Title: Snow Water Supply Forecasting Program Authorization Act
Policy area: Water Resources Development

Summary:
Snow Water Supply Forecasting Program Authorization Act
This bill establishes the Snow Water Supply Forecasting Program within the Department of the Interior to improve snowpack measurement in particular watersheds. Further, the Bureau of Reclamation must incorporate, to the greatest extent practicable, information from emerging technologies for snowpack measurement when determining water supply forecasts or allocations to federal water contractors.

[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 4530 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

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116th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                S. 4530

    To establish a Snow Water Supply Forecasting Program within the 
          Department of the Interior, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                            August 13, 2020

 Mrs. Feinstein (for herself and Ms. Harris) introduced the following 
bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Energy and 
                           Natural Resources

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
    To establish a Snow Water Supply Forecasting Program within the 
          Department of the Interior, 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 ``Snow Water Supply Forecasting 
Program Authorization Act''.

SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS.

    In this Act:
            (1) Program.--The term ``program'' means the Snow Water 
        Supply Forecasting Program established by section 3.
            (2) Reclamation state.--The term ``Reclamation State'' 
        means a State or territory described in the first section of 
        the Act of June 17, 1902 (32 Stat. 388, chapter 1093; 43 U.S.C. 
        391).
            (3) Secretary.--The term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary 
        of the Interior.

SEC. 3. SNOW WATER SUPPLY FORECASTING PROGRAM.

    (a) Program Establishment.--The Snow Water Supply Forecasting 
Program is hereby established within the Department of the Interior.
    (b) Program Implementation.--To implement the program, the 
Secretary shall--
            (1) develop the program framework in coordination with 
        other Federal agencies pursuant to section 4, culminating in 
        the report required under section 4(c); and
            (2) after submitting the report required by section 4(c), 
        implement activities to improve snowpack measurement in 
        particular watersheds pursuant to section 5.

SEC. 4. DEVELOPMENT OF PROGRAM FRAMEWORK IN COORDINATION WITH OTHER 
              FEDERAL AGENCIES.

    (a) Snowpack Measurement Data.--When determining water supply 
forecasts or allocations to Federal water contractors, the Secretary, 
acting through the Commissioner of the Bureau of Reclamation, shall 
incorporate, to the greatest extent practicable, information from 
emerging technologies for snowpack measurement, such as--
            (1) synthetic aperture radar;
            (2) laser altimetry; and
            (3) other emerging technologies that the Secretary 
        determines are likely to provide more accurate or timely 
        snowpack measurement data.
    (b) Coordination.--In carrying out subsection (a), the Secretary 
shall coordinate data use and collection efforts with other Federal 
agencies that use or may benefit from the use of emerging technologies 
for snowpack measurement.
    (c) Emerging Technologies Report.--Not later than October 1, 2021, 
the Secretary shall submit to Congress a report that--
            (1) summarizes the use of emerging technologies pursuant to 
        this section;
            (2) describes benefits derived from the use of technologies 
        summarized under paragraph (1) related to the environment and 
        increased water supply reliability; and
            (3) describes how Federal agencies will coordinate to 
        implement emerging technologies.

SEC. 5. PROGRAM IMPLEMENTATION.

    (a) Activities Implementing Framework.--After submitting the report 
required under section 4(c), the Secretary shall participate with 
program partners in implementing activities to improve snowpack 
measurement in particular watersheds.
    (b) Focus.--The program shall focus on activities that will 
maintain, establish, expand, or advance snowpack measurement consistent 
with the report required by section 4(c), with an emphasis on--
            (1) enhancing activities in river basins to achieve 
        improved snow and water supply forecasting results;
            (2) activities in river basins where snow water supply 
        forecasting related activities described in this section are 
        not occurring on the date of the enactment of this Act; and
            (3) demonstrating or testing new, or improving existing, 
        snow and water supply forecasting technology.
    (c) Information Sharing.--The Secretary may provide information 
collected and analyzed under this Act to program partners through 
appropriate mechanisms, including interagency agreements with Federal 
agencies, States, State agencies, or a combination thereof, leases, 
contracts, cooperative agreements, grants, loans, and memoranda of 
understanding.
    (d) Program Partners.--Program partners with whom the Secretary 
enters into cooperative agreements pursuant to subsection (e) may 
include water districts, irrigation districts, water associations, 
universities, State agencies, other Federal agencies, private sector 
entities, non-governmental organizations, and other entities, as 
determined by the Secretary.
    (e) Cooperative Agreements.--The Secretary may--
            (1) enter into cooperative agreements with program partners 
        to allow the program to be administered efficiently and cost 
        effectively through cost-sharing or by providing additional in-
        kind resources necessary for program implementation; and
            (2) provide nonreimbursable matching funding for 
        programmatic and operational activities under this section in 
        consultation with program partners.
    (f) Environmental Laws.--Nothing in this Act shall modify any 
obligation of the Secretary to comply with applicable Federal and State 
environmental laws in carrying out this Act.

SEC. 6. PROGRAM IMPLEMENTATION REPORT.

    Not later than 4 years after the date of the enactment of this Act, 
the Secretary shall submit a report to the Committee on Natural 
Resources and the Committee on Appropriations of the House of 
Representatives and the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources and 
the Committee on Appropriations of the Senate, that includes--
            (1) a list of basins and sub-basins for which snowpack 
        measurement technologies are being used under the program, 
        including a description of each technology used; and
            (2) a list of Federal agencies and program partners 
        participating in each basin or sub-basin listed in paragraph 
        (1).

SEC. 7. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.

    There is authorized to be appropriated to the Secretary to carry 
out this Act $15,000,000, in the aggregate, for fiscal years 2022 
through 2026.
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