An Act to reduce the hazards of earthquakes, and for other purposes.
PL 95-124 (S.126), enacted 10/07/1977

91 STAT. 1098 
PUBLIC LAW 95-124—OCT. 7, 1977 
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Public Law 95-124 
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> M 
95th Congress 
An Act 
Oct. 7, 1977 
[S. 126] 
To reduce the hazards of earthquakes, and for other purposes. 
Be it enacted hy the Senate and House of Representatives 
of the 
Earthquake 
United States of America 
in Congress 
assenibled, 
ReTuctnActof 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
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, 
1977. 
That this Act may be cited as the Earthquake Hazards Reduction 
42 use 7701 
Act of 1977". 
4rUSC7701 
SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 
The Congress finds and declares the following: 
(1) All 50 States are vulnerable to the hazards of earthquakes, 
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and at least 39 of them are subject to major or moderate seismic 
risk, including Alaska, California, Hawaii, Illinois, Massachu-
setts, Missouri, Montana, Nevada, New Jersey, New York, South 
Carolina, Utah, and Washington. A large portion of the popu-
lation of the United States lives in areas vulnerable to earthquake 
hazards. 
(2) Earthquakes have caused, and can cause in the future, 
enormous loss of life, injury, destruction of property, and eco-
nomic and social disruption. With respect to future earthquakes, 
such loss, destruction, and disruption can be substantially reduced 
through the development and implementation of earthquake 
hazards reduction measures, including (A) improved design and 
construction methods and practices, (B) land-use controls and 
redevelopment, 
(C) 
prediction techniques and early-warning 
systems, (D) coordinated emergency preparedness plans, and 
(E) public education and involvement programs. 
(3) An expertly staffed and adequately financed earthquake 
hazards reduction program, based on Federal, State, local, and 
private research, planning, decisionmaking, and contributions 
would reduce the risk of such loss, destruction, and disruption in 
seismic areas by an amount far greater than the cost of such 
program. 
(4) A well-funded seismological research program in earth-
quake prediction could provide data adequate for the design, of 
an operational system that could predict accurately the time, place, 
magnitude, and physical effects of earthquakes in selected areas of 
the United States. 
(5) An operational earthquake prediction system can produce 
significant social, economic, legal, and political consequences. 
(6) There is a scientific basis for hypothesizing that major 
earthquakes may be moderated, in at least some seismic areas, by 
application of the findings of earthquake control and seismological 
research. 
(7) The implementation of earthquake hazards reduction meas-
ures would, as an added benefit, also reduce the risk of loss, 
destruction, and disruption from other natural hazards and man-
made hazards, including hurricanes, tornadoes, accidents, explo-
sions, landslides, building and structural cave-ins, and fires. 
(8) Reduction of loss, destruction, and disruption from earth-
quakes will depend on the actions of individuals, and organiza-
PUBLIC LAW 95-124—OCT. 7, 1977 
91 STAT. 1099 
tions in the private sector and governmental units at Federal, 
State, and local levels. The current capability to transfer knowl-
edge and information to these sectors is insufficient. Improved 
mechanisms are needed to translate existing information and 
research findings into reasonable and usable specifications, criteria, 
and practices so that individuals, organizations, and governmental 
units may make informed decisions and take appropriate actions. 
(9) Severe earthquakes are a worldwide problem. Since damag-
ing earthquakes occur infrequently in any one nation, inter-
national cooperation is desirable for mutual learning from limited 
experiences. 
(10) An effective Federal program in earthquake hazards reduc-
tion will require input from and review by persons outside the 
Federal Government expert in the sciences of earthquake hazards 
reduction and in the practical application of earthquake hazards 
reduction measures. 
SEC. 3. PURPOSE. 
It is the purpose of the Congress in this Act to reduce the risks of 
life and property from future earthquakes in the United States through 
the establishment and maintenance of an effective earthquake hazards 
reduction program. 
SEC. 4. DEFINITIONS. 
As used in this Act, unless the context otherwise requires: 
(1) The term "includes" and variants tnereof should be read 
as if the phrase "but is not limited to" were also set forth. 
(2) The term "program" means the earthquake hazards reduc-
' tion program established under section 5. 
(3) The term "seismic" and variants thereof mean having to 
do with, or caused by earthquakes. 
(4) The term "State" means each of the States of the United 
States, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto 
Rico, the Virgin Islands, Guam, American Samoa, the Common-
wealth of the Mariana Islands, and any other territory or posses-
sion of the United States. 
(5) The term "United States" means, when used in a geo-
graphical sense, all of the States as defined in section 4(4). 
SEC. 5. NATIONAL EARTHQUAKE HAZARDS REDUCTION PROGRAM. 
(a) ESTABLISHMENT.—The President shall establish and maintain, 
in accordance with the provisions and policy of this Act, a coordinated 
earthquake hazards reduction program, which shall— 
(1) be designed and administered to achieve the objectives set 
forth in subsection (c); 
(2) involve, where appropriate, each of the agencies listed in 
subsection ( d ) ; and 
(3) include each of the elements described in subsection (e), 
the implementation plan described in subsection (f), and the 
assistance to the States specified in subsection (g). 
(b) DUTIES.—The President shall— 
(1) within 30 days after the date of enactment of this Act, 
designate the Federal department, agency, or entity responsible 
for the development of the implementation plan described in 
subsection (f) ; 
(2) within 210 days after such date of enactment, submit to the 
appropriate authorizing committees of the Congress the imple-
mentation plan described in subsection ( f ) ; and 
42 use 7702. 
42 use 7703. 
42 use 7704. 
Plan, submittal to 
congressional 
committees. 
91 STAT. 1100 
PUBLIC LAW 95-124^0CT. 7, 1977 
Earthquake 
resistant 
construction. 
Earthquake 
prediction. 
Model codes. 
Earthquake-
related issues, 
understanding. 
Research. 
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(3) by rule, within 300 days after such date of enactment— 
(A) 
designate the Federal department, agency, or 
interagency group which shall have primary responsibility 
for the development and implementation of the earthquake 
hazards reduction program; 
(B) assign and specify the role and responsibility of each 
appropriate Federal department, agency, and entity with 
respect to each object and element of the program; 
(C) establish goals, priorities, and target dates for imple-
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mentation of the program; 
(D) provide a method for cooperation and coordination 
with, and assistance (to the extent of available resources) to, 
interested governmental entities in all States, particularly 
those containing areas of high or moderate seismic risk; and 
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(E) provide for qualified staffing for the program and its 
components, 
(c) OBJECTIV'ES.—The objectives of the earthquake hazards reduction 
program shall include— 
(1) the development of technologically and economically fea-
sible design and construction methods and procedures to make new 
and existing structures, in areas of seismic risk, earthquake 
resistant, giving priority to the development of such methods and 
procedures for nuclear power generating plants, dams, hospitals, 
schools, public utilities, public safety structures, high occupancy 
buildings, and other structures which are especially needed in 
time of disaster; 
(2) the implementation in all areas of high or moderate seis-
mic risk, of a system (including personnel, technology, and 
procedures) 
for predicting damaging earthquakes and for 
identifying, evaluating, and accurately characterizing seismic 
hazards; 
(3) the development, publication, and promotion, in conjunc-
tion with State and local officials and professional organizations, 
of model codes and other means to coordinate information about 
seismic risk with land-use policy decisions and building activity; 
(4) the development, in areas of seismic risk, of improved 
understanding of, and capability with respect to, earthquake-
related issues, including methods of controlling the risks from 
earthquakes, planning to prevent such risks, disseminating warn-
ings of earthquakes, organizing emergency services, and planning 
for reconstruction and redevelopment after an earthquake; 
(5) the education of the public, including State and local offi-
cials, as to earthquake phenomena, the identification of locations 
and structures which are especially susceptible to earthquake 
damage, ways to reduce the adverse consequences of an earth-
quake, and related matters; 
(6) the development of research on— 
(A) ways to increase the use of existing scientific and 
engineering knowledge to mitigate earthquake hazards; 
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(B) the social, economic, legal, and political consequences 
of earthquake prediction; and 
(C) ways to assure the availability of earthquake insur-
ance or some functional substitute; and 
(7) the development of basic and applied research leading to 
a better understanding of the control or alteration of seismic 
phenomena. 
PUBLIC LAW 95-124—OCT. 7, 1977 
91 STAT. 1101 
(d) PARTICIPATION.—In assigning the role and responsibility of Fed-
eral departments, agencies, and entities under subsection ( b ) ( 3 ) ( B ) , 
the President shall, where appropriate, include the United States 
Geological Survey, the National Science Foundation, the Department 
of Defense, the Department of Housing and Urban Development, the 
National Aeronautics and Space Administration, the National Oce-
anic and Atmospheric Administration, the National Bureau of Stand-
ards, the Energy Research and Development Administration, the 
Nuclear Regulatory Commission, and the National Fire Prevention 
and Control Administration. 
(e) RESEARCH ELEMENTS.—The research elements of the progium 
shall include— 
(1) research into the basic causes and mechanisms of earth-
quakes ; 
(2) development of methods to predict the time, place, and 
. magnitude of future earthquakes; 
(3) development of an understanding of the circumstances in 
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which earthquakes might be artificially induced by the injection 
of fluids in deep wells, by the impoundment of reservoirs, or by 
other means; 
(4) evaluation of methods that may lead to the development 
of a capability to modify or control earthquakes in certain regions; 
(5) development of infomiation and guidelines for zoning land 
in light of seismic risk in all parts of the United States and 
preparation of seismic risk analyses useful for emergency plan-
ning and community preparedness; 
(6) development of techniques for the delineation and evalua-
tion of the political effects of earthquakes, and their application 
on a regional basis; 
(7) development of methods for planning, design, construction, 
rehabilitation, and utilization of manmade works so as to effec-
tively resist the hazards imposed by earthquakes; 
(8) exploration of possible social and economic adjustments 
that could be made to reduce earthquake vulnerability and to 
exploit effectively existing and developing earthquake mitigation 
techniques; and 
(9) studies of foreign experience with all aspects of earth-
quakes. 
(f) IMPLEMENTATION PLAN.—The President shall develop, through 
the Federal agency, department, or entity designated under subsection 
(b) (1), an implementation plan which shall set year-by-year targets 
through at least 1980, and shall specify the roles for Federal agencies, 
and recommended appropriate roles for State and local units of 
government, individuals, and private organizations, in carrying out 
the implementation plan. The plan shall provide for— 
(1) the development of measures to be taken with respect to 
preparing for earthquakes, evaluation of prediction techniques 
, , 
and actual predictions of earthquakes, warning the residents of 
an area that an earthquake may occur, and ensuring that a com-
prehensive response is made to the occurrence of an earthquake; 
(2) the development of ways for State, county, local, and 
regional governmental units to use existing and developing knowl-
edge about the regional and local variations of seismic risk in 
making their land use decisions; 
(3) the development and promulgation of specifications, build-
ing standards, design criteria, and construction practices to 
achieve appropriate earthquake resistance for new and existing 
; structures; 
91 STAT. 1102 
PUBLIC LAW 95-124—OCT. 7, 1977 
Report, filing 
with 
congressional 
committees. 
Program plan 
review. 
Report to 
Congress. 
42 u s e 7705. 
Submittal to 
congressional 
committees. 
42 u s e 7706. 
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(4) an examination of alternative provisions and requirements 
for reducing earthquake hazards through Federal and federally 
financed construction, loans, loan guarantees, and licenses; 
(5) the determination of the appropriate role for insurance, 
loan programs, and public and private relief efforts in moderat-
ing the impact of earthquakes; and 
(6) dissemination, on a timely basis, of— 
(A) instrument-derived data of interest to other research-
u- 
ers; 
(B) design and analysis data and procedures of interest 
,;;;<; 
to the design professions and to the construction industry; 
and 
(C) other information and knowledge of interest to the 
public to reduce vulnerability to earthquake hazards. 
When the implementation plan developed by the President under this 
section contemplates or proposes specific action to be taken by any 
Fedei-al agency, department, or entity, and, at the end of the 30-day 
period beginning on the date the President submits such plan to the 
appropriate authorizing committees of the Congress any such action 
has not been initiated, the President shall file with such committees 
a report explaining, in detail, the reasons why such action has not 
been initiated. 
(g) STATE ASSISTANCE.—In making assistance available to the 
States under the Disaster Relief Act of 1974 (42 U.S.C. 5121 et seq.), 
the President may make such assistance available to further the pur-
poses of this Act, including making available to the States the results 
of research and other activities conducted under- this Act. 
(h) PARTICIPATIOK.—In carrying out the provisions of this section, 
the President shall provide an opportunity for participation by the 
appropriate representatives of State and local governments, and by 
the public, including repr-esentatives of business and industry, the 
design professions, and the research community, in the formulation 
and implementation of the program. 
Such non-Federal participation shall include periodic review of the 
program plan, considered in its entirety, by an assembled and ade-
quately staffed group of such representatives. Any comments on the 
program upon which such group agrees shall be reported to the 
Congress. 
Measures developed pui'suant to paragraph 5(f) (1) for the evalua-
tion of prediction techniques and actual predictions of earthquakes 
shall provide for adequate non-Feder-'al participation. To the extent 
that such measures include evaluation by Federal employees of non-
Federal prediction activities, such measures shall also include evalua-
tion by persons not in full-time Federal employment of Federal 
prediction activities. 
SEC. 6. ANNUAL REPORT. 
The President shall, within ninety days after the end of each fiscal 
year, submit an annual report to the appropriate authorizing com-
mittees in the Congress describing the status of the program, and 
describing and evaluating progress achieved during the preceding 
fiscal year in reducing the risks of earthquake hazards. Each such 
report shall include any recommendations for legislative and other 
action the President deems necessary and appropriate. 
SEC. 7. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS. 
(a) GENERAL.—There are authorized to be appropriated to the 
President to carry out the provisions of sections 5 and 6 of this Act 
(in addition to any authorizations for similar purposes included in 
PUBLIC LAW 95-124—OCT. 7, 1977 
91 STAT. 1103 
other Acts and the authorizations set forth in subsections (b) and (c) 
of this section), not to exceed $1,000,000 for the fiscal year ending 
September 30. 1978, not to exceed $2,000,000 for the fiscal year ending 
September 30, 1979, and not to exceed $2,000,000 for the fiscal year 
ending September 80,1980. 
(b) GE0L0(iicAL SURVEY.—There are authorized to be appropriated 
to the Secretary of the Interior for purposes for carrying out, through 
the Director of the United States Geological Survey, the responsi-
bilities that may be assigned to the Director under this Act not to 
exceed $27,500,000 for tlie fiscal year ending September 30, 1978; not 
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to exceed $35,000,000 for the fiscal year ending September 30, 1979; 
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and not to exceed $40,000,000 for the fiscal year ending September 30, 
1980. 
(c) NATIONAL SCIEXCE FOUXDATION.—To enable the Foundation to 
carry out responsibilities that may be assigned to it under this Act, 
there are authorized to be appropriated to the Foundation not to exceed 
$27,500,000 for the fiscal year ending September 30,1978; not to exceed 
$35,000,000 for the fiscal" vear ending September 30, 1979; and not to 
exceed $40,000,000 for the fiscal year ending September 30,1980. 
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Approved October 7, 1977. 
LEGISLATIVE HISTORY: 
HOUSE REPORTS: No. 95-286, Pt. I accompanying H.R. 6683 (Comm. on Science and 
Technology) and No. 95-286, Pt. II accompanying H.R. 6683 
(Comm. on Interior and Insular Affairs). 
SENATE REPORT No. 95-130 (Comm. on Commerce, Science, and Transportation). 
CONGRESSIONAL RECORD, Vol. 123 (1977): 
May 12, considered and passed Senate. 
Sept. 9, considered and passed House, amended, in lieu of H.R. 6683. 
Sept. 23, Senate concurred in House amendment.