LegisTrack
Back to all bills
HR 3176119th CongressIn Committee

To amend the John D. Dingell, Jr. Conservation, Management, and Recreation Act to reauthorize the National Volcano Early Warning and Monitoring System.

Introduced: May 5, 2025
Sponsor: Rep. Begich, Nicholas [R-AK-At Large] (R-Alaska)
Environment & Climate
Standard Summary
Comprehensive overview in 1-2 paragraphs

This bill would reauthorize the National Volcano Early Warning and Monitoring System (NVEWS) under the John D. Dingell, Jr. Conservation, Management, and Recreation Act, extending its authorization for 2026 through 2030 (replacing the prior 2019–2023 and 2023–2024 windows). It also changes which federal offices oversee different parts of the program: the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) portion would be overseen by the designated Secretary (i.e., the cabinet secretary responsible for the relevant agency, typically the Secretary of the Interior for USGS), and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) portion would be overseen by the Secretary of Commerce. In short, the bill keeps the volcano monitoring program in federal operation, updates the length of authorization, and adjusts the administrative oversight to align with cabinet-level responsibilities.

Key Points

  • 1Reauthorization period extended to 2026 through 2030 for the National Volcano Early Warning and Monitoring System.
  • 2Administrative oversight changes:
  • 3- USGS portion: oversight shifted from “United States Geological Survey” to “Secretary” (reflecting cabinet-level responsibility, generally the Interior Secretary in practice).
  • 4- NOAA portion: oversight shifted from “National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration” to the “Secretary of Commerce.”
  • 5The bill amends Section 5001(c) of the Dingell Act to implement these changes.
  • 6The bill maintains the core purpose: continue federal support for volcano monitoring and early warning to protect lives, property, and infrastructure near volcanoes.
  • 7Status and procedural notes: Introduced May 5, 2025, referred to the Committee on Natural Resources; later actions reflected in the September 15, 2025 committee and printing records.

Impact Areas

Primary affected groups/areas:- Communities and emergency management in volcanic regions that rely on federal early-warning systems.- Federal agencies (USGS and NOAA, via the Department of Interior and Department of Commerce respectively) and their program managers.Secondary affected groups/areas:- State and local governments coordinating with federal volcano monitoring and warnings.- Researchers and scientists working on volcanic hazards and monitoring technologies.Additional impacts:- Budget and funding implications for the federal agencies involved (no specific funding amounts are provided in the text; reauthorization typically accompanies baseline funding or authorization for continued operation).- Interagency coordination and potential changes in administrative lines of authority due to the cabinet-level oversight changes.
Generated by gpt-5-nano on Oct 7, 2025