National Earthquake Hazards Reduction Program Reauthorization Act of 2018

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (S. 1768) to reauthorize and amend the National Earthquake Hazards Reduction Program, and for other purposes.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and to include extraneous material on S. 1768, the bill now under consideration.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of S. 1768, the National Earthquake Hazards Reduction Program Reauthorization Act of 2018.

The bill before us is the same text of H.R. 6650, the bill I introduced in the House earlier this year to reauthorize a Federal program that improves America's earthquake preparedness, and which the Senate agreed to accept as the final agreement. With a little indulgence, I might then say that this would be the Rohrabacher- Feinstein Earthquake bill. That is the way it goes.

For 40 years the National Earthquake Hazards Reduction Program, NEHRP, has supported efforts to assess and monitor earthquake hazards and risks across our Nation.

Four Federal agencies coordinate their earthquake activities under this program: the U.S. Geological Survey, the National Science Foundation, the Federal Emergency Management Agency, and the National Institute of Standards and Technology. These agencies assess earthquake hazards, deliver notifications of seismic events, develop measures to reduce earthquake hazards, and conduct research to help reduce overall American vulnerability to earthquakes.

The Congress last reviewed and reauthorized the program in 2004, and that law expired in 2009. Although Congress continues to appropriate funds for this important work, the legislation before us makes long overdue changes to modernize the program and make it more effective.

The bill removes outdated language related to earthquake prediction and instead emphasizes the continued development of an earthquake early-warning system. The bill also reduces various administrative burdens for Federal agencies, burdens that are disruptive to the essential mission of the program. Our approach also improves data sharing between these agencies.

Finally, the legislation provides a 5-year authorization for appropriations at the current funding level.

In my home State of California, we understand the omnipresent threat of another massive earthquake. According to the USGS, California has a 99 percent chance of being devastated by a magnitude 6.7 earthquake, or an even larger one, in the next 30 years. That is the same power as the 1994 Northridge earthquake which killed 57 people, injured more than 8,700 others, and caused damages of up to $50 billion, making it one of the costliest disasters in American history.

California is not alone. Close to 75 million people in 39 States face significant risk from earthquakes. By being prepared for future disasters we reduce our potential loss of life and property for those who would suffer those consequences.

I want to thank Senators Dianne Feinstein and Lisa Murkowski who introduced this bill in the Senate, as well as Representative Pramila Jayapal who joined me in introducing the bill in this House. I want to thank the leadership of the House Natural Resources Committee and the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee for working with us to bring this bill to the floor. Although the Science, Space, and Technology Committee has primary jurisdiction and we were given superb leadership by our current chairman, these committees and the Committee on Science, Space, and Technology do share jurisdiction over the agencies in this program.

Mr. Speaker, let me again express my deep appreciation for the leadership on the other side of the aisle, but especially now that we are going to be losing our chairman, for the great job that he has done as chairman of the Science, Space, and Technology Committee.

Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

House of Representatives, Committee on Science, Space,

and Technology,

Washington, DC, October 29, 2018.

Hon. Rob Bishop,

Chairman, Committee on Natural Resources,

House of Representatives, Washington, DC.

Dear Mr. Chairman: I am writing concerning S. 1768, the

``National Earthquake Hazards Reduction Program

Reauthorization Act of 2018,'' which was referred to the

Committee on Science, Space, and Technology, and additionally

to the Committee on Natural Resources, on September 28, 2018.

Although your Committee has a valid jurisdictional interest

in certain provisions of S. 1768, I ask that you discharge

the Natural Resources Committee from further consideration of

this measure to permit the Committee on Science, Space, and

Technology to proceed expeditiously to floor consideration of

this bill. I ask that you do so with the understanding that

your Committee does not waive any future jurisdictional claim

over the subject matter contained in the bill that fall

within its Rule X jurisdiction.

Finally, I will support an appropriate appointment of

outside conferees from your Committee in the event of a

House-Senate conference on this legislation and will include

our exchange of letters on S. 1768 into the Congressional

Record during floor consideration of this bill.

Thank you again for your cooperation.

Sincerely,

Lamar Smith,

Chairman.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Smith), who is the chairman of the Science, Space, and Technology Committee.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time.

We Californians know what suffering happens when you are unprepared for a wildfire. We have learned that lesson very tragically just recently. There is no need for us to suffer by being unprepared for the next earthquake. That is what this is all about.

I thank my colleagues on the other side of the aisle and especially thank the chairman for the fact that we have worked together in a way that is really going to have a positive impact on so many people by preventing them from having to suffer what we have seen recently in the wildfires in California.

Mr. Speaker, although there is often disagreement in the people's House, we should never overlook those many areas of concurrence.

There are those who believe that human activity, for example, is causing a cataclysmic jump in the temperature of the planet. Others, however, disagree with this analysis and, thus, oppose policies that restrict human activities and drive up the cost of living a decent life. This issue has been a tumultuous division.

However, there are so many other areas in which we can and will focus on, not just in terms of what our committee does, but on which we have a wide acceptance on where precautionary measures are justified and needed. Research in understanding how buildings, bridges, and other infrastructure react to earthquakes is an example of something that I expect that we all agree on. We can see that even here in this debate.

I will not be here next year, but I wanted to mention just a few other science-related areas where bipartisan action could be effective and where the costs of prevention are minimal as compared to the potential damage. These are things that we have worked on but have not come to a conclusion. Both the chairman and I won't be here next year, but I thought I would mention them.

For example, I hope there can be real progress made in the next few years when it comes to the protection of our planet from astroids and comets, which have caused massive damage--even extinction--over the last 250 million years. Although we are searching in space near and far for these objects now, we have not organized or put in place the means to divert them or eliminate a threatening object when it is observed heading in our direction.

Another common ground issue should be protecting our space assets from orbital debris, which is basically a man-made minefield in space. We rely on our space-based assets for defense, science, farming, a huge portion of our commerce, and even for navigating your car to a local market. There are many other plans for new satellite constellations and new expectations for increased numbers of people visiting space.

Thus, we will be expanding, hopefully, observation and monitoring of what is going on with the planet for the benefit of the people of the planet. But none of these uses of space will ever be put to work for bettering our lives unless we deal with the debris issue. If we are not protecting our space-based assets, we are risking our future, our way of life, our security, and our prosperity.

I am sorry we did not get this done. It was a bipartisan effort. We just didn't get that, among all the things we were working on this Congress. But I hope the next Congress will succeed and will focus on those two issues where we can cooperate in a very bipartisan way.

Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to support the moving forward of S. 1768, the National Earthquake Hazards Reduction Program Reauthorization Act of 2018.

May we always be prepared to deal with natural disasters, thus protecting our people from needless tragedies. We will always live with the potential of a severe earthquake, but we can minimize the loss and suffering. That is what we are doing here with this legislation.

Mr. Speaker, I look forward to the bill being signed into law by the President by the end of the year, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to support S. 1768 to reauthorize the National Earthquake Hazards Reduction Program.

I want to thank Senators Feinstein and Murkowski for developing this good legislation. I also would like to thank my colleagues, Representatives Rohrabacher and Jayapal, for introducing a House companion, and the chairs and ranking members of the authorizing committees for working to arrive at the consensus legislation we are considering today.

The years 1964 and 1994 mark two of the worst earthquakes in U.S. history. Hundreds of people lost their lives, and thousands sustained injuries in these earthquakes that hit Alaska and the Northridge neighborhood of Los Angeles.

Economic losses were in the billions of dollars resulting from earthquakes and tsunamis. While our Nation has been in the path of many disastrous natural events lately, we have been spared from a big earthquake for many years. But we should not become complacent, because another big earthquake will happen, and the human and economic toll will be felt far beyond the immediate disaster zone.

S. 1768 makes Federal investments in research and preparedness activities that will help mitigate earthquake risks for Americans from coast to coast. Specifically, S. 1768 reauthorizes funding for the National Institute of Standards and Technology, the National Science Foundation, the U.S. Geological Survey, and the Federal Emergency Management Agency to continue to carry out research and other activities under the NEHRP program.

Under NEHRP, NSF and USGS carry out fundamental research in the earth sciences. Both agencies have extensive networks of instrumentation that record seismic activity and advance our understanding of the onset, propagation, and intensity of earthquakes. Such research helps advance our early-warning capability and helps communities make informed decisions for earthquake preparation.

NIST is the lead agency for NEHRP and also carries out applied research that provides the scientific basis for earthquake resilient building codes and design guidelines. This bill aims to help communities survive a catastrophic event and continue with critical operations, such as emergency services, utilities, and communication networks.

FEMA provides earthquake training and awareness to States and territories and assists communities in creating seismic mitigation plans in the event of a high-impact earthquake. These activities are invaluable in preparing communities for an earthquake and its aftermath.

The last NEHRP reauthorization was nearly 15 years ago, and the authorizing law needs several updates to ensure it is keeping pace with the state of the science on earthquakes and translating that science into saving lives and property.

The bill before us today includes those much-needed updates and, importantly, provides NEHRP agencies with the needed authority to continue these investments with greater budgetary certainty for the next 5 years.

I appreciate my colleagues working on this bill in a bipartisan fashion in the House and Senate, and I urge support for this bill.

Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests for time, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, first of all, I want to thank the gentleman from California, my friend and colleague, for yielding me time.

Mr. Speaker, I support S. 1768, the National Earthquake Hazards Reduction Program Reauthorization Act of 2018.

The final text of the legislation we are considering today was first introduced by Representative Dana Rohrabacher as H.R. 6650 in August. Representative Rohrabacher, an active and valued senior member of the Science, Space, and Technology Committee, led efforts to improve the original Senate bill and authorize some additional funding to advance earthquake monitoring and early-warning systems that are critical to his home State of California.

It has been 15 years since the Earthquake Hazards Reduction Program was last reauthorized. This legislation modernizes earthquake safety programs

that help States prepare for and respond to earthquakes.

The National Earthquake Hazards Reduction Program Reauthorization Act is a result of bipartisan collaboration and work with the relevant agencies, congressional committees, private sector and State agency stakeholders.

I want to thank Representative Rohrabacher for his initiative on moving the bill forward and working across the aisle and across the Capitol with Senator Dianne Feinstein to get it across the finish line.

I also want to congratulate him for his 30 years of service to the House Science, Space, and Technology Committee; the Congress; and his constituents. Since joining the committee in 1989, he has been a dedicated advocate for our Nation's space exploration programs, energy research and innovation, and preparing our Nation for natural hazards.

I encourage my colleagues to support S. 1768 and send it to the President's desk.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of S. 1768, the National Earthquake Hazards Reduction Program Reauthorization Act. This bill will reauthorize seismological research and warning systems through Fiscal Year 2022.

Congress established the National Earthquake Hazards Reduction Program (NEHRP) to carry out a longterm, inter-agency earthquake research program. NEHRP focuses on earthquake warning, hazard reduction, and minimizing loss after earthquakes. Earthquake early warning systems can provide several additional seconds of warning before the strongest ground shaking arrives, enough to save lives and protect critical infrastructure.

In Northwest Oregon, it is not a question of if, but when, an earthquake along the Cascadia Subduction Zone will hit our state. The U.S. Geological Survey, in collaboration with the University of Oregon, the University of Washington, Caltech, and University of California, Berkley, developed ShakeAlert, an early earthquake warning system. The technology has been tested and is proven to work effectively. Federal investments in these programs are critical. Although it is difficult if not impossible to know when and where the next large earthquake will occur, we must do everything that we can to prepare ourselves and our communities to mitigate destruction and save lives. Reauthorizing NEHRP is an important step in recognizing the science behind earthquakes and other natural disasters such as tsunamis and landslides.

I urge my colleagues to support this bill.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to the immediate consideration of Calendar No. 568, S. 1768.

Mr. President, I further ask that the committee-reported substitute be withdrawn, the Feinstein substitute amendment at desk be considered and agreed to, the bill, as amended, be read a third time and passed, and the motions to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table with no intervening action or debate.