USC Subchapter III

USC Subchapter III
in effect

7 U.S.C. § 5851 Short title and purposes

(a) Short titleThis subchapter may be cited as the “National Agricultural Weather Information System Act of 1990”. (b) PurposesThe purposes of this subchapter are—(1) to provide a nationally coordinated agricultural weather information system, based on the participation of universities, State programs, Federal agencies, and the private weather consulting sector, and aimed at meeting the weather and climate information needs of agricultural producers; (2) to facilitate the collection, organization, and dissemination of advisory weather and climate information relevant to agricultural producers, through the participation of the private sector and otherwise; (3) to provide for research and education on agricultural weather and climate information, aimed at improving the quality and quantity of weather and climate information available to agricultural producers, including research on short-term forecasts of thunderstorms and on extended weather forecasting techniques and models; (4) to encourage, where feasible, greater private sector participation in providing agricultural weather and climate information, to encourage private sector participation in educating and training farmers and others in the proper utilization of agricultural weather and climate information, and to strengthen their ability to provide site-specific weather forecasting for farmers and the agricultural sector in general; and (5) to ensure that the weather and climate data bases needed by the agricultural sector are of the highest scientific accuracy and thoroughly documented, and that such data bases are easily accessible for remote computer access.

7 U.S.C. § 5852 Agricultural Weather Office

(a) Establishment of Office and administration of system(1) Establishment requiredThe Secretary of Agriculture shall establish in the Department of Agriculture an Agricultural Weather Office to plan and administer the National Agricultural Weather Information System. The system shall be comprised of the office established under this section and the activities of the State agricultural weather information systems described in section 5854 of this title. (2) DirectorThe Secretary shall appoint a Director to manage the activities of the Agricultural Weather Office and to advise the Secretary on scientific and programmatic coordination for climate, weather, and remote sensing. (b) AuthorityThe Secretary, acting through the Office, may undertake the following activities to carry out this subchapter:(1) Enter into cooperative projects with the National Weather Service to—(A) support operational weather forecasting and observation useful in agriculture; (B) sponsor joint workshops to train agriculturalists about the optimum utilization of agricultural weather and climate data; (C) jointly develop improved computer models and computing capacity; and (D) enhance the quality and availability of weather and climate information needed by agriculturalists. (2) Obtain standardized weather observation data collected in near real time through State agricultural weather information systems. (3) Make, through the National Institute of Food and Agriculture, competitive grants under subsection (c) for research in atmospheric sciences and climatology. (4) Make grants to eligible States under section 5854 of this title to plan and administer State agricultural weather information systems. (5) Coordinate the activities of the Office with the weather and climate research activities of the National Institute of Food and Agriculture, the National Academy of Sciences, the National Science Foundation Atmospheric Services Program, and the National Climate Program. (6) Encourage private sector participation in the National Agricultural Weather Information System through mutually beneficial cooperation with the private sector, particularly in generating weather and climatic data useful for site-specific agricultural weather forecasting. (c) Competitive grants program(1) Grants authorizedWith funds allocated to carry out this subsection, the Secretary of Agriculture may make grants to State agricultural experiment stations, all colleges and universities, other research institutions and organizations, Federal agencies, private organizations and corporations, and individuals to carry out research in all aspects of atmospheric sciences and climatology that can be shown to be important in both a basic and developmental way to understanding, forecasting, and delivering agricultural weather information. (2) Competitive basisGrants made under this subsection shall be made on a competitive basis. (d) PriorityIn selecting among applications for grants under subsection (c), the Secretary shall give priority to proposals which emphasize—(1) techniques and processes that relate to weather-induced agricultural losses, and to improving the advisory information on weather extremes such as drought, floods, freezes, and storms well in advance of their actual occurrence; (2) the improvement of site-specific weather data collection and forecasting; or (3) the impact of weather on economic and environmental costs in agricultural production.

7 U.S.C. § 5854 State agricultural weather information systems

(a) Advisory program grants(1) Grants requiredWith funds allocated to carry out this section, the Secretary of Agriculture shall make grants to not fewer than 10 eligible States to plan and administer, in cooperation with persons described in paragraph (2), advisory programs for State agricultural weather information systems. (2) Persons describedThe persons referred to in paragraph (1) are the Director of the Agricultural Weather Office, the Director of the National Institute of Food and Agriculture, and other persons as appropriate (such as the directors of the appropriate State agricultural experiment stations and State extension programs). (b) ConsultationFor purposes of selecting among applications submitted by States for grants under this section, the Secretary shall consult with the Director. (c) Eligibility requirementsTo be eligible to receive a grant under this section, the chief executive officer of a State shall submit to the Secretary an application that contains—(1) assurances that the State will expend such grant to plan and administer a State agricultural weather system that will—(A) collect observational weather data throughout the State and provide such data to the National Weather Service and the Agricultural Weather Office; (B) develop methods for packaging information received from the national system for use by agricultural producers (with State Cooperative Extension Services and the private sector to serve as the primary conduit of agricultural weather forecasts and climatic information to producers); and (C) develop programs to educate agricultural producers on how to best use weather and climate information to improve management decisions; and (2) such other assurances and information as the Secretary may require by rule.

7 U.S.C. § 5855 Funding

(a) Allocation of funds(1) Cooperative workNot less than 15 percent and not more than 25 percent of the funds appropriated for a fiscal year to carry out this subchapter shall be used for cooperative work with the National Weather Service entered into under section 5852(b)(1) of this title. (2) Competitive grants programNot less than 15 percent and not more than 25 percent of such funds shall be used by the National Institute of Food and Agriculture for a competitive grants program under section 5852(c) of this title. (3) Weather information systemsNot less than 25 percent and not more than 35 percent of such funds shall be divided equally between the participating States selected for that fiscal year under section 5854 of this title. (4) Other purposesThe remaining funds shall be allocated for use by the Agricultural Weather Office and the National Institute of Food and Agriculture in carrying out generally the provisions of this subchapter. (b) Limitations on use of fundsFunds provided under the authority of this subchapter shall not be used for the construction of facilities. Each State or agency receiving funds shall not use more than 30 percent of such funds for equipment purchases. Any use of the funds in facilitating the distribution of agricultural and climate information to producers shall be done with consideration for the role that the private meteorological sector can play in such information delivery. (c) Authorization of appropriationsThere are authorized to be appropriated to carry out this subchapter $5,000,000 for each of the fiscal years 2008 through 2012 and $1,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2014 through 2023.

7 U.S.C. § 5856 Improvements to United States Drought Monitor

(a) In generalThe Secretary shall coordinate with the Director of the National Drought Mitigation Center and the Administrator of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to enhance the collection of data to improve the accuracy of the United States Drought Monitor. (b) UtilizationTo the maximum extent practicable, the Secretary shall utilize a consistent source or sources of data for programs that are based on drought or precipitation indices, such as the livestock forage disaster program established under section 9081(c) of this title or policies or plans of insurance established under the Federal Crop Insurance Act (7 U.S.C. 1501 et seq.). (c) ReviewNot later than 1 year after December 20, 2018, the Secretary shall conduct a review of—(1) the types of data currently utilized by the United States Drought Monitor; (2) the geographic coverage and density of existing data collection sites; and (3) other meteorological or climatological data that is being collected by other Federal agencies, State and local governments, and non-Federal entities that could be utilized by the United States Drought Monitor. (d) Improvements(1) In generalUpon the completion of the review prescribed in subsection (c), the Secretary shall—(A) seek to expand the collection of relevant data in States or geographic areas where coverage is currently lacking as compared to other States or geographic areas; and (B) to the maximum extent practicable, develop standards to allow the integration of meteorological or climatological data into the United States Drought Monitor derived from—(i) in-situ soil moisture profile measuring devices; (ii) citizen science (as defined in the Crowdsourcing and Citizen Science Act (15 U.S.C. 3724)), including data from the Cooperative Observer Program of the National Weather Service; and (iii) other Federal agencies, State and local governments, and non-Federal entities. (2) Authorization of appropriationsThere is to be authorized to be appropriated to the Secretary to carry out this subsection $5,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2019 through 2023.

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