US Senator Ben Ray Lujan
From the office of US Senator Ben Ray Luján:
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- The bipartisan legislation follows deadly winter storms nationwide
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WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senators Ben Ray Luján (D) and Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.), co-chairs of the Senate National Laboratory Caucus, introduced the bipartisan Advanced Weather Model Computing Development Act to authorize the cooperative. A research partnership between the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the Department of Energy (DOE) to improve advanced weather models.
This legislation enhances DOE's high-performance computing capabilities to enhance timely and accurate weather forecasting during severe weather events, saving lives and property.
The bill also allows centers of excellence at national laboratories to use advanced computing technologies to build and deploy better models. While a number of research collaboration initiatives between DOE and NOAA have been formalized through various statutes and agreements, this legislation would codify this essential research partnership in its entirety.
“Across the country, severe winter storms have threatened travel safety, damaged infrastructure, and claimed lives. “It is critical that federal weather forecasting models leverage the capabilities and resources across all federal agencies to provide the most accurate forecasts possible,” said Senator Lujan. Advanced Weather Model Computing Development Act Important partnerships between the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the Department of Energy (DOE) to harness the high-performance computing power of our national laboratories to build and deploy better models. Codifying this research partnership will help Americans be better informed and prepared with accurate and timely information that can help our communities stay safe from severe weather.
“In the wake of recent severe weather that has devastated communities across the country, including Tennessee, it is important that we enhance weather forecasts and mitigate the effects of natural disasters before they strike,” said Senator Blackburn. “By encouraging NOAA researchers to leverage DOE’s cutting-edge computing technology in their weather forecasting efforts, this bipartisan legislation is an investment in our communities that will save lives.”
A summary of the bill is available here. The full text of the bill is available here.
