II 

118TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION S. 5599 

To require the Under Secretary of Commerce for Oceans and Atmosphere 

to conduct a project to improve forecasts of coastal marine fog. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

DECEMBER 18 (legislative day, DECEMBER 16), 2024 

Mr. CRUZ introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to 

the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation 

A BILL 

To require the Under Secretary of Commerce for Oceans 

and Atmosphere to conduct a project to improve forecasts of coastal marine fog. 

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 ‘‘Fog Forecast Improve5 ment Act’’. 

6 SEC. 2. PROJECT TO IMPROVE FORECASTS OF COASTAL 

7 MARINE FOG. 

8 (a) IN GENERAL.—The Under Secretary shall con9 duct a project to improve forecasts of coastal marine fog. 


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1 (b) GOAL.—The goal of the project required under 

2 subsection (a) is to enhance vessel safety and reduce the 

3 economic impact of coastal marine fog events, with a focus 

4 on— 

5 (1) increasing the number of marine-based ob6 servations through additional Federal Government 

7 platforms and commercially acquired observations in 

8 locations where impacts from marine fog and re9 duced visibility have major safety and economic im10 pacts, including through the use of— 

11 (A) buoys; 

12 (B) meteorological stations measuring visi13 bility, temperature, dewpoint, and wind speed 

14 and direction as a stand-alone or co-located 

15 with water level sensors, such as those that are 

16 part of the physical oceanographic observation 

17 system program of the National Oceanic and 

18 Atmospheric Administration; 

19 (C) stationary platforms or drifting instru20 ments; 

21 (D) vessels; 

22 (E) unmanned systems; 

23 (F) remote sensing technologies, including 

24 rapid refresh hyperspectral satellite imagery; 

25 and 


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1 (G) advanced algorithms that extract ac2 tionable information from observational data, 

3 including early detection and regular moni4 toring of marine fog; 

5 (2) advancing geographic coverage, resolution, 

6 skill, and accuracy of marine fog modeling, includ7 ing, when feasible, additional locations and advance8 ments in marine channel forecast capability; 

9 (3) improving communication of marine fog 

10 advisories by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric 

11 Administration; 

12 (4) communicating risks posed by hazardous 

13 marine fog events in a way that maximizes informed 

14 decision making by the public; and 

15 (5) providing decision support services based on 

16 environmental information that is actionable to the 

17 recipient of a marine fog advisory. 

18 (c) STAKEHOLDER ENGAGEMENT.—In implementing 

19 the project required under subsection (a), the Under Sec20 retary shall meet with public and private stakeholders re21 garding the planning, development, and implementation of 

22 the project. 

23 (d) PROJECT PLAN.—Not later than one year after 

24 the date of the enactment of this Act, the Under Secretary 

25 shall develop a plan for the project required under subVerDate Sep 11 2014 19:24 Jan 25, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S5599.IS S5599

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1 section (a) that details the specific research, development, 

2 and technology transfer activities, as well as corresponding 

3 resources and timelines, necessary to achieve the goal set 

4 forth under subsection (b). 

5 (e) UNDER SECRETARY DEFINED.—In this section, 

6 the term ‘‘Under Secretary’’ means the Under Secretary 

7 of Commerce for Oceans and Atmosphere. 

Æ 


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