II
112th CONGRESS
1st Session
S. 566
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
March 14, 2011
Ms. Murkowski introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources
A BILL
To provide for the establishment of the National Volcano Early Warning and Monitoring System.
Short title
This Act may be cited as the National
Volcano Early Warning and Monitoring Program Act
.
Definitions
In this Act:
Program
The
term program
means the National Volcano Early Warning and
Monitoring Program established under section 3(a).
Secretary
The
term Secretary
means the Secretary of the Interior.
National volcano early warning and monitoring program
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
.
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.
Purposes
The purposes of the program are—
to monitor and study volcanoes and volcanic activity throughout the United States at a level commensurate with the threat posed by each volcano; and
to warn and protect people and property from undue and avoidable harm from volcanic activity.
Management
Management plan
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.
Inclusions
The management plan shall include—
annual cost estimates of—
operating the program; and
updating the data collection, monitoring, and analysis systems;
annual standards and performance goals; and
recommendations for establishing new, or enhancing existing, partnerships with State agencies or universities.
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.
Coordination with other Federal agencies
The Secretary shall 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 Administration; and
the Director of the Federal Emergency Management Administration.
Grant program
In general
The Secretary may establish a competitive grant program to support research and monitoring of volcanic activities in furtherance of this Act.
Cost-sharing requirement
The non-Federal share of the total cost of an activity provided assistance under this subsection shall be 25 percent.
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.
Authorization of appropriations
There are authorized to be appropriated to carry out this Act $15,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2012 through 2022.