I 

116TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. R. 8041 

To establish a Snow Water Supply Forecasting Program within the 

Department of the Interior, and for other purposes. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

AUGUST 14, 2020 

Mr. HARDER of California (for himself, Mr. GARAMENDI, Mr. MCNERNEY, 

Mr. COX of California, Ms. DEGETTE, Mrs. NAPOLITANO, Mr. BERA, Mr. 

NEGUSE, and Mr. COSTA) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Natural Resources 

A BILL 

To establish a Snow Water Supply Forecasting Program 

within the Department of the Interior, 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 ‘‘Snow Water Supply 

5 Forecasting Program Authorization Act’’. 

6 SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS. 

7 In this Act: 


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1 (1) PROGRAM.—The term ‘‘program’’ means 

2 the Snow Water Supply Forecasting Program estab3 lished by section 3. 

4 (2) RECLAMATION STATE.—The term ‘‘Rec5 lamation State’’ means a State or territory described 

6 in the first section of the Act of June 17, 1902 (32 

7 Stat. 388, chapter 1093; 43 U.S.C. 391). 

8 (3) SECRETARY.—The term ‘‘Secretary’’ means 

9 the Secretary of the Interior. 

10 SEC. 3. SNOW WATER SUPPLY FORECASTING PROGRAM. 

11 (a) PROGRAM ESTABLISHMENT.—The Snow Water 

12 Supply Forecasting Program is hereby established within 

13 the Department of the Interior. 

14 (b) PROGRAM IMPLEMENTATION.—To implement the 

15 program, the Secretary shall— 

16 (1) develop the program framework in coordina17 tion with other Federal agencies pursuant to section 

18 4, culminating in the report required under section 

19 4(c); and 

20 (2) after submitting the report required by sec21 tion 4(c), implement activities to improve snowpack 

22 measurement in particular watersheds pursuant to 

23 section 5. 


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1 SEC. 4. DEVELOPMENT OF PROGRAM FRAMEWORK IN CO2 ORDINATION WITH OTHER FEDERAL AGEN3 CIES. 

4 (a) SNOWPACK MEASUREMENT DATA.—When deter5 mining water supply forecasts or allocations to Federal 

6 water contractors, the Secretary, acting through the Com7 missioner of the Bureau of Reclamation, shall incorporate, 

8 to the greatest extent practicable, information from 

9 emerging technologies for snowpack measurement, such 

10 as— 

11 (1) synthetic aperture radar; 

12 (2) laser altimetry; and 

13 (3) other emerging technologies that the Sec14 retary determines are likely to provide more accurate 

15 or timely snowpack measurement data. 

16 (b) COORDINATION.—In carrying out subsection (a), 

17 the Secretary shall coordinate data use and collection ef18 forts with other Federal agencies that use or may benefit 

19 from the use of emerging technologies for snowpack meas20 urement. 

21 (c) EMERGING TECHNOLOGIES REPORT.—Not later 

22 than October 1, 2021, the Secretary shall submit to Con23 gress a report that— 

24 (1) summarizes the use of emerging tech25 nologies pursuant to this section; 


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1 (2) describes benefits derived from the use of 

2 technologies summarized under paragraph (1) re3 lated to the environment and increased water supply 

4 reliability; and 

5 (3) describes how Federal agencies will coordi6 nate to implement emerging technologies. 

7 SEC. 5. PROGRAM IMPLEMENTATION. 

8 (a) ACTIVITIES IMPLEMENTING FRAMEWORK.—After 

9 submitting the report required under section 4(c), the Sec10 retary shall participate with program partners in imple11 menting activities to improve snowpack measurement in 

12 particular watersheds. 

13 (b) FOCUS.—The program shall focus on activities 

14 that will maintain, establish, expand, or advance snowpack 

15 measurement consistent with the report required by sec16 tion 4(c), with an emphasis on— 

17 (1) enhancing activities in river basins to 

18 achieve improved snow and water supply forecasting 

19 results; 

20 (2) activities in river basins where snow water 

21 supply forecasting related activities described in this 

22 section are not occurring on the of the date of the 

23 enactment of this Act; and 


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1 (3) demonstrating or testing new, or improving 

2 existing, snow and water supply forecasting tech3 nology. 

4 (c) INFORMATION SHARING.—The Secretary may 

5 provide information collected and analyzed under this Act 

6 to program partners through appropriate mechanisms, in7 cluding interagency agreements with Federal agencies, 

8 States, State agencies, or a combination thereof, leases, 

9 contracts, cooperative agreements, grants, loans, and 

10 memoranda of understanding. 

11 (d) PROGRAM PARTNERS.—Program partners with 

12 whom the Secretary enters into cooperative agreements 

13 pursuant to subsection (e) may include water districts, ir14 rigation districts, water associations, universities, State 

15 agencies, other Federal agencies, private sector entities, 

16 nongovernmental organizations, and other entities, as de17 termined by the Secretary. 

18 (e) COOPERATIVE AGREEMENTS.—The Secretary 

19 may— 

20 (1) enter into cooperative agreements with pro21 gram partners to allow the program to be adminis22 tered efficiently and cost effectively through cost 

23 sharing or by providing additional in-kind resources 

24 necessary for program implementation; and 


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1 (2) provide nonreimbursable matching funding 

2 for programmatic and operational activities under 

3 this section in consultation with program partners. 

4 (f) ENVIRONMENTAL LAWS.—Nothing in this Act 

5 shall modify any obligation of the Secretary to comply with 

6 applicable Federal and State environmental laws in car7 rying out this Act. 

8 SEC. 6. PROGRAM IMPLEMENTATION REPORT. 

9 Not later than 4 years after the date of the enact10 ment of this Act, the Secretary shall submit a report to 

11 the Committee on Natural Resources and the Committee 

12 on Appropriations of the House of Representatives and the 

13 Committee on Energy and Natural Resources and the 

14 Committee on Appropriations of the Senate, that in15 cludes— 

16 (1) a list of basins and sub-basins for which 

17 snowpack measurement technologies are being used 

18 under the program, including a description of each 

19 technology used; and 

20 (2) a list of Federal agencies and program part21 ners participating in each basin or sub-basin listed 

22 in paragraph (1). 


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1 SEC. 7. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS. 

2 There is authorized to be appropriated to the Sec3 retary to carry out this Act $15,000,000, in the aggregate, 

4 for fiscal years 2022 through 2026. 

Æ 


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