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[Congressional Bills 109th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 50 Referred in House (RFH)]

  1st Session
                                 S. 50

_______________________________________________________________________

                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             July 11, 2005

Referred to the Committee on Science, and in addition to the Committees 
on Resources and Transportation and Infrastructure, 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

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 AN ACT

 
   To authorize and strengthen the National Oceanic and Atmospheric 
 Administration's tsunami detection, forecast, warning, and mitigation 
                    program, and for other purposes.

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

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Tsunami Preparedness Act''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS AND PURPOSES.

    (a) Findings.--The Congress finds the following:
            (1) Tsunami are a series of large waves of long wavelength 
        created by the displacement of water by violent undersea 
        disturbances such as earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, 
        landslides, explosions, and the impact of cosmic bodies.
            (2) Tsunami have caused, and can cause in the future, 
        enormous loss of human life, injury, destruction of property, 
        and economic and social disruption in coastal and island 
        communities.
            (3) While 85 percent of tsunami occur in the Pacific Ocean, 
        and coastal and island communities in this region are the most 
        vulnerable to the destructive results, tsunami can occur at any 
        point in any ocean or related body of water where there are 
        earthquakes, volcanoes, or any other activity that displaces a 
        large volume of water.
            (4) A number of States and territories are subject to the 
        threat of tsunamis, including Alaska, California, Hawaii, 
        Oregon, Washington, American Samoa, the Commonwealth of the 
        Northern Mariana Islands, Guam, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. 
        Virgin Islands.
            (5) The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration is 
        responsible for maintaining a tsunami detection and warning 
        system for the Nation, issuing warnings to United States 
        communities at risk from tsunami, and preparing those 
        communities to respond appropriately, through--
                    (A) the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center in Ewa 
                Beach, Hawaii, which serves as a warning center for 
                Hawaii, all other United States assets in the Pacific, 
                and Puerto Rico;
                    (B) the Alaska/West Coast Tsunami Warning Center in 
                Palmer, Alaska, which is responsible for issuing 
                warnings for Alaska, British Columbia, California, 
                Oregon, and Washington;
                    (C) the Federal-State national tsunami hazard 
                mitigation program;
                    (D) a tsunami research and assessment program, 
                including programs conducted by the Pacific Marine 
                Environmental Laboratory;
                    (E) the TsunamiReady Program, which educates and 
                prepares communities for survival before and during a 
                tsunami;
                    (F) an archive of historical tsunami data, held at 
                the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's 
                National Geophysical Data Center; and
                    (G) other related programs, including those 
                operated in coordination with academic institutions.
            (6) The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration 
        also represents the United States as a member of the 
        International Coordination Group for the Tsunami Warning System 
        in the Pacific, administered by the Intergovernmental 
        Oceanographic Commission of UNESCO, for which the Pacific 
        Tsunami Warning Center acts as the operational center and 
        shares seismic and water level information with 26 member 
        states, and maintains UNESCO's International Tsunami 
        Information Center, in Honolulu, Hawaii, which provides 
        technical and educational assistance to member states.
            (7) The Tsunami Warning Centers receive seismographic 
        information from the Global Seismic Network, an international 
        system of earthquake monitoring stations, from the United 
        States Geological Survey National Earthquake Information 
        Center, the Alaska Earthquake Information Center, and 
        cooperative regional seismic networks, and use these data to 
        issue tsunami warnings and integrate the information with data 
        from their own tidal and deep ocean monitoring stations, to 
        cancel or verify the existence of a damaging tsunami. Warnings 
        are disseminated by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric 
        Administration to State emergency operation centers.
            (8) Current gaps in the International Tsunami Warning 
        System, such as the lack of regional warning systems in the 
        Indian Ocean, the southwest Pacific Ocean, Central and South 
        America, the Mediterranean Sea, and Caribbean, pose risks for 
        coastal and island communities.
            (9) The tragic and extreme loss of life experienced by 
        countries in the Indian Ocean following the magnitude 9.0 
        earthquake and resulting tsunami in that region on December 26, 
        2004, illustrates the destructive consequences which can occur 
        in the absence of an effective tsunami warning and notification 
        system.
            (10) An effective tsunami warning and notification system 
        is part of a multi-hazard disaster warning and preparedness 
        program and requires real-time seismic, sea level, and 
        oceanographic data, high-speed data analysis capabilities, a 
        high-speed tsunami warning and notification system, a sustained 
        program of education and risk assessment to develop response 
        strategies, and an established local infrastructure for timely 
        and effective dissemination of warnings to activate evacuation 
        of tsunami hazard zones.
            (11) The Tsunami Warning System for the Pacific is a model 
        for other regions of the world to adopt, and can be expanded 
        and modernized to increase detection, forecast, and warning 
        capabilities for vulnerable states and territories, reduce the 
        incidence of costly false alarms, improve reliability of 
        measurement and assessment technology, and increase community 
        preparedness.
            (12) Tsunami warning and preparedness capability can be 
        developed in other vulnerable areas of the world, such as the 
        Indian Ocean, by identifying tsunami hazard zones, educating 
        populations, developing alert and notification infrastructure, 
        and by deploying near real-time tsunami detection sensors and 
        gauges, establishing hazard notification and warning networks, 
        expanding global monitoring of seismic activity, encouraging 
        the increased exchange of seismic and tidal data between 
        nations, and improving international coordination when a 
        tsunami is detected.
            (13) UNESCO has recognized the need to establish tsunami 
        warning systems for regions beyond the Pacific Basin that are 
        vulnerable to tsunami, including the Indian Ocean, and has 
        convened a working group to lead an effort to expand the 
        International Tsunami Warning System in the Pacific to such 
        vulnerable regions.
            (14) The international community and all vulnerable nations 
        should take coordinated efforts to establish and participate in 
        regional tsunami warning systems and other hazard warnings 
        systems developed to meet the goals of the United Nations 
        International Strategy for Disaster Reduction.
            (15) On February 16, 2005, the United States, together with 
        53 other Nations participating in the Third Earth Observation 
        Summit in Brussels, Belgium, adopted a 10-year implementation 
        plan as the basis for establishing the Global Earth Observation 
        System of Systems.
            (16) The Global Earth Observation System of Systems will 
        consist of existing and future earth observation systems, 
        including the United States tsunami detection and warning 
        system.
    (b) Purposes.--The purposes of this Act are--
            (1) to improve tsunami detection, forecast, warnings, 
        notification, preparedness, and mitigation in order to protect 
        life and property both in the United States and elsewhere in 
        the world;
            (2) to improve and modernize the existing Pacific Tsunami 
        Warning System to increase coverage, reduce false alarms and 
        increase accuracy of forecasts and warnings, and expand 
        detection and warning systems to include other vulnerable 
        States and United States territories, including the Caribbean/
        Atlantic/Gulf region;
            (3) to increase and accelerate mapping, modeling, research, 
        assessment, education, and outreach efforts in order to improve 
        forecasting, preparedness, mitigation, response, and recovery 
        of tsunami and related coastal hazards;
            (4) to provide technical and other assistance to speed 
        international efforts to establish regional tsunami warning 
        systems in vulnerable areas worldwide, including the Indian 
        Ocean; and
            (5) to improve Federal, State, and international 
        coordination for tsunami and other coastal hazard warnings and 
        preparedness.

SEC. 3. TSUNAMI DETECTION AND WARNING SYSTEM.

    (a) In General.--The Administrator of the National Oceanic and 
Atmospheric Administration shall operate regional tsunami detection and 
warning systems for the Pacific Ocean region and for the Atlantic 
Ocean, Caribbean, and Gulf of Mexico region that will provide maximum 
detection capability for United States coastal tsunami.
    (b) System Requirements.--
            (1) Pacific system.--The Pacific tsunami warning system 
        shall cover the entire Pacific Ocean area, including the 
        Western Pacific, the Central Pacific, the North Pacific, the 
        South Pacific, and the East Pacific and Arctic areas.
            (2) Atlantic, caribbean, and gulf of mexico system.--The 
        Atlantic, Caribbean, and Gulf system shall cover areas of the 
        Atlantic Ocean, Caribbean Sea, and the Gulf of Mexico that the 
        Administrator determines--
                    (A) to be geologically active, or to have 
                significant potential for geological activity; and
                    (B) to pose measurable risks of tsunamis for States 
                along the coastal areas of the Atlantic Ocean or the 
                Gulf of Mexico.
            (3) Components.--The systems shall--
                    (A) utilize an array of deep ocean detection buoys, 
                including redundant and spare buoys;
                    (B) include an associated tide gauge and water 
                level system designed for long-term continuous 
                operation tsunami transmission capability;
                    (C) allow for such additional sensors as may be 
                necessary for tsunami and weather warnings and 
                forecasts;
                    (D) provide for the establishment of a cooperative 
                effort between the National Oceanic and Atmospheric 
                Administration and the United States Geological Survey 
                under which the Geological Survey and State earthquake 
                information centers provide rapid and reliable real-
                time seismic information to the Administration from 
                international and domestic seismic networks;
                    (E) provide for information and data processing 
                through the tsunami warning centers established under 
                subsection (c);
                    (F) be integrated into United States and global 
                ocean and earth observing systems, including the Global 
                Earth Observation System of Systems;
                    (G) provide an infrastructure, building on local 
                systems, for at-risk tsunami communities that supports 
                rapid and reliable alert and notification to the 
                public, such as the National Oceanic and Atmospheric 
                Administration's Weather, Alert, and Readiness Network, 
                which includes the weather radio and the All Hazard 
                Alert Broadcasting Radio; and
                    (H) the integration of NOAA's Advanced Weather 
                Interactive Processing System with other technologies.
            (4) Federal cooperation.--In deploying and maintaining 
        detection buoys utilized in the tsunami warning system, the 
        Administrator should leverage the assistance and assets of the 
        United States Coast Guard, the Navy, and other Federal agency 
        assets in the region. Within 180 days after the date of 
        enactment of this Act, the Administrator shall provide a report 
        to the Senate committee on Commerce, Science, and 
        Transportation, the House of Representatives Committee on 
        Science, and the House of Representatives Committee on 
        Resources that summarizes the extent to which the United States 
        Coast Guard or any other Federal agency is assistance in 
        deploying and maintaining such buoys.
    (c) Tsunami Warning Centers.--
            (1) In general.--The Administrator shall establish tsunami 
        warning centers to provide a link between the detection and 
        warning system and the tsunami hazard mitigation program 
        established under section 4 including--
                    (A) a Pacific Tsunami Warning Center in Hawaii;
                    (B) a West Coast and Alaska Tsunami Warning Center 
                in Alaska; and
                    (C) any additional warning centers determined by 
                the Administrator to be necessary.
            (2) Responsibilities.--The responsibilities of each tsunami 
        warning center shall include--
                    (A) continuously monitoring data from seismological 
                stations, deep ocean detection buoys, and tidal 
                monitoring stations and providing such data to the 
                national tsunami archive;
                    (B) evaluating earthquakes that have the potential 
                to generate tsunami;
                    (C) evaluating deep ocean buoy data and tidal 
                monitoring stations for indications of tsunami 
                resulting from sources other than earthquakes; and
                    (D) disseminating information and warning bulletins 
                appropriate for local and distant tsunamis to 
                government agencies and the public and alerting 
                potentially impacted coastal areas for evacuation.
    (d) Data Management.--The Administrator shall maintain national and 
regionally-based data management systems to support and establish data 
management requirements for the tsunami detection and monitoring 
system, including requirements for--
            (1) quality control and quality assurance;
            (2) archiving and maintaining data;
            (3) supporting integration of observations from the system 
        with other national and international water level measurements, 
        such as the Global Sea Level Monitoring System;
            (4) integration of observations from the system with other 
        elements of the global and coastal components of the integrated 
        ocean and coastal observing system and the Global Earth 
        Observation System of Systems; and
            (5) the development of and access to data sets and 
        integrated data products designed to support multi-hazard 
        regional vulnerability assessment and adaptation programs such 
        as the program established under section 8.

SEC. 4. TSUNAMI HAZARD MITIGATION PROGRAM.

    (a) In General.--The Administrator of the National Oceanic and 
Atmospheric Administration shall, in coordination with other agencies 
and academic institutions, develop and conduct a community-based 
tsunami hazard mitigation program to improve tsunami preparedness of 
at-risk areas.
    (b) Coordinating Committee.--In developing and conducting the 
program, the Administrator shall establish a coordinating committee 
comprising representatives of Federal agencies and other governmental 
entities involved in tsunami mitigation and response, including--
            (1) the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration;
            (2) the United States Geological Survey;
            (3) the National Science Foundation;
            (4) the National Institute of Standards and Technology; and
            (5) affected coastal States and territories.
    (c) Program Components.--The program shall--
            (1) improve the quality and extent of inundation mapping, 
        including assessment of vulnerable inner coastal areas;
            (2) promote and improve community outreach and education 
        networks and programs to ensure community awareness and 
        readiness, including the development of multi-hazard risk and 
        vulnerability assessment training and decision support tools, 
        implementation of technical training and public education 
        programs, and provide for certification of prepared 
        communities;
            (3) integrate tsunami awareness, preparedness, and 
        mitigation programs into ongoing hazard warning and risk 
        management programs in affected areas including the National 
        Response Plan and State coastal zone management plans;
            (4) promote the adoption of tsunami warning and mitigation 
        measures by Federal, State, tribal, and local governments and 
        non-governmental entities through a grant program for training, 
        development of guidelines, and other purposes;
            (5) develop tsunami specific rescue and recovery guidelines 
        for the National Response Plan, including long-term mitigation 
        measures, educational programs regarding the consequences of 
        development in high-risk areas, and use of remote sensing and 
        other technology in rescue and recovery operations;
            (6) require budget coordination, through the 
        Administration, to carry out the purposes of this Act and to 
        ensure that participating agencies provide necessary funds for 
        matters within their respective areas of authority and 
        expertise; and
            (7) provide for periodic external review of the program and 
        for inclusion of the results of such reviews in the report 
        required by section 6(e).

SEC. 5. TSUNAMI RESEARCH PROGRAM.

    (a) Establishment.--The Administrator of the National Oceanic and 
Atmospheric Administration shall, in coordination with other agencies 
and academic institutions, establish a tsunami research program to 
develop detection, prediction, communication, and mitigation science 
and technology that supports tsunami forecasts and warnings, including 
advanced sensing techniques, information and communication technology, 
data collection, analysis and assessment for tsunami tracking and 
numerical forecast modeling that will--
            (1) help determine--
                    (A) whether an earthquake or other seismic event 
                will result in a tsunami; and
                    (B) the likely path, severity, duration, and travel 
                time of a tsunami;
            (2) develop techniques and technologies that may be used to 
        communicate tsunami forecasts and warnings as quickly and 
        effectively as possible to affected communities;
            (3) develop techniques and technologies to support 
        evacuation products, including real-time notice of the 
        condition of critical infrastructure along tsunami evacuation 
        routes for public officials and first responders; and
            (4) develop techniques for utilizing remote sensing 
        technologies in rescue and recovery operations.
    (b) Technology.--The Administrator, in consultation with other 
appropriate Federal agencies, shall investigate the potential for 
improved technology for tsunami and other hazard warnings by 
incorporating into the existing system a full range of options for 
providing those warnings to the public.

SEC. 6. TSUNAMI SYSTEM UPGRADE AND MODERNIZATION.

    (a) System Upgrades.--The Administrator of the National Oceanic and 
Atmospheric Administration shall--
            (1) authorize and direct the immediate repair of existing 
        deep ocean detection buoys and related components of the 
        system;
            (2) ensure the deployment of an array of deep ocean 
        detection buoys capable of carrying multi-observation 
        technology in the regions described in section 3(a) of this 
        Act;
            (3) ensure expansion or upgrade of the seismic monitoring 
        and tide gauge networks in the regions described in section 
        3(a); and
            (4) complete the upgrades not later than December 31, 2007.
    (b) Transfer of Technology; Maintenance and Upgrades.--In carrying 
out this section, the Administrator shall--
            (1) promulgate specifications and standards for forecast, 
        detection, and warning systems, including detection equipment;
            (2) develop and execute a plan for the transfer of 
        technology from ongoing research to long-term operations;
            (3) ensure that detection equipment is maintained in 
        operational condition to fulfill the forecasting, detection and 
        warning requirements of the regional tsunami detection and 
        warning systems;
            (4) obtain, to the greatest extent practicable, priority 
        treatment in budgeting for, acquiring, transporting, and 
        maintaining weather sensors, tide gauges, water level gauges, 
        and tsunami buoys incorporated into the system including 
        obtaining ship time; and
            (5) ensure integration of the tsunami detection system with 
        other United States and global ocean and coastal observation 
        systems, the Global Earth Observation System of Systems, global 
        seismic networks, and the Advanced National Seismic System.
    (c) Certification.--Amounts appropriated for any fiscal year 
pursuant to section 9 to carry out this section may not be obligated or 
expended for the acquisition of services for construction or deployment 
of tsunami detection equipment unless the Administrator certifies in 
writing to the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and 
Transportation, the House of Representatives Committee on Science, and 
the House of Representatives Committee on Resources within 60 calendar 
days after the date on which the President submits the Budget of the 
United States for that fiscal year to the Congress that--
            (1) each contractor for such services has met the 
        requirements of the contract for such construction or 
        deployment;
            (2) the equipment to be constructed or deployed is capable 
        of becoming fully operational without the obligation or 
        expenditure of additional appropriated funds; and
            (3) the Administrator does not reasonably foresee 
        unanticipated delays in the deployment and operational schedule 
        specified in the contract.
    (d) Congressional Notifications.--The Administrator shall notify 
the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, the 
House of Representatives Committee on Science, and the House of 
Representatives Committee on Resources of--
            (1) impaired regional detection coverage due to equipment 
        or system failures; and
            (2) significant contractor failures or delays in completing 
        work associated with the tsunami detection and warning system.
    (e) Annual Report.--The Administrator shall transmit an annual 
report to the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation 
and the House of Representatives Committee on Science the status of the 
tsunami detection and warning system, including accuracy, false alarms, 
equipment failures, improvements over the previous year, and goals for 
further improvement (or plans for curing failures) of the system, as 
well as progress and accomplishments of the national tsunami hazard 
mitigation program.
    (f) External Review.--The National Academy of Science shall review 
the tsunami detection, forecast, and warning system operated by the 
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration under this Act to 
assess further modernization and coverage needs, as well as long-term 
operational reliability issues, taking into account measures 
implemented under this Act, and transmit a report containing its 
recommendations, including an estimate of the costs of implementing 
those recommendations, to the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, 
and Transportation and the House of Representatives Committee on 
Science within 24 months after the date of enactment of this Act.

SEC. 7. GLOBAL TSUNAMI WARNING AND MITIGATION NETWORK.

    (a) International Tsunami Warning System.--The Administrator of the 
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, in coordination with 
other members of the United States Interagency Committee of the 
National Tsunami Mitigation Program, shall provide technical assistance 
and advice to the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission of UNESCO, 
the World Meteorological Organization, the Group on Earth Observations, 
and other international entities, as part of international efforts to 
develop a fully functional global tsunami warning system comprised of 
regional tsunami warning networks, modeled on the International Tsunami 
Warning System of the Pacific, and consistent with the 10-year 
implementation plan for the Global Earth Observation System of Systems.
    (b) International Tsunami Information Center.--The Administrator 
shall operate an International Tsunami Information Center to improve 
tsunami preparedness for all Pacific Ocean nations participating in the 
International Tsunami Warning System of the Pacific, and which may also 
provide such assistance to other nations participating in a global 
tsunami warning system established through the International 
Oceanographic Committee of UNESCO. As part of its responsibilities in 
the Pacific, the Center shall--
            (1) monitor international tsunami warning activities in the 
        Pacific;
            (2) assist member states in establishing national warning 
        systems, and make information available on current technologies 
        for tsunami warning systems;
            (3) maintain a library of materials to promulgate knowledge 
        about tsunamis in general and for use by the scientific 
        community; and
            (4) disseminate information, including educational 
        materials and research reports.
    (c) Technical Assistance.--In carrying out this section, the 
Administrator--
            (1) shall give priority to assisting nations in identifying 
        vulnerable coastal areas, creating inundation maps, obtaining 
        or designing real-time detection and reporting equipment, and 
        establishing communication and warning networks and contact 
        points in each vulnerable nation;
            (2) may establish a process for transfer of detection and 
        communication technology to affected nations for the purposes 
        of establishing the international tsunami warning system; and
            (3) shall provide technical and other assistance to support 
        international tsunami education, response, vulnerability, and 
        adaptation programs.
    (d) Data-sharing Requirement.--The Administrator may not provide 
assistance under this section for any region unless all affected 
nations in that region participating in the tsunami warning network 
agree to share relevant data associated with the development and 
operation of the network.
    (e) Funding Assistance.--The Administrator, in coordination with 
the Secretary of State, shall seek funding assistance from 
participating nations needed to ensure establishment of a fully 
functional global tsunami warning system.
    (f) Receipt of International Reimbursement Authorized.--The 
Administrator may accept payment to, or reimbursement of, the National 
Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration in cash or in kind from 
international organizations and foreign authorities, or payment or 
reimbursement made on behalf of such an authority, for expenses 
incurred by the Administrator in carrying out any activity under this 
Act. Any such payments or reimbursements shall be considered a 
reimbursement to the appropriated funds of the Administration.

SEC. 8. COASTAL COMMUNITY VULNERABILITY AND ADAPTATION PROGRAM.

    (a) Establishment.--The Administrator of the National Oceanic and 
Atmospheric Administration shall establish an integrated coastal 
vulnerability and adaptation program focused on improving the 
resilience of coastal communities to natural hazards and disasters. The 
program shall be regional in nature, build upon and integrate existing 
Federal and State programs, and provide usable products that will 
improve preparedness of communities, businesses, and government 
entities. The program may include the following activities:
            (1) Development of multi-hazard vulnerability maps to 
        characterize and assess risks of coastal communities to a range 
        of natural hazards and provide a baseline for assessing future 
        risks.
            (2) Multi-disciplinary vulnerability assessment research 
        and education that will help integrate risk management with 
        community development planning and policies.
            (3) Risk management and leadership training for the public, 
        local officials, and institutions that will enhance 
        understanding and preparedness.
            (4) Risk assessment technology development, including 
        research and development of emerging technologies and practical 
        application of existing or emerging technologies, such as 
        modeling, remote sensing, geospatial technology, engineering, 
        and observing systems.
            (5) Risk management data and information services, 
        including access to data and products derived from observing 
        and detection systems, as well as development and maintenance 
        of new integrated data products that would support risk 
        assessment and risk management programs.
            (6) Risk notification systems that coordinate with and 
        build upon existing systems and actively engage policy 
        officials, government agencies, businesses, communities, non-
        governmental organizations, and the media.
    (b) Regional Pilot Projects.--
            (1) In general.--Within 1 year after the date of enactment 
        of this Act, the Administrator shall, in consultation with the 
        appropriate Federal, State, tribal, and local governmental 
        entities, establish 3 pilot projects to conduct regional 
        assessments of the vulnerability of coastal areas of the United 
        States to hazards associated with tsunami and other natural 
        hazards or coastal disasters. Priority shall be given to 
        collaborative partnership proposals from regionally-based 
        multi-organizational coalitions. In preparing the regional 
        assessments, the Administrator shall collect and compile 
        current information on tsunami and other natural hazards or 
        coastal disasters.
            (2) Scope.--Regional assessments under the pilot program 
        shall include an evaluation of--
                    (A) the social impacts associated with threats to 
                and potential losses of housing, communities, and 
                infrastructure;
                    (B) the physical impacts such as coastal erosion, 
                flooding and loss of estuarine habitat, saltwater 
                intrusion of aquifers and saltwater encroachment, and 
                species migration;
                    (C) the economic impact on local, State, tribal, 
                and regional economies, including the impact on coastal 
                infrastructure and the abundance or distribution of 
                economically important living marine resources; and
                    (D) opportunities to enhance the resilience of at-
                risk communities, economic sectors, and natural 
                resources.
    (c) Selection Criteria.--The Administrator shall rely on the 
following criteria in identifying appropriate regional pilot projects:
            (1) Vulnerability to tsunami and other natural hazards or 
        coastal disasters.
            (2) Dependence on economic sectors and natural resources 
        that are particularly sensitive to coastal hazards.
            (3) Opportunities to link and leverage related regional 
        risk observation, research, forecasting, assessment, 
        educational and risk management programs.
            (4) Demonstration of strong, interagency collaboration in 
        the area of risk management for tsunami and other natural 
        hazards or coastal disasters.
            (5) Access to NOAA and other Federal agency programs, 
        facilities, and infrastructure related to tsunami and other 
        coastal hazards monitoring, warning, forecasting, research 
        assessment, and data management.
    (d) Regional Adaptation Plans.--The Administrator shall, within 3 
years after the commencement of each project under subsection (b), 
submit to the Congress regional adaptation plans--
            (1) based on the information contained in the regional 
        assessments conducted under subsection (b);
            (2) developed with the participation of other Federal 
        agencies, State, tribal, and local government agencies, and 
        non-governmental entities (including academia and the private 
        sector) that will be critical in the implementation of the plan 
        at the State, tribal, and local levels;
            (3) that recommend targets and strategies to address 
        impacts associated with tsunami and other natural hazards or 
        coastal disasters;
            (4) that include recommendations for both short- and long-
        term adaptation strategies; and
            (5) that include recommendations on--
                    (A) Federal flood insurance program modifications;
                    (B) areas that have been identified as high risk 
                through mapping and assessment;
                    (C) enhancing the effectiveness of State coastal 
                zone management programs in mitigating or preventing 
                coastal risks;
                    (D) mitigation incentives such as rolling 
                easements, strategic retreat, State or Federal 
                acquisition in fee simple or other interest in land, 
                construction standards, and zoning;
                    (E) land and property owner education;
                    (F) economic planning for small communities 
                dependent upon affected coastal resources, including 
                fisheries; and
                    (G) funding requirements and mechanisms.
    (e) Technical Planning and Financial Assistance.--The 
Administrator, through the National Ocean Service, shall establish a 
coordinated program--
            (1) to provide technical planning assistance and financial 
        assistance to coastal States, tribes, and local governments as 
        they develop and implement adaptation or mitigation strategies 
        and plans under this section; and
            (2) to make products, information, tools, and technical 
        expertise generated from the development of the regional 
        assessment and the regional adaptation plan available to 
        coastal States for the purposes of developing their own State, 
        tribal, and local plans.

SEC. 9. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.

    There are authorized to be appropriated to the Administrator of the 
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration--
            (1) $35,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2006 through 2012 
        to carry out this Act (other than section 8); and
            (2) $5,000,000 for each of such fiscal years to carry out 
        section 8, of which at least $3,000,000 for each fiscal year 
        shall be used to carry out the pilot projects authorized by 
        section 8(b).

            Passed the Senate July 1, 2005.

            Attest:

                                             EMILY J. REYNOLDS,

                                                             Secretary.
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