,i #aaith ,,congress #ast ,session ,h4 ,r4 #cgga ,,in ,,the ,,house ,,of ,,representatives ,june #e1 #bjbe,mr4 ,kean introduced the following bill2 which was referred to the ,committee on ,science1 ,space1 and ,technology ,a ,,bill ,to increase observations1 understanding1 and forecasting of coastal flooding and storm surge events1 to address weather observation gaps in highly vulnerable areas1 and for other purposes4 #a4 ,short title ,this ,act may be cited as the ,protecting ,coasts and ,cities from ,severe ,weather ,act4 #b4 ,coastal flooding and storm surge forecast improvement program 7a7 ,in general ,the ,under ,secretary of ,commerce for ,oceans and ,atmosphere 7in this ,act referred to as the ,under ,secretary71 in collaboration with the ,united ,states weather industry 7as such term is defined in section #b of the ,weather ,research and ,forecasting ,innovation ,act of #bjag 7#ae ,u4,s4,c4 #heja77 and academic partners1 shall establish a coastal flooding and storm surge forecast improvement program 7in this section refer to as the program74 7b7 ,goal ,the goal of the program shall be to reduce the loss of life or property from coastal flooding1 including high tide flooding1 and storm surge events through the development and extension of accurate1 effective1 actionable1 and probable forecasts and warnings4 7c7 ,priority ,in implementing the program1 the ,under ,secretary shall prioritize activities that carry out the following3 7#a7 ,improve understanding and capacity for real-time operational prediction of the ocean's role in coastal flooding1 including high tide flooding1 and storm surge events4 7#b7 ,improve the capacity to mitigate1 adapt to1 or prevent the impacts of coastal flooding1 including high tide flooding1 and storm surge events1 including by improving the understanding and capacity of coastal communities to perceive1 comprehend1 and respond to forecast information4 7#c7 ,incorporating data from in situ distributed sensors into predictive models and re-analyses4 7#d7 ,developing probabilistic coastal flooding1 including high tide flooding1 and storm surge estimates to complement worst-case scenario estimates1 including for use in long-term planning and risk management by ,states1 ,tribal governments1 localities1 and emergency managers in coordination with the ,federal ,emergency ,management ,agency1 as appropriate4 7#e7 ,establishing skill metrics for coastal inundation forecasting that quantify the benefits of dynamical modeling1 data assimilation1 and machine learning improvements in the probabilistic forecast of coastal flooding1 including high tide flooding1 and storm surge risk and impacts4 7#f7 ,improving operational regional storm surge models and1 in collaboration with the ,united ,states ,geological ,survey1 wave prediction models to enhance probabilistic guidance and messaging4 7d7 ,innovative observations and modeling ,the ,under ,secretary shall ensure the program periodically examines1 tests1 and evaluates the value of incorporating enhanced model physics1 hybrid dynamical or machine learning based prediction systems1 and innovative observations1 such as novel sensor technologies1 observation networks1 crewed or uncrewed systems1 and hosted instruments on commercial aircrafts1 vessels1 and satellites1 with respect to the improvement of coastal flooding1 including high tide flooding1 and storm surge forecasts1 predictions1 and warnings4 7e7 ,program plan ,not later than #ahj days after the date of the enactment of this ,act1 the ,under ,secretary shall develop a plan that details the specific research1 development1 data acquisition1 and technology transfer activities1 as well as corresponding resources and timelines1 necessary to achieve the goal of the program under subsection 7b74 7f7 ,annual budget for plan submission ,after the development of the plan pursuant to subsection 7e71 the ,under ,secretary shall1 not less frequently than annually1 submit to ,congress a proposed budget corresponding with the activities identified in such plan4 #c4 ,data voids in highly vulnerable areas of the ,united ,states 7a7 ,in general ,the ,under ,secretary1 in coordination with the ,director of the ,national ,weather ,service and the ,administrator of the ,federal ,emergency ,management ,agency1 in consultation with the ,united ,states weather industry1 academic partners1 and in accordance with activities implemented through existing regional atmospheric1 coastal1 ocean1 and ,great ,lakes observing systems1 shall carry out activities to ensure equitable and comprehensive weather observation coverage1 impact-based decision support services1 and emergency information sharing in the ,united ,states1 including the following3 7#a7 ,identifying regions in the ,united ,states and the territories of the ,united ,states that are under-observed or highly vulnerable to weather impacts that threaten human life1 health1 and the economy4 7#b7 ,identifying any challenges that contribute to the lack of operations under paragraph 7#a74 7#c7 ,increasing weather observations and developing new weather observational capabilities1 such as urban heat island mapping campaigns1 with respect to the regions identified under paragraph 7#a74 7#d7 ,establishing or supporting testbeds and deployments of decision-support services to ,federal1 ,state1 and local emergency operations centers to develop and integrate new weather1 water1 and climate observation or emergency information sharing tools1 with respect to the regions identified under paragraph 7#a74 7#e7 ,to the maximum extent practicable1 advancing weather and water forecasting and climate modeling capabilities for the regions identified under paragraph 7#a74 7#f7 ,undertaking workforce development efforts for emergency management officials and meteorologists in the regions identified under paragraph 7#a74 7#g7 ,using data-void-filling observations to better resolve extreme rainfall in complex topography4 7#h7 ,contributing to a national integrated heat health information system4 7b7 ,interagency partnership ,to support pilot projects ,in carrying out this section1 the ,under ,secretary1 acting through the ,director of the ,national ,weather ,service and the ,administrator of the ,federal ,emergency ,management ,agency1 shall establish an interagency partnership to support pilot projects that accelerate coordination and use of localized weather data in infrastructure and emergency management decisions by ,federal1 ,state1 and local officials4 7c7 ,priority ,at least one pilot project under subsection 7b7 shall address key science challenges to using mesonet data in local decision making and development of new tools and training for owners and operators of critical infrastructure 7as such term is defined in section #ajaf7;e7 of ,public ,law #ajg-ef 7#db ,u4,s4,c4 #eaie;c7e7771 such as dams1 energy generation and distribution facilities1 nuclear power plants1 and transportation networks4