[Senate Report 111-133]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
Calendar No. 283
111th Congress Report
SENATE
2d Session 111-133
======================================================================
NATIONAL VOLCANO EARLY WARNING AND MONITORING SYSTEM ACT
_______
March 2, 2010.--Ordered to be printed
_______
Mr. Bingaman, from the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources,
submitted the following
R E P O R T
[To accompany S. 782]
The Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, to which was
referred the bill (S. 782) to provide for the establishment of
the National Volcano Early Warning and Monitoring System,
having considered the same, reports favorably thereon with an
amendment and recommends that the bill, as amended, do pass.
The amendment is as follows:
Strike all after the enacting clause and insert the
following:
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``National Volcano Early Warning and
Monitoring Program Act''.
SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS.
In this Act:
(1) Program.--The term ``program'' means the National Volcano
Early Warning and Monitoring Program established under section
3(a).
(2) Secretary.--The term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary of
the Interior.
SEC. 3. NATIONAL VOLCANO EARLY WARNING AND MONITORING PROGRAM.
(a) Establishment.--The Secretary shall establish within the United
States Geological Survey a program to be known as the ``National
Volcano Early Warning and Monitoring Program''.
(b) Components.--The program shall consist of a national volcano
watch office and data center, which shall oversee and coordinate the
activities of United States Geological Survey regional volcano watch
and data centers.
(c) Purposes.--The purposes of the program are--
(1) to monitor and study volcanoes and volcanic activity
throughout the United States at a level commensurate with the
threat posed by each volcano; and
(2) to warn and protect people and property from undue and
avoidable harm from volcanic activity.
SEC. 4. MANAGEMENT.
(a) Management Plan.--
(1) In general.--Not later than 1 year after the date of
enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall prepare a management
plan for establishing and operating the program.
(2) Inclusions.--The management plan shall include--
(A) annual cost estimates of--
(i) operating the program; and
(ii) updating the data collection,
monitoring, and analysis systems;
(B) annual standards and performance goals; and
(C) recommendations for establishing new, or
enhancing existing, partnerships with State agencies or
universities.
(b) Partnerships.--The Secretary may enter into cooperative
agreements or partnerships with State agencies and universities, under
which the Secretary may designate the agency or university as volcano
observatory partners for the program.
(c) Coordination With Other Federal Agencies.--The Secretary shall
coordinate activities authorized under this Act with the heads of
relevant Federal agencies including--
(1) the Secretary of Transportation;
(2) the Secretary of Commerce;
(3) the Administrator of the Federal Aviation Administration;
and
(4) the Director of the Federal Emergency Management
Administration.
(d) Grant Program.--
(1) In general.--The Secretary may establish a competitive
grant program to support research and monitoring of volcanic
activities in furtherance of this Act.
(2) Cost-sharing requirement.--The non-Federal share of the
total cost of an activity provided assistance under this
subsection shall be 25 percent.
(e) Annual Report.--The Secretary shall annually submit to Congress a
report that describes the activities undertaken during the previous
year to carry out this Act.
SEC. 5. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.
There are authorized to be appropriated to carry out this Act
$15,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2009 through 2019.
PURPOSE
The purpose of S. 782, as ordered reported, is to establish
within the United States Geological Survey a National Volcano
Early Warning and Monitoring Program to coordinate research of
volcanic activity in the United States.
BACKGROUND AND NEED
There are over 160 hazardous volcanoes located in the
United States and its territories. The risks to life and
property from volcanic activity are escalating as more people
live, work, play, and travel in volcanic regions. The United
States has experienced six major volcanic eruptions since 1900:
Novarupta, AK (1912); Mt. Lassen, CA (1917); Mount St. Helens,
WA (1980); Mauna Loa, HI (1984); Mt. Augustine, AK (1986); and
Mt. Redoubt, AK (1989).
In addition, there have been many examples of ongoing
volcanic activity, including the Spring 2009 eruption of
Alaska's Redoubt Volcano near Anchorage; a series of
earthquakes late in 2008 in Yellowstone National Park; a number
of earthquakes and minor eruptions at Mount St. Helens in 2007
and 2008; and the ongoing eruption of Hawaii's Kilauea Volcano,
which is now in its 26th year of continuous eruption.
Such incidents require ongoing monitoring, tracking, and
response from the United States Geological Survey (USGS) and
other authorities. The USGS works closely with the Secretary of
Transportation, the Federal Aviation Administration, the
Federal Emergency Management Administration, the National
Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the Forest Service, the
National Park Service, and other local authorities to develop
disaster plans and early warning systems in order to prevent
the unnecessary loss of life and property.
Currently, the USGS has a series of volcano observatories
that coordinate these activities. The observatories include the
Alaska Volcano Observatory, based in Anchorage and Fairbanks,
Alaska, which monitors the Aleutian volcanic chain; the
Cascades Volcano Observatory, based in Vancouver, Washington,
which monitors the Cascade Range volcanoes, including Mount St.
Helens, Mount Rainier, and Mount Hood; the Hawaii Volcano
Observatory, which is located in Hawaii Volcanoes National Park
at the edge of the Kilauea Volcano; the Yellowstone Volcano
Observatory, which monitors the caldera that occupies much of
Yellowstone National Park; and the Long Valley Observatory,
which monitors the Long Valley Caldera on the eastern front of
the Sierras, California.
Beginning in fiscal year 1996, through fiscal year 2008,
Congress provided supplemental funding for volcano monitoring
through the Federal Aviation Administration. These funds, $2.7
million per year, have been primarily used to expand monitoring
networks beyond the Cook Inlet region of Alaska to a total of
33 volcanoes, all of which pose an ash hazard to heavily
traveled North Pacific air traffic routes. This funding ended
in FY 2008, however, leaving the long-term maintenance of these
networks in jeopardy and some high threat volcanoes not
adequately monitored.
As ordered reported, S. 782 would establish a new program
within the U.S.G.S. including a national volcano watch office
and data center, to oversee and coordinate the activities of
the regional volcano observatories.
LEGISLATIVE HISTORY
S. 782 was introduced by Senators Murkowski and Begich on
April 2, 2009. The Subcommittee on Public Lands and Forests
held a hearing on the bill on June 17, 2009. (S. Hrg. 111-65).
At its business meeting on December 16, 2009, the Committee on
Energy and Natural Resources ordered S. 782 favorably reported
with an amendment in the nature of a substitute.
COMMITTEE RECOMMENDATION
The Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, in open
business session on December 16, 2009, by a voice vote of a
quorum present, recommends that the Senate pass S. 782, if
amended as described herein.
COMMITTEE AMENDMENT
During its consideration of S. 782, the Committee adopted
an amendment in the nature of a substitute. As introduced, S.
782 would have established a national volcano early warning and
monitoring system. The committee substitute instead establishes
a program within the U.S.G.S. to coordinate and oversee volcano
monitoring activities. The amendment authorizes the Secretary
of the Interior to establish a competitive grant program to
support research and monitoring of volcanic activities in
furtherance of this Act.
The amendment is explained in detail in the section-by-
section analysis, below.
SECTION-BY-SECTION ANALYSIS
Section 1 contains the short title, the ``National Volcano
Early Warning and Monitoring Program Act.''
Section 2 defines key terms used in the bill.
Section 3(a) directs the Secretary of the Interior to
establish the National Volcano Early Warning and Monitoring
Program within the United States Geological Survey.
Subsection (b) provides that the program shall consist of a
national volcano watch office and data center, which shall
oversee and coordinate the activities of U.S.G.S. regional
volcano watch and data centers.
Subsection (c) states that the purposes of the program are
to monitor and study volcanoes and volcanic activity throughout
the United States and to warn and protect people and property
from undue and avoidable harm from volcanic activity.
Section 4(a) directs the Secretary to prepare a management
plan for establishing and operating the program within one year
after the date of enactment.
Subsection (b) authorizes the Secretary to enter into
cooperative agreements or partnerships with State agencies and
universities, under which the Secretary may designate the
agency or university as volcano observatory partners for the
program.
Subsection (c) directs the Secretary to coordinate
activities authorized under this Act with the heads of relevant
Federal agencies, including the Secretary of Transportation,
the Secretary of Commerce, the Administrator of the Federal
Aviation Commission, and the Director of the Federal Emergency
Management Administration.
Subsection (d) provides that the Secretary may establish a
competitive grant program to support research and monitoring of
volcanic activities in furtherance of the Act, with a
requirement that the non-Federal share of the total costs of an
activity funded by the grant be at least 25 percent.
Subsection (e) directs the Secretary to annually submit a
report to Congress that describes the program activities
undertaken during the previous year.
Section 5 authorizes the appropriation of $15 million for
each of fiscal years 2009 through 2019 to carry out the Act.
COST AND BUDGETARY CONSIDERATIONS
The following estimate of costs of this measure has been
provided by the Congressional Budget Office:
S. 782--National Volcano Early Warning and Monitoring Program Act
Summary: S. 782 would authorize the appropriation of $75
million over the 2010-2014 period for a U.S. Geological Survey
(USGS) program to monitor active volcanoes and to enhance the
agency's ability to warn the public of potentially harmful
volcanic activity. Based on information from USGS and assuming
appropriation of the authorized amounts, CBO estimates that
implementing the legislation would cost $69 million over the
2010-2014 period and $6 million after 2014. Enacting the
legislation would not affect direct spending or revenues.
S. 782 contains no intergovernmental or private-sector
mandates as defined in the Unfunded Mandates Reform Act (UMRA)
and would impose no costs on state, local, or tribal
governments.
Estimated cost to the Federal Government: The estimated
budgetary impact of S. 782 is shown in the following table. The
costs of this legislation fall within budget function 300
(natural resources and environment).
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
By fiscal year, in millions of dollars--
-------------------------------------------------------
2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2010-2014
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
CHANGES IN SPENDING SUBJECT TO APPROPRIATION
Authorization Level..................................... 15 15 15 15 15 75
Estimated Outlays....................................... 10 14 15 15 15 69
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Basis of estimate: For this estimate, CBO assumes that the
legislation will be enacted early in calendar year 2010 and
that the authorized amounts will be appropriated for each
fiscal year. Estimated outlays are based on historical spending
patterns for similar USGS activities.
S. 782 would authorize the appropriation of $15 million a
year over the 2010-2014 period for the USGS to establish a
program to monitor active volcanoes and to provide warnings to
protect individuals and property from the harmful effects of
volcanic activity. The bill would require USGS to designate a
national volcano watch office and data collection center. The
bill also would require the Secretary of the Interior to
prepare a management plan for establishing and operating the
program and to submit an annual report to the Congress
describing program activities. Finally, the bill would
establish a grant program to support research and monitoring of
volcanic activity. Based on information from USGS and assuming
appropriation of the authorized amounts, CBO estimates that
implementing the legislation would cost $69 million over the
2010-2014 period and $6 million after 2014.
Intergovernmental and private-sector impact: S. 782
contains no intergovernmental or private-sector mandates as
defined in UMRA and would impose no costs on state, local, or
tribal governments. State agencies and universities would
benefit from grants and cooperative agreements in the bill for
research and monitoring of volcanic activity. Any costs to
those entities would be incurred voluntarily as a condition of
receiving federal assistance.
Estimate prepared by: Federal Costs: Jeff LaFave; Impact on
State, Local, and Tribal Governments: Melissa Merrell; Impact
on the Private Sector: Brian Prest.
Estimate approved by: Theresa Gullo, Deputy Assistant
Director for Budget Analysis.
REGULATORY IMPACT EVALUATION
In compliance with paragraph 11(b) of rule XXVI of the
Standing Rules of the Senate, the Committee makes the following
evaluation of the regulatory impact which would be incurred in
carrying out S. 782.
The bill is not a regulatory measure in the sense of
imposing Government-established standards or significant
economic responsibilities on private individuals and
businesses.
No personal information would be collected in administering
the program. Therefore, there would be no impact on personal
privacy.
Little, if any, additional paperwork would result from the
enactment of S. 782, as ordered reported.
CONGRESSIONALLY DIRECTED SPENDING
S. 782, as reported, does not contain any congressionally
directed spending items, limited tax benefits, or limited
tariff benefits as defined in rule XLIV of the Standing Rules
of the Senate.
EXECUTIVE COMMUNICATIONS
The testimony provided for the record by the U.S.
Geological Survey at the June 17, 2009 Subcommittee hearing on
S. 782 follows:
Statement of the Geological Survey, Department of the Interior
Mr. Chairman and Members of the Subcommittee, thank you for
this opportunity to provide testimony on Senate Bill 782, which
is ``to provide for the establishment of the National Volcano
Early Warning and Monitoring System''. The Department would
like to thank the Committee for its work on the bill, which
recognizes a number of activities that USGS currently conducts
under existing authorizations. The USGS operates a system of
five Volcano Observatories for the purpose of reducing losses
of life and property and minimizing social and economic
disruptions during volcanic eruptions and their often
protracted precursory phases. The USGS does this under the
Disaster Relief Act (P.L. 93-288, popularly known as the
Stafford Act) as the lead Federal agency with responsibility to
provide notification for earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, and
landslides to enhance public safety and to reduce losses
through effective forecasts and warnings based on the best
possible scientific information.
u.s. volcanic hazards and usgs capabilities
The United States ranks as one of the top countries in the
world in the number of active and potentially active volcanoes.
Over the past three decades, 30 U.S. volcanoes have erupted on
nearly 100 occasions, and an additional dozen volcanoes have
exhibited periods of anomalous activity, unrest, that initially
were worrisome but ultimately did not culminate in eruptions.
Volcanoes produce many kinds of destructive phenomena. In a
few recent cases within the United States, communities near
Mount St. Helen's in Washington have been exposed to powerful
explosions and mud flows, and in Hawaii, Kilauea volcano has
sent lava flows into communities and noxious gas emissions have
caused widespread lung ailments. Most U.S. volcanoes are
located on sparsely populated Federal lands, and it is the
threat to communities and infrastructure downstream and
downwind, including to military and commercial aviation, that
drives the need to properly monitor volcanic activity and
provide forecasts and notifications of expected hazards. The
most recent example is the 2009 eruption of Mt. Redoubt, Alaska
that threatened a nearby oil loading terminal and disrupted
civilian and military aviation operations for more than a week.
Hazardous volcanic activity will continue to occur, and the
ongoing exposure of human life and enterprise will continue to
be a primary consideration driving USGS volcano monitoring
efforts. Fortunately, volcanoes exhibit precursory unrest that
if detected and analyzed in time allows eruptions to be
anticipated and communities at risk to be forewarned with
reliable information in sufficient time to implement response
plans and mitigation measures.
Monitoring volcanic activity in the United States is the
responsibility of the USGS Volcano Hazards Program and is
accomplished by the Alaska Volcano Observatory, Cascades
Volcano Observatory, Yellowstone Volcano Observatory, Long
Valley Observatory, and Hawaiian Volcano Observatory. To make
maximum use of the Nation's scientific resources, the USGS
operates the observatories with the help of universities and
other Federal and States agencies, through formal partnerships.
With the exception of the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory, which
was established in 1912, U.S. Volcano Observatories have been
established in response to specific eruptions or sustained
levels of unrest. For example, the Cascades Volcano Observatory
in Washington State was established in 1981, following the
catastrophic awakening of Mount St. Helens in 1980, and
continues to assess and monitor volcanic hazards in the Pacific
Northwest.
The Volcano Hazards Program also maintains an international
rapid-response team under the Volcano Disaster Assistance
Program (VDAP), co-funded by the U.S. Office of Foreign
Disaster Assistance within the U.S. Agency for International
Development (USAID). This team responds to emergencies
worldwide when called upon by the U.S. Department of State and
also works to build volcano observatory infrastructure in other
countries that are subject to volcanic disasters. Through VDAP,
the USGS and its partners gain experience with a broad spectrum
of volcano behavior and participate in disaster response and
mitigation activities in a variety of physical and cultural
settings, all of which inform and improve our domestic volcano-
response capabilities.
The USGS works closely with other Federal agencies that
contribute to volcano monitoring. The National Science
Foundation has funded installation of geophysical instruments
to detect ground deformation at about a dozen volcanoes for
research projects through its EarthScope Program. Operational
environmental satellites operated by the National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) provide important global
remote-sensing data used by the Volcano Observatories to
complement ground-based networks, NOAA also operates two of
eight Volcanic Ash Advisory Centers (VAAC)--in Washington DC
and in Anchorage, Alaska--that track the dispersion of
volcanic-ash clouds hazardous to aircraft and disseminates this
information to the Federal Aviation Administration, and
commercial and military aircraft to avoid areas that may
contain hazardous volcanic ash particles. The Smithsonian
Institution's Global Volcanism Program supports volcano
monitoring activities by maintaining a comprehensive database
on the eruptive histories of volcanoes throughout the world,
providing data that are critical input to forecasting the
likely future activity of restless volcanoes
rationale for a national volcano early warning and monitoring system
We have learned from hard experience that waiting to deploy
a robust monitoring effort until a hazardous volcano awakens
and an unrest crisis begins means that scientists, civil
authorities, businesses, and citizens are caught in a reactive
mode of ``playing catch up'' with the volcano, trying to get
instruments and civil-defense measures in place before the
unrest escalates and the situation worsens. Precious time and
data are lost in the weeks it can take to deploy a response to
a reawakening volcano time and data that the public needs and
should have to prepare for the hazards they may be confronted
with. At present, 74% of the Nation's moderate or high threat
volcanoes are monitored by the USGS at various levels. Of the
most threatening U.S. volcanoes, approximately half are
monitored with at least basic real-time sensors (primarily
seismic arrays). Of those, the three most active volcanoes in
the U.S. are well monitored in real-time, with a suite of
modern instrument types and methods that provide the ability to
track detailed changes and apply models of ongoing and expected
activity.
Volcanoes do not need to erupt to cause problems. Changes
in a volcano's behavior that are noted by the local
population--such as increased smell of sulfur gases, steaming
at the summit, or felt earthquakes--may cause an over-reaction,
especially if fueled by rumors of an imminent eruption. This
over-reaction may extend beyond the average citizen to
corporations, small businesses, and government agencies.
Without proper instrumentation installed on a volcano, it is
difficult to ascertain whether activity is within the range of
normal background behavior and thus of little concern or
precursory to a significant eruption. In contrast, a well-
instrumented volcano monitored by a local observatory coupled
with an active program of community outreach can quickly
replace rumors and speculation with sound scientific
interpretation of the activity, thereby minimizing social and
economic disruption.
The recent eruption of Redoubt volcano, Alaska,
demonstrates both the utility of monitoring equipment in place
before unrest begins and the usefulness of modern
instrumentation. Redoubt gained notoriety in its 1989-1990
eruption when a fully loaded passenger jet nearly crashed after
its engines were shut down in flight by ingestion of airborne
volcanic particles. Using the basic seismic network largely
unchanged since 1990, along with other observations of subtle
changes in the volcano's baseline behavior, the Alaska Volcano
Observatory detected the onset of unrest and raised the alert
level for Redoubt in November 2008. AVO began monitoring the
unrest closely to determine if activity was likely to escalate,
plateau, or die down, and undertook to improve its monitoring
capability in anticipation of a possible eruption and need for
more data by adding instruments such as GPS, remote cameras,
additional seismometers, and telemetry links. AVO was able to
improve the network over a period of a few months, although the
burdens of weather, winter, and safety concerns prevented
installation of key new instruments that would have provided
information about the subsurface rise of magma into the
volcanic edifice. When the major explosive phase of the
eruption began March 22, 2009, AVO's warnings provided the
public--including air carriers now well aware of the need to
avoid ash-contaminated airspace and an oil terminal in the path
of mudflows produced by the eruption--with enough time to
undertake preparation and mitigation measures. In hindsight, it
was fortunate that Redoubt provided AVO with sufficient time to
improve its monitoring network as much as it did. These
improvements were vital to the successful response to this
eruption.
In 2005 the USGS published ``An Assessment of Volcanic
Threat and Monitoring Capabilities in the United States:
Framework for a National Volcano Early Warning System, NVEWS''
(http://pubs.usgs.gov/of/2005/1164/). The report is a
comprehensive survey of installed instrumentation on the
Nation's volcanoes together with a rigorous ranking of
volcanoes by threats posed to people and assets. This made
possible a ``gap'' analysis, defining the disparity between
priority monitoring as defined by threat potential and existing
monitoring. Aviation hazards carried substantial weight in the
NVEWS assessment. As part of the report, the USGS developed a
methodology for assessing aviation threat on a regional and
local basis at each volcano and determined that about \1/3\ of
U.S. volcanoes represent a high or very high threat to
aviation. Worldwide, numerous instances of fast-moving aircraft
that inadvertently flew into diffuse clouds of tiny volcanic
particles undetected by onboard weather radar have demonstrated
the potentially costly and life-threatening damages that can be
sustained.
The 2005 assessment prioritized volcanic centers where
monitoring improvements should be upgraded: 13 in Washington,
Oregon, and California, 3 in Hawaii, 1 in Wyoming, 28 in Alaska
(where many active volcanoes have no ground-based monitoring
yet pose a significant threat to aviation), and 8 in the
Northern Mariana Islands (also an area with significant hazards
to aviation from unmonitored volcanoes).
The 2005 report also recommended a number of other steps
beyond instrumentation improvements, including easier access to
monitoring data, improved hazard-information products for
decision-makers and the public, enhanced collaboration between
USGS and external researchers, and innovative outreach to help
communities develop risk-wise practices.
Currently, the USGS is authorized to implement all of the
recommendations contained in NVEWS Report under the Stafford
Act. After publication of the initial report in 2005, USGS
began taking steps to implement some of the Report's
recommendations. In 2009, USGS plans to finalize a strategy to
achieve the recommendations of the report. NVEWS-recommended
upgrades planned for the upcoming year include upgrades to
monitoring capabilities at Newberry and Crater Lake volcanoes
in Oregon. Furthermore, $15.2 million in funding under the
American Recovery and Reinvestment Act will be used primarily
to modernize existing monitoring equipment at Kilauea and Mauna
Loa volcanoes in Hawaii, at Anatahan and Sarigan volcanoes in
the Northern Mariana Islands, at Yellowstone Caldera in
Wyoming, and at Spurr, Redoubt and Augustine volcanoes in the
Cook Inlet of Alaska; the software and communication systems
used to transmit data from that equipment also will be
modernized. Additionally, ARRA funds will be used to produce
high-resolution topographic maps of volcanic areas in the
Pacific Northwest that will greatly aid in development of
volcanic-hazard mitigation plans by local communities.
S. 782 would authorize $15 million in additional funding to
implement NVEWS, which has been adopted as USGS policy for
volcano hazards in ``Facing Tomorrow's Challenges--U.S.
Geological Survey Science in the Decade 2007-2017'' (USGS
Circular 1309).
elements of the national volcano early warning and monitoring system
(nvewms)
1. Improved monitoring infrastructure--targeting the
volcanoes that are significantly under-monitored for the
threats posed. This will be done principally in Alaska, Hawaii,
the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, California,
Washington, Oregon, and Wyoming. In addition to installation of
new networks and telemetry, out-dated patchwork monitoring
systems will be modernized.
2. Measures for reduced community vulnerability--supporting
communities in developing plans for mitigating volcanic risk.
As with earthquakes, a key to risk mitigation is preparation.
This means identifying high-risk areas and community
vulnerabilities, creating new hazard-information products, and
continuing to build broad-based hazard awareness.
3. An external grants program--to engage the Nation's
broader scientific community in advancing volcano monitoring
science and technology and the societal aspects of volcanic
risk mitigation. Volcanology is advancing rapidly both through
growing understanding of volcanic processes and through
advances in technology that make possible new kinds of
observations. Many of these advances have occurred through the
National Science Foundation's basic research programs and
through the efforts of USGS scientists. The framework
identifies a need, however, to provide support for engaging the
Nation's nonfederal scientists in applied volcanology, through
a competitive, peer-reviewed grants process to support
investigations complementary to but not duplicative of NSF-
supported research.
4. Volcano Watch Office--for readily available situational
awareness of current volcanic conditions. At present, Volcano
Observatories mount 24/7 responses during eruption crises by
drawing heavily from partners and other observatories, as well
as regular daytime staff, for support. There is a danger of
missing important precursors between such crises. A 24/7 Watch
Office will provide backup to observatories and also serve as a
single point of contact for other federal agencies such as FAA,
NOAA, and the Department of Defense that require situational
awareness around the globe and around the clock.
5. National Volcano Data Center--as a gateway for access to
U.S. volcano data, both within the observatory system and for
the external scientific community. The free exchange of data
both within the observatory system and to the broader
scientific community and public is fundamental to scientific
advancement, risk mitigation, and government transparency.
The USGS will not carry out NVEWMS by itself, but will
build on its long record of successfully partnering with
diverse groups that have expertise and data to share in the
mission of helping people co-exist with dangerous volcanoes.
Our partners range from the international and national levels,
such as with the U.S.A.I.D., the Air Force Weather Agency,
NOAA, and the Federal Aviation Administration to the regional
and local scale with neighboring universities and State
agencies that are part of the structure of the Volcano
Observatories. Using our strategic partnering approach, the
USGS will continue to apply new efforts to implement a National
Volcano Early Warning and Monitoring System.
key outcomes of nvewms implementation
The key outcome of NVEWMS will be to strengthen the
scientific contribution to risk mitigation. Comprehensive
monitoring of the Nation's most hazardous volcanoes, coupled
with greater understanding of volcanic processes, will improve
forecasts of the onset, intensity, duration, and effects of
expected hazards. New hazard-information products and
dissemination methods will be developed by close collaboration
between scientists and users. Timely and accurate warnings to
en-route aircraft will help prevent dangerous encounters with
volcanic ash while minimizing costly unnecessary rerouting of
aircraft. Overall, civil authorities, businesses, and
individuals at risk will have more time and better information
to prepare, ensuring that their ability to respond will not lag
behind the evolving behavior of a volcano. Volcanic unrest does
not always culminate in eruption, and long-term volcano
monitoring will provide sound, ongoing, scientific information
throughout episodes of unrest so that problems related to over-
reacting or under-reacting will be minimized.
More than a network of instruments, NVEWMS will connect the
monitoring and research results of scientists to the needs of
decision-makers at the national to local level so that the
impact of volcanic activity on the Nation is minimized. The
real needs of diverse types of users will be ascertained and
addressed to ensure that scientific advances are effectively
applied in the real world.
conclusion
The USGS appreciates the Committee's support for NVEWS,
which is of the utmost importance to our Nation's ability to
respond successfully to future volcano hazards. We note that
this funding would have to compete with existing priorities
within the USGS. Additionally, we are concerned that the 5-year
management plan required in Section 4 of the proposed
legislation requires pre-decisional budget and planning
information up to five years in advance.
As the Nation continues to face significant threats from
volcanic hazards in the future, the USGS will work to address
the recommendations of the 2005 NVEWS report. The Survey has an
exceptional record, both nationally and internationally, of
scientific accomplishment in applied volcanology and we will
continue to move forward with our efforts to upgrade volcano
monitoring capacity for those areas which have been judged to
be the highest priority.
Mister Chairman, this concludes my remarks. I will be
pleased to answer any questions you may have.
CHANGES IN EXISTING LAW
In compliance with paragraph 12 of rule XXVI of the
Standing Rules of the Senate, the Committee notes that no
changes in existing law are made by the bill S. 782 as ordered
reported.