referred to as the ``Committee'').
(b) Membership.--The Committee shall be composed of the following
members:
(1) The Under Secretary.
(2) The Assistant Secretary for Water and Science of the
Department of the Interior.
(3) The head of each of the following:
(A) The Federal Emergency Management Agency.
(B) The Army Corps of Engineers.
(C) The National Science Foundation.
(D) The Office of Science and Technology Policy.
(E) The Council on Environmental Quality.
(F) The Department of Energy.
(G) The Department of Agriculture.
(H) Any other Federal agency, as the co-chairs
consider appropriate.
(c) Co-Chairs.--The Committee shall be co-chaired by the Secretary
of the Interior and the Administrator of the Environmental Protection
Agency.
(d) Meetings.--The Committee shall meet not less frequently than
once each year at the call of the co-chairs.
(e) General Purpose and Duties.--The Committee shall ensure that
agencies across the Federal Government that engage in water-related
matters, including water storage and supplies, water quality and
restoration activities, water infrastructure, transportation on United
States rivers and inland waterways, and water forecasting, work
together where such agencies have joint or overlapping responsibilities
to--
(1) improve interagency coordination by Federal agencies on
water resource management and water-related infrastructure
issues;
(2) coordinate existing water-related Federal task forces,
working groups, and other formal cross-agency initiatives, as
appropriate;
(3) designate and consolidate repositories responsible for
archiving and managing water-related matters;
(4) improve interagency coordination of data management,
access, modeling, and visualization with respect to water-
related matters;
(5) conduct integrated planning for Federal investments in
water-related infrastructure; and
(6) support workforce development and efforts to recruit,
train, and retain professionals to operate and maintain
essential water facilities in the United States.
(f) Cross-Agency Priority Research Needs.--Not later than 1 year
after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Committee shall
develop and submit to Congress a list of research needs that includes
needs for cross-agency research and coordination.
SEC. 14. NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HYDROLOGIC RESEARCH FELLOWSHIP
PROGRAM.
(a) Definitions.--In this section:
(1) Decision support services.--The term ``decision support
services'' means information, including data and refined
products, that supports water resources-related decision-making
processes.
(2) Institution of higher education.--The term
``institution of higher education'' has the meaning given that
term in section 101 of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20
U.S.C. 1001).
(b) Hydrologic Research Fellowship Program.--
(1) Establishment.--The Under Secretary, acting through the
Director of the National Weather Service (in this section
referred to as the ``Director'') shall establish a hydrologic
research fellowship program (in this section referred to as the
``program'') for qualified individuals.
(2) Qualified individual.--For purposes of this section, a
qualified individual is an individual who is--
(A) a citizen of the United States; and
(B) enrolled in a research-based graduate program,
at an institution of higher education, in a field that
advances the research priorities developed by the Under
Secretary under paragraph (7), such as--
(i) hydrology;
(ii) earth sciences;
(iii) atmospheric sciences;
(iv) computer sciences;
(v) engineering;
(vi) environmental sciences;
(vii) geosciences;
(viii) urban planning; or
(ix) related social sciences.
(3) Award guidelines.--Fellowships under the program shall
be awarded pursuant to guidelines established by the Under
Secretary.
(4) Selection preference.--In selecting qualified
individuals for participation in the program, the Under
Secretary, acting through the Director, shall give preference
to applicants from historically Black colleges and universities
and minority-serving institutions.
(5) Placement.--The program shall support the placement of
qualified individuals in positions within the executive branch
of the Federal Government where such individuals can address
and advance the research priorities developed by the Under
Secretary under paragraph (7).
(6) Fellowship term.--A fellowship under the program shall
be for a period of up to 2 years.
(7) Fellowship research priorities.--The Under Secretary,
acting through the Director, and in consultation with
representatives from the United States Geological Survey, the
Federal Emergency Management Agency, and the Army Corps of
Engineers, as appropriate, shall develop and publish priorities
for the conduct of research by fellows, which may include the
following:
(A) Advance the collaborative development of a
flexible community-based water resources modeling
system.
(B) Apply artificial intelligence and machine
learning capabilities to advance existing hydrologic
modeling capabilities.
(C) Support the evolution and integration of
hydrologic modeling within an Earth Systems Modeling
Framework.
(D) Improve visualizations of hydrologic model
outputs.
(E) Advance the state of coupled freshwater and
salt water modeling and forecasting capabilities.
(F) Advance understanding and process
representation of water quality parameters.
(G) Advance the assimilation of in-situ and
remotely sensed observations and data.
(H) Support the integration of social science to
advance decision support services.
(I) Develop methods to study groundwater
sustainability and estimate the efficiency of recharge
management.
(c) Direct Hiring.--
(1) Authority.--During fiscal year 2021 and any fiscal year
thereafter, the head of any Federal agency may appoint, without
regard to the provisions of subchapter I of chapter 33 of title
5, United States Code, other than sections 3303 and 3328 of
that title, to a position with the Federal agency a recipient
of a fellowship under the program who--
(A) earned a degree from a program described in
subsection (b)(2)(B);
(B) successfully fulfilled the requirements of the
fellowship within the executive branch of the Federal
Government; and
(C) meets qualification standards established by
the Office of Personnel Management.
(2) Exercise of authority.--The direct hire authority
provided by this subsection shall be exercised with respect to
an individual described in paragraph (1) not later than 2 years
after the date on which the individual completed the fellowship
under the program.
SEC. 15. IDENTIFICATION AND SUPPORT OF CONSISTENT, FEDERAL SET OF
FORWARD-LOOKING, LONG-TERM METEOROLOGICAL INFORMATION.
(a) Definitions.--In this section:
(1) Extreme weather.--The term ``extreme weather'' includes
observed or anticipated severe and unseasonable atmospheric
conditions, including drought, heavy precipitation, hurricanes,
tornadoes and other windstorms (including derechos), extreme
heat, extreme cold, flooding, sustained temperatures or
precipitation that deviate substantially from historical
averages, and any other weather event that the Under Secretary
determines qualifies as extreme weather.
(2) Long-term.--The term ``long-term'' shall have such
meaning as the Director of the National Institute of Standards
and Technology, in consultation with the Under Secretary,
considers appropriate for purposes of this section.
(3) Other environmental trends.--The term ``other
environmental trends'' means wildfires, coastal flooding,
inland flooding, land subsidence, rising sea levels, and any
other challenges relating to changes in environmental systems
over time that the Under Secretary determines qualify as
environmental challenges other than extreme weather.
(b) Identification and Support of Consistent, Federal Set of
Forward-Looking, Long-Term Meteorological Information.--The Under
Secretary shall identify, and support research that enables, a
consistent, Federal set of forward-looking, long-term meteorological
information that models future extreme weather events, other
environmental trends, projections, and up-to-date observations,
including mesoscale information as determined appropriate by the Under
Secretary.
SEC. 16. GAP ANALYSIS ON AVAILABILITY OF SNOW-RELATED DATA TO ASSESS
AND PREDICT FLOOD AND FLOOD IMPACTS.
(a) In General.--The Under Secretary, in consultation with the
Department of Agriculture, the Department of the Interior, and the Army
Corps of Engineers, shall conduct an analysis of gaps in the
availability of snow-related data to assess and predict floods and
flood impacts, including data on the following:
(1) Snow water equivalent.
(2) Snow depth.
(3) Snowpack temperature.
(4) Snow precipitation.
(5) Snow melt.
(6) Rain-snow line.
(b) Report.--Not later than 180 days after the date of the
enactment of this Act, 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--
(1) the findings of the gap analysis required by subsection
(a); and
(2) opportunities for additional collaboration among
Federal agencies to collect snow-related data to better assess
and predict floods and flood impacts.
SEC. 17. AVAILABILITY TO THE PUBLIC OF FLOOD-RELATED DATA.
(a) In General.--The Under Secretary shall make flood-related data
available to the public on the website of the National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration.
(b) Cost.--The Under Secretary may make the data under subsection
(a) freely accessible or available at a cost that does not exceed the
cost of preparing the data.
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Introduced in House
Introduced in House
Referred to the Committee on Science, Space, and Technology, and in addition to the Committees on Natural Resources, and Transportation and Infrastructure, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
Referred to the Committee on Science, Space, and Technology, and in addition to the Committees on Natural Resources, and Transportation and Infrastructure, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
Referred to the Committee on Science, Space, and Technology, and in addition to the Committees on Natural Resources, and Transportation and Infrastructure, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
Referred to the Subcommittee on Economic Development, Public Buildings, and Emergency Management.
Referred to the Subcommittee on Water Resources and Environment.
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