To require the Under Secretary of Commerce for Oceans and Atmosphere to maintain the National Mesonet Program, and for other purposes.
Sponsors
Legislative Progress
ReportedReported by Mr. Cruz, without amendment
Mr. Schatz (for himself and Mr. Marshall) introduced the following …
Summary
What This Bill Does
Codifies and expands NOAAs National Mesonet Program, which collects dense environmental data from commercial, academic, and local networks to improve weather forecasting. Emphasizes soil moisture monitoring and boundary-layer data for agricultural and flood predictions.
Who Benefits and How
- Farmers and agricultural producers receive better drought and weather forecasts for planting and harvesting decisions
- Emergency managers and the public get improved flood warnings and severe weather nowcasts
- Commercial weather data providers gain formal partnership with NOAA for data integration
Who Bears the Burden and How
- NOAA must maintain and expand the program, integrating more data sources annually
- Federal taxpayers fund the expanded environmental monitoring infrastructure
Key Provisions
- NOAA must maintain National Mesonet Program with focus on atmospheric, drought, fire, and water events
- Prioritizes leveraging commercial, academic, and non-federal environmental data
- Requires coordination with satellite data services and integration of soil moisture sensors
Evidence Chain:
This summary is derived from the structured analysis below. See "Detailed Analysis" for per-title beneficiaries/burden bearers with clause-level evidence links.
Primary Purpose
Requires NOAA to maintain the National Mesonet Program for improving weather, flood, and agricultural forecasts through enhanced environmental monitoring
Policy Domains
Legislative Strategy
"Improve forecast accuracy by expanding environmental data collection partnerships"
Bill Structure & Actor Mappings
Who is "The Secretary" in each section?
- "under_secretary"
- → Under Secretary of Commerce for Oceans and Atmosphere
We use a combination of our own taxonomy and classification in addition to large language models to assess meaning and potential beneficiaries. High confidence means strong textual evidence. Always verify with the original bill text.
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