,,ii  #aafth ,,congress  #b;d ,session  
,s4 #dddd  ,,in ,,the ,,senate ,,of     
,,the ,,united ,,states  ,august #e1    
#bjbj,mr4 ,thune 7for himself and ,mr4  
,rounds7 introduced the following bill2 
which was read twice and referred to the
 ,committee on ,environment and ,public 
,works  ,a ,,bill  ,to require          
installation of a network of soil       
moisture and snowpack monitoring in the 
,upper ,missouri ,river ,basin and to   
establish a pilot program for the       
acquisition and use of data generated by
 that network1 and for other purposes4  
#a4 ,short title ,this ,act may be cited
 as the ,missouri ,river ,basin ,drought
 and ,snowpack ,monitoring ,act4  #b4   
,soil moisture and snowpack monitoring  
7a7 ,installation of network  7#a7 ,in  
general ,in accordance with the         
activities required under section       
#djjc7;a7 of the ,water ,resources      
,reform and ,development ,act of #bjad  
7#abh ,stat4 #acaa2 #acj ,stat4 #afgg71 
and to support the goals of the ,weather

 ,research and ,forecasting ,innovation 
,act of #bjag 7,public ,law #aae-be2    
#aca ,stat4 #ia7 and the ,national      
,integrated ,drought ,information       
,system ,reauthorization ,act of #bjah  
7,public ,law #aae-dbc2 #acb ,stat4     
#eded71 the ,secretary of the ,army     
7referred to in this section as the     
,secretary71 in coordination with the   
,administrator of the ,national ,oceanic
 and ,atmospheric ,administration       
7referred to in this section as the     
,administrator71 the ,chief of the      
,natural ,resources ,conservation       
,service1 the ,director of the ,united  
,states ,geological ,survey1 and the    
,commissioner of ,reclamation1 shall    
continue installation of a network of   
soil moisture and plains snowpack       
monitoring stations and modification of 
existing stations in the ,upper         
,missouri ,river ,basin4  7#b7          
,requirements ,in carrying out          
installation and modification activities
 under paragraph 7#a71 the ,secretary-- 

7,a7 may continue to enter into         
agreements1 including cooperative       
agreements1 with ,state mesonet programs
 for purposes of installing new stations
 or modifying existing stations2  7,b7  
shall transfer ownership and all        
responsibilities for operation and      
maintenance of new stations to the      
respective ,state mesonet program for   
the ,state in which the monitoring      
station is located on completion of     
installation of the station2 and  7,c7  
shall establish1 in consultation with   
the ,administrator1 requirements and    
standards for the installation of new   
stations and modification of existing   
stations to ensure seamless data        
integration into-- 7i7 the ,national    
,mesonet ,program2  7ii7 the ,national  
,coordinated ,soil ,moisture ,network2  
and  7iii7 other relevant networks4  7b7
 ,soil moisture and snowpack monitoring 
pilot program  7#a7 ,in general ,not    
later than #ahj days after the date of  
the enactment of this ,act1 the         

,administrator shall establish a pilot  
program for the acquisition and use of  
data generated by the network described 
in subsection 7a74  7#b7 ,requirements  
,in establishing the pilot program under
 paragraph 7#a71 the ,administrator     
shall-- 7,a7 enter into agreements with 
,state mesonet programs in the ,upper   
,missouri ,river ,basin to acquire data 
generated by the network described in   
subsection 7a7 that-- 7i7 are similar to
 the agreements in effect as of the date
 of the enactment of this ,act with     
,states under the ,national ,mesonet    
,program2 and  7ii7 allow for sharing of
 data with other ,federal agencies and  
with institutions engaged in federally  
supported research1 including the       
,united ,states ,drought ,monitor1 as   
appropriate and feasible2  7,b7 in      
coordination with the ,secretary1 the   
,chief of the ,natural ,resources       
,conservation ,service1 the ,director of
 the ,united ,states ,geological        
,survey1 and the ,commissioner of       

,reclamation1 gather data from the      
operation of the network to inform      
ongoing efforts of the ,national        
,oceanic and ,atmospheric               
,administration in support of-- 7i7 the 
,national ,integrated ,drought          
,information ,system1 including the     
,national ,coordinated ,soil ,moisture  
,monitoring ,network2  7ii7 the ,united 
,states ,drought ,monitor2  7iii7 the   
,national ,water ,model and other       
relevant national modeling efforts2     
7iv7 validation1 verification1 and      
calibration of satellite-based1 in situ1
 and other remote sensing activities and
 output products2  7v7 flood risk and   
water resources monitoring initiatives  
by the ,secretary and the ,commissioner2
 and  7vi7 any other programs or        
initiatives the ,administrator considers
 appropriate2 and  7,c7 at the request  
of ,state mesonet programs1 or as the   
,administrator considers appropriate1   
provide technical assistance to such    
programs under the pilot program under  

paragraph 7#a7 to ensure proper data    
requirements2 and  7,d7 ensure an       
appropriate mechanism for quality       
control and quality assurance is        
employed for the data acquired under the
 pilot program1 such as the             
,meteorological ,assimilation ,data     
,ingest ,system4  7#c7 ,study required  
7,a7 ,in general ,not later than #a year
 after the date of the enactment of this
 ,act1 the ,administrator shall initiate
 a study of the pilot program required  
by paragraph 7#a7 to evaluate the data  
generated by the network described in   
subsection 7a7 and the applications of  
that data to programs and initiatives   
described in paragraph 7#b77;,b74  7,b7 
,elements ,the study required by        
subparagraph 7,a7 shall include an      
assessment of-- 7i7 the contribution of 
the soil moisture1 snowpack1 and other  
relevant data generated by the network  
described in subsection 7a7 to weather1 
subseasonal and seasonal1 and climate   
forecasting products on the local1      

regional1 and national levels2  7ii7 the
 enhancements made to the ,national     
,integrated ,drought ,information       
,system1 the ,national ,water ,model1   
and the ,united ,states ,drought        
,monitor1 and other relevant national   
modeling efforts1 using data and derived
 data products generated by the network2
  7iii7 the contribution of data        
generated by the network to remote      
sensing products and approaches2  7iv7  
the viability of the ownership and      
operational structure of the network2   
and  7v7 any other matters the          
,administrator considers appropriate1 in
 coordination with the ,secretary1 the  
,chief of the ,natural ,resources       
,conservation ,service1 the ,director of
 the ,united ,states ,geological        
,survey1 and the ,commissioner of       
,reclamation4  7#d7 ,report required    
,not later than #d years after the date 
of the enactment of this ,act1 the      
,administrator shall submit to ,congress
 a report-- 7,a7 setting forth the      

findings of the study required by       
paragraph 7#c72 and  7,b7 making        
recommendations based on those findings 
to improve weather1 subseasonal1        
seasonal1 and climate monitoring        
nationally4  7#e7 ,government           
,accountability ,office audit  7,a7 ,in 
general ,not later than #fj days after  
the report required by paragraph 7#d7 is
 submitted1 the ,comptroller ,general of
 the ,united ,states shall conduct an   
audit to evaluate that report and       
determine whether-- 7i7 the             
,administrator1 in conducting the pilot 
program under paragraph 7#a71 has       
utilized the relevant data generated by 
the network described in subsection 7a7 
in the manner most beneficial to the    
programs and initiatives described in   
paragraph 7#b77;,b72  7ii7 the          
acquisition agreements entered into     
under paragraph 7#b77;,a7 with ,state   
mesonet programs fully comply with the  
requirements of that paragraph2 and     
7iii7 the heads of other agencies1      

including the ,secretary1 the ,chief of 
the ,natural ,resources ,conservation   
,service1 the ,director of the ,united  
,states ,geological ,survey1 and the    
,commissioner of ,reclamation1 are      
utilizing the data generated by the     
network to better inform and improve the
 missions of those agencies4  7,b7      
,report required ,not later than #bgj   
days after initiating the audit required
 by subparagraph 7,a71 the ,comptroller 
,general shall submit to ,congress a    
report setting forth the findings of the
 audit4  7c7 ,authorization of          
appropriations  7#a7 ,in general ,there 
are authorized to be appropriated-- 7,a7
 to supplement funds already authorized 
for installation of a network of new    
monitoring stations and modification of 
existing monitoring stations in the     
,upper ,missouri ,river ,basin under    
subsection 7a71 #g1jjj1jjj for each of  
fiscal years #bjba through #bjbe2 and   
7,b7 to the ,administrator to acquire   
under subsection 7b7 data collected by  

the network described in subsection     
7a7-- 7i7 #ejj1jjj for fiscal year      
#bjba2  7ii7 #b1cjj1jjj for fiscal year 
#bjbb2  7iii7 #d1ajj1jjj for fiscal year
 #bjbc2  7iv7 #e1ijj1jjj for fiscal year
 #bjbd2 and  7v7 #g1ijj1jjj for fiscal  
year #bjbe4  7#b7 ,limitation on        
administrative expenses ,not more than  
#b percent of the amounts authorized to 
be appropriated under paragraph         
7#a77;,b7 may be used by the            
,administrator for administrative       
expenses4