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Union Calendar No. 374 

115TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. R. 4475 

[Report No. 115–501] 

To provide for the establishment of the National Volcano Early Warning 

and Monitoring System. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

NOVEMBER 28, 2017 

Mr. YOUNG of Alaska introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 

Committee on Natural Resources 

JANUARY 9, 2018 

Reported with an amendment, committed to the Committee of the Whole 

House on the State of the Union, and ordered to be printed 

[Strike out all after the enacting clause and insert the part printed in italic] 

[For text of introduced bill, see copy of bill as introduced on November 28, 2017] 


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•HR 4475 RH

A BILL 

To provide for the establishment of the National Volcano 

Early Warning and Monitoring System. 


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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 ‘‘National Volcano Early 

5 Warning and Monitoring System Act’’. 

6 SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS. 

7 In this Act: 

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

9 the Secretary of the Interior, acting through the Di10 rector of the United States Geological Survey. 

11 (2) SYSTEM.—The term ‘‘System’’ means the Na12 tional Volcano Early Warning and Monitoring Sys13 tem established under section 3(a)(1). 

14 SEC. 3. NATIONAL VOLCANO EARLY WARNING AND MONI15 TORING SYSTEM. 

16 (a) ESTABLISHMENT.— 

17 (1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall establish 

18 within the United States Geological Survey a system, 

19 to be known as the ‘‘National Volcano Early Warning 

20 and Monitoring System’’, to monitor, warn, and pro21 tect citizens of the United States from undue and 

22 avoidable harm from volcanic activity. 

23 (2) PURPOSES.—The purposes of the System 

24 are— 


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1 (A) to organize, modernize, standardize, 

2 and stabilize the monitoring systems of the vol3 cano observatories in the United States, which 

4 include the Alaska Volcano Observatory, Cali5 fornia Volcano Observatory, Cascades Volcano 

6 Observatory, Hawaiian Volcano Observatory, 

7 Yellowstone Volcano Observatory, and other vol8 cano observatories established under subsection 

9 (d); and 

10 (B) to unify the monitoring systems of vol11 cano observatories in the United States into a 

12 single interoperative system. 

13 (3) OBJECTIVE.—The objective of the System is 

14 to monitor all the volcanoes in the United States at 

15 a level commensurate with the threat posed by the vol16 canoes by— 

17 (A) upgrading existing networks on mon18 itored volcanoes; 

19 (B) installing new networks on 

20 unmonitored volcanoes; and 

21 (C) employing geodetic and other compo22 nents when applicable. 

23 (b) SYSTEM COMPONENTS.— 

24 (1) IN GENERAL.—The System shall include— 


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1 (A) a national volcano watch office that is 

2 operational 24 hours a day and 7 days a week; 

3 (B) a national volcano data center; and 

4 (C) an external grants program to support 

5 research in volcano monitoring science and tech6 nology. 

7 (2) MODERNIZATION ACTIVITIES.—Moderniza8 tion activities under the System shall include the 

9 comprehensive application of emerging technologies, 

10 including digital broadband seismometers, real-time 

11 continuous Global Positioning System receivers, sat12 ellite and airborne radar interferometry, acoustic 

13 pressure sensors, and spectrometry to measure gas 

14 emissions. 

15 (c) MANAGEMENT.— 

16 (1) MANAGEMENT PLAN.— 

17 (A) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 180 days 

18 after the date of enactment of this Act, the Sec19 retary shall submit to Congress a 5-year man20 agement plan for establishing and operating the 

21 System. 

22 (B) INCLUSIONS.—The management plan 

23 submitted under subparagraph (A) shall in24 clude— 


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1 (i) annual cost estimates for mod2 ernization activities and operation of the 

3 System; 

4 (ii) annual milestones, standards, and 

5 performance goals; and 

6 (iii) recommendations for, and 

7 progress towards, establishing new, or en8 hancing existing, partnerships to leverage 

9 resources. 

10 (2) ADVISORY COMMITTEE.—The Secretary shall 

11 establish an advisory committee to assist the Sec12 retary in implementing the System, to be comprised 

13 of representatives of relevant agencies and members of 

14 the scientific community, to be appointed by the Sec15 retary. 

16 (3) PARTNERSHIPS.—The Secretary may enter 

17 into cooperative agreements with institutions of high18 er education and State or territorial agencies desig19 nating the institutions of higher education and State 

20 or territorial agencies as volcano observatory partners 

21 for the System. 

22 (4) COORDINATION.—The Secretary shall coordi23 nate the activities under this Act with the heads of 

24 relevant Federal agencies, including— 

25 (A) the Secretary of Transportation; 


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1 (B) the Administrator of the Federal Avia2 tion Administration; 

3 (C) the Administrator of the National Oce4 anic and Atmospheric Administration; and 

5 (D) the Director of the Federal Emergency 

6 Management Administration. 

7 (d) VOLCANO OBSERVATORY IN PACIFIC U.S. TERRI8 TORIES.— 

9 (1) FEASIBILITY STUDY.—Not later than 180 

10 days after the date of enactment of this Act, the Sec11 retary shall conduct a study to assess the feasibility 

12 of establishing volcano observatories in Guam, the 

13 Northern Mariana Islands, and American Samoa to 

14 monitor volcanic activity across the western and 

15 southern Pacific Ocean along the Ring of Fire, in16 cluding underwater volcanic activity in such region. 

17 (2) CONSULTATION.—The Secretary shall consult 

18 with appropriate territorial and local entities in con19 ducting the study. 

20 (3) COOPERATIVE AGREEMENT.—If the study re21 quired by paragraph (1) determines that such observ22 atories are feasible, then the Secretary, subject to the 

23 availability of appropriations, may enter into cooper24 ative agreements under subsection (c)(3) with institu25 tions of higher education or territorial agencies to esVerDate Sep 11 2014 00:01 Jan 10, 2018 Jkt 079200 PO 00000 Frm 00007 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6203 E:\BILLS\H4475.RH H4475

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1 tablish such volcano observatories as part of the Na2 tional Volcano Early Warning and Monitoring Sys3 tem. 

4 (e) ANNUAL REPORT.—In each of fiscal years 2018 

5 through 2024, the Secretary shall submit to Congress a re6 port that describes the activities carried out under this Act. 

7 SEC. 4. FUNDING. 

8 (a) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There is 

9 authorized to be appropriated to the Secretary to carry out 

10 this Act $15,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2018 through 

11 2024. 

12 (b) EFFECT ON OTHER SOURCES OF FEDERAL FUND13 ING.—Amounts made available under this section shall sup14 plement, and not supplant, Federal funds made available 

15 for other United States Geological Survey hazards activities 

16 and programs. 


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Union Calendar No. 374 

115TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. R. 4475 

[Report No. 115–501] 

A BILL 

Volcano Early Warning and Monitoring System. 

To provide for the establishment of the National 

JANUARY 9, 2018 

Reported with an amendment, committed to the Comand ordered to be printed mittee of the Whole House on the State of the Union, 


lotter on DSKBCFDHB2PROD with BILLS