Bill > S324

This bill, called the "Smarter Weather Forecasting for Water Management, Farming, and Ranching Act of 2025", requires the Under Secretary of Commerce for Oceans and Atmosphere to establish at least two pilot projects within the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to improve subseasonal to seasonal weather forecasting for water management in the western United States and agriculture nationwide. The pilot projects aim to address key scientific challenges, including improving operational model resolution, understanding atmospheric dynamics, predicting atmospheric rivers, enhancing air-sea interaction modeling, and refining observations of land surface and hydrologic cycles. The projects must implement recommendations from a 2020 National Weather Service report, achieve measurable forecast improvements, engage with higher education institutions and existing NOAA entities, and be coordinated across NOAA research and service divisions. The pilot projects are intended to run for five years, with $45 million authorized for appropriation annually from 2025 through 2029, ultimately seeking to provide more accurate and useful weather forecasts for water resource management and agricultural planning.

Transportation and Infrastructure

https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/senate-bill/324/all-info