National Volcano Early Warning and Monitoring System Act

Summary: National Volcano Early Warning and Monitoring System Act This bill directs the United States Geological Survey (USGS) to establish the National Volcano Early Warning and Monitoring System to monitor, issue warnings of, and protect U.S. citizens from undue and avoidable harm from, volcanic activity.  The purposes of the System are to: (1) organize, modernize, standardize, and stabilize the monitoring systems of U.S. volcano observatories; and (2) unify such systems into a single interoperative system. The objective of the System is to monitor all U.S. volcanoes at a level commensurate with the threat posed by the volcanoes by: (1) upgrading existing networks on monitored volcanoes, and (2) installing new networks on unmonitored volcanoes. The System shall include: (1) a national volcano watch office that is operational 24 hours a day and 7 days a week, (2) a national volcano data center, (3) an external grants program to support research in volcano monitoring science and technology, and (4) modernization activities including the comprehensive application of emerging technologies. The USGS must: (1) submit to Congress a five-year management plan for establishing and operating the System, and (2) establish an advisory committee to assist in implementing the System.  The USGS may enter into cooperative agreements designating institutions of higher education and state agencies as volcano observatory partners for the System.

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

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

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

    Congress finds that--
            (1) the United States and the territories of the United 
        States contain 169 hazardous volcanoes;
            (2) since 1980, eruptions have claimed many lives and cost 
        billions of dollars in property damage in the United States;
            (3) ash eruptions pose a hazard to high-flying jet 
        aircraft, including the more than 50,000 passengers who travel 
        on jets over Alaska and the North Pacific every day;
            (4) in 1989, an eruption of Redoubt Volcano, Alaska, caused 
        in-flight failure of all 4 engines of a passenger Boeing 747 
        aircraft;
            (5) international flights over the Commonwealth of the 
        Northern Mariana Islands and the intense domestic air traffic 
        of the Pacific Northwest also face potential engine failure in 
        the event of an eruption;
            (6) mudflows from ice-clad Cascade volcanoes of the States 
        of Washington, Oregon, and California pose a serious hazard to 
        cities and transportation arteries in the Pacific Northwest;
            (7) lava flows, toxic gas emissions, and explosions impact 
        residents and visitors to the State of Hawaii and have the 
        potential to cause catastrophic property damage;
            (8) frequent seismic unrest requires careful monitoring in 
        the Mammoth Lakes area of the State of California and 
        Yellowstone National Park in the States of Wyoming, Montana, 
        and Idaho;
            (9) modern technology, in the form of geophysical 
        monitoring networks on the ground and the use of near-real time 
        satellite data, makes possible early warnings typically weeks 
        or months before eruptions, giving emergency response agencies 
        and the public time to prepare, which minimizes potential 
        damage to property and loss of life;
            (10) the efficacy of monitoring is being demonstrated by--
                    (A) the successful forecasts and warnings of 
                Augustine Volcano in 1986 and 2006, Redoubt Volcano in 
                1989 through 1990 and 2009, and Mt. Spurr in 1992; and
                    (B) warnings and forecasts of lava flow advancement 
                in Hawaii during the ongoing eruption of Kilauea;
            (11) the United States Geological Survey and university and 
        State partners of the United States Geological Survey operate--
                    (A) the Alaska Volcano Observatory located in 
                Anchorage and Fairbanks, Alaska;
                    (B) the Cascades Volcano Observatory located in 
                Vancouver, Washington;
                    (C) the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory located in 
                Hawai'i Volcanoes National Park, Hawaii;
                    (D) the Yellowstone Volcano Observatory located in 
                Yellowstone National Park in the State of Wyoming, 
                Montana, and Idaho; and
                    (E) the California Volcano Observatory, located in 
                Menlo Park, California; and
            (12) a detailed survey of the volcanoes in the United 
        States and the monitoring status of those volcanoes has 
        revealed numerous serious monitoring gaps, leaving the United 
        States exposed to preventable damage from large volcanic 
        eruptions.

SEC. 3. DEFINITIONS.

    In this Act:
            (1) Secretary.--The term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary 
        of the Interior, acting through the Director of the United 
        States Geological Survey.
            (2) System.--The term ``System'' means the National Volcano 
        Early Warning and Monitoring System established under section 
        4(a)(1).

SEC. 4. NATIONAL VOLCANO EARLY WARNING AND MONITORING SYSTEM.

    (a) Establishment.--
            (1) In general.--The Secretary shall establish within the 
        United States Geological Survey a system, to be known as the 
        ``National Volcano Early Warning and Monitoring System'', to 
        monitor, warn, and protect citizens of the United States from 
        undue and avoidable harm from volcanic activity.
            (2) Purposes.--The purposes of the System are--
                    (A) to organize, modernize, standardize, and 
                stabilize the monitoring systems of the volcano 
                observatories in the United States, which includes the 
                Alaska Volcano Observatory, California Volcano 
                Observatory, Cascades Volcano Observatory, Hawaiian 
                Volcano Observatory, and Yellowstone Volcano 
                Observatory; and
                    (B) to unify the monitoring systems of volcano 
                observatories in the United States into a single 
                interoperative system.
            (3) Objective.--The objective of the System is to monitor 
        all the volcanoes in the United States at a level commensurate 
        with the threat posed by the volcanoes by--
                    (A) upgrading existing networks on monitored 
                volcanoes; and
                    (B) installing new networks on unmonitored 
                volcanoes.
    (b) System Components.--
            (1) In general.--The System shall include--
                    (A) a national volcano watch office that is 
                operational 24 hours a day and 7 days a week;
                    (B) a national volcano data center; and
                    (C) an external grants program to support research 
                in volcano monitoring science and technology.
            (2) Modernization activities.--Modernization activities 
        under the System shall include the comprehensive application of 
        emerging technologies, including digital broadband 
        seismometers, real-time continuous Global Positioning System 
        receivers, satellite and airborne radar interferometry, 
        acoustic pressure sensors, and spectrometry to measure gas 
        emissions.
    (c) Management.--
            (1) Management plan.--
                    (A) In general.--Not later than 90 days after the 
                date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall 
                submit to Congress a 5-year management plan for 
                establishing and operating the System.
                    (B) Inclusions.--The management plan submitted 
                under subparagraph (A) shall include--
                            (i) annual cost estimates for modernization 
                        activities and operation of the System;
                            (ii) annual milestones, standards, and 
                        performance goals; and
                            (iii) recommendations for, and progress 
                        towards, establishing new, or enhancing 
                        existing, partnerships to leverage resources.
            (2) Advisory committee.--The Secretary shall establish an 
        advisory committee to assist the Secretary in implementing the 
        System, to be comprised of representatives of relevant agencies 
        and members of the scientific community, to be appointed by the 
        Secretary.
            (3) Partnerships.--The Secretary may enter into cooperative 
        agreements with institutions of higher education and State 
        agencies designating the institutions of higher education and 
        State agencies as volcano observatory partners for the System.
            (4) Coordination.--The Secretary shall coordinate the 
        activities under this Act with the heads of relevant Federal 
        agencies, including--
                    (A) the Secretary of Transportation;
                    (B) the Administrator of the Federal Aviation 
                Administration;
                    (C) the Administrator of the National Oceanic and 
                Atmospheric Administration; and
                    (D) the Director of the Federal Emergency 
                Management Administration.
    (d) Annual Report.--Annually, the Secretary shall submit to 
Congress a report that describes the activities carried out under this 
Act.

SEC. 5. FUNDING.

    (a) Authorization of Appropriations.--There are authorized to be 
appropriated such sums as are necessary to carry out this Act for each 
of fiscal years 2016 through 2026.
    (b) Effect on Other Sources of Federal Funding.--Amounts made 
available under this section shall supplement, and not supplant, 
Federal funds made available for other United States Geological Survey 
hazards activities and programs.