Title: Improved Soil Moisture and Precipitation Monitoring Act of 2018
Policy area: Science, Technology, Communications

Summary:
Improved Soil Moisture and Precipitation Monitoring Act of 2018
This bill directs the Department of Agriculture (USDA) to implement a strategy for improving the accuracy of the U.S. Drought Monitor by increasing the geographic resolution of rural in-situ soil moisture profile observation or other soil moisture profile measuring devices.
USDA must prioritize adding in-situ soil moisture profile monitoring stations in states that have experienced D3 (extreme drought) or D4 (exceptional drought) within any six month period from 2016 to the present.
USDA shall develop standards for:
USDA shall direct the Farm Service Agency and the Risk Management Agency of USDA to use the Drought Monitor in the profile monitoring stations added by this bill, data from the Cooperative Observer Program, and any other applicable data in establishing loss assistance and grazing rates.

[Congressional Bills 115th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 2936 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

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115th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                S. 2936

 To improve soil moisture and precipitation monitoring, and for other 
                               purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                              May 23, 2018

   Mr. Thune introduced the following bill; which was read twice and 
       referred to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
 To improve soil moisture and precipitation monitoring, 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 ``Improved Soil Moisture and 
Precipitation Monitoring Act of 2018''.

SEC. 2. IMPROVED SOIL MOISTURE MONITORING.

    (a) In General.--Not later than 1 year after the date of the 
enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Agriculture shall develop and 
implement a strategy to improve the accuracy of the United States 
Drought Monitor through increased geographic resolution of rural in-
situ soil moisture profile observation or other soil moisture profile 
measuring devices, as the Secretary considers appropriate.
    (b) Implementation.--
            (1) In general.--In implementing the strategy required by 
        subsection (a), the Secretary shall prioritize adding soil 
        moisture profile stations in States described in paragraph (2) 
        so that the number of drought monitoring stations is increased 
        to an average of 1 such station per 1,250 square miles in each 
        such State or by 50 stations in each such State, whichever is 
        less.
            (2) States described.--A State described in this paragraph 
        is a State that has experienced D3 (extreme drought) or D4 
        (exceptional drought) (as defined by the United States Drought 
        Monitor) within any 6 months during the period beginning on 
        January 1, 2016, and ending on the date of the enactment of 
        this Act.
    (c) Coordination.--In carrying out this section, the Secretary may 
coordinate with other Federal agencies, State and local governments, 
and non-Federal entities that collaborate with the United States 
Drought Monitor.
    (d) Cost-Effectiveness.--In carrying out this section, the 
Secretary shall consider cost-effective solutions to maximize the 
efficiency and accuracy of the United States Drought Monitor.
    (e) Authorization of Appropriations.--There are authorized to be 
appropriated to the Secretary $5,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2019 
through 2024 to carry out this section.

SEC. 3. STANDARDS FOR INTEGRATING CITIZEN SCIENCE INTO DROUGHT MODELS.

    (a) In General.--Not later than 1 year after the date of the 
enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Agriculture shall--
            (1) develop a set of standards for integration of data 
        derived from citizen science (as defined in the Crowdsourcing 
        and Citizen Science Act (15 U.S.C. 3724)) into the United 
        States Drought Monitor models, including data relating to--
                    (A) location and spacing of monitoring stations;
                    (B) data quality standards;
                    (C) incorporation of data from commercially 
                available weather stations;
                    (D) standardized procedures for autonomous 
                integration of data;
                    (E) streamlining of data entry methods; and
                    (F) reasonable metadata fields; and
            (2) develop a set of consistent standards for soil moisture 
        data collection based on equipment that is readily available, 
        including standards relating to--
                    (A) acceptable error ranges;
                    (B) sensor installation procedures;
                    (C) manufacturers of soil moisture probes;
                    (D) calibration methodology;
                    (E) metadata fields; and
                    (F) soil descriptions.
    (b) Inclusion of Data From Cooperative Observer Program.--For 
purposes of subsection (a)(1), data derived from citizen science 
includes data from the Cooperative Observer Program of the National 
Weather Service.

SEC. 4. REQUIREMENT FOR ELEMENTS OF DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE TO USE 
              THE SAME MONITORING DATA.

    (a) In General.--To be consistent with assistance provided under 
the Livestock Forage Program administered by the Farm Service Agency of 
the Department of Agriculture and the Pasture, Rangeland, Forage 
Program administered by the Risk Management Agency of the Department, 
and the annual establishment of grazing rates, as applicable, on Forest 
Service grasslands and other applicable land, the Secretary of 
Agriculture shall direct those agencies to use the United States 
Drought Monitor, in-situ soil moisture profile monitoring stations 
described in section 2, data from the Cooperative Observer Program 
described in section 3(b), and any other applicable data to determine 
and establish grazing loss assistance and grazing rates, as applicable.
    (b) Coordination.--In carrying out this section, the Secretary may 
coordinate with--
            (1) other Federal agencies, State and local governments, 
        and non-Federal entities that collaborate with the United 
        States Drought Monitor; and
            (2) other Federal and non-Federal entities involved in 
        collecting data on precipitation and soil monitoring.
    (c) Cost-Effectiveness.--In carrying out this section, the 
Secretary shall consider cost-effective solutions to maximize the 
efficiency and accuracy of the data utilized to determine eligibility 
for assistance under the programs specified in subsection (a).
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