I 

108TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. R. 4546

To provide for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, to 

authorize appropriations for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and for other purposes. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

JUNE 14, 2004

Mr. EHLERS introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Science, and in addition to the Committee on Resources, for 

a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for 

consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned 

A BILL

To provide for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, to authorize appropriations for the National 

Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, 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. TABLE OF CONTENTS. 

4 The table of contents for this Act is as follows:

Sec. 1. Table of contents. 

TITLE I—NATIONAL OCEANIC AND ATMOSPHERIC 

ADMINISTRATION 

Sec. 101. Short title. 
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Sec. 102. Definitions. 

Sec. 103. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. 

Sec. 104. Administration leadership. 

Sec. 105. National Weather Service. 

Sec. 106. Operations and services. 

Sec. 107. Research and education. 

Sec. 108. Science Advisory Board. 

Sec. 109. Reports. 

Sec. 110. Effect of Reorganization Plan. 

TITLE II—AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS 

Sec. 201. Short title. 

Sec. 202. Authorization of appropriations. 

TITLE III—COASTAL OCEAN SCIENCE PROGRAM 

Sec. 301. Short title. 

Sec. 302. Coastal Ocean Science Program. 

TITLE IV—MARINE RESEARCH 

Sec. 401. Short title. 

Sec. 402. Purposes. 

Sec. 403. Interagency marine research program. 

Sec. 404. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Marine Research 

Initiative. 

Sec. 405. Authorization of appropriations. 

TITLE V—OCEAN AND COASTAL OBSERVATION SYSTEMS 

Sec. 501. Short title. 

Sec. 502. Purposes. 

Sec. 503. Integrated ocean and coastal observing system. 

Sec. 504. Interagency financing. 

Sec. 505. Great Lakes. 

Sec. 506. Authorization of appropriations. 

TITLE VI—ABRUPT CLIMATE CHANGE 

Sec. 601. Short title. 

Sec. 602. Abrupt climate change research program. 

Sec. 603. Authorization of appropriations. 

TITLE VII—UNITED STATES WEATHER RESEARCH PROGRAM 

Sec. 701. Short title. 

Sec. 702. Program focus. 

Sec. 703. Program research priorities. 

Sec. 704. Interagency planning and process. 

Sec. 705. Reporting requirements. 

Sec. 706. Authorization of appropriations.
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1 TITLE I—NATIONAL OCEANIC 

2 AND ATMOSPHERIC ADMINIS3 TRATION 

4 SEC. 101. SHORT TITLE. 

5 This title may be cited as the ‘‘National Oceanic and 

6 Atmospheric Administration Act’’. 

7 SEC. 102. DEFINITIONS. 

8 In this title: 

9 (1) The term ‘‘Administration’’ means the Na10 tional Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. 

11 (2) The term ‘‘Secretary’’ means the Secretary 

12 of Commerce. 

13 (3) The term ‘‘Administrator’’ means the Ad14 ministrator of the National Oceanic and Atmos15 pheric Administration. 

16 SEC. 103. NATIONAL OCEANIC AND ATMOSPHERIC ADMIN17 ISTRATION. 

18 (a) IN GENERAL.—There shall be in the Department 

19 of Commerce an agency known as the National Oceanic 

20 and Atmospheric Administration. 

21 (b) MISSION.—The mission of the Administration is 

22 to understand and predict changes in the Earth’s ocean 

23 and atmosphere and the effects of such changes on the 

24 land environment, to conserve and manage coastal, ocean, 

25 and Great Lakes ecosystems to meet national economic, 
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1 social, and environmental needs, and to educate the public 

2 about these topics. 

3 (c) FUNCTIONS.—The functions of the Administra4 tion shall include—

5 (1) collecting, through observation and other 

6 means, communicating, analyzing, processing, pro7 viding, and disseminating comprehensive scientific 

8 data and information about weather and climate, 

9 solar and geophysical events on the Sun and in the 

10 space environment, and about the coasts, oceans, 

11 Great Lakes, and upper reaches of estuaries; 

12 (2) operating and maintaining a system for the 

13 storage, retrieval, and dissemination of data relating 

14 to weather and climate, solar and geophysical events 

15 on the Sun and in the space environment, and about 

16 the coasts, oceans, Great Lakes, and upper reaches 

17 of estuaries; 

18 (3) conducting and supporting basic and ap19 plied research and development of technology as may 

20 be necessary to carry out the functions described in 

21 this subsection; 

22 (4) issuing weather, water, climate, and space 

23 weather forecasts and warnings; 
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1 (5) coordinating efforts of Federal agencies in 

2 support of national and international programs with 

3 respect to meteorological services; 

4 (6) coordinating weather research activities of 

5 Federal agencies, as provided by law; 

6 (7) understanding the science of Earth’s cli7 mate and related systems, and undertaking research, 

8 development, and demonstration to enhance society’s 

9 ability to plan and respond to climate variability and 

10 change; 

11 (8) protecting, restoring, and managing the use 

12 of the coasts, oceans, and Great Lakes through eco13 system-based research, development, demonstration, 

14 and management; 

15 (9) coordinating efforts of Federal agencies in 

16 support of national and international programs with 

17 respect to integrated Earth observing systems; 

18 (10) administering public outreach and edu19 cation programs and services to increase scientific 

20 and environmental literacy about weather and cli21 mate, solar and geophysical events on the Sun and 

22 in the space environment, and the coasts, oceans, 

23 Great Lakes, and upper reaches of estuaries; 

24 (11) cooperating, in consultation with the Sec25 retary of State, with international organizations and 
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1 scientists in bilateral and multilateral research, de2 velopment, conservation, and service programs re3 lated to coastal, ocean, and Great Lakes issues; and 

4 (12) any other function assigned to the Admin5 istration by law. 

6 SEC. 104. ADMINISTRATION LEADERSHIP. 

7 (a) ADMINISTRATOR.—

8 (1) IN GENERAL.—There shall be, as the Ad9 ministrator of the Administration, an Under Sec10 retary of Commerce for Oceans and Atmosphere. 

11 The Administrator shall be appointed by the Presi12 dent, by and with the advice and consent of the Sen13 ate. The Administrator shall be paid at the rate of 

14 basic pay for level III of the Executive Schedule. 

15 (2) FUNCTIONS.—The Administrator shall per16 form such functions and exercise such powers with 

17 respect to the Administration as the Secretary may 

18 prescribe, including—

19 (A) general management; 

20 (B) policy development and guidance; 

21 (C) budget formulation, guidance, and exe22 cution; and 

23 (D) serving as the Department of Com24 merce official for all ocean and atmosphere 

25 issues with other elements of the Department of 
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1 Commerce and with other Federal agencies, 

2 State, tribal, and local governments, and the 

3 public. 

4 (3) DELEGATION OF AUTHORITY.—The Admin5 istrator may, except as otherwise prohibited by 

6 law—

7 (A) delegate any functions, powers, or du8 ties of the Administrator to such officers and 

9 employees of the Administration as the Admin10 istrator may designate; and 

11 (B) authorize such successive redelegations 

12 of such functions, powers, or duties within the 

13 Administration as the Administrator considers 

14 necessary or appropriate. 

15 (b) ASSISTANT SECRETARY FOR OCEANS AND AT16 MOSPHERE.—

17 (1) IN GENERAL.—There shall be, as Deputy 

18 Administrator of the Administration, an Assistant 

19 Secretary of Commerce for Oceans and Atmosphere. 

20 The Assistant Secretary shall be appointed by the 

21 President, by and with the advice and consent of the 

22 Senate. The Assistant Secretary shall be the Admin23 istrator’s first assistant for purposes of subchapter 

24 III of chapter 33 of title 5, United States Code. The 
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1 Assistant Secretary shall be paid at the rate of basic 

2 pay for level IV of the Executive Schedule. 

3 (2) FUNCTIONS.—The Assistant Secretary shall 

4 perform such functions and exercise such powers as 

5 the Secretary or Administrator may prescribe and 

6 shall act as Administrator during the absence or dis7 ability of the Administrator or in the event of a va8 cancy in the office of Administrator. 

9 (c) DEPUTY UNDER SECRETARY FOR OCEANS AND

10 ATMOSPHERE.—

11 (1) IN GENERAL.—There shall be in the Admin12 istration a Deputy Under Secretary for Oceans and 

13 Atmosphere. The Deputy Under Secretary shall be 

14 appointed by the Secretary. The position of Deputy 

15 Under Secretary shall be a Senior Executive Service 

16 position authorized under section 3133 of title 5, 

17 United States Code. 

18 (2) FUNCTIONS.—The Deputy Under Sec19 retary—

20 (A) shall serve as an advisor to the Admin21 istrator on all program and policy issues; 

22 (B) shall ensure the timely and effective 

23 implementation of Administration policies and 

24 objectives; 
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1 (C) in the absence or disability of the As2 sistant Secretary, or in the event of a vacancy 

3 in such position, shall act in that position; and 

4 (D) shall perform such other duties as the 

5 Secretary or Administrator shall prescribe. 

6 (d) DEPUTY ASSISTANT SECRETARY FOR OCEANS

7 AND ATMOSPHERE.—

8 (1) IN GENERAL.—There shall be in the Admin9 istration a Deputy Assistant Secretary for Oceans 

10 and Atmosphere. The Deputy Assistant Secretary 

11 for Oceans and Atmosphere shall be appointed by 

12 the Secretary. The position of Deputy Assistant Sec13 retary for Oceans and Atmosphere shall be a Senior 

14 Executive Service position authorized under section 

15 3133 of title 5, United States Code. 

16 (2) FUNCTIONS.—The Deputy Assistant Sec17 retary for Oceans and Atmosphere—

18 (A) shall serve as an advisor to the Admin19 istrator on program and policy issues related to 

20 environmental policy, strategic planning, and 

21 program analysis; 

22 (B) shall ensure the timely and effective 

23 implementation of Administration policies and 

24 objectives related to environmental policy, stra25 tegic planning, and program analysis; and 
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1 (C) shall perform such other duties as the 

2 Secretary or Administrator shall prescribe. 

3 (e) DEPUTY ASSISTANT SECRETARY FOR INTER4 NATIONAL AFFAIRS.—

5 (1) IN GENERAL.—There shall be in the Admin6 istration a Deputy Assistant Secretary for Inter7 national Affairs. The Deputy Assistant Secretary for 

8 International Affairs shall be appointed by the Sec9 retary. The position of Deputy Assistant Secretary 

10 for International Affairs shall be a Senior Executive 

11 Service position authorized under section 3133 of 

12 title 5, United States Code. 

13 (2) FUNCTIONS.—The Deputy Assistant Sec14 retary for International Affairs—

15 (A) shall serve as an advisor to the Admin16 istrator on program and policy issues related to 

17 coordination of United States policy with re18 spect to international oceanic and atmospheric 

19 matters, and shall focus on international envi20 ronmental issues critical to the United States; 

21 (B) shall participate in international nego22 tiations concerning oceanic and atmospheric 

23 matters; and 

24 (C) shall perform such other duties as the 

25 Secretary or Administrator shall prescribe. 
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1 (f) DEPUTY ASSISTANT SECRETARY FOR SCIENCE

2 AND TECHNOLOGY.—

3 (1) IN GENERAL.—There shall be in the Admin4 istration a Deputy Assistant Secretary for Science 

5 and Technology, who shall coordinate and oversee 

6 the science and technology activities of the Adminis7 tration and ensure that Administration decisions are 

8 informed by the results of appropriate and relevant 

9 research. The Deputy Assistant Secretary for 

10 Science and Technology shall be appointed by the 

11 Secretary. The position of Deputy Assistant Sec12 retary for Science and Technology shall be a Senior 

13 Executive Service career reserved position as defined 

14 in section 3132(a)(8) of title 5, United States Code. 

15 (2) FUNCTIONS.—The Deputy Assistant Sec16 retary for Science and Technology shall—

17 (A) coordinate research and development 

18 activities across the Administration, including 

19 coordination of research and development budg20 ets; 

21 (B) advise the Administrator on how pro22 grams can be transitioned from research to 

23 operational use; 

24 (C) provide advice to the Administrator re25 garding science and technology issues and their 
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1 relationship to Administration policies, proce2 dures, and decisions; 

3 (D) participate in developing the Adminis4 tration’s strategic plans and policies and review 

5 the science and technology aspects of those 

6 plans and policies; 

7 (E) develop and oversee guidelines for the 

8 dissemination of research and development re9 sults conducted, sponsored, or cited by the Ad10 ministration to the public; 

11 (F) develop and oversee guidelines for peer 

12 review of science and technology research spon13 sored by the Administration; 

14 (G) oversee implementation of the strategic 

15 plan for science and technology research, devel16 opment, and demonstration required under sec17 tion 109(b); 

18 (H) oversee management of research lab19 oratories in the Administration; and 

20 (I) perform such other duties as the Sec21 retary or Administrator shall prescribe. 

22 (3) QUALIFICATIONS.—An individual appointed 

23 under paragraph (1) shall be a person who has an 

24 outstanding science and technology background, in-
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1 cluding research accomplishments, scientific reputa2 tion, and public policy experience. 

3 (4) CONSULTATION.—Before appointing an in4 dividual under paragraph (1), the Secretary shall 

5 consult with the National Academy of Sciences, the 

6 Science Advisory Board of the Administration, and 

7 other appropriate scientific organizations. 

8 (g) GENERAL COUNSEL.—

9 (1) IN GENERAL.—There shall be in the Admin10 istration a General Counsel. The General Counsel 

11 shall be appointed by the Secretary. The General 

12 Counsel shall be paid at the rate of basic pay for 

13 level V of the Executive Schedule. 

14 (2) FUNCTIONS.—The General Counsel—

15 (A) shall serve as the chief legal officer of 

16 the Administration for all legal matters that 

17 arise in connection with the conduct of the 

18 functions of the Administration; and 

19 (B) shall perform such other functions and 

20 exercise such powers as the Secretary or Ad21 ministrator may prescribe. 

22 (h) CONTINUATION OF SERVICE.—Any individual 

23 serving on the date of enactment of this Act in a position 

24 provided for in this Act may continue to serve in that posi25 tion until a successor is appointed under this Act. Nothing 
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1 in this title shall be construed to require the appointment 

2 of a successor under this Act sooner than would have been 

3 required under law as in effect before the date of enact4 ment of this Act. 

5 SEC. 105. NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE. 

6 (a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall maintain 

7 within the Administration a National Weather Service. 

8 (b) MISSION.—The mission of the National Weather 

9 Service is to provide weather, water, and climate forecasts 

10 and warnings for the United States, its territories, adja11 cent waters, and ocean areas for the protection of life and 

12 property and the enhancement of the national economy. 

13 (c) GOALS.—The goals of the National Weather Serv14 ice shall include—

15 (1) to provide timely and accurate weather, 

16 water, climate, and space weather forecasts; and 

17 (2) to provide timely and accurate warnings of 

18 weather, water, and climate natural hazards, and of 

19 space weather hazards. 

20 (d) FUNCTIONS.—The functions of the National 

21 Weather Service shall include—

22 (1) maintaining a network of regional and local 

23 weather forecast offices; 

24 (2) maintaining a network of observation sys25 tems to collect weather and climate data; 
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1 (3) operating national centers to deliver guid2 ance, forecasts, warnings, and analysis about weath3 er, water, climate, and space weather phenomena for 

4 the Administration and the public; 

5 (4) conducting and supporting applied research 

6 to facilitate the rapid incorporation of weather and 

7 climate science advances into operational tools; and 

8 (5) such other functions to serve the mission of 

9 the National Weather Service as the Administrator 

10 may prescribe. 

11 (e) PUBLIC-PRIVATE PARTNERSHIPS.—Not less than 

12 once every 5 years, the Secretary shall develop and submit 

13 to Congress a policy the defines processes for making deci14 sions about the roles of the National Weather Service and 

15 the private sector in providing weather and climate related 

16 products, technologies, and services. The first such policy 

17 shall be completed not less than 12 months after the date 

18 of enactment of this Act. At least 90 days before submit19 ting the policy to Congress, the Secretary shall publish the 

20 policy in the Federal Register for a public comment peri21 ods of not less than 60 days. 

22 SEC. 106. OPERATIONS AND SERVICES. 

23 (a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall maintain 

24 within the Administration operational and service pro25 grams to support routine data collection and direct serv-
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1 ices and products regarding satellite, observations, and 

2 coastal, ocean, and Great Lakes information. 

3 (b) FUNCTIONS.—To support the mission described 

4 in section 102(b), and in addition to the functions de5 scribed in section 102(c), the operations and service func6 tions of the Administration shall include—

7 (1) acquiring, managing, and operating coastal, 

8 ocean, and Great Lakes observing systems; 

9 (2) ensuring the availability of a global Earth10 observing system, integrating remote sensing and in 

11 situ assets that provide critical data needed to sup12 port the mission of the Administration, and pro13 viding that data to decisionmakers and the public; 

14 (3) developing, acquiring, and managing oper15 ational environmental satellite constellations and as16 sociated ground control and data acquisition facili17 ties to support the mission of the Administration; 

18 (4) managing and distributing atmospheric, 

19 geophysical, and marine data and data products for 

20 the Administration through national environmental 

21 data centers; 

22 (5) providing for long-term stewardship of envi23 ronmental data, products, and information via data 

24 processing, storage, and archive facilities; 
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1 (6) promoting widespread availability of envi2 ronmental data and information through full and 

3 open access and exchange to the greatest extent pos4 sible; 

5 (7) issuing licenses for private remote sensing 

6 space systems under the Land Remote Sensing Pol7 icy Act of 1992; 

8 (8) administering a national water level obser9 vation network, which shall include monitoring of 

10 the Great Lakes; 

11 (9) providing charts and other information for 

12 safe navigation of the oceans and inland waters, as 

13 provided by law; and 

14 (10) such other functions to serve the oper15 ations and services mission of the Administration as 

16 the Administrator may prescribe. 

17 SEC. 107. RESEARCH AND EDUCATION. 

18 (a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall maintain 

19 within the Administration programs to conduct and sup20 port research and education and the development of tech21 nologies relating to weather, climate, and the coasts, 

22 oceans, and Great Lakes. 

23 (b) FUNCTIONS.—To support the mission described 

24 in section 102(b), and in addition to the functions de-
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1 scribed in section 102(c), the research and education func2 tions of the Administration shall include—

3 (1) conducting and supporting research and de4 velopment of technology to improve the Administra5 tion’s capabilities in collecting, through observation 

6 and otherwise, communicating, analyzing, proc7 essing, providing, and disseminating comprehensive 

8 scientific data and information about weather, cli9 mate, and the coasts, oceans, and Great Lakes; 

10 (2) improving environmental prediction and 

11 management capabilities through ecosystem-based 

12 research and development; 

13 (3) improving knowledge of Earth’s climate and 

14 related systems through research and observation for 

15 decision support; 

16 (4) reducing uncertainty in projections of how 

17 the Earth’s climate and related systems may change 

18 in the future; 

19 (5) fostering the public’s ability to understand 

20 and integrate scientific information into consider21 ations of national environmental issues through edu22 cation and public outreach activities; 

23 (6) administering the National Sea Grant Col24 lege Program Act; 
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1 (7) conducting and supporting research and de2 velopment of technology for exploration of the 

3 oceans; 

4 (8) maintaining a system of laboratories to per5 form the functions described in this subsection; 

6 (9) supporting extramural peer-reviewed com7 petitive grant programs to assist the Administration 

8 in performing the functions described in this sub9 section; and 

10 (10) such other functions to serve the research 

11 and education mission of the Administration as the 

12 Administrator may prescribe. 

13 SEC. 108. SCIENCE ADVISORY BOARD. 

14 (a) IN GENERAL.—There shall be within the Admin15 istration a Science Advisory Board, which shall provide 

16 such scientific advice as may be requested by the Adminis17 trator, the Committee on Commerce, Science and Trans18 portation of the Senate, or the Committee on Science or 

19 on Resources of the House of Representatives. 

20 (b) PURPOSE.—The purpose of the Science Advisory 

21 Board is to advise the Administrator and Congress on 

22 long-range and short-range strategies for research, edu23 cation, and the application of science to resource manage24 ment and environmental assessment and prediction. 

25 (c) MEMBERS.—
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1 (1) IN GENERAL.—The Science Advisory Board 

2 shall consist of not more than 15 members ap3 pointed by the Administrator to ensure a balanced 

4 representation among preeminent scientists, engi5 neers, educators, industry, and science policy experts 

6 reflecting the full breadth of the Administration’s 

7 areas of responsibility. 

8 (2) TERMS OF SERVICE.—Members shall be ap9 pointed for 3-year terms, renewable once, and shall 

10 serve at the discretion of the Administrator. An indi11 vidual serving a term as a member of the Science 

12 Advisory Board on the date of enactment of this Act 

13 may complete that term, and may be reappointed 

14 once for another term of 3 years unless the term 

15 being served on such date of enactment is the second 

16 term served by that individual. Vacancy appoint17 ments shall be for the remainder of the unexpired 

18 term of the vacancy, and an individual so appointed 

19 may subsequently be appointed for 2 full 3-year 

20 terms if the remainder of the unexpired term is less 

21 than one year. 

22 (3) CHAIRPERSON.—The Administrator shall 

23 designate a chairperson from among the members of 

24 the Board. 
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1 (4) APPOINTMENT.—Members of the Science 

2 Advisory Board shall be appointed as special Gov3 ernment employees, within the meaning given such 

4 term in section 202(a) of title 18, United States 

5 Code. 

6 (5) CRITERIA FOR SELECTION.—The Adminis7 trator shall develop and apply standard criteria, in 

8 accordance with applicable Department of Commerce 

9 guidance, for the selection of members of the Science 

10 Advisory Board. 

11 (d) ADMINISTRATIVE PROVISIONS.—

12 (1) REPORTING.—The Science Advisory Board 

13 shall report to the Administrator and the appro14 priate requesting party. 

15 (2) ADMINISTRATIVE SUPPORT.—The Adminis16 trator shall provide administrative support to the 

17 Science Advisory Board. 

18 (3) MEETINGS.—The Science Advisory Board 

19 shall meet at least twice each year, and at other 

20 times at the call of the Administrator or the Chair21 person. 

22 (4) COMPENSATION AND EXPENSES.—A mem23 ber of the Science Advisory Board shall not be com24 pensated for service on such board, but upon request 

25 by the member may be allowed travel expenses, in-
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1 cluding per diem in lieu of subsistence, in accord2 ance with subchapter I of chapter 57 of title 5, 

3 United States Code. 

4 (5) SUBCOMMITTEES.—The Science Advisory 

5 Board may establish such subcommittees of its 

6 members as may be necessary. The Science Advisory 

7 Board may establish task forces and working groups 

8 consisting of Board members and outside experts as 

9 may be necessary. 

10 (e) EXPIRATION.—Section 14 of the Federal Advisory 

11 Committee Act (5 U.S.C. App.) shall not apply to the 

12 Science Advisory Board. 

13 SEC. 109. REPORTS. 

14 (a) REPORT ON DATA MANAGEMENT, ARCHIVAL, 

15 AND DISTRIBUTION.—Not later than 1 year after the date 

16 of enactment of this Act the Secretary shall develop and 

17 transmit to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and 

18 Transportation of the Senate and the Committee on 

19 Science of the House of Representatives a report on the 

20 environmental data and information systems of the Ad21 ministration. The report shall include—

22 (1) an assessment of the adequacy of the envi23 ronmental data and information systems of the Ad24 ministration to—
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1 (A) provide adequate capacity to manage, 

2 archive and disseminate environmental informa3 tion collected and processed, or expected to be 

4 collected and processed, by the Administration 

5 and other appropriate departments and agen6 cies; 

7 (B) establish, develop, and maintain infor8 mation bases, including necessary management 

9 systems, which will provide for consistent, effi10 cient, and compatible transfer and use of data; 

11 (C) develop effective interfaces among the 

12 environmental data and information systems of 

13 the Administration and other appropriate de14 partments and agencies; 

15 (D) develop and use nationally accepted 

16 formats and standards for data collected by 

17 various national and international sources; and 

18 (E) integrate and interpret data from dif19 ferent sources to produce information that can 

20 be used by decisionmakers in developing policies 

21 that effectively respond to national and global 

22 environmental concerns; and 

23 (2) a strategic plan to—

24 (A) set forth modernization and improve25 ment objectives for an integrated national envi-
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1 ronmental data access and archive system for 

2 the 10 year period beginning with the year in 

3 which the plan is transmitted, including facility 

4 requirements and critical new technology com5 ponents that would be necessary to meet the ob6 jectives set forth; 

7 (B) propose specific Administration pro8 grams and activities for implementing the plan; 

9 (C) identify the data and information man10 agement, archival, and distribution responsibil11 ities of the Administration with respect to other 

12 Federal departments and agencies and inter13 national organizations; and 

14 (D) provide an implementation schedule 

15 and estimate funding levels necessary to achieve 

16 modernization and improvement objectives. 

17 (b) STRATEGIC PLAN FOR SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH.—

18 Not later than 1 year after the date of enactment of this 

19 Act the Secretary shall develop and transmit to the Com20 mittee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation of the 

21 Senate and the Committee on Science of the House of 

22 Representatives a strategic plan for science and tech23 nology research, development, and demonstration at the 

24 Administration. The plan shall include an assessment of 

25 the science and technology needs of the Administration 
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1 and a strategic plan for coordinating research, develop2 ment, and demonstration activities across the Administra3 tion to effectively meet those needs. 

4 SEC. 110. EFFECT OF REORGANIZATION PLAN. 

5 Reorganization Plan No. 4 of 1970 shall have no fur6 ther force and effect. 

7 TITLE II—AUTHORIZATION OF 

8 APPROPRIATIONS 

9 SEC. 201. SHORT TITLE. 

10 This title may be cited as the ‘‘National Oceanic and 

11 Atmospheric Administration Authorization Act of 2004’’

12 SEC. 202. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS. 

13 There are authorized to be appropriated to the Ad14 ministrator—

15 (1) for Program Support—

16 (A) $300,000,000 for fiscal year 2005; 

17 (B) $306,000,000 for fiscal year 2006; and 

18 (C) $312,000,000 for fiscal year 2007; 

19 (2) for the National Ocean Service—

20 (A) $490,000,000 for fiscal year 2005; 

21 (B) $500,000,000 for fiscal year 2006; and 

22 (C) $510,000,000 for fiscal year 2007; 

23 (3) for the Office of Oceanic and Atmospheric 

24 Research—

25 (A) $414,000,000 for fiscal year 2005; 
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1 (B) $422,000,000 for fiscal year 2006; and 

2 (C) $430,000,000 for fiscal year 2007; 

3 (4) for the National Weather Service—

4 (A) $836,000,000 for fiscal year 2005; 

5 (B) $853,000,000 for fiscal year 2006; and 

6 (C) $870,000,000 for fiscal year 2007; 

7 (5) for the National Environmental Satellite 

8 Data and Information Service—

9 (A) $897,000,000 for fiscal year 2005; 

10 (B) $915,000,000 for fiscal year 2006; and 

11 (C) $933,000,000 for fiscal year 2007; and 

12 (6) for the Office of Program Planning and In13 tegration—

14 (A) $2,000,000 for fiscal year 2005; 

15 (B) $2,000,000 for fiscal year 2006; and 

16 (C) $2,000,000 for fiscal year 2007. 

17 TITLE III—COASTAL OCEAN 

18 SCIENCE PROGRAM 

19 SEC. 1. SHORT TITLE. 

20 This title may be cited as the ‘‘Coastal Ocean Science 

21 Program Act of 2004’’. 

22 SEC. 2. COASTAL OCEAN SCIENCE PROGRAM. 

23 Section 201(c) of the National Oceanic and Atmos24 pheric Administration Authorization Act of 1992 is 

25 amended to read as follows: 
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1 ‘‘(c) COASTAL OCEAN SCIENCE PROGRAM.—

2 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—There shall be in the Na3 tional Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration a 

4 Coastal Ocean Science Program that supports Great 

5 Lakes, estuarine, and coastal ocean research and as6 sessment through competitive, peer-reviewed re7 search programs. 

8 ‘‘(2) PROGRAM ELEMENTS.—The Coastal 

9 Ocean Science Program shall augment and integrate 

10 existing research capabilities of the National Oceanic 

11 and Atmospheric Administration, other Federal 

12 agencies, and the academic community. Research 

13 shall be conducted to improve predictions of eco14 system trends in coastal, ocean, and Great Lakes 

15 ecosystems, and upper reaches of estuaries; to better 

16 conserve and manage coastal, ocean, and Great 

17 Lakes ecosystems; to improve predictions of effects 

18 of coastal and Great Lakes pollution to help correct 

19 and prevent environmental degradation; to improve 

20 understanding and characterization of the role 

21 oceans play in global climate and environmental 

22 analysis; and to improve predictions of coastal haz23 ards to protect human life, personal property, and 

24 ecosystem function. 
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1 ‘‘(3) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—

2 There are authorized to be appropriated to the Sec3 retary of Commerce for implementing the Coastal 

4 Ocean Science Program such sums as may be nec5 essary for each of fiscal years 2005 through 2008.’’. 

6 TITLE IV—MARINE RESEARCH 

7 SEC. 401. SHORT TITLE. 

8 This title may be cited as the ‘‘Marine Research Act’’. 

9 SEC. 402. PURPOSES. 

10 The purposes of this title are to provide for—

11 (1) Presidential support and coordination of 

12 interagency marine research programs; and 

13 (2) development and coordination of a com14 prehensive and integrated United States ocean, 

15 coastal, and Great Lakes research and monitoring 

16 program that will assist this Nation and the world 

17 to understand, use, and respond to the interactions 

18 of humans and the marine environment. 

19 SEC. 403. INTERAGENCY MARINE RESEARCH PROGRAM. 

20 (a) COORDINATION.—The President, through the Na21 tional Science and Technology Council, shall coordinate 

22 and support a national research program to improve un23 derstanding of the interactions of humans and the marine 

24 environment. 
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1 (b) IMPLEMENTATION PLAN.—Within 1 year after 

2 the date of enactment of this Act, the National Science 

3 and Technology Council, through the Director of the Of4 fice of Science and Technology Policy, shall develop and 

5 submit to the Congress a plan for coordinated Federal ac6 tivities under the program. Nothing in this subsection is 

7 intended to duplicate or supersede the activities of the 

8 Inter-Agency Task Force on Harmful Algal Blooms and 

9 Hypoxia established under section 603 of the Harmful 

10 Algal Bloom and Hypoxia Research and Control Act of 

11 1998 (16 U.S.C. 1451 note). In developing the plan, the 

12 National Science and Technology Council shall consult 

13 with the Inter-Agency Task Force on Harmful Algal 

14 Blooms and Hypoxia. Such plan shall build on and com15 plement the ongoing activities of the National Oceanic and 

16 Atmospheric Administration, the National Science Foun17 dation, and other departments and agencies, and shall—

18 (1) establish, for the 10-year period beginning 

19 in the year it is submitted, the goals and priorities 

20 for Federal research which most effectively advance 

21 scientific understanding of the connections between 

22 humans and the marine environment, provide usable 

23 information for the protection of human life, and use 

24 the biological potential of the oceans for development 

25 of new products; 
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1 (2) describe specific activities required to 

2 achieve such goals and priorities, including the fund3 ing of competitive research grants, ocean and coastal 

4 observations, training and support for scientists, and 

5 participation in international research efforts; 

6 (3) identify and address, as appropriate, rel7 evant programs and activities of the Federal agen8 cies and departments that would contribute to the 

9 program; 

10 (4) consider and use, as appropriate, reports 

11 and studies conducted by Federal agencies and de12 partments, the National Research Council, the 

13 Ocean Research Advisory Panel, the Commission on 

14 Ocean Policy, and other expert scientific bodies; and 

15 (5) estimate Federal funding for research ac16 tivities to be conducted under the program. 

17 (c) PROGRAM SCOPE.—The program may include the 

18 following activities related to the interaction of humans 

19 and the marine environment: 

20 (1) Interdisciplinary research among the ocean 

21 and biological sciences, and coordinated research and 

22 activities to improve understanding of processes 

23 within the ocean that may affect human life and to 

24 explore the potential contribution of marine orga25 nisms to medicine and research. 
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1 (2) Coordination with the National Ocean Re2 search Leadership Council (10 U.S.C. 7902(a)) to 

3 ensure that any integrated ocean and coastal observ4 ing system provides information necessary to sup5 port the program described in this section, including 

6 detection of contaminants in marine waters and sea7 food. 

8 (3) Development through partnerships among 

9 Federal agencies, States, or academic institutions of 

10 new technologies and approaches for detecting and 

11 reducing hazards to human life from ocean sources 

12 and to strengthen understanding of the value of ma13 rine biodiversity. 

14 (4) Support for scholars, trainees, and edu15 cation opportunities that encourage an interdiscipli16 nary and international approach to exploring the di17 versity of life in the oceans. 

18 SEC. 404. NATIONAL OCEANIC AND ATMOSPHERIC ADMIN19 ISTRATION MARINE RESEARCH INITIATIVE. 

20 (a) ESTABLISHMENT.—As part of the interagency 

21 program planned and coordinated under section 403, the 

22 Secretary of Commerce is authorized to establish a Marine 

23 Research Initiative to coordinate and implement research 

24 and activities of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric 
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1 Administration related to the program. The Marine Re2 search Initiative is authorized to provide support for—

3 (1) centralized program and research coordina4 tion; 

5 (2) one or more National Oceanic and Atmos6 pheric Administration national centers of excellence; 

7 (3) research grants; and 

8 (4) distinguished scholars and traineeships. 

9 (b) NATIONAL CENTERS.—(1) The Secretary is au10 thorized to identify and provide financial support for, 

11 through a competitive process to develop within the Na12 tional Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, one or 

13 more centers of excellence that strengthen the capabilities 

14 of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration 

15 to carry out its programs and activities related to the Ma16 rine Research Initiative. 

17 (2) The center or centers shall focus on areas related 

18 to agency missions, including use of marine organisms as 

19 indicators for marine environmental health, ocean pollut20 ants, marine toxins and pathogens, harmful algal blooms, 

21 hypoxia, seafood testing, and biology and pathobiology of 

22 marine mammals, and on disciplines including marine 

23 genomics, marine environmental microbiology, and ecologi24 cal chemistry. 
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1 (3) In selecting centers for funding, the Secretary 

2 shall give priority to proposals with strong interdiscipli3 nary scientific merit that encourage educational opportu4 nities and provide for effective partnerships among the 

5 National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, other 

6 Federal entities, and State, academic, and industry par7 ticipants. 

8 (c) EXTRAMURAL RESEARCH GRANTS.—(1) The Sec9 retary is authorized to provide grants of financial assist10 ance to the scientific community for critical research and 

11 projects that explore the interaction of humans and the 

12 marine environment and that complement or strengthen 

13 programs and activities of the National Oceanic and At14 mospheric Administration. Officers and employees of Fed15 eral agencies may collaborate with, and participate in, 

16 such research and projects to the extent requested by the 

17 grant recipient. 

18 (2) Grants under this subsection shall be awarded 

19 through a competitive peer-reviewed process that may be 

20 conducted jointly with other agencies participating in the 

21 interagency program established in section 403. 

22 (d) DISTINGUISHED SCHOLARS AND

23 TRAINEESHIPS.—(1) The Secretary of Commerce is au24 thorized to designate and provide financial assistance to 

25 support distinguished scholars from academic institutions, 
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1 industry, State governments, or other Federal agencies for 

2 collaborative work with National Oceanic and Atmospheric 

3 Administration scientists and facilities. 

4 (2) The Secretary of Commerce is authorized to es5 tablish a program to provide traineeships, training, and 

6 experience to predoctoral and postdoctoral students and 

7 to scientists at the beginning of their careers who are in8 terested in research on the interaction of humans and the 

9 marine environment conducted under the National Oce10 anic and Atmospheric Administration initiative. 

11 SEC. 405. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS. 

12 There are authorized to be appropriated to the Sec13 retary of Commerce to carry out the National Oceanic and 

14 Atmospheric Administration Marine Research Initiative 

15 established under section 404, $8,000,000 for each of fis16 cal years 2005 through 2008. Not less than 50 percent 

17 of the amounts appropriated to carry out the Initiative 

18 for each fiscal year shall be utilized to support the pro19 grams described in subsections (c) and (d) of section 404. 

20 TITLE V—OCEAN AND COASTAL 

21 OBSERVATION SYSTEMS 

22 SEC. 501. SHORT TITLE. 

23 This title may be cited as the ‘‘Ocean and Coastal 

24 Observation Systems Act’’. 
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1 SEC. 502. PURPOSES. 

2 The purposes of this title are to provide for—

3 (1) development and maintenance of an inte4 grated system that provides for sustained ocean and 

5 coastal observations from in situ, remote, and vessel 

6 platforms, and that promotes improved comprehen7 sive scientific data and information about the ocean 

8 and coastal environment; and 

9 (2) implementation of a data and information 

10 system required by all components of an integrated 

11 ocean and coastal observing system and related re12 search. 

13 SEC. 503. INTEGRATED OCEAN AND COASTAL OBSERVING 

14 SYSTEM. 

15 (a) ESTABLISHMENT.—The President, through the 

16 National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, shall 

17 establish and maintain an integrated system of marine 

18 monitoring, data communication and management, data 

19 analysis, and research designed to provide data and infor20 mation for the rapid and timely detection and prediction 

21 of changes occurring in the ocean and coastal environment 

22 that impact the Nation’s social, economic, and ecological 

23 systems. Such an integrated ocean and coastal observing 

24 system shall provide for long-term and continuous obser25 vations of the oceans and coasts for the following pur26 poses: 
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1 (1) Improving weather forecasts and public 

2 warnings of natural disasters and coastal hazards 

3 and mitigating such disasters and hazards. 

4 (2) Understanding, assessing, and responding 

5 to human-induced and natural processes of global 

6 change. 

7 (3) Conducting focused research to enhance the 

8 national understanding of coastal and global ocean 

9 systems. 

10 (4) Providing information that contributes to 

11 public awareness of the condition and importance of 

12 the oceans. 

13 (b) FUNCTIONS.—In carrying out responsibilities 

14 under this section, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric 

15 Administration shall—

16 (1) serve as the lead entity providing oversight 

17 of Federal ocean and coastal observing requirements 

18 and activities; 

19 (2) adopt and maintain plans for the design, 

20 operation, and improvement of such system; 

21 (3) coordinate and administer a program of re22 search and development to support the operation of 

23 an integrated ocean and coastal observing system 

24 and advance the understanding of the oceans; 
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1 (4) establish a joint operations center to be 

2 maintained in conjunction with other Federal agen3 cies; 

4 (5) provide, as appropriate, support for and 

5 representation on United States delegations to inter6 national meetings on ocean and coastal observing 

7 programs and in consultation with the Secretary of 

8 State to coordinate relevant Federal activities with 

9 those of other nations; 

10 (6) promote collaboration among regional coast11 al observing systems established pursuant to sub12 section (d); 

13 (7) prepare annual and long-term plans for the 

14 design and implementation of an integrated ocean 

15 and coastal observing system, including the regional 

16 coastal observing systems and taking into account 

17 the science and technology advances considered 

18 ready for operational status; 

19 (8) identify requirements for a common set of 

20 measurements to be collected and distributed; 

21 (9) establish standards and protocols for quality 

22 control and data management and communications, 

23 in consultation with the Joint Operations Center es24 tablished pursuant to subsection (c); and 
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1 (10) work with regional coastal observing enti2 ties, the National Sea Grant College Program, and 

3 other bodies as needed to assess user needs, develop 

4 data products, make effective use of existing capa5 bilities, and incorporate new technologies, as appro6 priate. 

7 (c) JOINT OPERATIONS CENTER.—The Adminis8 trator of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Adminis9 tration, in conjunction with the Administrator of the Na10 tional Aeronautics and Space Administration, the Director 

11 of the National Science Foundation, the Under Secretary 

12 for Science and Technology of the Department of Home13 land Security, and any other Federal agent the President 

14 considers appropriate, shall operate and maintain a joint 

15 operations center—

16 (1) to acquire, integrate, and deploy required 

17 technologies and provide support for an ocean and 

18 coastal observing system based on annual long-term 

19 plans, developed by the National Oceanic and At20 mospheric Administration; 

21 (2) to implement standards and protocols for 

22 quality control and data management and commu23 nications; 

24 (3) to migrate science and technology advance25 ments from research and development to operational 
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1 deployment based on the annual and long-term 

2 plans; 

3 (4) to integrate and extend existing programs 

4 into an operating ocean and coastal observing sys5 tem based on the annual and long-term plans; 

6 (5) to coordinate the data communication and 

7 management system; and 

8 (6) to certify that regional coastal observing 

9 systems meet the standards established in subsection 

10 (d) and to ensure a periodic process for review and 

11 recertification of the regional coastal observing sys12 tems. 

13 (d) REGIONAL COASTAL OBSERVING SYSTEMS.—

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

15 National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, 

16 through the Joint Operations Center, shall work 

17 with representatives of entities in each region that 

18 provide ocean data and information to users to form 

19 regional associations. The regional associations shall 

20 be responsible for the development and operation of 

21 observing systems in the coastal regions extending to 

22 the seaward boundary of the United States Exclu23 sive Economic Zone, including the Great Lakes. Par24 ticipation in a regional association may consist of 

25 legal entities, including research institutions, institu-
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1 tions of higher learning, for-profit corporations, non2 profit corporations, State, local, and regional agen3 cies, and consortia of 2 or more such institutions or 

4 organizations, that—

5 (A) have demonstrated an organizational 

6 structure capable of supporting and integrating 

7 all aspects of a coastal ocean observing system 

8 within a region or subregion; and 

9 (B) have prepared an acceptable business 

10 plan, including research components, and 

11 gained documented acceptance of their intended 

12 regional or subregional jurisdiction by users 

13 and other parties of interest within the region 

14 or subregion with the objectives of—

15 (i) delivering an integrated and sus16 tained system that meets national goals; 

17 (ii) incorporating into the system ex18 isting and appropriate regional observa19 tions collected by Federal, State, regional, 

20 or local agencies; 

21 (iii) responding to the needs of the 

22 users, including the public, within the re23 gion; 

24 (iv) maintaining sustained, 24-hour-a25 day operations and disseminating observa-
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1 tions in a manner that is routine, predict2 able and, if necessary, in real-time or near 

3 real-time; 

4 (v) providing services that include the 

5 collection and dissemination of data and 

6 data management for timely access to data 

7 and information; 

8 (vi) creating appropriate products 

9 that are delivered in a timely fashion to 

10 the public and others who use, or are af11 fected by, the oceans; 

12 (vii) providing free and open access to 

13 the data collected with financial assistance 

14 under this title; and 

15 (viii) adhering to national standards 

16 and protocols to ensure that data and re17 lated products can be fully exchanged 

18 among all of the regional coastal systems 

19 and will be accessible to any user in any 

20 part of the Nation. 

21 (2) CIVIL LIABILITY.—For purposes of deter22 mining the civil liability under section 2671 of title 

23 28, United States Code, any regional observing sys24 tem and any employee thereof that is designated 

25 part of a regional association under this subsection 
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1 shall be deemed to be an instrumentality of the 

2 United States with respect to any act or omission 

3 committed by any such system or any employee 

4 thereof in fulfilling the purposes of this title. 

5 (e) PILOT PROJECTS.—

6 (1) IN GENERAL.—The Administrator, in con7 sultation with the Joint Operations Center, may ini8 tiate pilot projects. A pilot project is an organized, 

9 planned set of activities designed to provide an eval10 uation of technology, methods, or concepts within a 

11 defined schedule and having the goal of advancing 

12 the development of the sustained, integrated ocean 

13 observing system. The pilot projects shall—

14 (A) develop protocols for coordinated im15 plementation of the full system; 

16 (B) design and implement regional coastal 

17 ocean observing systems; 

18 (C) establish mechanisms for the exchange 

19 of data between and among regions and Federal 

20 agencies; 

21 (D) specify products and services and re22 lated requirements for observations, data man23 agement, and analysis in collaboration with user 

24 groups; and 
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1 (E) develop and test new technologies and 

2 techniques to more effectively meet the needs of 

3 users of the system. 

4 (2) INFRASTRUCTURE CAPITAL PROJECTS.—

5 The pilot projects shall include one or more projects 

6 to capitalize the infrastructure for the collection, 

7 management, analysis, and distribution of data and 

8 one or more projects where the basic infrastructure 

9 and institutional mechanisms already exist for ongo10 ing coastal observations, to fund the operations nec11 essary for the collection of the common set of obser12 vations. 

13 SEC. 504. INTERAGENCY FINANCING. 

14 The departments and agencies represented on the 

15 joint operations center are authorized to participate in 

16 interagency financing and share, transfer, receive, and 

17 spend funds appropriated to any member of the joint oper18 ations center for the purposes of carrying out any adminis19 trative or programmatic project or activity under this title. 

20 SEC. 505. GREAT LAKES. 

21 Provisions of this title relating to ocean and coastal 

22 areas shall also apply to the Great Lakes. 

23 SEC. 506. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS. 

24 (a) OBSERVING SYSTEM AUTHORIZATION.—For de25 velopment and implementation of an integrated ocean and 
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1 coastal observing system under section 503, including fi2 nancial assistance to regional coastal ocean observing sys3 tems and in addition to any amounts previously author4 ized, there are authorized to be appropriated to—

5 (1) the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Ad6 ministration, such sums as may be necessary; 

7 (2) the National Science Foundation, such 

8 sums as may be necessary; 

9 (3) the National Aeronautics and Space Admin10 istration, such sums as may be necessary; and 

11 (4) other Federal agencies with operational 

12 coastal or ocean monitoring systems or which pro13 vide funds to States for such systems, such sums as 

14 may be necessary. 

15 (b) REGIONAL COASTAL OBSERVING SYSTEMS.—The 

16 Administrator of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric 

17 Administration shall make at least 51 percent of the funds 

18 appropriated pursuant to subsection (a)(1) available as 

19 grants for the development and implementation of the re20 gional coastal observing systems based on the plans adopt21 ed by the Council, which may be used to leverage non22 Federal funds. 
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1 TITLE VI—ABRUPT CLIMATE 

2 CHANGE 

3 SEC. 601. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This title may be cited as the ‘‘Abrupt Climate 

5 Change Research Act of 2004’’. 

6 SEC. 602. ABRUPT CLIMATE CHANGE RESEARCH PROGRAM. 

7 (a) ESTABLISHMENT OF PROGRAM.—The Secretary 

8 of Commerce shall establish within the National Oceanic 

9 and Atmospheric Administration, and shall carry out, a 

10 program of scientific research on abrupt climate change. 

11 (b) PURPOSES OF PROGRAM.—The purposes of the 

12 program are as follows: 

13 (1) To develop a global array of terrestrial and 

14 oceanographic indicators of paleoclimate in order to 

15 sufficiently identify and describe past instances of 

16 abrupt climate change. 

17 (2) To improve understanding of thresholds and 

18 nonlinearities in geophysical systems related to the 

19 mechanisms of abrupt climate change. 

20 (3) To incorporate such mechanisms into ad21 vanced geophysical models of climate change. 

22 (4) To test the output of such models against 

23 an improved global array of records of past abrupt 

24 climate changes. 
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1 (c) ABRUPT CLIMATE CHANGE DEFINED.—In this 

2 section, the term ‘‘abrupt climate change’’ means a change 

3 in the climate that occurs so rapidly or unexpectedly that 

4 human or natural systems have difficulty adapting to the 

5 climate as changed. 

6 SEC. 603. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS. 

7 There are authorized to be appropriated to the Sec8 retary of Commerce for such sums as may be necessary 

9 to carry out the research program required under section 

10 602. 

11 TITLE VII—UNITED STATES 

12 WEATHER RESEARCH PROGRAM 

13 SEC. 701. SHORT TITLE. 

14 This title may be cited as the ‘‘United States Weather 

15 Research Program Act of 2004’’. 

16 SEC. 702. PROGRAM FOCUS. 

17 The focus of the United States Weather Research 

18 Program, an interagency program established under sec19 tion 108 of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Admin20 istration Authorization Act of 1992 (15 U.S.C. 313 note), 

21 shall be on—

22 (1) hurricanes, floods, and heavy precipitation, 

23 including both snow and rain; 

24 (2) building on existing investments, including 

25 those of the National Weather Service modernization 
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1 effort, to dramatically accelerate improvement in 

2 weather forecasts; 

3 (3) providing attention and resources in areas 

4 where progress can be made quickly and where the 

5 impact will be greatest; 

6 (4) establishing goals that can be attained by 

7 leveraging the resources of several agencies and 

8 through the collaborative scientific efforts of the 

9 operational and research communities in academia 

10 and government; and 

11 (5) making research grants to universities and 

12 other research institutions. 

13 SEC. 703. PROGRAM RESEARCH PRIORITIES. 

14 The research priorities of the United States Weather 

15 Research Program shall be in the areas of—

16 (1) hurricanes, to improve—

17 (A) landfall location forecasts; and 

18 (B) forecasts of hurricane strength; 

19 (2) heavy precipitation, to improve forecasts of 

20 both winter storms and rain storms through better 

21 prediction of timing, location, and intensity; 

22 (3) floods, to improve—

23 (A) flood forecasting by coupling precipita24 tion forecasts with hydrologic prediction; and 
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1 (B) forecasting and warning systems for 

2 inland flooding related to tropical cyclones; 

3 (4) two-to-fourteen day forecasting, to—

4 (A) improve short and medium range nu5 merical weather predictions and warnings of 

6 high-impact weather events; 

7 (B) conduct the Hemispheric Observing 

8 System Research and Predictability Experiment 

9 (THORpex) to fill observational gaps in the 

10 Northern Hemisphere; and 

11 (C) test and evaluate advanced data as12 similation techniques in global models; 

13 (5) societal and economic impacts, to—

14 (A) identify methods of delivering weather 

15 information effectively and recommend ways to 

16 improve weather communications; 

17 (B) assess social and economic impacts of 

18 adverse weather ranging from disastrous to rou19 tine; 

20 (C) evaluate what weather information is 

21 most useful to public and private decision mak22 ers; and 

23 (D) providing for research on societal and 

24 economic impact to ensure a connection be-
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1 tween weather research and improvement of the 

2 human condition; and 

3 (6) testing research concepts in an environment 

4 identical to those used by operational meteorologists, 

5 to enable technology transfer to those operational 

6 meteorologists. 

7 SEC. 704. INTERAGENCY PLANNING AND PROCESS. 

8 The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administra9 tion, as the lead agency of the United States Weather Re10 search Program, shall coordinate and consult with the Na11 tional Science Foundation, the National Aeronautics and 

12 Space Administration, other appropriate Federal agencies, 

13 and other appropriate entities to develop a five-year 

14 plan—

15 (1) describing how Federal agencies can best 

16 team with universities and other research institu17 tions; 

18 (2) identifying social, economic, and military 

19 needs and requirements for weather information, as 

20 well as defining the research required to meet these 

21 needs; 

22 (3) outlining methods for dissemination of 

23 weather information to user communities; and 
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1 (4) describing best practices for transferring 

2 United States Weather Research Program research 

3 results to forecasting operations. 

4 SEC. 705. REPORTING REQUIREMENTS. 

5 Not later than one year after the date of the enact6 ment of this Act, and every 5 years thereafter, the Admin7 istrator of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Admin8 istration shall transmit to the Committee on Science of 

9 the House of Representatives and the Committee on Com10 merce, Science, and Transportation of the Senate a report 

11 which shall include—

12 (1) the most recent five-year plan developed or 

13 updated under section 704, including the roles and 

14 funding to be provided by various Federal agencies 

15 in achieving the objectives of the plan; 

16 (2) a justification of any changes to the plan 

17 since the last transmittal under this section; and 

18 (3) a detailed assessment of the extent to which 

19 the objectives of the plan have been achieved. 

20 SEC. 706. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS. 

21 There are authorized to be appropriated to the Office 

22 of Atmospheric Research of the National Oceanic and At23 mospheric Administration for carrying out this title such 

24 sums as may be necessary, of which at least 50 percent 

25 shall be for competitive, peer-reviewed grants to, or con-
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1 tracts or cooperative agreements with, institutions of high2 er education (as defined in section 101 of the Higher Edu3 cation Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1001)).

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