The American Institute of Biological Sciences (AIBS) joined 25 other organizations in urging congressional leaders to pass five bipartisan bills to reauthorize federal programs that support weather forecasting, earthquake preparedness, landslide monitoring, volcano monitoring, and tsunami warning systems before the end of the 119th Congress.
In a November 9 letter, the coalition called for final passage of the Weather Act Reauthorization Act (H.R. 5089 / S. 3923), National Earthquake Hazards Reduction Program Reauthorization Act (H.R. 3168 / S. 320), National Landslide Preparedness Act Reauthorization Act (H.R. 2250 / S. 1626), National Volcano Early Warning and Monitoring System Reauthorization Act (H.R. 3176 / S. 1052), and Tsunami Warning, Research, and Education Act (H.R. 4073 / S. 3881).
The organizations noted that the authorizations for all five programs have lapsed, leaving federal agencies operating under outdated mandates. They warned that continued delays create uncertainty for long-term monitoring investments, expansion of early-warning systems, and modernization of aging infrastructure. The letter also emphasized that investments in disaster mitigation and early warning can reduce damage, emergency response costs, and future federal disaster spending.
The coalition urged Congress to bring the bills to the floor and enact them before the current Congress adjourns, providing federal agencies and the communities they serve with the authority and certainty needed to protect lives, property, and infrastructure from natural hazards.
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