Luján, Blackburn Introduce Legislation to Strengthen Weather Forecasting

Bipartisan Legislation Follows Deadly Nationwide Winter Storms  

Washington, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senators Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.) and Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.), Co-Chairs of the Senate National Labs Caucus, introduced the bipartisan Advanced Weather Model Computing Development Act to authorize a collaborative research partnership between the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and Department of Energy (DOE) to improve advanced weather models. This legislation leverages DOE’s high-performance computing capabilities to strengthen timely, accurate weather forecasting during extreme weather events, saving lives and property.

The bill also authorizes centers of excellence at National Laboratories to use cutting-edge computing techniques to build and deploy better models. While a number of DOE and NOAA research collaboration initiatives have been formalized through various laws and agreements, this legislation would codify this essential research partnership in its entirety.

“Across the nation, intense winter storms have threatened the safety of travel, damaged infrastructure, and taken lives. It’s critical that federal weather prediction models leverage capabilities and resources across all federal agencies to provide the most accurate forecasts possible,” said Senator Luján. “The Advanced Weather Model Computing Development Act strengthens critical partnerships between NOAA and DOE to harness the high-performance computing power of our National Labs to build and deploy better models. Codifying this research partnership will help Americans be more informed and prepared with timely, accurate information that can help our communities stay safe from extreme weather.”

“In the wake of recent severe weather that has ravaged communities across the country, including in Tennessee, it’s important that we strengthen weather forecasting and mitigate the effects of natural disasters before they happen,” said Senator Blackburn. “By encouraging NOAA researchers to utilize the Energy Department’s cutting-edge computing technology for their weather prediction efforts, this bipartisan legislation is an investment in our communities that will save lives.”

A summary of the bill is available HERE. Full text of the bill is available HERE.

###