II 

115TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION S. 53 

To authorize and strengthen the tsunami detection, forecast, warning, research, and mitigation program of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric 

Administration, and for other purposes. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

JANUARY 5, 2017 

Ms. CANTWELL (for herself, Mr. SULLIVAN, and Mr. SCHATZ) introduced the 

following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on 

Commerce, Science, and Transportation 

A BILL 

To authorize and strengthen the tsunami detection, forecast, 

warning, research, and mitigation program of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and for 

other purposes. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Tsunami Warning, 

5 Education, and Research Act of 2017’’. 


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1 SEC. 2. REFERENCES TO THE TSUNAMI WARNING AND EDU2 CATION ACT. 

3 Except as otherwise expressly provided, whenever in 

4 this Act an amendment or repeal is expressed in terms 

5 of an amendment to, or repeal of, a section or other provi6 sion, the reference shall be considered to be made to a 

7 section or other provision of the Tsunami Warning and 

8 Education Act enacted as title VIII of Public Law 109– 

9 479 (33 U.S.C. 3201 et seq.). 

10 SEC. 3. EXPANSION OF PURPOSES OF TSUNAMI WARNING 

11 AND EDUCATION ACT. 

12 Section 803 (33 U.S.C. 3202) is amended— 

13 (1) in paragraph (1), by inserting ‘‘research,’’ 

14 after ‘‘warnings,’’; 

15 (2) by amending paragraph (2) to read as fol16 lows: 

17 ‘‘(2) to enhance and modernize the existing tsu18 nami warning system in the United States to in19 crease the accuracy of forecasts and warnings, to en20 sure full coverage of tsunami threats to the United 

21 States with a network of detection assets, and to re22 duce false alarms;’’; 

23 (3) by amending paragraph (3) to read as fol24 lows: 

25 ‘‘(3) to improve and develop standards and 

26 guidelines for mapping, modeling, and assessment 


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1 efforts to improve tsunami detection, forecasting, 

2 warnings, notification, mitigation, resiliency, re3 sponse, outreach, and recovery;’’; 

4 (4) by redesignating paragraphs (4), (5), and 

5 (6) as paragraphs (5), (6), and (8), respectively; 

6 (5) by inserting after paragraph (3) the fol7 lowing: 

8 ‘‘(4) to improve research efforts related to im9 proving tsunami detection, forecasting, warnings, no10 tification, evacuation, mitigation, resiliency, re11 sponse, outreach, and recovery;’’; 

12 (6) in paragraph (5), as redesignated— 

13 (A) by striking ‘‘and increase’’ and insert14 ing ‘‘, increase, and develop uniform standards 

15 and guidelines for’’; and 

16 (B) by inserting ‘‘, including the warning 

17 signs of locally generated tsunami’’ after ‘‘ap18 proaching’’; 

19 (7) in paragraph (6), as redesignated, by strik20 ing ‘‘, including the Indian Ocean; and’’ and insert21 ing a semicolon; and 

22 (8) by inserting after paragraph (6), as redesig23 nated, the following: 

24 ‘‘(7) to foster resilient communities in the face 

25 of tsunami and other similar coastal hazards; and’’. 


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1 SEC. 4. MODIFICATION OF TSUNAMI FORECASTING AND 

2 WARNING PROGRAM. 

3 (a) IN GENERAL.—Subsection (a) of section 804 (33 

4 U.S.C. 3203(a)) is amended by striking ‘‘Atlantic Ocean, 

5 Caribbean Sea, and Gulf of Mexico region.’’ and inserting 

6 ‘‘Atlantic Ocean region, including the Caribbean Sea and 

7 the Gulf of Mexico.’’. 

8 (b) COMPONENTS.—Subsection (b) of section 804 (33 

9 U.S.C. 3203(b)) is amended— 

10 (1) in paragraph (1), by striking ‘‘established’’ 

11 and inserting ‘‘supported or maintained’’; 

12 (2) by redesignating paragraphs (2) through 

13 (9) as paragraphs (3) through (10), respectively; 

14 (3) by inserting after paragraph (1) the fol15 lowing: 

16 ‘‘(2) to the degree practicable, maintain not less 

17 than 80 percent of the Deep-Ocean Assessment and 

18 Reporting of Tsunamis buoy array at operational ca19 pacity to optimize data reliability;’’; 

20 (4) by amending paragraph (5), as redesignated 

21 by paragraph (2), to read as follows: 

22 ‘‘(5) provide tsunami forecasting capability 

23 based on models and measurements, including tsu24 nami inundation models and maps for use in in25 creasing the preparedness of communities and safeVerDate Sep 11 2014 21:42 Jan 13, 2017 Jkt 069200 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S53.IS S53

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1 guarding port and harbor operations, that incor2 porate inputs, including— 

3 ‘‘(A) the United States and global ocean 

4 and coastal observing system; 

5 ‘‘(B) the global Earth observing system; 

6 ‘‘(C) the global seismic network; 

7 ‘‘(D) the Advanced National Seismic sys8 tem; 

9 ‘‘(E) tsunami model validation using his10 torical and paleotsunami data; 

11 ‘‘(F) digital elevation models and bathym12 etry; and 

13 ‘‘(G) newly developing tsunami detection 

14 methodologies using satellites and airborne re15 mote sensing;’’; 

16 (5) by amending paragraph (7), as redesignated 

17 by paragraph (2), to read as follows: 

18 ‘‘(7) include a cooperative effort among the Ad19 ministration, the United States Geological Survey, 

20 and the National Science Foundation under which 

21 the Director of the United States Geological Survey, 

22 in coordination with the Administrator, and the Di23 rector of the National Science Foundation shall— 


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1 ‘‘(A) provide rapid and reliable seismic in2 formation to the Administrator from inter3 national and domestic seismic networks; and 

4 ‘‘(B) support seismic stations installed be5 fore the date of the enactment of the Tsunami 

6 Warning, Education, and Research Act of 2017 

7 to supplement coverage in areas of sparse in8 strumentation;’’; 

9 (6) in paragraph (8), as redesignated by para10 graph (2)— 

11 (A) by inserting ‘‘, including graphical 

12 warning products,’’ after ‘‘warnings’’; 

13 (B) by inserting ‘‘, territories,’’ after 

14 ‘‘States’’; and 

15 (C) by inserting ‘‘and Wireless Emergency 

16 Alerts’’ after ‘‘Hazards Program’’; and 

17 (7) in paragraph (9), as redesignated by para18 graph (2)— 

19 (A) by inserting ‘‘provide and’’ before 

20 ‘‘allow’’; and 

21 (B) by inserting ‘‘and commercial and 

22 Federal undersea communications cables’’ after 

23 ‘‘observing technologies’’. 


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1 (c) TSUNAMI WARNING SYSTEM.—Subsection (c) of 

2 section 804 (33 U.S.C. 3203(c)) is amended to read as 

3 follows: 

4 ‘‘(c) TSUNAMI WARNING SYSTEM.—The program 

5 under this section shall operate a tsunami warning system 

6 that— 

7 ‘‘(1) is capable of forecasting tsunami, includ8 ing forecasting tsunami arrival time and inundation 

9 estimates, anywhere in the Pacific and Arctic Ocean 

10 regions and providing adequate warnings; 

11 ‘‘(2) is capable of forecasting and providing 

12 adequate warnings, including tsunami arrival time 

13 and inundation models where applicable, in areas of 

14 the Atlantic Ocean, including the Caribbean Sea and 

15 Gulf of Mexico, that are determined— 

16 ‘‘(A) to be geologically active, or to have 

17 significant potential for geological activity; and 

18 ‘‘(B) to pose significant risks of tsunami 

19 for States along the coastal areas of the Atlan20 tic Ocean, Caribbean Sea, or Gulf of Mexico; 

21 and 

22 ‘‘(3) supports other international tsunami fore23 casting and warning efforts.’’. 


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1 (d) TSUNAMI WARNING CENTERS.—Subsection (d) 

2 of section 804 (33 U.S.C. 3203(d)) is amended to read 

3 as follows: 

4 ‘‘(d) TSUNAMI WARNING CENTERS.— 

5 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The Administrator shall 

6 support or maintain centers to support the tsunami 

7 warning system required by subsection (c). Such 

8 centers shall include— 

9 ‘‘(A) the National Tsunami Warning Cen10 ter, located in Alaska, which is primarily re11 sponsible for Alaska and the continental United 

12 States; 

13 ‘‘(B) the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center, 

14 located in Hawaii, which is primarily respon15 sible for Hawaii, the Caribbean, and other 

16 areas of the Pacific not covered by the National 

17 Center; and 

18 ‘‘(C) any additional forecast and warning 

19 centers determined by the National Weather 

20 Service to be necessary. 

21 ‘‘(2) RESPONSIBILITIES.—The responsibilities 

22 of the centers supported or maintained under para23 graph (1) shall include the following: 

24 ‘‘(A) Continuously monitoring data from 

25 seismological, deep-ocean, coastal sea level, and 


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1 tidal monitoring stations and other data sources 

2 as may be developed and deployed. 

3 ‘‘(B) In coordination with the United 

4 States Geological Survey and State geological 

5 surveys, evaluating earthquakes, landslides, and 

6 volcanic activity that have the potential to gen7 erate tsunami. 

8 ‘‘(C) Evaluating deep-ocean buoy data and 

9 tidal monitoring stations for indications of tsu10 nami resulting from earthquakes and other 

11 sources. 

12 ‘‘(D) To the extent practicable, utilizing a 

13 range of models, including ensemble models, to 

14 predict tsunami, including arrival times, flood15 ing estimates, coastal and harbor currents, and 

16 duration. 

17 ‘‘(E) Using data from the Integrated 

18 Ocean Observing System of the Administration 

19 in coordination with regional associations to cal20 culate new inundation estimates and periodi21 cally update existing inundation estimates. 

22 ‘‘(F) Disseminating forecasts and tsunami 

23 warning bulletins to Federal, State, tribal, and 

24 local government officials, critical infrastructure 

25 operators, and the public. 


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1 ‘‘(G) Coordinating with the national tsu2 nami hazard mitigation program conducted 

3 under section 805 to ensure ongoing sharing of 

4 information between forecasters and Federal, 

5 State, tribal and local emergency management 

6 officials. 

7 ‘‘(H) In coordination with the Coast 

8 Guard, evaluating and recommending proce9 dures for ports and harbors at risk of tsunami 

10 inundation, including review of readiness, re11 sponse, and communication strategies, and data 

12 sharing policies. 

13 ‘‘(I) Making data gathered under this Act 

14 and post-warning analyses conducted by the 

15 National Weather Service or other relevant Ad16 ministration offices available to the public. 

17 ‘‘(J) Integrating and modernizing the pro18 gram operated under this section with advances 

19 in tsunami science to improve performance 

20 without compromising service. 

21 ‘‘(3) FAIL-SAFE WARNING CAPABILITY.—The 

22 tsunami warning centers supported or maintained 

23 under paragraph (1) shall maintain a fail-safe warn24 ing capability and perform back-up duties for each 

25 other. 


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1 ‘‘(4) COORDINATION WITH NATIONAL WEATHER

2 SERVICE.—The Administrator shall coordinate with 

3 the forecast offices of the National Weather Service, 

4 the Centers supported or maintained under para5 graph (1), and such program offices of the Adminis6 tration as the Administrator or the coordinating 

7 committee, as established in section 805(d), consider 

8 appropriate to ensure that regional and local fore9 cast offices— 

10 ‘‘(A) have the technical knowledge and ca11 pability to disseminate tsunami warnings for 

12 the communities they serve; 

13 ‘‘(B) leverage connections with local emer14 gency management officials for optimally dis15 seminating tsunami warnings and forecasts; 

16 and 

17 ‘‘(C) implement mass communication tools 

18 in effect on the day before the date of the en19 actment of the Tsunami Warning, Education, 

20 and Research Act of 2017 used by the National 

21 Weather Service on such date and newer mass 

22 communication technologies as they are devel23 oped as a part of the Weather-Ready Nation 

24 program of the Administration, or otherwise, 


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1 for the purpose of timely and effective delivery 

2 of tsunami warnings. 

3 ‘‘(5) UNIFORM OPERATING PROCEDURES.—The 

4 Administrator shall— 

5 ‘‘(A) develop uniform operational proce6 dures for the centers supported or maintained 

7 under paragraph (1), including the use of soft8 ware applications, checklists, decision support 

9 tools, and tsunami warning products that have 

10 been standardized across the program sup11 ported under this section; 

12 ‘‘(B) ensure that processes and products of 

13 the warning system operated under subsection 

14 (c)— 

15 ‘‘(i) reflect industry best practices 

16 when practicable; 

17 ‘‘(ii) conform to the maximum extent 

18 practicable with internationally recognized 

19 standards for information technology; and 

20 ‘‘(iii) conform to the maximum extent 

21 practicable with other warning products 

22 and practices of the National Weather 

23 Service; 


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1 ‘‘(C) ensure that future adjustments to 

2 operational protocols, processes, and warning 

3 products— 

4 ‘‘(i) are made consistently across the 

5 warning system operated under subsection 

6 (c); and 

7 ‘‘(ii) are applied in a uniform manner 

8 across such warning system; 

9 ‘‘(D) establish a systematic method for in10 formation technology product development to 

11 improve long-term technology planning efforts; 

12 and 

13 ‘‘(E) disseminate guidelines and metrics 

14 for evaluating and improving tsunami forecast 

15 models. 

16 ‘‘(6) AVAILABLE RESOURCES.—The Adminis17 trator, through the National Weather Service, shall 

18 ensure that resources are available to fulfill the obli19 gations of this Act. This includes ensuring super20 computing resources are available to run, as rapidly 

21 as possible, such computer models as are needed for 

22 purposes of the tsunami warning system operated 

23 under subsection (c).’’. 


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1 (e) TRANSFER OF TECHNOLOGY; MAINTENANCE AND

2 UPGRADES.—Subsection (e) of section 804 (33 U.S.C. 

3 3203(e)) is amended to read as follows: 

4 ‘‘(e) TRANSFER OF TECHNOLOGY; MAINTENANCE

5 AND UPGRADES.—In carrying out this section, the Admin6 istrator shall— 

7 ‘‘(1) develop requirements for the equipment 

8 used to forecast tsunami, including— 

9 ‘‘(A) provisions for multipurpose detection 

10 platforms; 

11 ‘‘(B) reliability and performance metrics; 

12 and 

13 ‘‘(C) to the maximum extent practicable, 

14 requirements for the integration of equipment 

15 with other United States and global ocean and 

16 coastal observation systems, the Global Earth 

17 Observation System of Systems, the Global 

18 Seismic Networks, and the Advanced National 

19 Seismic System; 

20 ‘‘(2) develop and execute a plan for the transfer 

21 of technology from ongoing research conducted as 

22 part of the program supported or maintained under 

23 section 806 into the program under this section; and 


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1 ‘‘(3) ensure that the Administration’s oper2 ational tsunami detection equipment is properly 

3 maintained.’’. 

4 (f) FEDERAL COOPERATION.—Subsection (f) of sec5 tion 804 (33 U.S.C. 3203(f)) is amended to read as fol6 lows: 

7 ‘‘(f) FEDERAL COOPERATION.—When deploying and 

8 maintaining tsunami detection technologies under the pro9 gram under this section, the Administrator shall— 

10 ‘‘(1) identify which assets of other Federal 

11 agencies are necessary to support such program; and 

12 ‘‘(2) work with each agency identified under 

13 paragraph (1)— 

14 ‘‘(A) to acquire the agency’s assistance; 

15 and 

16 ‘‘(B) to prioritize the necessary assets in 

17 support of the tsunami forecast and warning 

18 program.’’. 

19 (g) UNNECESSARY PROVISIONS.—Section 804 (33 

20 U.S.C. 3203) is further amended— 

21 (1) by striking subsection (g); 

22 (2) by striking subsections (i) through (k); and 

23 (3) by redesignating subsection (h) as sub24 section (g). 


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1 (h) CONGRESSIONAL NOTIFICATIONS.—Subsection 

2 (g) of section 804 (33 U.S.C. 3203(g)), as redesignated 

3 by subsection (g)(3), is amended— 

4 (1) by redesignating paragraphs (1) and (2) as 

5 subparagraphs (A) and (B), respectively, and mov6 ing such subparagraphs 2 ems to the right; 

7 (2) in the matter before subparagraph (A), as 

8 redesignated by paragraph (1), by striking ‘‘The Ad9 ministrator’’ and inserting the following: 

10 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The Administrator’’; 

11 (3) in paragraph (1), as redesignated by para12 graph (2)— 

13 (A) in subparagraph (A), as redesignated 

14 by paragraph (1), by striking ‘‘and’’ at the end; 

15 (B) in subparagraph (B), as redesignated 

16 by paragraph (2), by striking the period at the 

17 end and inserting ‘‘; and’’; and 

18 (C) by adding at the end the following: 

19 ‘‘(C) the occurrence of a significant tsu20 nami warning.’’; and 

21 (4) by adding at the end the following: 

22 ‘‘(2) CONTENTS.—In a case in which notice is 

23 submitted under paragraph (1) within 30 days of a 

24 significant tsunami warning described in subpara25 graph (C) of such paragraph, such notice shall inVerDate Sep 11 2014 21:42 Jan 13, 2017 Jkt 069200 PO 00000 Frm 00016 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S53.IS S53

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1 clude, as appropriate, brief information and analysis 

2 of— 

3 ‘‘(A) the accuracy of the tsunami model 

4 used; 

5 ‘‘(B) the specific deep-ocean or other moni6 toring equipment that detected the incident, as 

7 well as the deep-ocean or other monitoring 

8 equipment that did not detect the incident due 

9 to malfunction or other reasons; 

10 ‘‘(C) the effectiveness of the warning com11 munication, including the dissemination of 

12 warnings with State, territory, local, and tribal 

13 partners in the affected area under the jurisdic14 tion of the National Weather Service; and 

15 ‘‘(D) such other findings as the Adminis16 trator considers appropriate.’’. 

17 SEC. 5. MODIFICATION OF NATIONAL TSUNAMI HAZARD 

18 MITIGATION PROGRAM. 

19 (a) IN GENERAL.—Subsection (a) of section 805 (33 

20 U.S.C. 3204(a)) is amended to read as follows: 

21 ‘‘(a) PROGRAM REQUIRED.—The Administrator, in 

22 coordination with the Administrator of the Federal Emer23 gency Management Agency and the heads of such other 

24 agencies as the Administrator considers relevant, shall 

25 conduct a community-based tsunami hazard mitigation 


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1 program to improve tsunami preparedness and resiliency 

2 of at-risk areas in the United States and the territories 

3 of the United States.’’. 

4 (b) NATIONAL TSUNAMI HAZARD MITIGATION PRO5 GRAM.—Section 805 (33 U.S.C. 3204) is amended by 

6 striking subsections (c) and (d) and inserting the fol7 lowing: 

8 ‘‘(c) PROGRAM COMPONENTS.—The program under 

9 this section shall include the following: 

10 ‘‘(1) Technical and financial assistance to 

11 coastal States, territories, tribes, and local govern12 ments to develop and implement activities under this 

13 section. 

14 ‘‘(2) Integration of tsunami preparedness and 

15 mitigation programs into ongoing State-based haz16 ard warning, resilience planning, and risk manage17 ment activities, including predisaster planning, emer18 gency response, evacuation planning, disaster recov19 ery, hazard mitigation including Natural Hazard 

20 Mitigation Plans, and community development and 

21 redevelopment planning programs in affected areas. 

22 ‘‘(3) Activities to promote the adoption of tsu23 nami resilience, preparedness, warning, and mitiga24 tion measures by Federal, State, territorial, tribal, 

25 and local governments and nongovernmental entities, 


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1 including educational and risk communication pro2 grams to discourage development in high-risk areas. 

3 ‘‘(4) Activities to support the development of 

4 regional tsunami hazard and risk assessments. Such 

5 regional risk assessments may include the following: 

6 ‘‘(A) The sources, sizes, and other relevant 

7 historical data of tsunami in the region, includ8 ing paleotsunami data. 

9 ‘‘(B) Inundation models and maps of crit10 ical infrastructure and socioeconomic vulner11 ability in areas subject to tsunami inundation. 

12 ‘‘(C) Maps of evacuation areas and evacu13 ation routes, including, when appropriate, traf14 fic studies that evaluate the viability of evacu15 ation routes. 

16 ‘‘(D) Evaluations of the size of populations 

17 that will require evacuation, including popu18 lations with special evacuation needs. 

19 ‘‘(E) Evaluations and technical assistance 

20 for vertical evacuation structure planning for 

21 communities where models indicate limited or 

22 no ability for timely evacuation, especially in 

23 areas at risk of near-field generated tsunami. 

24 ‘‘(F) Evaluation of at-risk ports and har25 bors. 


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1 ‘‘(G) Evaluation of the effect of tsunami 

2 currents on the foundations of closely spaced, 

3 coastal high-rise structures. 

4 ‘‘(5) Activities to promote preparedness in at5 risk ports and harbors, including the following: 

6 ‘‘(A) Evaluation and recommendation of 

7 procedures for ports and harbors in the event of 

8 a distant or near-field tsunami. 

9 ‘‘(B) A review of readiness, response, and 

10 communication strategies to ensure coordina11 tion and data sharing with the Coast Guard. 

12 ‘‘(6) Activities to support the development of 

13 community-based outreach and education programs 

14 to ensure community readiness and resilience, in15 cluding the following: 

16 ‘‘(A) The development, implementation, 

17 and assessment of technical training and public 

18 education programs, including education pro19 grams that address unique characteristics of 

20 distant and near-field tsunami. 

21 ‘‘(B) The development of decision support 

22 tools. 

23 ‘‘(C) The incorporation of social science re24 search into community readiness and resilience 

25 efforts. 


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1 ‘‘(D) The development of evidence-based 

2 education guidelines. 

3 ‘‘(7) Dissemination of guidelines and standards 

4 for community planning, education, and training 

5 products, programs, and tools, including— 

6 ‘‘(A) standards for— 

7 ‘‘(i) mapping products; 

8 ‘‘(ii) inundation models; and 

9 ‘‘(iii) effective emergency exercises; 

10 and 

11 ‘‘(B) recommended guidance for at-risk 

12 port and harbor tsunami warning, evacuation, 

13 and response procedures in coordination with 

14 the Coast Guard. 

15 ‘‘(d) AUTHORIZED ACTIVITIES.—In addition to ac16 tivities conducted under subsection (c), the program under 

17 this section may include the following: 

18 ‘‘(1) Multidisciplinary vulnerability assessment 

19 research, education, and training to help integrate 

20 risk management and resilience objectives with com21 munity development planning and policies. 

22 ‘‘(2) Risk management training for local offi23 cials and community organizations to enhance un24 derstanding and preparedness. 


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1 ‘‘(3) Interagency, Federal, State, tribal, and 

2 territorial intergovernmental tsunami response exer3 cise planning and implementation in high-risk areas. 

4 ‘‘(4) Development of practical applications for 

5 existing or emerging technologies, such as modeling, 

6 remote sensing, geospatial technology, engineering, 

7 and observing systems, including the integration of 

8 tsunami sensors into Federal and commercial sub9 marine telecommunication cables if practicable. 

10 ‘‘(5) Risk management, risk assessment, and 

11 resilience data and information services, including— 

12 ‘‘(A) access to data and products derived 

13 from observing and detection systems; and 

14 ‘‘(B) development and maintenance of new 

15 integrated data products to support risk man16 agement, risk assessment, and resilience pro17 grams. 

18 ‘‘(6) Risk notification systems that coordinate 

19 with and build upon existing systems and actively 

20 engage decisionmakers, State, local, tribal, and terri21 torial governments and agencies, business commu22 nities, nongovernmental organizations, and the 

23 media. 

24 ‘‘(e) NO PREEMPTION WITH RESPECT TO DESIGNA25 TION OF AT-RISK AREAS.—The establishment of national 


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1 standards for inundation models under this section shall 

2 not prevent States, territories, tribes, and local govern3 ments from designating additional areas as being at risk 

4 based on knowledge of local conditions. 

5 ‘‘(f) NO NEW REGULATORY AUTHORITY.—Nothing 

6 in this Act may be construed as establishing new regu7 latory authority for any Federal agency.’’. 

8 (c) REPORT ON ACCREDITATION OF TSUNAMIREADY

9 PROGRAM.—Not later than 180 days after the date of en10 actment of this Act, the Administrator of the National 

11 Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration shall submit to 

12 the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation 

13 of the Senate and the Committee on Science, Space, and 

14 Technology of the House of Representatives a report on 

15 which authorities and activities would be needed to have 

16 the TsunamiReady program of the National Weather 

17 Service accredited by the Emergency Management Accred18 itation Program. 

19 SEC. 6. MODIFICATION OF TSUNAMI RESEARCH PROGRAM. 

20 Section 806 (33 U.S.C. 3205) is amended— 

21 (1) in the matter before paragraph (1), by 

22 striking ‘‘The Administrator shall’’ and all that fol23 lows through ‘‘establish or maintain’’ and inserting 

24 the following: 


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1 ‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—The Administrator shall, in con2 sultation with such other Federal agencies, State, tribal, 

3 and territorial governments, and academic institutions as 

4 the Administrator considers appropriate, the coordinating 

5 committee under section 805(d), and the panel under sec6 tion 808(a), support or maintain’’; 

7 (2) in subsection (a), as designated by para8 graph (1), by striking ‘‘and assessment for tsunami 

9 tracking and numerical forecast modeling. Such re10 search program shall—’’ and inserting the following: 

11 ‘‘assessment for tsunami tracking and numerical 

12 forecast modeling, and standards development. 

13 ‘‘(b) RESPONSIBILITIES.—The research program 

14 supported or maintained under subsection (a) shall—’’; 

15 and 

16 (3) in subsection (b), as designated by para17 graph (2)— 

18 (A) by amending paragraph (1) to read as 

19 follows: 

20 ‘‘(1) consider other appropriate and cost effec21 tive solutions to mitigate the impact of tsunami, in22 cluding the improvement of near-field and distant 

23 tsunami detection and forecasting capabilities, which 

24 may include use of a new generation of the Deep25 Ocean Assessment and Reporting of Tsunamis 


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1 array, integration of tsunami sensors into commer2 cial and Federal telecommunications cables, and 

3 other real-time tsunami monitoring systems and 

4 supercomputer capacity of the Administration to de5 velop a rapid tsunami forecast for all United States 

6 coastlines;’’; 

7 (B) in paragraph (3)— 

8 (i) by striking ‘‘include’’ and inserting 

9 ‘‘conduct’’; and 

10 (ii) by striking ‘‘and’’ at the end; 

11 (C) by redesignating paragraph (4) as 

12 paragraph (5); 

13 (D) by inserting after paragraph (3) the 

14 following: 

15 ‘‘(4) develop the technical basis for validation of 

16 tsunami maps, numerical tsunami models, digital 

17 elevation models, and forecasts; and’’; and 

18 (E) in paragraph (5), as redesignated by 

19 subparagraph (C), by striking ‘‘to the scientific 

20 community,’’ and inserting ‘‘to the public and 

21 the scientific community.’’. 

22 SEC. 7. GLOBAL TSUNAMI WARNING AND MITIGATION NET23 WORK. 

24 Section 807 (33 U.S.C. 3206) is amended— 


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1 (1) by amending subsection (a) to read as fol2 lows: 

3 ‘‘(a) SUPPORT FOR DEVELOPMENT OF AN INTER4 NATIONAL TSUNAMI WARNING SYSTEM.—The Adminis5 trator shall, in coordination with the Secretary of State 

6 and in consultation with such other agencies as the Ad7 ministrator considers relevant, provide technical assist8 ance, operational support, and training to the Intergovern9 mental Oceanographic Commission of the United Nations 

10 Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization, the 

11 World Meteorological Organization of the United Nations, 

12 and such other international entities as the Administrator 

13 considers appropriate, as part of the international efforts 

14 to develop a fully functional global tsunami forecast and 

15 warning system comprised of regional tsunami warning 

16 networks.’’; 

17 (2) in subsection (b), by striking ‘‘shall’’ both 

18 places that term appears and inserting ‘‘may’’; and 

19 (3) in subsection (c)— 

20 (A) in paragraph (1), by striking ‘‘estab21 lishing’’ and inserting ‘‘supporting’’; and 

22 (B) in paragraph (2)— 

23 (i) by striking ‘‘establish’’ and insert24 ing ‘‘support’’; and 


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1 (ii) by striking ‘‘establishing’’ and in2 serting ‘‘supporting’’. 

3 SEC. 8. TSUNAMI SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY ADVISORY 

4 PANEL. 

5 The Act is further amended— 

6 (1) by redesignating section 808 (33 U.S.C. 

7 3207) as section 809; and 

8 (2) by inserting after section 807 (33 U.S.C. 

9 3206) the following: 

10 ‘‘SEC. 808. TSUNAMI SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY ADVISORY 

11 PANEL. 

12 ‘‘(a) DESIGNATION.—The Administrator shall des13 ignate an existing working group within the Science Advi14 sory Board of the Administration to serve as the Tsunami 

15 Science and Technology Advisory Panel to provide advice 

16 to the Administrator on matters regarding tsunami 

17 science, technology, and regional preparedness. 

18 ‘‘(b) MEMBERSHIP.— 

19 ‘‘(1) COMPOSITION.—The Panel shall be com20 posed of no fewer than 7 members selected by the 

21 Administrator from among individuals from aca22 demia or State agencies who have academic or prac23 tical expertise in physical sciences, social sciences, 

24 information technology, coastal resilience, emergency 


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1 management, or such other disciplines as the Ad2 ministrator considers appropriate. 

3 ‘‘(2) FEDERAL EMPLOYMENT.—No member of 

4 the Panel may be a Federal employee. 

5 ‘‘(c) RESPONSIBILITIES.—Not less frequently than 

6 once every 4 years, the Panel shall— 

7 ‘‘(1) review the activities of the Administration, 

8 and other Federal activities as appropriate, relating 

9 to tsunami research, detection, forecasting, warning, 

10 mitigation, resiliency, and preparation; and 

11 ‘‘(2) submit to the Administrator and such oth12 ers as the Administrator considers appropriate— 

13 ‘‘(A) the findings of the Panel with respect 

14 to the most recent review conducted under 

15 paragraph (1); and 

16 ‘‘(B) such recommendations for legislative 

17 or administrative action as the Panel considers 

18 appropriate to improve Federal tsunami re19 search, detection, forecasting, warning, mitiga20 tion, resiliency, and preparation. 

21 ‘‘(d) REPORTS TO CONGRESS.—Not less frequently 

22 than once every 4 years, the Administrator shall submit 

23 to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transpor24 tation of the Senate and the Committee on Science, Space, 

25 and Technology of the House of Representatives a report 


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1 on the findings and recommendations received by the Ad2 ministrator under subsection (c)(2).’’. 

3 SEC. 9. REPORTS. 

4 (a) REPORT ON IMPLEMENTATION OF TSUNAMI

5 WARNING AND EDUCATION ACT.— 

6 (1) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 1 year after 

7 the date of the enactment of this Act, the Adminis8 trator of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Ad9 ministration shall submit to Congress a report on 

10 the implementation of the Tsunami Warning and 

11 Education Act, as enacted as title VIII of Public 

12 Law 109–479 (33 U.S.C. 3201 et seq.). 

13 (2) ELEMENTS.—The report required by para14 graph (1) shall include the following: 

15 (A) A detailed description of the progress 

16 made in implementing sections 804(d)(6), 

17 805(b)(6), and 806(b)(4) of the Tsunami 

18 Warning and Education Act, as enacted as title 

19 VIII of Public Law 109–479 (33 U.S.C. 3201 

20 et seq.). 

21 (B) A description of the ways that tsunami 

22 warnings and warning products issued by the 

23 program for tsunami forecasting and warning 

24 established under section 804 of such Tsunami 

25 Warning and Education Act (33 U.S.C. 3203) 


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1 may be standardized and streamlined with 

2 warnings and warning products for hurricanes, 

3 coastal storms, and other coastal flooding 

4 events. 

5 (b) REPORT ON NATIONAL EFFORTS THAT SUPPORT

6 RAPID EMERGENCY RESPONSE FOLLOWING NEAR-FIELD

7 TSUNAMI EVENTS.— 

8 (1) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 1 year after 

9 the date of the enactment of this Act, the Adminis10 trator of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Ad11 ministration and the Secretary of Homeland Secu12 rity shall jointly, in coordination with the Director of 

13 the United States Geological Survey, the Com14 mandant of the Coast Guard, the Commander of the 

15 United States Northern Command, the Adminis16 trator of the Federal Emergency Management Agen17 cy, the Chief of the National Guard Bureau, and the 

18 heads of such other Federal agencies as the Admin19 istrator considers appropriate, submit to the appro20 priate committees of Congress a report on the na21 tional efforts in effect on the day before the date of 

22 the enactment of this Act that support and facilitate 

23 rapid emergency response following a domestic near24 shore near-field tsunami event to better understand 

25 domestic effects of earthquake derived tsunami on 


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1 people, infrastructure, communities, and coastal 

2 economies in the United States. 

3 (2) ELEMENTS.—The report required by para4 graph (1) shall include the following: 

5 (A) A description of scientific or other 

6 measurements being collected on the day before 

7 the date of the enactment of this Act which 

8 allow for the quick identification and assess9 ment of lost or degraded infrastructure and ter10 restrial formations post disaster. 

11 (B) A description of scientific or other 

12 measurements necessary to quickly identify and 

13 quantify lost or degraded infrastructure and 

14 terrestrial formations. 

15 (C) Identification and evaluation of Fed16 eral, State, local, tribal, territorial, and military 

17 first responder and search and rescue operation 

18 centers, bases, and other facilities as well as 

19 other critical response assets and infrastruc20 ture, including search and rescue aircraft and 

21 vessels, located within, and adjacent to, near22 field and distant tsunami inundation areas on 

23 the day before the date of the enactment of this 

24 Act. 


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1 (D) An evaluation of Federal, State, and 

2 local near-field tsunami response plans in areas 

3 described in subparagraph (C) in effect on the 

4 day before the date of the enactment of this 

5 Act, how those response plans would be affected 

6 by the loss of search and rescue and first re7 sponder infrastructure described in such sub8 paragraph. 

9 (E) A description of redevelopment plans 

10 and reports in effect on the day before the date 

11 of the enactment of this Act for communities in 

12 areas that are at high risk for near-field tsu13 nami, as well as identification of States or com14 munities that do not have redevelopment plans. 

15 (F) Recommendations to enhance near16 field tsunami preparedness and response plans, 

17 including recommended responder exercises, 

18 predisaster planning, mitigation needs and rec19 ommendations to enhance coordination between 

20 Federal, State, and local response agencies. 

21 (G) Such other data and analysis informa22 tion as the Administrator and the Secretary of 

23 Homeland Security consider appropriate. 


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1 (3) APPROPRIATE COMMITTEES OF CON2 GRESS.—In this subsection, the term ‘‘appropriate 

3 committees of Congress’’ means— 

4 (A) the Committee on Commerce, Science, 

5 and Transportation and the Committee on 

6 Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs 

7 of the Senate; and 

8 (B) the Committee on Science, Space, and 

9 Technology and the Committee on Homeland 

10 Security of the House of Representatives. 

11 SEC. 10. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS. 

12 Section 809, as redesignated by section 8(1) of this 

13 Act, is amended— 

14 (1) in paragraph (4)(B), by striking ‘‘and’’ at 

15 the end; 

16 (2) in paragraph (5)(B), by striking the period 

17 at the end and inserting ‘‘; and’’; and 

18 (3) by adding at the end the following: 

19 ‘‘(6) $31,500,000 for each of fiscal years 2017 

20 through 2021, of which— 

21 ‘‘(A) not less than 27 percent of the 

22 amount appropriated for each fiscal year shall 

23 be for activities conducted at the State level 

24 under the tsunami hazard mitigation program 

25 under section 805; and 


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1 ‘‘(B) not less than 8 percent of the amount 

2 appropriated shall be for the tsunami research 

3 program under section 806.’’. 

4 SEC. 11. OUTREACH RESPONSIBILITIES. 

5 The Administrator of the National Oceanic and At6 mospheric Administration, in coordination with State and 

7 local emergency managers, shall develop and carry out for8 mal outreach activities to improve tsunami education and 

9 awareness and foster the development of resilient commu10 nities. Outreach activities may include— 

11 (1) the development of outreach plans to ensure 

12 the close integration of tsunami warning centers 

13 supported or maintained under section 804(d) of the 

14 Tsunami Warning and Education Act enacted as 

15 title VIII of Public Law 109–479 (33 U.S.C. 3201 

16 et seq.), (33 U.S.C. 3203(d)) with local Weather 

17 Forecast Offices of the National Weather Service 

18 and emergency managers; 

19 (2) working with appropriate local Weather 

20 Forecast Offices to ensure they have the technical 

21 knowledge and capability to disseminate tsunami 

22 warnings to the communities they serve; and 

23 (3) evaluating the effectiveness of warnings and 

24 of coordination with local Weather Forecast Offices 

25 after significant tsunami events. 


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1 SEC. 12. MODIFICATION OF COASTAL OCEAN PROGRAM. 

2 Section 201(c) of the National Oceanic and Atmos3 pheric Administration Authorization Act of 1992 (Public 

4 Law 102–567) is amended— 

5 (1) by striking ‘‘Of the sums’’ and inserting the 

6 following: 

7 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—Of the sums’’; and 

8 (2) by adding at the end the following: 

9 ‘‘(2) REGIONAL COASTAL RISK MANAGEMENT

10 COALITIONS.—The Administrator of the National 

11 Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration may form 

12 regional coastal risk management coalitions com13 prised of representatives of Federal, State, local, and 

14 tribal governments, community groups, academic in15 stitutions, and nongovernmental groups to advance 

16 the goals of this section for communities facing com17 mon coastal hazards and risks. Such coalitions may 

18 enter into an agreement with an organization de19 scribed in section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue 

20 Code of 1986 to establish a nonprofit foundation in 

21 order to accept gifts and donations to support the 

22 goals of this subsection.’’. 

23 SEC. 13. REPEAL OF DUPLICATE PROVISIONS. 

24 The Tsunami Warning and Education Act enacted by 

25 Public Law 109–424 (120 Stat. 2902) is repealed. 

Æ 


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