177 
other non-Federal Government environmental data 
to enhance coordination across the private, public, 
and academic sectors of the weather enterprise in 
the United States. 
(2) Establish means to integrate greater density 
and more types of environmental observations into 
the Program on an annual basis, including by en-
couraging local and regional networks of environ-
mental monitoring stations and in situ sensor net-
works, including soil moisture and ground-based 
profilers, to participate in the Program. 
(3) Establish memoranda of understanding with 
networks outside of the scope of the Program in fur-
therance of this section. 
(4) Coordinate with satellite data and services 
acquired through the Commercial Data Program 
under section 302 of the Weather Research and 
Forecasting Innovation Act of 2017 (15 U.S.C. 
8532), as amended by section 401 of this Act. 
(b) PROGRAM ELEMENTS.—In carrying out the Pro-
gram, the Under Secretary shall carry out the following: 
(1) Increase data density by carrying out the 
following: 
(A) Improving and increasing the quantity 
and density of environmental observations used 
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
22:31 Jul 16, 2025
Jkt 059200
PO 00000
Frm 00177
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H3816.IH
H3816
ssavage on LAPJG3WLY3PROD with BILLS
178 
by the Administration and the National Weath-
er Service to support baseline forecasts, includ-
ing nowcasts, warnings, and hyper local fore-
casts that protect individuals, businesses, agri-
cultural production, food security, military, and 
government agencies in the United States, and 
enabling such individuals and entities to operate 
in a safe, efficient, and orderly manner. 
(B) Yielding increased quantities of bound-
ary-layer data to improve numerical weather 
prediction performance, including in subsea-
sonal-to-seasonal timescales. 
(C) Identifying available terrestrial or ma-
rine environmental data, or quantifiable gaps in 
such data, to improve the understanding of air- 
sea interactions. 
(D) Supporting the National Weather 
Service in reaching its target of a 30-minute 
warning time for severe weather through better 
predictive model algorithms driven by increas-
ingly effective observations. 
(2) Monitor local meteorological conditions by 
carrying out the following: 
(A) Acquiring soil and moisture data to 
monitor soil moisture, vegetation water content, 
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
22:31 Jul 16, 2025
Jkt 059200
PO 00000
Frm 00178
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H3816.IH
H3816
ssavage on LAPJG3WLY3PROD with BILLS
179 
and moisture loss from evaporation, in support 
of operational forecasting, the National Inte-
grated Drought Information System, and local 
commercial, agricultural, and emergency man-
agement needs. 
(B) Supporting the National Coordinated 
Soil Moisture Monitoring Network in acquiring 
soil moisture and related data to support the 
development of decision-support products and 
other information services. 
(C) Expanding and enhancing environ-
mental observational networks in the roadway 
environment to provide real-time road weather 
and surface conditions for surface transpor-
tation and related economic sectors. 
(3) Administer the Program by carrying out the 
following: 
(A) Obtaining data in furtherance of this 
section only when demonstrably cost-effective 
and meeting or exceeding data quality stand-
ards available to the National Oceanic and At-
mospheric Administration (referred to in this 
section as the ‘‘Administration’’). 
(B) 
Subject 
to 
subparagraph 
(A), 
leveraging existing networks of environmental 
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
22:31 Jul 16, 2025
Jkt 059200
PO 00000
Frm 00179
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H3816.IH
H3816
ssavage on LAPJG3WLY3PROD with BILLS
180 
monitoring stations, including supplemental 
radar systems, to increase the quantity and 
density of environmental observations and data 
available to the Administration. 
(C) Providing the critical technical and ad-
ministrative infrastructure needed to facilitate 
rapid integration and sustained use of new and 
emerging networks of environmental monitoring 
stations anticipated in coming years from non- 
Federal Government sources. 
(D) Coordinating with existing data devel-
oped by the Administration and used for fore-
casts, including data from the National Envi-
ronmental Satellite, Data, and Information 
Service, the Integrated Ocean Observing Sys-
tem, the Global Ocean Monitoring and Observ-
ing Program, the National Data Buoy Center, 
and the National Ocean Service. 
(E) Identifying and communicating to the 
Office of Oceanic and Atmospheric Research 
and other partners priorities of research and 
development needed to advance observations in 
the Program. 
(c) FINANCIAL AND TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE.— 
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
22:31 Jul 16, 2025
Jkt 059200
PO 00000
Frm 00180
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H3816.IH
H3816
ssavage on LAPJG3WLY3PROD with BILLS
181 
(1) IN GENERAL.—In furtherance of the Pro-
gram, in a fiscal year, the Under Secretary may 
award not less than 15 percent of the amount appro-
priated for the Program for such fiscal year for fi-
nancial assistance to State, Tribal, private, and aca-
demic entities seeking to build, expand, or upgrade 
equipment and capacity of mesonet systems. 
(2) OTHER FEDERAL AWARDS.—Financial as-
sistance under this subsection may be made in co-
ordination with and in addition to awards from 
other Federal agencies. 
(3) AGREEMENTS.—Before receiving financial 
assistance under paragraph (1), the State, Tribal, 
private, or academic entity seeking financial assist-
ance under this subsection shall enter into an agree-
ment with the Under Secretary to provide data to 
the Program, subject to verification by the Program 
of the relative operational value and evaluation of 
the cost of such data, for use in weather prediction, 
severe weather warnings, and emergency response. 
(4) ASSISTANCE
AND
OTHER
SUPPORT.—The 
Under Secretary may provide the following: 
(A) Technical assistance, project imple-
mentation support, and guidance to State, Trib-
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
22:31 Jul 16, 2025
Jkt 059200
PO 00000
Frm 00181
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H3816.IH
H3816
ssavage on LAPJG3WLY3PROD with BILLS