National Landslide Preparedness Act Reauthorization Act of 2025
The National Landslide Preparedness Act Reauthorization Act of 2025 would reauthorize and broaden the National Landslide Hazards Reduction Program. It expands how landslide hazards are defined and considered by incorporating atmospheric river events and extreme precipitation, and it substantially broadens who is involved in planning, monitoring, and responding to landslide hazards (including Native Hawaiian organizations, Tribal organizations, institutions of higher education, and federal agencies such as NASA). The bill increases funding for the program, strengthens data collection and mapping (notably through 3D elevation work and hydrography), and enhances early warning systems and emergency response capabilities. Overall, it aims to improve national preparedness for landslides driven by climate-related events and related geologic processes, with a stronger emphasis on collaboration across federal, state, local, tribal, and educational partners. Key changes include adding new definitions around atmospheric rivers and extreme precipitation, updating program goals to emphasize dissemination of information and risk reduction, expanding regional partnerships (including Alaska), broadening advisory and interagency participation, and boosting funding to support more robust monitoring, mapping, and early warning efforts.
Key Points
- 1Expanded definitions and cross-agency focus
- 2- Adds definitions for atmospheric river, atmospheric river flooding event, and extreme precipitation event (as used in related flood and weather statutes) and links landslide planning to these phenomena.
- 3- Updates how these events are treated in the Flood Level Observation, Operations, and Decision Support Act and the Landslide program to reflect climate-related rainfall and flooding risks.
- 4Reauthorization and modernization of the National Landslide Hazards Reduction Program
- 5- Renames and expands program provisions to “contribute to protecting” communities and infrastructure from landslide hazards.
- 6- Requires the first national landslide strategy after enactment to assess risks from atmospheric rivers and extreme precipitation.
- 7Expanded stakeholder involvement and authorities
- 8- Adds Native Hawaiian organizations, Tribal organizations, and institutions of higher education as key participants and partners.
- 9- NASA becomes a formal part of the interagency coordinating committee on landslide hazards.
- 10- Advisory committees broaden membership to include Native Hawaiian organizations and related partners.
- 11Data, mapping, and regional partnerships
- 12- Strengthens the National landslide hazards database to identify areas needing more risk assessment, including data-poor areas and regions affected by atmospheric river events.
- 13- Establishes regional partnerships (starting in Alaska and other regions) with eligible partners (organizations or higher-ed institutions with landslide expertise) to coordinate research and monitoring.
- 14Funding and implementation requirements
- 15- Increases funding for the Landslide Preparedness Act activities, with total funding set at $35 million for the section (noting at least $10 million must support landslide early warning systems).
- 16- Updates 3D Elevation Program provisions to include derivatives and to bolster interagency coordination around 3D elevation and hydrography data.
- 17- Makes small but concrete changes to grant programs to include Native Hawaiian organizations and allied groups and to emphasize research, monitoring, and other outputs.