II 

110TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION S. 1509 

To improve United States hurricane forecasting, monitoring, and warning 

capabilities, and for other purposes. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

MAY 24, 2007 

Ms. LANDRIEU (for herself, Mr. KERRY, Mr. NELSON of Florida, and Mr. 

MARTINEZ) introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation 

A BILL 

To improve United States hurricane forecasting, monitoring, 

and warning capabilities, 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 ‘‘Improved Hurricane 

5 Tracking and Forecasting Act of 2007’’. 

6 SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 

7 Congress makes the following findings: 

8 (1) Scatterometers on satellites are state-of-the9 art radar instruments which operate by transmitting 

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1 face and measuring echoed radar pulses bounced 

2 back to the satellite. 

3 (2) Scatterometers can acquire hundreds of 

4 times more observations of surface wind velocity 

5 each day than can ships and buoys, and are the only 

6 remote-sensing systems able to provide continuous, 

7 accurate and high-resolution measurements of both 

8 wind speeds and direction regardless of weather con9 ditions. 

10 (3) The Quick Scatterometer satellite 

11 (QuikSCAT) is an ocean-observing satellite launched 

12 on June 19, 1999, to replace the capability of the 

13 National Aeronautics and Space Administration 

14 Scatterometer (NSCAT), an instrument which lost 

15 power in 1997, 9 months after launch in September 

16 1996. 

17 (4) The QuikSCAT satellite has the operational 

18 objective of improving weather forecasts near coast19 lines by using wind data in numerical weather-and20 wave prediction, as well as improve hurricane warn21 ing and monitoring and acting as the next ‘‘El Nino 

22 watcher’’ for the National Aeronautics and Space 

23 Administration. 

24 (5) The QuikSCAT satellite was built in just 12 

25 months and was launched with a 3-year design life, 


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1 but continues to perform per specifications, with its 

2 backup transmitter, as it enters into its 8th year— 

3 5 years past its projected lifespan. 

4 (6) The QuikSCAT satellite provides daily cov5 erage of 90 percent of the world’s oceans, and its 

6 data has been a vital contribution to National 

7 Weather Service forecasts and warnings over water 

8 since 2000. 

9 (7) Despite its continuing performance, the 

10 QuikSCAT satellite is well beyond its expected de11 sign life and a replacement is urgently needed be12 cause, according to the National Hurricane Center, 

13 without the QuikSCAT satellite— 

14 (A) hurricane forecasting would be 16 per15 cent less accurate 72 hours before hurricane 

16 landfall and 10 percent less accurate 48 hours 

17 before hurricane landfall resulting in— 

18 (i) with a 16 percent loss of accuracy 

19 at 72 hours before landfall, the area ex20 pected to be under hurricane danger would 

21 rise from 197 miles to 228 miles on aver22 age; and 

23 (ii) with a 10 percent loss of accuracy 

24 at 48 hours before landfall, the area ex25 pected to be under hurricane danger would 


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1 rise from 136 miles to 150 miles on aver2 age; and 

3 (B) greater inaccuracy of this type would 

4 lead to more ‘‘false alarm’’ evacuations along 

5 the Gulf Coast and Atlantic Coast and decrease 

6 the possibility of impacted populations suffi7 ciently heeding mandatory evacuations. 

8 (8) According to recommendations in the Na9 tional Academies of Science report entitled ‘‘Decadal 

10 Survey’’, a next generation ocean surface wind vec11 tor satellite mission is needed during the three year 

12 period beginning in 2013. 

13 (9) According to the National Hurricane Cen14 ter, a next generation ocean surface vector wind sat15 ellite is needed to take advantage of current tech16 nologies that already exist to overcome current limi17 tations of the QuikSCAT satellite and enhance the 

18 capabilities of the National Hurricane Center to bet19 ter warn coastal residents of possible hurricanes. 

20 SEC. 3. PROGRAM FOR IMPROVED OCEAN SURFACE WINDS 

21 VECTOR SATELLITE. 

22 (a) REQUIREMENT.—The Administrator of the Na23 tional Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration shall, in 

24 consultation with the Administrator of the National Aero25 nautics and Space Administration and the head of any 


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1 other department or agency of the United States Govern2 ment designated by the President for purposes of this sec3 tion, carry out a program for an improved ocean surface 

4 winds vector satellite. 

5 (b) PURPOSES.—The purposes of the program re6 quired under subsection (a) shall be to provide for the de7 velopment of an improved ocean surface winds vector sat8 ellite in order to— 

9 (1) address science and application questions 

10 related to air-sea interaction, coastal circulation, and 

11 biological productivity; 

12 (2) improve forecasting for hurricanes, coastal 

13 winds and storm surge, and other weather-related 

14 disasters; 

15 (3) ensure continuity of quality for satellite 

16 ocean surface vector wind measurements so that ex17 isting weather forecasting and warning capabilities 

18 are not degraded; 

19 (4) advance satellite ocean surface vector wind 

20 data capabilities; and 

21 (5) address such other matters as the Adminis22 trator of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Ad23 ministration, in consultation with the Administrator 

24 of the National Aeronautics and Space Administra25 tion, considers appropriate. 


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1 (c) ANNUAL REPORTS.— 

2 (1) REPORTS REQUIRED.—Not later than six 

3 months after the date of the enactment of this Act 

4 and annually thereafter until the termination of the 

5 program required under subsection (a), the Adminis6 trator of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Ad7 ministration shall submit to the Committee on Com8 merce, Science, and Transportation of the Senate 

9 and the Committee on Science and Technology of 

10 the House of Representatives a report on the pro11 gram required under subsection (a). 

12 (2) ELEMENTS.—Each report under paragraph 

13 (1) shall include the following: 

14 (A) A current description of the program 

15 required under subsection (a), including the 

16 amount of funds expended for the program dur17 ing the period covered by such report and the 

18 purposes for which such funds were expended. 

19 (B) A description of the operational status 

20 of the satellite developed under the program, in21 cluding a description of the current capabilities 

22 of the satellite and current estimate of the an23 ticipated lifespan of the satellite. 

24 (C) A description of current and proposed 

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1 ernment, and academic, research, and other pri2 vate entities, during the period covered by such 

3 report. 

4 (D) Any other matters that the Adminis5 trator of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric 

6 Administration, in consultation with the Admin7 istrator of the National Aeronautics and Space 

8 Administration, considers appropriate. 

9 (d) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There is 

10 authorized to be appropriated to the National Oceanic and 

11 Atmospheric Administration $375,000,000 to carry out 

12 the program required under subsection (a). 

Æ 


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