I 

115TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 1427 

To require the Secretary of Commerce to study the coverage gaps of the 

Next Generation Weather Radar of the National Weather Service and 

to develop a plan for improving radar coverage and hazardous weather 

detection and forecasting. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

MARCH 8, 2017 

Mr. PITTENGER introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 

Committee on Science, Space, and Technology 

A BILL 

To require the Secretary of Commerce to study the coverage 

gaps of the Next Generation Weather Radar of the National Weather Service and to develop a plan for improving radar coverage and hazardous weather detection and 

forecasting. 

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

3 SECTION 1. STUDY ON GAPS IN NEXRAD COVERAGE AND 

4 REQUIREMENT FOR PLAN TO ADDRESS SUCH 

5 GAPS. 

6 (a) STUDY ON GAPS IN NEXRAD COVERAGE.— 


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1 (1) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 90 days after 

2 the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary 

3 of Commerce shall complete a study on gaps in the 

4 coverage of the Next Generation Weather Radar of 

5 the National Weather Service (referred to in this 

6 section as ‘‘NEXRAD’’). 

7 (2) ELEMENTS.—In conducting the study re8 quired under paragraph (1), the Secretary shall— 

9 (A) identify areas in the United States 

10 with limited or no NEXRAD coverage below 

11 6,000 feet above ground level of the sur12 rounding terrain; 

13 (B) for the areas identified under subpara14 graph (A)— 

15 (i) identify the key weather effects for 

16 which prediction would improve with im17 proved radar detection; 

18 (ii) identify additional sources of ob19 servations for high impact weather that 

20 were available and operational for such 

21 areas on the day before the date of the en22 actment of this Act, including Terminal 

23 Doppler Weather Radar (commonly known 

24 as ‘‘TDWR’’), air surveillance radars of 


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1 the Federal Aviation Administration, and 

2 cooperative network observers; and 

3 (iii) assess the feasibility and advis4 ability of efforts to integrate and upgrade 

5 Federal radar capabilities that are not 

6 owned or controlled by the National Oce7 anic and Atmospheric Administration, in8 cluding radar capabilities of the Federal 

9 Aviation Administration and the Depart10 ment of Defense; 

11 (C) assess the feasibility and advisability of 

12 incorporating State-operated and other non13 Federal radars into the operations of the Na14 tional Weather Service; 

15 (D) identify options to improve radar cov16 erage in the areas identified under subpara17 graph (A); and 

18 (E) estimate the cost of, and develop a 

19 timeline for, carrying out each of the options 

20 identified under subparagraph (D). 

21 (3) REPORT.—Upon the completion of the 

22 study required under paragraph (1), the Secretary 

23 shall submit a report to the Committee on Com24 merce, Science, and Transportation of the Senate, 

25 the Committee on Appropriations of the Senate, the 


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1 Committee on Science, Space, and Technology of the 

2 House of Representatives, and the Committee on 

3 Appropriations of the House of Representatives that 

4 includes the findings of the Secretary with respect to 

5 the study. 

6 (b) PLAN TO IMPROVE RADAR COVERAGE.—Not 

7 later than 30 days after the completion of the study under 

8 subsection (a)(1), the Secretary of Commerce shall submit 

9 a plan to the congressional committees referred to in sub10 section (a)(3) for improving radar coverage in the areas 

11 identified under subsection (a)(2)(A) by integrating and 

12 upgrading, to the extent practicable, additional observa13 tion solutions to improve hazardous weather detection and 

14 forecasting. 

15 (c) REQUIREMENT FOR THIRD-PARTY REVIEWS RE16 GARDING PLAN TO IMPROVE RADAR COVERAGE.—The 

17 Secretary of Commerce shall seek third-party reviews on 

18 scientific methodology relating to, and the feasibility and 

19 advisability of, implementing the plan submitted under 

20 subsection (b), including the extent to which warning and 

21 forecast services of the National Weather Service would 

22 be improved by additional NEXRAD coverage. 

Æ 


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