Geoscience Policy Monthly Review
july 2014
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natural hazards
Senate discusses wildfire funding at Energy and Natural Resources hearing
July 15, 2014
The Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee held a hearing on July 15 to discuss wildfire funding issues and examine more effective ways to prevent wildfires. Annual U.S. Forest Service (USFS) expenditures on wildfire management have more than tripled since 1991.
Witness Thomas Tidwell, Chief of the USFS, noted that the length of the wildfire season has increased by more than two months since the 1970s and the number of large wildfires, sometimes referred to as “mega-fires,” has grown due to increased temperatures and early snow melts in recent years. Mr. Tidwell highlighted the dangers of extreme wildfires, pointing out the negative effects on the water table and air supply.
Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) testified to the potential benefits of the Wildfire Disaster Funding Act (WDFA) of 2013 (S. 1875), introduced by Sen. Ron Wyden (D-OR) and co-sponsored by Sen. Feinstein. The WDFA would categorize mega-fires as natural disasters and qualify their suppression for emergency management funding. This would allow USFS to focus more money on wildfire prevention techniques.
Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) also testified at the hearing and highlighted the potential benefits of the Federal Land Assistance, Management, and Enhancement (FLAME) Act Amendments of 2013 (S. 2953). The FLAME Act would focus more funds towards forest thinning, which Sen. McCain stated would reduce the risk of larger wildfires by removing unhealthy forests.
The committee will continue to hear testimony on both bills.
Source: Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources
Senate Indian Affairs Committee holds hearing on natural disaster response in Indian country
July 30, 2014
The Senate Indian Affairs committee held a hearing on July 30 to discuss responses to natural disasters on tribal lands. The hearing analyzed the effects of past legislation on tribal responses to disasters, and the work the federal government has done in coordination with tribal governments to mitigate natural disasters.
Elizabeth Zimmerman of the Federal Emergency Management Association (FEMA) Office of Response and Recovery highlighted the Sandy Recovery Improvement Act of 2013 (SRIA). Under SRIA, tribal governments now have the ability to request disaster declarations directly from the President. Previously, the law required tribes to work through state governments to make declarations, which significantly slowed down the process according to Chairman Jon Tester (D-MT).
Ms. Zimmerman underscored FEMA’s appointment of tribal liaison officers who work directly with Indian nations to develop the best ways to respond to natural disasters. Senators Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) and Maria Cantwell (D-WA)both suggested FEMA work more toward including tribal input in disaster response plans.
Witnesses also emphasized areas where the federal government could improve. Jake Heflin of the Tribal Emergency Management Association (TEMA) pointed out that the National Response Framework does not provide a primary federal lead for disaster mitigation in Indian country, and stated that support needs to come from FEMA, the Bureau of Indian Affairs, and other relevant federal agencies. Matt Gregory, Executive Director of Risk Management for the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma, stressed the need for increased tribal representation on federal committees dedicated to dealing with natural disasters.
Source: Senate Indian Affairs Committee
Senate subcommittee examines future of the National Flood Insurance Program
July 23, 2014
The Senate Homeland Security Appropriations Subcommittee held a hearing on July 23 to discuss the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP), which is up for reauthorization in 2017. The NFIP provides homeowners in participating communities the opportunity to purchase insurance against flood losses. The program, however, faces substantial solvency issues, with over $1 trillion in loss exposure and $24 billion in debt to the federal treasury. The hearing covered recent changes to legislation aimed at increasing the NFIP’s solvency and plans to update Flood Insurance Rate Maps (FIRMs) across the country.
Congress passed the Biggert-Waters Flood Insurance Act of 2012 to help create a more stable funding structure for the NFIP through increased premiums, among other things, but delayed changes by passing the Homeowner Flood Insurance Affordability Act of 2014. Sen. Robert Menendez (D-NJ) praised the recent legislation because it protects his constituents, many of whom live and work in flood-prone places.
Members expressed particular concern over slow progress on updating FIRMs that identify flood hazards in individual communities. Gathering data and getting community approval for the maps proves to be a time-consuming and expensive process. Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Administrator Craig Fugate said that roughly half of FEMA’s maps are “correct with good data,” but doubts that map updates will be complete by 2017. Sen. Mary Landrieu (D-LA) agreed, saying “it’s basic data you have to have,” but expressed frustration at delays in producing the maps.
Sources: E&E News, Federal Emergency Management Agency, Senate Appropriations Committee
President Obama announces 3D Elevation Program
July 16, 2014
President Obama announced the launch of the 3D Elevation Program (3DEP) on July 16. The 3D Elevation Program, a partnership program led by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), aims to map the lower 48 states, Hawaii, and the U.S. territories with a laser technology called lidar (light detection and ranging) in an eight-year period. Alaska will be mapped with a technology called ifsar (interferometric synthetic aperture radar), which better maps terrain through cloud cover. The President requested $13.1 million for the 3DEP program in his fiscal year (FY) 2015 budget request.
The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) are primary partners in 3DEP, but the National Enhanced Elevation Assessment estimates that 34 federal agencies would benefit from using the resulting data. The assessment predicts that 3DEP has the potential to generate $13 billion in new benefits annually through applications that include flood risk management, precision agriculture, and aviation safety. USGS and its partners plan to collect data for areas at high risk for natural disasters on a continuing basis.
Data from 3DEP is considered highly accurate, with resolution two or three times better than average existing data. This improved accuracy is important to better identify flood risks, landslide hazards, and coastal erosion. In the past, lidar data has been a critical tool for USGS scientists; for instance, it allowed them to identify a surface rupture of a fault that led to the redesign of a $735 million bridge over Washington’s Tacoma Narrows. Newer, more accurate data from 3DEP could allow for similar successes.
USGS held a congressional briefing on July 25 to explain the goals and applications of 3DEP.
Sources: U.S. Geological Survey, White House
House subcommittee hearing on the National Earthquake Hazards Reduction Program
July 29, 2014
A subcommittee of the House Science, Space, and Technology Committee met on July 29 to review the National Earthquake Hazards Reduction Program (NEHRP). Committee members and witnesses agreed that reauthorization for NEHRP, which expired in 2009, is critical. Witnesses explained that NEHRP would be more effective if it was authorized, not just implied through appropriations, and emphasized that although earthquakes are inevitable, their effects are not.
Ranking Member Daniel Lipinski (D-IL) inquired about the involvement of social science in earthquake preparation and response. Roy Wright from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) explained that the biggest weakness in earthquake mitigation is the public’s poor understanding of risk and belief that bad things won’t happen to them.
Many members of the committee asked how the United States compares to countries like Japan and New Zealand in earthquake preparedness. Witnesses explained that most American building codes are similar to these other countries, but that there are many old buildings in the United States that could be destroyed in a similar fashion to the destruction of Christchurch, New Zealand, in the 2011 earthquake.
Rep. Chris Collins (R-NY) spoke in support of an earthquake early warning system. David Applegate from the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) agreed and elaborated that there were very few fatalities from the actual Tōhoku earthquake that took place off the coast of Japan in 2011 because an earthquake early warning system was in effect. Dr. Applegate noted that there are plans for implementing an earthquake early warning system for the West Coast of the United States.
Sources: House Science, Space, and Technology Committee