(1) Hurricanes and tornadoes kill more Ameri-
cans and destroy more property than any other nat-
ural disaster.
(2) Each year, in the United States, extreme
winds cause billions of dollars of damage to homes,
schools, and other buildings, roads and bridges, elec-
trical power distribution networks, and communica-
tions networks.
(3) Research on wind and wind engineering has
resulted in improved methods for making buildings
and other structures less vulnerable to extreme
winds, but additional research funding is needed to
develop new, improved, and more cost-effective
methods of wind-resistant construction.
(4) Federal funding for wind engineering re-
search has decreased drastically over the last 20
years.
(5) Wind research has been hampered by a lack
of data on near-surface wind speed and distribution
during hurricanes, tornadoes, and other severe
storms.
(6) Many existing methods for wind-resistant
construction are inexpensive and easy to implement
but often they are not applied because the construc-
tion industry and the general public are unaware of
such methods.
(7) Various Federal agencies have important
roles to play in wind engineering research, but at
present there is little interagency cooperation or co-
ordination in this area.
(8) Establishment of a Federal Wind Engineer-
ing Research Program would result in new tech-
nologies for wind-resistant construction, broader ap-
plication of such technologies in construction, and
ultimately reduced loss of life and property due to
extreme winds.
SEC. 3. PURPOSE.
The purpose of this Act is to create a Wind Engineer-
ing Research Program within the National Institute of
Standards and Technology, which would—
(1) provide for wind engineering research;
(2) serve as a clearinghouse for information on
wind engineering; and
(3) improve interagency coordination on wind
engineering research between the National Institute
of Standards and Technology, the National Oceanic
and Atmospheric Administration, the National
Science Foundation, the Federal Aviation Adminis-
tration, and other appropriate Federal agencies.
SEC. 4. ESTABLISHMENT OF PROGRAM.
Within the National Institute of Standards and Tech-
nology, there shall be established a Wind Engineering Re-
search Program which shall—
(1) conduct research and development, in co-
operation with the private sector and academia, on
new methods for mitigating wind damage due to
hurricanes, tornadoes, and other severe storms;
(2) coordinate research requiring the use of
wind tunnels with other Federal agencies having ap-
propriate facilities, such as the National Aeronautics
and Space Administration, for wind engineering re-
search;
(3) disseminate information on the application
of existing research results and methods for reduc-
ing wind damage to buildings that are usually in-
completely engineered or nonengineered, such as sin-
gle family dwellings, mobile homes, light industrial
buildings, and small commercial structures;
(4) transfer technology developed in wind engi-
neering research to the private sector so that it may
be applied in building codes, design practice, and
construction;
(5) conduct, in conjunction with the National
Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, post-disas-
ter research following hurricanes, tornadoes, and
other severe storms to evaluate the vulnerability of
different types of buildings to extreme winds;
(6) serve as a point of contact for dissemination
of research information on wind engineering and
work with the private sector to develop education
and training programs on construction techniques
developed from research results for reducing wind
damage;
(7) work with the National Oceanic and Atmos-
pheric Administration, the Federal Aviation Admin-
istration, and other Federal agencies on meteorology
programs to collect and disseminate more data on
extreme wind events; and
(8) work with the National Science Foundation
to support and expand basic research on wind engi-
neering.
SEC. 5. WIND ENGINEERING RESEARCH ADVISORY COM-
MITTEE.
(a) ESTABLISHMENT.—Not later than 120 days after
the date of the enactment of this Act, the Director of the
National Institute of Standards and Technology shall es-
tablish an independent Wind Engineering Research Advi-
sory Committee (in this Act referred to as the ‘‘advisory
committee’’).
(b) DUTIES.—The advisory committee shall provide
advice and recommendations to the Director of the Na-
tional Institute of Standards and Technology regarding
the needs, objectives, and plans with respect to the devel-
opment of the wind engineering research and development
plan referred to in section 6, including the role of other
Federal agencies in implementing the plan.
(c) MEMBERSHIP.—The advisory committee shall be
composed of members appointed by the Director of the
National Institute of Standards and Technology from
among individuals who are not employees of the Depart-
ment of Commerce and who are specially qualified to serve
on the advisory committee by virtue of their education,
training, or experience. A majority of the members of the
advisory committee shall be individuals with experience in
wind engineering research and development.
(d) TERMINATION.—The advisory committee shall
terminate within 60 days after the development of the plan
referred to in section 6.
SEC. 6. WIND ENGINEERING RESEARCH AND DEVELOP-
MENT PLAN.
(a) DEVELOPMENT.—Not later than one year after
the date of the establishment of the advisory committee,
the Director of the National Institute of Standards and
Technology shall develop an integrated plan (in this Act
referred to as the ‘‘plan’’) for a national wind engineering
research and development program. The Director shall
consult with the Director of the National Science Founda-
tion and draw upon the recommendations of the advisory
committee in developing the plan.
(b) CONTENTS.—The plan referred to in subsection
(a) shall include—
(1) details of the wind engineering research and
development programs currently conducted by the
National Institute of Standards and Technology and
the National Science Foundation and how those pro-
grams can be integrated into the plan;
(2) details for each area of research and devel-
opment included in the plan, including appropriate
funding levels, a schedule with milestones, prelimi-
nary cost estimates, appropriate work scopes, per-
sonnel requirements, estimated costs and goals for
the next 5 years, and the role of other appropriate
Federal agencies, if any, in implementing the plan;
(3) a means to provide for the transfer to the
private sector of technology developed as a result of
wind engineering research, for use in building codes,
design practice, and construction; and
(4) details regarding how the program can be
conducted in cooperation with industry and the pri-
vate sector.
SEC. 7. AUTHORIZATIONS.
(a) AUTHORIZATION FOR NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF
STANDARDS AND TECHNOLOGY.—There are authorized to
be appropriated to the National Institute of Standards
and Technology for the purposes of this Act, $1,000,000
for fiscal year 1994, $3,000,000 for fiscal year 1995, and
$5,000,000 for fiscal year 1996.
(b) COOPERATIVE AGREEMENTS.—Of the amounts
appropriated under subsection (a), no less than 50 percent
shall be used for cooperative agreements with the National
Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the National
Science Foundation, and Federal Aviation Administration,
or other agencies, for wind engineering research, develop-
ment of improved practices for structures, and the collec-
tion and dissemination of meteorological data needed for
wind engineering.
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