Weather Forecasting Improvement Act of 2014

Floor Speech

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I thank Chairman Smith, Ranking Member Bonamici, and the sponsor of our bill.

Mr. Speaker, this is actually one of those moments where you are going over a piece of legislation--and I am very proud of everyone who has worked on it, and maybe this language is a little too strong, but in many ways, it sort of removes, whether it be excuses or statutory straitjackets, away from NOAA, away from OAR. And the optionality of, how do you design data sets, how do you reach out to the cloud, to the world around you, and gather their technology, and how they are doing weather forecasting.

You have just heard Chairman Bridenstine speak of big weather events, whether they be tornadoes that affect his district--but think of the Members who have had input into this piece of legislation. I am from the desert Southwest. We have someone from the wet and rainy Northwest. We have had people from around the country that represent very, very different types of climates in their districts, and that is, actually, something that is really special about this piece of legislation.

I have a level of enthusiasm. Last month was my birthday, and my wife bought me this weather station that sits on the side of the house, and it talks to the WiFi, which talks to the cloud. And their goal is to set up hundreds of thousands of data points that are collected by enthusiasts, like myself, across the country and put that data together.

Can you imagine a world where NOAA actually becomes the hub of so many data sets? Then it has the optionality of reaching out and finding what technology, what mechanics are out there to put it together and help us, from our little microclimates that I may have in my neighborhood to the terrible storm that may be threatening the Florida coast.

This is the future, and this bill actually moves us towards that future.

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