Bill Summary
This legislation, known as the Missouri River Basin Drought and Snowpack Monitoring Act, requires the installation of a network of soil moisture and snowpack monitoring stations in the Upper Missouri River Basin. This network will provide data to support weather forecasting, drought monitoring, and water resource management. The Act also establishes a pilot program to acquire and use data from these monitoring stations, and requires a study and audit to evaluate the effectiveness of the program. Funding is authorized for the installation and operation of the monitoring stations, as well as for the acquisition of data.
Possible Impacts
1. Farmers in the Upper Missouri River Basin may be affected by this legislation as the installation of a network of soil moisture and snowpack monitoring stations could provide them with valuable information for their agricultural operations. This could help them make more informed decisions about when to plant, irrigate, or harvest their crops, ultimately affecting their crop yields and livelihoods.
2. State mesonet programs in the Upper Missouri River Basin may also be impacted as they would be responsible for the operation and maintenance of the new monitoring stations. This could require additional funding and resources for these programs, potentially affecting their budgets and operations.
3. Scientists and researchers studying weather, subseasonal and seasonal forecasting, and climate may be affected by the data generated by this network. The data could be used to improve forecasting models and inform ongoing research efforts, potentially leading to new discoveries and advancements in these fields.
[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 4444 Introduced in Senate (IS)]
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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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