II 

Calendar No. 455 

114TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION S. 1331 

[Report No. 114–248] 

To help enhance commerce through improved seasonal forecasts, and for 

other purposes. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

MAY 13, 2015 

Mr. THUNE (for himself and Mr. SCHATZ) introduced the following bill; which 

was read twice and referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and 

Transportation 

MAY 9, 2016 

Reported by Mr. THUNE, with an amendment 

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

A BILL 

To help enhance commerce through improved seasonal 

forecasts, 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 ‘‘Seasonal Forecasting 

5 Improvement Act’’. 


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1 SEC. 2. IMPROVING SEASONAL FORECASTS FOR AGRI2 CULTURE AND COMMERCE. 

3 Section 1762 of title XVII of Public Law 99–198 (15 

4 U.S.C. 313 note) is amended— 

5 (1) in subsection (a), by striking ‘‘(a)’’ and in6 serting ‘‘(a) FINDINGS.—’’; 

7 (2) in subsection (b), by striking ‘‘(b)’’ and in8 serting ‘‘(b) POLICY.—’’; and 

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

10 ‘‘(c) FUNCTIONS.—The Under Secretary, through the 

11 National Weather Service and other appropriate programs 

12 in the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, 

13 shall— 

14 ‘‘(1) collect and utilize information in order to 

15 make usable, reliable, and timely forecasts of sea16 sonal temperature and precipitation; 

17 ‘‘(2) leverage existing research and models from 

18 the academic sector to improve the forecasts under 

19 paragraph (1); 

20 ‘‘(3) determine and provide information on how 

21 the forecasted conditions under paragraph (1) may 

22 impact— 

23 ‘‘(A) the number and severity of droughts, 

24 tornadoes, hurricanes, floods, heatwaves, or 

25 other relevant natural disasters; 

26 ‘‘(B) snowpack; and 


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1 ‘‘(C) sea ice conditions; 

2 ‘‘(4) provide the forecasts under paragraph (1) 

3 and the information under paragraphs (1) and (3) 

4 on both national and regional levels; and 

5 ‘‘(5) develop an Internet clearinghouse with the 

6 forecasts of seasonal temperature and precipitation 

7 and other relevant seasonal forecasts and products 

8 produced by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric 

9 Administration, other Federal and State depart10 ments and agencies, and the academic sector. 

11 ‘‘(d) COMMUNICATION.—The Under Secretary shall 

12 provide the forecasts and the information on their impacts 

13 under subsection (c) to the public, including public and 

14 private entities engaged in planning and preparedness, in15 cluding— 

16 ‘‘(1) decisionmakers at the Federal, regional, 

17 State, tribal, and local levels of government; 

18 ‘‘(2) the private sector; and 

19 ‘‘(3) the public. 

20 ‘‘(e) COOPERATION.—The Under Secretary shall 

21 build upon existing forecasting and assessment programs 

22 and partnerships, including— 

23 ‘‘(1) by designating research and monitoring ac24 tivities related to seasonal forecasts as a priority in 

25 1 or more Cooperative Institute solicitations; 


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1 ‘‘(2) by contributing to the interagency Earth 

2 System Prediction Capability; and 

3 ‘‘(3) by consulting with the Secretary of De4 fense and the Secretary of Homeland Security to de5 termine the highest priority seasonal forecast needs 

6 to enhance national security. 

7 ‘‘(f) FORECAST COMMUNICATION COORDINATORS.— 

8 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The Under Secretary shall 

9 provide grants to States, including territories, for 

10 each State to have a forecast communication coordi11 nator to receive and disseminate the forecasts and 

12 information under subsection (c). Applications for 

13 grants under this subsection shall be submitted in 

14 such form and manner, and contain such informa15 tion, as the Under Secretary prescribes. 

16 ‘‘(2) REQUIREMENTS.—For each State that re17 quests assistance under this subsection, the Under 

18 Secretary shall— 

19 ‘‘(A) provide funds to support an indi20 vidual in that State to— 

21 ‘‘(i) serve as a liaison among the Na22 tional Oceanic and Atmospheric Adminis23 tration, other Federal departments and 

24 agencies, the academic sector, the State, 


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1 and relevant interests within that State; 

2 and 

3 ‘‘(ii) receive the forecasts and infor4 mation under subsection (c) and dissemi5 nate the forecasts and information 

6 throughout the State, including county and 

7 tribal governments; 

8 ‘‘(B) provide 1 grant for the purpose de9 scribed in paragraph (1); and 

10 ‘‘(C) require matching funds from the 

11 State, a university, a non-governmental organi12 zation, trade association, or the private sector. 

13 ‘‘(3) LIMITATION.—Each grant under this sub14 section shall not exceed $100,000. 

15 ‘‘(g) COOPERATION FROM OTHER FEDERAL AGEN16 CIES.—Each Federal department and agency shall cooper17 ate as appropriate with the Under Secretary in carrying 

18 out this section. 

19 ‘‘(h) REPORTS.— 

20 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 18 months 

21 after the date of enactment of the Seasonal Fore22 casting Improvement Act, the Under Secretary shall 

23 transmit to the Committee on Commerce, Science, 

24 and Transportation of the Senate and the ComVerDate Sep 11 2014 22:53 May 09, 2016 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00005 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6401 E:\BILLS\S1331.RS S1331

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1 mittee on Science, Space, and Technology of the 

2 House of Representatives a report, including— 

3 ‘‘(A) an analysis of the how information 

4 from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric 

5 Administration on seasonal forecasts, as pro6 vided under subsection (c), is utilized in public 

7 planning and preparedness; 

8 ‘‘(B) specific plans and goals for the con9 tinued development of the seasonal forecasts 

10 and related products described in subsection 

11 (c); and 

12 ‘‘(C) an identification of research, moni13 toring, observing, and forecasting requirements 

14 to meet the goals described in subparagraph 

15 (B). 

16 ‘‘(2) CONSULTATION.—In developing the report 

17 under paragraph (1), the Under Secretary shall con18 sult with relevant Federal, regional, State, tribal, 

19 and local government agencies, research institutions, 

20 and the private sector. 

21 ‘‘(i) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There is 

22 authorized to be appropriated to carry out this section 

23 $26,500,000 for each of fiscal years 2015 through 2020. 

24 ‘‘(j) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 


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1 ‘‘(1) SEASONAL.—The term ‘seasonal’ means 

2 the time range between 2 weeks and 2 years. 

3 ‘‘(2) UNDER SECRETARY.—The term ‘Under 

4 Secretary’ means the Under Secretary of Commerce 

5 for Oceans and Atmosphere.’’. 

6 SEC. 3. UNITED STATES WEATHER RESEARCH PROGRAM. 

7 (a) IN GENERAL.—Section 108 of the Oceanic and 

8 Atmospheric Administration Authorization Act of 1992 

9 (15 U.S.C. 313 note) is amended— 

10 (1) in subsection (a)— 

11 (A) in paragraph (3), by striking ‘‘; and’’ 

12 and inserting a semicolon; 

13 (B) in paragraph (4), by striking the pe14 riod at the end and inserting a semicolon; and 

15 (C) by inserting after paragraph (4) the 

16 following: 

17 ‘‘(5) provide to the Committee on Commerce, 

18 Science, and Transportation of the Senate and the 

19 Committee on Science, Space, and Technology of the 

20 House of Representatives an annual report, includ21 ing— 

22 ‘‘(A) a list of on-going research projects, 

23 including project goals and a point of contact 

24 for each project; and 


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1 ‘‘(B) the 5 projects related to observations, 

2 weather, or seasonal-scale forecasts within the 

3 Office of Oceanic and Atmospheric Research 

4 that are closest to operationalization, including 

5 for each project— 

6 ‘‘(i) the potential benefit; 

7 ‘‘(ii) any barrier to operationalization; 

8 and 

9 ‘‘(iii) the plan for operationalization, 

10 including which line office will financially 

11 support the project and how much the line 

12 office intends to spend; 

13 ‘‘(6) establish teams with staff from the Office 

14 of Oceanic and Atmospheric Research and the Na15 tional Weather Service to oversee the 

16 operationalization of research products developed by 

17 the Office of Oceanic and Atmospheric Research 

18 within the National Weather Service; 

19 ‘‘(7) develop mechanisms for the Office of Oce20 anic and Atmospheric Research’s research priorities 

21 to be informed by both the relevant line offices with22 in the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Adminis23 tration, the relevant user community, and the weath24 er enterprise, including by exchanging detailees beVerDate Sep 11 2014 22:53 May 09, 2016 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00008 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6401 E:\BILLS\S1331.RS S1331

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1 tween the Office of Oceanic and Atmospheric Re2 search and the line offices; 

3 ‘‘(8) develop an internal mechanism to track 

4 the progress of each research project within the Of5 fice of Oceanic and Atmospheric Research and 

6 mechanisms to terminate a project that is not ade7 quately progressing; 

8 ‘‘(9) for extramural research funded, the Office 

9 of Oceanic and Atmospheric Research shall develop 

10 and implement a system to track whether the 

11 grant’s goals were accomplished; 

12 ‘‘(10) provide facilities for products developed 

13 by the Office of Oceanic and Atmospheric Research 

14 to be tested in operational simulations, such as test 

15 beds; and 

16 ‘‘(11) encourage academic collaboration with 

17 the Office of Oceanic and Atmospheric Research and 

18 the National Weather Service by facilitating visiting 

19 scholars.’’; and 

20 (2) in subsection (b), in the matter preceding 

21 paragraph (1), by striking ‘‘Not later than 90 days 

22 after the date of enactment of this Act, the’’ and in23 serting ‘‘The’’. 

24 (b) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There is 

25 authorized to be appropriated to the National Oceanic and 


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1 Atmospheric Administration to carry out section 108 of 

2 the Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Authoriza3 tion Act of 1992 (15 U.S.C. 313 note), as amended by 

4 subsection (a) of this section, $10,000,000 for each of fis5 cal years 2015 through 2020. 

6 SEC. 4. NATIONAL OCEANIC AND ATMOSPHERIC ADMINIS7 TRATION SATELLITE DESIGN AND MANAGE8 MENT. 

9 (a) SHORT-TERM MANAGEMENT OF ENVIRON10 MENTAL OBSERVATIONS.— 

11 (1) IN GENERAL.—The Administrator of the 

12 National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration 

13 shall take immediate action to manage the expense 

14 of environmental observations— 

15 (A) by improving the procurement prac16 tices of the Administration with respect to polar 

17 and geostationary satellites; and 

18 (B) by assessing the operational viability of 

19 alternate observation platforms, such as micro20 satellite constellations and ocean observing sys21 tems. 

22 (2) PROCUREMENT AND ACQUISITION OF POLAR

23 AND GEOSTATIONARY SATELLITES.— 

24 (A) USE OF ESTABLISHED COMPETITIVE

25 PROCESSES.— 


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1 (i) IN GENERAL.—Except as provided 

2 in clause (ii) and notwithstanding any 

3 other provision of law, the Administrator 

4 of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric 

5 Administration and the Administrator of 

6 the National Aeronautics and Space Ad7 ministration shall use the process estab8 lished under section 3306 of title 41, 

9 United States Code, to acquire all the 

10 polar and geostationary weather satellites 

11 for use by the National Oceanic and At12 mospheric Administration in a program 

13 phase via a single procurement action. 

14 (ii) APPLICABILITY.—Clause (i) shall 

15 apply to procurement and acquisition oc16 curring in program phases beginning after 

17 the date of enactment of this Act. 

18 (iii) DEFINITION OF PROGRAM

19 PHASE.—In this subparagraph, the term 

20 ‘‘program phase’’ means the planned ac21 quisition of a series of satellites sharing a 

22 common architecture. 

23 (B) ASSESSMENT OF PROCUREMENT AND

24 ACQUISITION OPPORTUNITIES.— 


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1 (i) IN GENERAL.—The Administrator 

2 of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric 

3 Administration shall ensure that in pro4 curing or acquiring polar and geo5 stationary weather satellites that the Ad6 ministrator only procures or acquires such 

7 satellites in a manner that secures the best 

8 value for each polar and geostationary pro9 gram of the Administration. 

10 (ii) BEST VALUE.—In determining 

11 whether a procurement or acquisition se12 cures the best value for a program, the Ad13 ministrator shall consider— 

14 (I) integration with current 

15 ground systems for receiving, proc16 essing, and disseminating data; 

17 (II) integration of spacecraft and 

18 sensing instruments; 

19 (III) capacity to respond to 

20 changes in requirements and credi21 bility of risk management; and 

22 (IV) continuity and consistency 

23 of capability. 

24 (3) MICROSATELLITE CONSTELLATIONS.— 


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1 (A) IN GENERAL.—The Administrator 

2 shall complete and operationalize the radio oc3 cultation program of record in effect on the day 

4 before the date of the enactment of this Act— 

5 (i) by deploying constellations of 

6 microsatellites in both the equatorial and 

7 polar orbits; 

8 (ii) by integrating the resulting data 

9 and research into all national operational 

10 weather forecast models; and 

11 (iii) by ensuring that the resulting 

12 data is free and open to all communities. 

13 (B) ANNUAL REPORTS.—Not less fre14 quently than once each year until the Adminis15 trator has completed and operationalized the 

16 program described in subparagraph (A) pursu17 ant to such subparagraph, the Administrator 

18 shall submit to Congress a report on the status 

19 of the efforts of the Administrator to carry out 

20 such subparagraph. 

21 (4) INTEGRATION OF DATA AND RESEARCH

22 FROM INTEGRATED OCEAN OBSERVING SYSTEM INTO

23 OPERATIONAL FORECAST MODELS.—As soon as 

24 practicable, the Administrator shall integrate data 

25 and research from the Integrated Ocean Observing 


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1 System (IOOS) of the Administration into such 

2 operational forecast models as the Administrator 

3 considers appropriate. 

4 (5) LIMITATION ON PROCUREMENT OF ADDI5 TIONAL POLAR ORBITING SATELLITES.— 

6 (A) IN GENERAL.—The Administrator may 

7 not procure any future program phase of the 

8 Joint Polar Satellite System program of record 

9 if the aggregate cost for such future program 

10 phase that would be incurred by the Adminis11 tration exceeds the aggregate cost that was in12 curred by the Administration in procuring the 

13 Joint Polar Satellite System 1 and 2. 

14 (B) ADJUSTMENT FOR INFLATION.—In de15 termining aggregate costs under subparagraph 

16 (A), the Administrator may adjust the aggre17 gate costs for inflation. 

18 (6) SPECIFICATIONS FOR NEW SATELLITE SYS19 TEMS DETERMINED BY OPERATIONAL NEEDS.—In 

20 developing specifications for any satellite systems of 

21 the Administration to follow after the Joint Polar 

22 Satellite System, Geostationary Operational Envi23 ronmental Satellites, and any other satellites of the 

24 Administration in effect on the day before the date 

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1 sure the specifications are determined to the extent 

2 practicable by the recommendations of the reports 

3 under subsection (b) of this section and section 6(d). 

4 (b) INDEPENDENT STUDY ON FUTURE OF NATIONAL

5 OCEANIC AND ATMOSPHERIC ADMINISTRATION SAT6 ELLITE SYSTEMS.— 

7 (1) AGREEMENT.— 

8 (A) IN GENERAL.—The Administrator 

9 shall enter into an agreement with the National 

10 Academy of Sciences to perform the services 

11 covered by this subsection. 

12 (B) TIMING.—The Administrator shall 

13 enter into the agreement described in subpara14 graph (A) before September 30, 2018. 

15 (2) STUDY.— 

16 (A) IN GENERAL.—Under an agreement 

17 between the Administrator and the National 

18 Academy of Sciences under this subsection, the 

19 National Academy of Sciences shall conduct a 

20 study on matters concerning the future of the 

21 satellite systems of the Administration. 

22 (B) ELEMENTS.—In conducting the study 

23 under subparagraph (A), the National Academy 

24 of Sciences shall— 


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1 (i) review the report of the Weather 

2 Commission described in section 6(d), and 

3 the 2017 update to the 2007 report by the 

4 National Research Council entitled ‘‘Earth 

5 Science and Applications From Space’’; 

6 (ii) develop recommendations on how 

7 to make the satellite portfolio of the Ad8 ministration more robust and cost-effec9 tive; 

10 (iii) assess the costs and benefits of 

11 moving toward a constellation of many 

12 small satellites, standardizing satellite bus 

13 design, relying more on the purchasing of 

14 data, or acquiring data from other sources 

15 or methods; 

16 (iv) identify the environmental obser17 vations that are essential to the perform18 ance of weather models, based on an as19 sessment of Federal, academic, and private 

20 sector weather research, and the cost of 

21 obtaining the environmental data; 

22 (v) identify environmental observa23 tions that improve the quality of weather 

24 forecasts, but are not essential for the gen25 eration of weather models in effect on the 


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1 day before the date of enactment of this 

2 Act; and 

3 (vi) develop recommendations on a 

4 portfolio of environmental observations 

5 that balances essential and quality-improv6 ing data, private and nonprivate sources, 

7 and space- and Earth-based instruments. 

8 (C) DEADLINE AND REPORT.—In carrying 

9 out the study under subparagraph (A), the Na10 tional Academy of Sciences shall complete and 

11 transmit to the Administrator a report con12 taining the findings of the National Academy of 

13 Sciences with respect to the study not later 

14 than 2 years after the date on which the Ad15 ministrator enters into an agreement with the 

16 National Academy of Sciences under paragraph 

17 (1)(A). 

18 (D) COORDINATION OF EFFORTS.—In 

19 order to avoid duplication, the National Acad20 emy of Sciences may coordinate its efforts to 

21 draft the report under subparagraph (C) with 

22 the preparation of the 2017 study entitled 

23 ‘‘Earth Science and Applications from Space’’. 

24 (3) ALTERNATE CONTRACT ORGANIZATION.— 


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1 (A) IN GENERAL.—If the Administrator is 

2 unable before the date prescribed in paragraph 

3 (1)(B) to enter into an agreement described in 

4 paragraph (1)(A) with the National Academy of 

5 Sciences on terms acceptable to the Adminis6 trator, the Administrator shall seek to enter 

7 into such an agreement with another appro8 priate organization that— 

9 (i) is not part of the Government; 

10 (ii) operates as a not-for-profit entity; 

11 and 

12 (iii) has expertise and objectivity com13 parable to that of the National Academy of 

14 Sciences. 

15 (B) TREATMENT.—If the Administrator 

16 enters into an agreement with another organi17 zation as described in subparagraph (A), any 

18 reference in this section to the National Acad19 emy of Sciences shall be treated as a reference 

20 to the other organization. 

21 (4) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.— 

22 There is authorized to be appropriated to the Na23 tional Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to 

24 carry out this subsection $1,000,000 for the period 

25 of fiscal years 2017 through 2019. 


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1 SEC. 5. DESIGNATION OF FEDERAL COORDINATOR FOR ME2 TEOROLOGY. 

3 The Director of the Office of Science and Technology 

4 Policy shall designate a Federal Coordinator for Meteor5 ology. 

6 SEC. 6. ESTABLISHMENT OF WEATHER COMMISSION. 

7 (a) ESTABLISHMENT.— 

8 (1) IN GENERAL.—The Federal Coordinator for 

9 Meteorology, designated under section 5, shall estab10 lish, and the Administrator of the National Oceanic 

11 and Atmospheric Administration acting through the 

12 United States Weather Research Program of the 

13 Administration shall support, a commission— 

14 (A) to assess the weather forecasts and 

15 forecast products provided by the National Oce16 anic and Atmospheric Administration; and 

17 (B) to provide advice to Congress on mat18 ters relating to the highest priority weather 

19 forecast needs of the community of users of the 

20 forecasts and products described in subpara21 graph (A). 

22 (2) DESIGNATION.—The commission estab23 lished under paragraph (1) shall be known as the 

24 ‘‘Weather Commission’’ (in this section referred to 

25 as the ‘‘Commission’’). 

26 (b) MEMBERSHIP.— 


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1 (1) COMPOSITION.— 

2 (A) IN GENERAL.—The Commission shall 

3 be composed of individuals selected by the Fed4 eral Coordinator from among leading experts 

5 and innovators from each relevant stakeholder 

6 group described in clauses (i) through (vii) of 

7 subparagraph (B). 

8 (B) NUMBER.—The Commission shall be 

9 composed of no fewer than 14 members, includ10 ing— 

11 (i) 2 representatives from State emer12 gency management agencies; 

13 (ii) 2 representatives from State agri14 culture agencies; 

15 (iii) 1 representative from the Native 

16 American, Alaskan Native, or Native Ha17 waiian community; 

18 (iv) 2 representatives from the private 

19 aerospace industry; 

20 (v) 2 representatives from the oper21 ational forecasting community; 

22 (vi) 2 representatives from the aca23 demic community; 

24 (vii) 1 representative from a profes25 sional society that focuses on meteorology; 


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1 (viii) the chair of the Science Advisory 

2 Board of the National Oceanic and Atmos3 pheric Administration; 

4 (ix) the chair of the National Science 

5 Board; 

6 (x) the Director of the Office of 

7 Science and Technology Policy, ex officio; 

8 and 

9 (xi) the Administrator of the National 

10 Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, 

11 ex officio. 

12 (2) CO-CHAIR.—The Director of the Office of 

13 Science and Technology Policy and the Adminis14 trator of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Ad15 ministration shall serve as co-chairs of the Commis16 sion. 

17 (c) DUTIES.—The duties of the Commission are as 

18 follows: 

19 (1) To assess the weather forecasts and fore20 cast products of the Administration as described in 

21 subsection (a). 

22 (2) To provide advice to Congress as described 

23 in subsection (a). 

24 (3) To obtain public comment on the weather 

25 forecasts and products of the Administration that 


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1 the Administrator determines are the highest pri2 ority for users of such forecasts and products. 

3 (d) REPORT.— 

4 (1) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 2 years after 

5 the date of enactment of this Act, the Commission 

6 shall submit to Congress and make available to the 

7 public on an Internet website a report on matters re8 lating to the activities of the Commission. 

9 (2) CONTENTS.—The report submitted under 

10 paragraph (1) shall include the following: 

11 (A) The findings of the Commission with 

12 respect to the review conducted under para13 graph (3) of subsection (c). 

14 (B) The findings of the Commission with 

15 respect to the public comments obtained under 

16 paragraph (4) of such subsection. 

17 (C) The recommendations developed under 

18 paragraph (5) of such subsection. 

19 (e) EXEMPTION FROM FACA.—The Commission 

20 shall not be subject to the requirements of the Federal 

21 Advisory Committee Act (5 U.S.C. App.). 

22 (f) TERMINATION.—The Commission shall terminate 

23 on the date that is 4 years after the date of enactment 

24 of this Act. 


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1 (g) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There is 

2 authorized to be appropriated to the National Oceanic and 

3 Atmospheric Administration to carry out this section 

4 $1,000,000 for the period of fiscal years 2015 through 

5 2019. 

6 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

7 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Seasonal Forecasting 

8 Improvement Act’’. 

9 SEC. 2. IMPROVING SEASONAL FORECASTS FOR AGRI10 CULTURE AND COMMERCE. 

11 Section 1762 of title XVII of Public Law 99–198 (15 

12 U.S.C. 313 note) is amended— 

13 (1) in subsection (a), by striking ‘‘(a)’’ and in14 serting ‘‘(a) FINDINGS.—’’; 

15 (2) in subsection (b), by striking ‘‘(b)’’ and in16 serting ‘‘(b) POLICY.—’’; and 

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

18 ‘‘(c) FUNCTIONS.—The Under Secretary, through the 

19 National Weather Service and other appropriate programs 

20 in the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, 

21 shall— 

22 ‘‘(1) collect and utilize information in order to 

23 make usable, reliable, and timely forecasts of seasonal 

24 temperature and precipitation; 


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1 ‘‘(2) leverage existing research and models from 

2 the academic sector to improve the forecasts under 

3 paragraph (1); 

4 ‘‘(3) determine and provide information on how 

5 the forecasted conditions under paragraph (1) may 

6 impact— 

7 ‘‘(A) the number and severity of droughts, 

8 fires, tornadoes, hurricanes, floods, heatwaves, 

9 coastal inundation, winter storms, high impact 

10 weather, or other relevant natural disasters; 

11 ‘‘(B) snowpack; and 

12 ‘‘(C) sea ice conditions; 

13 ‘‘(4) provide the forecasts under paragraph (1) 

14 and the information under paragraphs (1) and (3) on 

15 both national and regional levels; and 

16 ‘‘(5) develop an Internet clearinghouse with the 

17 forecasts of seasonal temperature and precipitation 

18 and other relevant seasonal forecasts and products 

19 produced by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric 

20 Administration, other Federal and State departments 

21 and agencies, and the academic sector. 

22 ‘‘(d) COMMUNICATION.—The Under Secretary shall 

23 provide the forecasts and the information on their impacts 

24 under subsection (c) to the public, including public and priVerDate Sep 11 2014 22:53 May 09, 2016 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00024 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6203 E:\BILLS\S1331.RS S1331

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1 vate entities engaged in planning and preparedness, includ2 ing— 

3 ‘‘(1) decisionmakers at the Federal, regional, 

4 State, tribal, and local levels of government; 

5 ‘‘(2) the private sector; and 

6 ‘‘(3) the public. 

7 ‘‘(e) COOPERATION.—The Under Secretary shall build 

8 upon existing forecasting and assessment programs and 

9 partnerships, including— 

10 ‘‘(1) by designating research and monitoring ac11 tivities related to seasonal forecasts as a priority in 

12 1 or more Cooperative Institute solicitations; 

13 ‘‘(2) by contributing to the interagency Earth 

14 System Prediction Capability; and 

15 ‘‘(3) by consulting with the Secretary of Defense 

16 and the Secretary of Homeland Security to determine 

17 the highest priority seasonal forecast needs to enhance 

18 national security. 

19 ‘‘(f) FORECAST COMMUNICATION COORDINATORS.— 

20 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The Under Secretary shall 

21 provide grants to States, including territories, for 

22 each State to have a forecast communication coordi23 nator to receive and disseminate the forecasts and in24 formation under subsection (c). Applications for 

25 grants under this subsection shall be submitted in 


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1 such form and manner, and contain such informa2 tion, as the Under Secretary prescribes. 

3 ‘‘(2) REQUIREMENTS.—For each State that re4 quests assistance under this subsection, the Under 

5 Secretary shall— 

6 ‘‘(A) provide funds to support an indi7 vidual in that State to— 

8 ‘‘(i) serve as a liaison among the Na9 tional Oceanic and Atmospheric Adminis10 tration, other Federal departments and 

11 agencies, the academic sector, the State, and 

12 relevant interests within that State; and 

13 ‘‘(ii) receive the forecasts and informa14 tion under subsection (c) and disseminate 

15 the forecasts and information throughout 

16 the State, including county and tribal gov17 ernments; 

18 ‘‘(B) provide 1 grant for the purpose de19 scribed in paragraph (1); and 

20 ‘‘(C) require matching funds from the State, 

21 a university, a non-governmental organization, 

22 trade association, or the private sector. 

23 ‘‘(3) LIMITATION.—Each grant under this sub24 section shall not exceed $100,000. 


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1 ‘‘(g) COOPERATION FROM OTHER FEDERAL AGEN2 CIES.—Each Federal department and agency shall cooper3 ate as appropriate with the Under Secretary in carrying 

4 out this section. 

5 ‘‘(h) REPORTS.— 

6 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 18 months 

7 after the date of enactment of the Seasonal Fore8 casting Improvement Act, the Under Secretary shall 

9 transmit to the Committee on Commerce, Science, 

10 and Transportation of the Senate and the Committee 

11 on Science, Space, and Technology of the House of 

12 Representatives a report, including— 

13 ‘‘(A) an analysis of the how information 

14 from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Ad15 ministration on seasonal forecasts, as provided 

16 under subsection (c), is utilized in public plan17 ning and preparedness; 

18 ‘‘(B) specific plans and goals for the contin19 ued development of the seasonal forecasts and re20 lated products described in subsection (c); and 

21 ‘‘(C) an identification of research, moni22 toring, observing, and forecasting requirements 

23 to meet the goals described in subparagraph (B). 

24 ‘‘(2) CONSULTATION.—In developing the report 

25 under paragraph (1), the Under Secretary shall conVerDate Sep 11 2014 22:53 May 09, 2016 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00027 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6203 E:\BILLS\S1331.RS S1331

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1 sult with relevant Federal, regional, State, tribal, and 

2 local government agencies, research institutions, and 

3 the private sector. 

4 ‘‘(i) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There is 

5 authorized to be appropriated to carry out this section 

6 $26,500,000 for each of fiscal years 2015 through 2020. 

7 ‘‘(j) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 

8 ‘‘(1) SEASONAL.—The term ‘seasonal’ means the 

9 time range between 2 weeks and 2 years. 

10 ‘‘(2) UNDER SECRETARY.—The term ‘Under Sec11 retary’ means the Under Secretary of Commerce for 

12 Oceans and Atmosphere.’’. 

13 SEC. 3. UNITED STATES WEATHER RESEARCH PROGRAM. 

14 (a) IN GENERAL.—Section 108 of the Oceanic and At15 mospheric Administration Authorization Act of 1992 (15 

16 U.S.C. 313 note) is amended— 

17 (1) in subsection (a)— 

18 (A) in paragraph (3), by striking ‘‘; and’’ 

19 and inserting a semicolon; 

20 (B) in paragraph (4), by striking the period 

21 at the end and inserting a semicolon; and 

22 (C) by inserting after paragraph (4) the fol23 lowing: 

24 ‘‘(5) provide to the Committee on Commerce, 

25 Science, and Transportation of the Senate and the 


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1 Committee on Science, Space, and Technology of the 

2 House of Representatives an annual report, includ3 ing— 

4 ‘‘(A) a list of on-going research projects, in5 cluding project goals and a point of contact for 

6 each project; and 

7 ‘‘(B) the 5 projects related to observations, 

8 weather, or seasonal-scale forecasts within the 

9 Office of Oceanic and Atmospheric Research that 

10 are closest to operationalization, including for 

11 each project— 

12 ‘‘(i) the potential benefit; 

13 ‘‘(ii) any barrier to operationalization; 

14 and 

15 ‘‘(iii) the plan for operationalization, 

16 including which line office will financially 

17 support the project and how much the line 

18 office intends to spend; 

19 ‘‘(6) establish teams with staff from the Office of 

20 Oceanic and Atmospheric Research and the National 

21 Weather Service to oversee the operationalization of 

22 research products developed by the Office of Oceanic 

23 and Atmospheric Research within the National 

24 Weather Service; 


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1 ‘‘(7) develop mechanisms for the Office of Oce2 anic and Atmospheric Research’s research priorities 

3 to be informed by both the relevant line offices within 

4 the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administra5 tion, the relevant user community, and the weather 

6 enterprise, including by exchanging detailees between 

7 the Office of Oceanic and Atmospheric Research and 

8 the line offices; 

9 ‘‘(8) develop an internal mechanism to track the 

10 progress of each research project within the Office of 

11 Oceanic and Atmospheric Research and mechanisms 

12 to terminate a project that is not adequately pro13 gressing; 

14 ‘‘(9) for extramural research funded, the Office of 

15 Oceanic and Atmospheric Research shall develop and 

16 implement a system to track whether the grant’s goals 

17 were accomplished; 

18 ‘‘(10) provide facilities for products developed by 

19 the Office of Oceanic and Atmospheric Research to be 

20 tested in operational simulations, such as test beds; 

21 and 

22 ‘‘(11) encourage academic collaboration with the 

23 Office of Oceanic and Atmospheric Research and the 

24 National Weather Service by facilitating visiting 

25 scholars.’’; and 


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1 (2) in subsection (b), in the matter preceding 

2 paragraph (1), by striking ‘‘Not later than 90 days 

3 after the date of enactment of this Act, the’’ and in4 serting ‘‘The’’. 

5 (b) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There is 

6 authorized to be appropriated to the National Oceanic and 

7 Atmospheric Administration to carry out section 108 of the 

8 Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Authorization 

9 Act of 1992 (15 U.S.C. 313 note), as amended by subsection 

10 (a) of this section, $10,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2015 

11 through 2020. 

12 SEC. 4. NATIONAL OCEANIC AND ATMOSPHERIC ADMINIS13 TRATION SATELLITE DESIGN AND MANAGE14 MENT. 

15 (a) SHORT-TERM MANAGEMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL

16 OBSERVATIONS.— 

17 (1) IN GENERAL.—The Administrator of the Na18 tional Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration shall 

19 take immediate action to manage the expense of envi20 ronmental observations— 

21 (A) by improving the procurement practices 

22 of the Administration with respect to polar and 

23 geostationary satellites; and 

24 (B) by assessing the operational viability of 

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1 satellite constellations and ocean observing sys2 tems. 

3 (2) PROCUREMENT AND ACQUISITION OF POLAR

4 AND GEOSTATIONARY SATELLITES.— 

5 (A) USE OF ESTABLISHED COMPETITIVE

6 PROCESSES.— 

7 (i) IN GENERAL.—Except as provided 

8 in clause (ii) and notwithstanding any 

9 other provision of law, the Administrator of 

10 the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Ad11 ministration and the Administrator of the 

12 National Aeronautics and Space Adminis13 tration may— 

14 (I) acquire all the polar weather 

15 satellites for use by the National Oce16 anic and Atmospheric Administration 

17 in a program phase via a single pro18 curement action; and 

19 (II) acquire all the geostationary 

20 weather satellites for use by the Na21 tional Oceanic and Atmospheric Ad22 ministration in a program phase via a 

23 single procurement action. 

24 (ii) APPLICABILITY.—Clause (i) shall 

25 apply to procurement and acquisition ocVerDate Sep 11 2014 22:53 May 09, 2016 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00032 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6203 E:\BILLS\S1331.RS S1331

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1 curring in program phases beginning after 

2 the date of enactment of this Act. 

3 (iii) DEFINITION OF PROGRAM

4 PHASE.—In this subparagraph, the term 

5 ‘‘program phase’’ means the planned acqui6 sition of a series of satellites sharing a com7 mon architecture. 

8 (B) ASSESSMENT OF PROCUREMENT AND

9 ACQUISITION OPPORTUNITIES.— 

10 (i) IN GENERAL.—The Administrator 

11 of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric 

12 Administration shall ensure that in pro13 curing or acquiring polar and geostationary 

14 weather satellites that the Administrator 

15 only procures or acquires such satellites in 

16 a manner that secures the best value for 

17 each polar and geostationary program of 

18 the Administration. 

19 (ii) BEST VALUE.—In determining 

20 whether a procurement or acquisition se21 cures the best value for a program, the Ad22 ministrator shall consider— 

23 (I) integration with current 

24 ground systems for receiving, proc25 essing, and disseminating data; 


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1 (II) integration of spacecraft and 

2 sensing instruments; 

3 (III) capacity to respond to 

4 changes in requirements and credi5 bility of risk management; and 

6 (IV) continuity and consistency of 

7 capability. 

8 (3) MICROSATELLITE CONSTELLATIONS.— 

9 (A) IN GENERAL.—The Administrator shall 

10 complete and operationalize the radio occultation 

11 program of record in effect on the day before the 

12 date of the enactment of this Act— 

13 (i) by deploying constellations of 

14 microsatellites in both the equatorial and 

15 polar orbits; 

16 (ii) by integrating the resulting data 

17 and research into all national operational 

18 weather forecast models; and 

19 (iii) by ensuring that the resulting 

20 data is free and open to all communities. 

21 (B) ANNUAL REPORTS.—Not less frequently 

22 than once each year until the Administrator has 

23 completed and operationalized the program de24 scribed in subparagraph (A) pursuant to such 

25 subparagraph, the Administrator shall submit to 


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1 Congress a report on the status of the efforts of 

2 the Administrator to carry out such subpara3 graph. 

4 (4) INTEGRATION OF OCEAN AND COASTAL DATA

5 FROM THE INTEGRATED OCEAN OBSERVING SYS6 TEM.—In the National Weather Service Regions 

7 where the Administrator determines that ocean and 

8 coastal data would improve forecasts, the Adminis9 trator, in consultation with the National Weather 

10 Service and Office of Oceanic and Atmospheric Re11 search, shall— 

12 (A) integrate additional coastal and ocean 

13 observations, and other data and research, from 

14 the Integrated Ocean Observing System of the 

15 Administration (referred to in this section as 

16 ‘‘IOOS’’) into regional weather forecasts to im17 prove weather forecasts and forecasting decision 

18 support systems; and 

19 (B) support the development of real time 

20 data sharing products and forecast products in 

21 collaboration with the IOOS regional associa22 tions, including contributions from the private 

23 sector, academia, and research institutions to en24 sure timely and accurate use of ocean and coast25 al data in regional forecasts. 


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1 (5) EXISTING MONITORING AND OBSERVATION IN2 FRASTRUCTURE.—The Administrator shall identify 

3 degradation of existing monitoring and observation 

4 infrastructure that could lead to a reduction in fore5 cast quality. 

6 (6) SPECIFICATIONS FOR NEW SATELLITE SYS7 TEMS DETERMINED BY OPERATIONAL NEEDS.—In de8 veloping specifications for any satellite systems of the 

9 Administration to follow after the Joint Polar Sat10 ellite System, Geostationary Operational Environ11 mental Satellites, and any other satellites of the Ad12 ministration in effect on the day before the date of en13 actment of this Act, the Administrator shall ensure 

14 the specifications are determined to the extent prac15 ticable by the recommendations of the reports under 

16 subsection (b) of this section and section 6(d). 

17 (b) INDEPENDENT STUDY ON FUTURE OF NATIONAL

18 OCEANIC AND ATMOSPHERIC ADMINISTRATION SATELLITE

19 SYSTEMS.— 

20 (1) AGREEMENT.— 

21 (A) IN GENERAL.—The Administrator shall 

22 enter into an agreement with the National Acad23 emy of Sciences to perform the services covered 

24 by this subsection. 


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1 (B) TIMING.—The Administrator shall enter 

2 into the agreement described in subparagraph 

3 (A) before September 30, 2018. 

4 (2) STUDY.— 

5 (A) IN GENERAL.—Under an agreement be6 tween the Administrator and the National Acad7 emy of Sciences under this subsection, the Na8 tional Academy of Sciences shall conduct a study 

9 on matters concerning the future of the satellite 

10 systems of the Administration. 

11 (B) ELEMENTS.—In conducting the study 

12 under subparagraph (A), the National Academy 

13 of Sciences shall— 

14 (i) review the report of the Weather 

15 Commission described in section 6(d), and 

16 the 2017 update to the 2007 report by the 

17 National Research Council entitled ‘‘Earth 

18 Science and Applications From Space’’; 

19 (ii) develop recommendations on how 

20 to make the satellite portfolio of the Admin21 istration more robust and cost-effective; 

22 (iii) assess the costs and benefits of 

23 moving toward a constellation of many 

24 small satellites, standardizing satellite bus 

25 design, relying more on the purchasing of 


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1 data, or acquiring data from other sources 

2 or methods; 

3 (iv) identify the environmental obser4 vations that are essential to the performance 

5 of weather models, based on an assessment 

6 of Federal, academic, and private sector 

7 weather research, and the cost of obtaining 

8 the environmental data; 

9 (v) identify environmental observations 

10 that improve the quality of weather fore11 casts, but are not essential for the genera12 tion of weather models in effect on the day 

13 before the date of enactment of this Act; and 

14 (vi) develop recommendations on a 

15 portfolio of environmental observations that 

16 balances essential and quality-improving 

17 data, private and nonprivate sources, and 

18 space- and Earth-based instruments. 

19 (C) DEADLINE AND REPORT.—In carrying 

20 out the study under subparagraph (A), the Na21 tional Academy of Sciences shall complete and 

22 transmit to the Administrator a report con23 taining the findings of the National Academy of 

24 Sciences with respect to the study not later than 

25 2 years after the date on which the AdminisVerDate Sep 11 2014 22:53 May 09, 2016 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00038 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6203 E:\BILLS\S1331.RS S1331

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1 trator enters into an agreement with the Na2 tional Academy of Sciences under paragraph 

3 (1)(A). 

4 (D) COORDINATION OF EFFORTS.—In order 

5 to avoid duplication, the National Academy of 

6 Sciences may coordinate its efforts to draft the 

7 report under subparagraph (C) with the prepa8 ration of the 2017 study entitled ‘‘Earth Science 

9 and Applications from Space’’. 

10 (3) ALTERNATE CONTRACT ORGANIZATION.— 

11 (A) IN GENERAL.—If the Administrator is 

12 unable before the date prescribed in paragraph 

13 (1)(B) to enter into an agreement described in 

14 paragraph (1)(A) with the National Academy of 

15 Sciences on terms acceptable to the Adminis16 trator, the Administrator shall seek to enter into 

17 such an agreement with another appropriate or18 ganization that— 

19 (i) is not part of the Government; 

20 (ii) operates as a not-for-profit entity; 

21 and 

22 (iii) has expertise and objectivity com23 parable to that of the National Academy of 

24 Sciences. 


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1 (B) TREATMENT.—If the Administrator en2 ters into an agreement with another organiza3 tion as described in subparagraph (A), any ref4 erence in this section to the National Academy of 

5 Sciences shall be treated as a reference to the 

6 other organization. 

7 (4) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.— 

8 There is authorized to be appropriated to the Na9 tional Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to 

10 carry out this subsection $1,000,000 for the period of 

11 fiscal years 2017 through 2019. 

12 SEC. 5. DESIGNATION OF FEDERAL COORDINATOR FOR ME13 TEOROLOGY. 

14 The Director of the Office of Science and Technology 

15 Policy shall designate a Federal Coordinator for Meteor16 ology. 

17 SEC. 6. ESTABLISHMENT OF THE WEATHER COMMISSION. 

18 (a) ESTABLISHMENT.— 

19 (1) IN GENERAL.—The Administrator of the Na20 tional Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration shall 

21 establish and support a commission— 

22 (A) to assess the weather forecasts and fore23 cast products provided by the National Oceanic 

24 and Atmospheric Administration; and 


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1 (B) to provide advice to the Federal Govern2 ment, including Congress, on matters relating to 

3 the highest priority weather forecast needs of the 

4 community of users of the forecasts and products 

5 described in subparagraph (A). 

6 (2) DESIGNATION.—The commission established 

7 under paragraph (1) shall be known as the ‘‘Weather 

8 Commission’’. 

9 (3) INTERACTION WITH FEDERAL AGENCIES AND

10 DEPARTMENTS.— 

11 (A) SECURING INFORMATION.—In carrying 

12 out its functions under this section, the Weather 

13 Commission may secure directly from any Fed14 eral agency or department any information it 

15 considers necessary to carry out its functions 

16 under this Act. 

17 (B) COOPERATION.—Each such agency or 

18 department is authorized to cooperate with the 

19 Weather Commission and, to the extent otherwise 

20 permitted by law, to furnish such information 

21 (other than information described in section 

22 552(b)(1)(A) of title 5, United States Code) to 

23 the Weather Commission, upon the request of the 

24 Weather Commission. 

25 (b) MEMBERSHIP.— 


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1 (1) COMPOSITION.— 

2 (A) IN GENERAL.—The Weather Commis3 sion shall be composed of individuals appointed 

4 by the Administrator of the National Oceanic 

5 and Atmospheric Administration from among 

6 leading experts and innovators from each rel7 evant stakeholder group described in clauses (i) 

8 through (vii) of subparagraph (B). 

9 (B) NUMBER.—The Weather Commission 

10 shall be composed of no fewer than 14 members, 

11 including— 

12 (i) 2 representatives from State or 

13 local emergency management agencies; 

14 (ii) 2 representatives from State agri15 culture agencies; 

16 (iii) 1 representative of Native Ameri17 cans, including Indians, as the term is de18 fined in section 4 of the Indian Self-Deter19 mination and Education Assistance Act (25 

20 U.S.C. 450b) (including Alaska Natives 

21 within the meaning of that term), and Na22 tive Hawaiians (as defined in section 7207 

23 of the Elementary and Secondary Edu24 cation Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 7517)); 


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1 (iv) 2 representatives from the private 

2 aerospace industry; 

3 (v) 2 representatives from the oper4 ational forecasting community; 

5 (vi) 2 representatives from the aca6 demic community; and 

7 (vii) 1 representative from a profes8 sional society that focuses on meteorology. 

9 (2) CHAIR.—The Weather Commission shall se10 lect a chairperson from among its members. 

11 (c) DUTIES.—The duties of the Weather Commission 

12 are as follows: 

13 (1) To assess the weather forecasts and forecast 

14 products of the Administration as described in sub15 section (a)(1). 

16 (2) To provide advice to the Federal government, 

17 including Congress, as described in subsection (a)(1). 

18 (3) To obtain public comment on the weather 

19 forecasts and products of the Administration that the 

20 Administrator determines are the highest priority for 

21 users of such forecasts and products. 

22 (d) REPORT.— 

23 (1) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 2 years after 

24 the date of the enactment of this Act, the Weather 

25 Commission shall submit to Congress and make availVerDate Sep 11 2014 22:53 May 09, 2016 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00043 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6203 E:\BILLS\S1331.RS S1331

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1 able to the public on an Internet website a report on 

2 matters relating to the activities of the Weather Com3 mission. 

4 (2) CONTENTS.—The report submitted under 

5 paragraph (1) shall include the following: 

6 (A) The findings of the Weather Commis7 sion with respect to the assessment conducted 

8 under paragraph (1) of subsection (c). 

9 (B) The findings of the Weather Commis10 sion with respect to the public comments ob11 tained under paragraph (3) of such subsection 

12 (C) Such recommendations as the Weather 

13 Commission may have for legislative or adminis14 trative action. 

15 (e) EXEMPTION FROM FACA.—The Weather Commis16 sion shall not be subject to the requirements of the Federal 

17 Advisory Committee Act (5 U.S.C. App.). 

18 (f) TERMINATION.—The Weather Commission shall 

19 terminate on the date that is 4 years after the date of enact20 ment of this Act. 

21 (g) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There is 

22 authorized to be appropriated to the Administrator to carry 

23 out this section $1,000,000 for the period of fiscal years 

24 2015 through 2019. 


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1 SEC. 7. WEATHER IMPACTS TO COMMUNITIES AND INFRA2 STRUCTURE. 

3 (a) REVIEW.—The National Weather Service shall re4 view existing research, products, and services that meet the 

5 specific needs of the urban environment, given its unique 

6 physical characteristics and forecasting challenges. The re7 view should include research, products, and services with 

8 the potential to improve modeling and forecasting capabili9 ties, by taking into account factors including varying build10 ing heights, impermeable surfaces, such as paved roads and 

11 parking lots, lack of tree canopy, traffic pollution, and 

12 inter-building wind effects. 

13 (b) REPORT.—Upon completion of the review under 

14 subsection (a), the Under Secretary of Commerce for Oceans 

15 and Atmosphere shall submit to Congress a report, based 

16 on the review, public comment, and recent publications by 

17 the National Academy of Sciences, with a plan for how any 

18 unmet research, modeling, and forecasting needs can be ad19 dressed and improved for high density populations center 

20 end users. 

21 SEC. 8. DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE WEATHER FORE22 CASTING ACTIVITIES. 

23 Not later than 60 days after the date of enactment of 

24 this Act, the Administrator of the National Oceanic and 

25 Atmospheric Administration shall submit to the Committee 

26 on Commerce, Science, and Transportation of the Senate 


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1 and the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure 

2 of the House of Representatives a report analyzing the im3 pacts of the proposed Air Force divestiture in the United 

4 States Weather Research and Forecasting Model, includ5 ing— 

6 (a) the impact on— 

7 (1) the United States weather forecasting capa8 bilities; 

9 (2) the accuracy of civilian regional forecasts; 

10 (3) the civilian readiness for traditional weather 

11 and extreme weather events in the United States; and 

12 (4) the research necessary to develop the United 

13 States Weather Research and Forecasting Model; and 

14 (b) such other analysis relating to the divestiture as 

15 the Administrator considers appropriate. 

16 SEC. 9. NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE; OPERATIONS AND 

17 WORKFORCE ANALYSIS. 

18 The Administrator of the National Oceanic and At19 mospheric Administration shall contract or continue to 

20 partner with an external organization to conduct a baseline 

21 analysis of the National Weather Service operations and 

22 workforce. 

23 SEC. 10. WATER RESOURCES. 

24 (a) NATIONAL WATER CENTER.— 


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1 (1) ESTABLISHMENT.—The Administrator of the 

2 National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration 

3 shall maintain a National Water Center. 

4 (2) FUNCTIONS.—The National Water Center 

5 may— 

6 (A) facilitate collaboration across Federal 

7 and State departments and agencies, academia, 

8 and the private sector to improve understanding 

9 of water resources; 

10 (B) make recommendations to water re11 source managers; 

12 (C) make recommendations to improve 

13 water resource forecasts; and 

14 (D) facilitate the transition of water re15 search into applications. 

16 (b) TOTAL WATER PREDICTION.—The Under Sec17 retary of Commerce for Oceans and Atmosphere, through 

18 the National Water Center, shall— 

19 (1) initiate research and development activities 

20 to develop operational water resource prediction prod21 ucts; 

22 (2) collaborate with, and provide decision-sup23 port regarding total water prediction to, other rel24 evant Federal and State agencies, including— 

25 (A) Army Corps of Engineers; 


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1 (B) United States Geological Survey; 

2 (C) Federal Emergency Management Agen3 cy; 

4 (D) National Science Foundation; 

5 (E) Environmental Protection Agency; 

6 (F) State water resource agencies; and 

7 (G) State emergency management agencies; 

8 and 

9 (3) in carrying out the responsibilities described 

10 in paragraphs (1) and (2), develop capabilities nec11 essary for total water predictive capacity, including 

12 observations, modeling, data management, supercom13 puting, social science, and communications. 

14 (c) REPORT.— 

15 (1) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 3 years after 

16 the date of enactment of this Act, the National Water 

17 Center shall submit to the Assistant Secretary of the 

18 Army for Civil Works a report on total water pre19 dictive capabilities and products. 

20 (2) CONTENTS.—The report may include rec21 ommendations to improve engineering, design, oper22 ations, and management of civil works projects, in23 cluding the Central and Southern Florida Project and 

24 any project in the Apalachicola-Chattahoochee-Flint 

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1 ing the implications of total water predictive products 

2 for— 

3 (A) environmental protection and restora4 tion, including restoration of water quality, 

5 water flows, fish and other aquatic species; 

6 (B) reduced flood risk; and 

7 (C) improved recreation. 

8 SEC. 11. HURRICANE FORECAST IMPROVEMENT PROJECT. 

9 (a) IN GENERAL.—The Administrator of the National 

10 Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, in collaboration 

11 with the American weather industry and such academic en12 tities as the Administrator considers appropriate, shall 

13 maintain a project to improve hurricane forecasting. 

14 (b) GOAL.—The goal of the project maintained under 

15 subsection (a) shall be to develop and extend accurate hurri16 cane forecasts and warnings in order to reduce loss of life, 

17 injury, and damage to the economy, with a focus on— 

18 (1) improving the prediction of rapid inten19 sification and track of hurricanes; 

20 (2) improving the forecast and communication of 

21 storm surges from hurricanes; and 

22 (3) incorporating risk communication research 

23 to create more effective watch and warning products. 

24 (c) PROJECT PLAN.—Not later than 1 year after the 

25 date of enactment of this Act, the Administrator, acting 


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1 through the Director of the National Weather Service and 

2 in consultation with the Assistant Administrator for Oce3 anic and Atmospheric Research and the Assistant Adminis4 trator for the National Ocean Service, shall develop a plan 

5 for the project maintained under subsection (a) that details 

6 the specific research, development, and technology transfer 

7 activities, as well as corresponding resources and timelines, 

8 necessary to achieve the goal set forth in subsection (b). 


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sradovich on DSK3TPTVN1PROD with BILLS
Calendar No. 455 

114TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION S. 1331 

[Report No. 114–248] 

A BILL 

To help enhance commerce through improved 

seasonal forecasts, and for other purposes. 

MAY 9, 2016 

Reported with an amendment 


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