Title: Missouri River Basin Drought and Snowpack Monitoring Act
Policy area: Water Resources Development

Summary:
Missouri River Basin Drought and Snowpack Monitoring Act
This bill requires the Army Corps of Engineers to continue installing stations to monitor soil moisture and plains snowpack in the Upper Missouri River Basin. The bill also requires the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to establish a pilot program to use the data from such stations for various programs, such as the U.S. Drought Monitor.

[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 4444 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

<DOC>






116th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                S. 4444

  To require installation of a network of soil moisture and snowpack 
 monitoring in the Upper Missouri River Basin and to establish a pilot 
program for the acquisition and use of data generated by that network, 
                        and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                             August 5, 2020

 Mr. Thune (for himself and Mr. Rounds) introduced the following bill; 
 which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Environment and 
                              Public Works

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
  To require installation of a network of soil moisture and snowpack 
 monitoring in the Upper Missouri River Basin and to establish a pilot 
program for the acquisition and use of data generated by that network, 
                        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 ``Missouri River Basin Drought and 
Snowpack Monitoring Act''.

SEC. 2. SOIL MOISTURE AND SNOWPACK MONITORING.

    (a) Installation of Network.--
            (1) In general.--In accordance with the activities required 
        under section 4003(a) of the Water Resources Reform and 
        Development Act of 2014 (128 Stat. 1311; 130 Stat. 1677), and 
        to support the goals of the Weather Research and Forecasting 
        Innovation Act of 2017 (Public Law 115-25; 131 Stat. 91) and 
        the National Integrated Drought Information System 
        Reauthorization Act of 2018 (Public Law 115-423; 132 Stat. 
        5454), the Secretary of the Army (referred to in this section 
        as the ``Secretary''), in coordination with the Administrator 
        of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration 
        (referred to in this section as the ``Administrator''), the 
        Chief of the Natural Resources Conservation Service, the 
        Director of the United States Geological Survey, and the 
        Commissioner of Reclamation, shall continue installation of a 
        network of soil moisture and plains snowpack monitoring 
        stations and modification of existing stations in the Upper 
        Missouri River Basin.
            (2) Requirements.--In carrying out installation and 
        modification activities under paragraph (1), the Secretary--
                    (A) may continue to enter into agreements, 
                including cooperative agreements, with State mesonet 
                programs for purposes of installing new stations or 
                modifying existing stations;
                    (B) shall transfer ownership and all 
                responsibilities for operation and maintenance of new 
                stations to the respective State mesonet program for 
                the State in which the monitoring station is located on 
                completion of installation of the station; and
                    (C) shall establish, in consultation with the 
                Administrator, requirements and standards for the 
                installation of new stations and modification of 
                existing stations to ensure seamless data integration 
                into--
                            (i) the National Mesonet Program;
                            (ii) the National Coordinated Soil Moisture 
                        Network; and
                            (iii) other relevant networks.
    (b) Soil Moisture and Snowpack Monitoring Pilot Program.--
            (1) In general.--Not later than 180 days after the date of 
        the enactment of this Act, the Administrator shall establish a 
        pilot program for the acquisition and use of data generated by 
        the network described in subsection (a).
            (2) Requirements.--In establishing the pilot program under 
        paragraph (1), the Administrator shall--
                    (A) enter into agreements with State mesonet 
                programs in the Upper Missouri River Basin to acquire 
                data generated by the network described in subsection 
                (a) that--
                            (i) are similar to the agreements in effect 
                        as of the date of the enactment of this Act 
                        with States under the National Mesonet Program; 
                        and
                            (ii) allow for sharing of data with other 
                        Federal agencies and with institutions engaged 
                        in federally supported research, including the 
                        United States Drought Monitor, as appropriate 
                        and feasible;
                    (B) in coordination with the Secretary, the Chief 
                of the Natural Resources Conservation Service, the 
                Director of the United States Geological Survey, and 
                the Commissioner of Reclamation, gather data from the 
                operation of the network to inform ongoing efforts of 
                the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration in 
                support of--
                            (i) the National Integrated Drought 
                        Information System, including the National 
                        Coordinated Soil Moisture Monitoring Network;
                            (ii) the United States Drought Monitor;
                            (iii) the National Water Model and other 
                        relevant national modeling efforts;
                            (iv) validation, verification, and 
                        calibration of satellite-based, in situ, and 
                        other remote sensing activities and output 
                        products;
                            (v) flood risk and water resources 
                        monitoring initiatives by the Secretary and the 
                        Commissioner; and
                            (vi) any other programs or initiatives the 
                        Administrator considers appropriate; and
                    (C) at the request of State mesonet programs, or as 
                the Administrator considers appropriate, provide 
                technical assistance to such programs under the pilot 
                program under paragraph (1) to ensure proper data 
                requirements; and
                    (D) ensure an appropriate mechanism for quality 
                control and quality assurance is employed for the data 
                acquired under the pilot program, such as the 
                Meteorological Assimilation Data Ingest System.
            (3) Study required.--
                    (A) In general.--Not later than 1 year after the 
                date of the enactment of this Act, the Administrator 
                shall initiate a study of the pilot program required by 
                paragraph (1) to evaluate the data generated by the 
                network described in subsection (a) and the 
                applications of that data to programs and initiatives 
                described in paragraph (2)(B).
                    (B) Elements.--The study required by subparagraph 
                (A) shall include an assessment of--
                            (i) the contribution of the soil moisture, 
                        snowpack, and other relevant data generated by 
                        the network described in subsection (a) to 
                        weather, subseasonal and seasonal, and climate 
                        forecasting products on the local, regional, 
                        and national levels;
                            (ii) the enhancements made to the National 
                        Integrated Drought Information System, the 
                        National Water Model, and the United States 
                        Drought Monitor, and other relevant national 
                        modeling efforts, using data and derived data 
                        products generated by the network;
                            (iii) the contribution of data generated by 
                        the network to remote sensing products and 
                        approaches;
                            (iv) the viability of the ownership and 
                        operational structure of the network; and
                            (v) any other matters the Administrator 
                        considers appropriate, in coordination with the 
                        Secretary, the Chief of the Natural Resources 
                        Conservation Service, the Director of the 
                        United States Geological Survey, and the 
                        Commissioner of Reclamation.
            (4) Report required.--Not later than 4 years after the date 
        of the enactment of this Act, the Administrator shall submit to 
        Congress a report--
                    (A) setting forth the findings of the study 
                required by paragraph (3); and
                    (B) making recommendations based on those findings 
                to improve weather, subseasonal, seasonal, and climate 
                monitoring nationally.
            (5) Government accountability office audit.--
                    (A) In general.--Not later than 60 days after the 
                report required by paragraph (4) is submitted, the 
                Comptroller General of the United States shall conduct 
                an audit to evaluate that report and determine 
                whether--
                            (i) the Administrator, in conducting the 
                        pilot program under paragraph (1), has utilized 
                        the relevant data generated by the network 
                        described in subsection (a) in the manner most 
                        beneficial to the programs and initiatives 
                        described in paragraph (2)(B);
                            (ii) the acquisition agreements entered 
                        into under paragraph (2)(A) with State mesonet 
                        programs fully comply with the requirements of 
                        that paragraph; and
                            (iii) the heads of other agencies, 
                        including the Secretary, the Chief of the 
                        Natural Resources Conservation Service, the 
                        Director of the United States Geological 
                        Survey, and the Commissioner of Reclamation, 
                        are utilizing the data generated by the network 
                        to better inform and improve the missions of 
                        those agencies.
                    (B) Report required.--Not later than 270 days after 
                initiating the audit required by subparagraph (A), the 
                Comptroller General shall submit to Congress a report 
                setting forth the findings of the audit.
    (c) Authorization of Appropriations.--
            (1) In general.--There are authorized to be appropriated--
                    (A) to supplement funds already authorized for 
                installation of a network of new monitoring stations 
                and modification of existing monitoring stations in the 
                Upper Missouri River Basin under subsection (a), 
                $7,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2021 through 2025; 
                and
                    (B) to the Administrator to acquire under 
                subsection (b) data collected by the network described 
                in subsection (a)--
                            (i) $500,000 for fiscal year 2021;
                            (ii) $2,300,000 for fiscal year 2022;
                            (iii) $4,100,000 for fiscal year 2023;
                            (iv) $5,900,000 for fiscal year 2024; and
                            (v) $7,900,000 for fiscal year 2025.
            (2) Limitation on administrative expenses.--Not more than 2 
        percent of the amounts authorized to be appropriated under 
        paragraph (1)(B) may be used by the Administrator for 
        administrative expenses.
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