PlainBillCongress, translated.Legislation. Context. Public interest.Committee on Energy and Natural Resources. Hearings held. Hearings printed: S.Hrg. 114-509.
Congressional Research Service
Version 00 · Introduced in Senate · Sep 17, 2015
National Volcano Early Warning and Monitoring System Act
This bill directs the United States Geological Survey (USGS) to establish the National Volcano Early Warning and Monitoring System to monitor, issue warnings of, and protect U.S. citizens from undue and avoidable harm from, volcanic activity.
The purposes of the System are to: (1) organize, modernize, standardize, and stabilize the monitoring systems of U.S. volcano observatories; and (2) unify such systems into a single interoperative system. The objective of the System is to monitor all U.S. volcanoes at a level commensurate with the threat posed by the volcanoes by: (1) upgrading existing networks on monitored volcanoes, and (2) installing new networks on unmonitored volcanoes.
Showing the opening paragraphs of the official summary.
The System shall include: (1) a national volcano watch office that is operational 24 hours a day and 7 days a week, (2) a national volcano data center, (3) an external grants program to support research in volcano monitoring science and technology, and (4) modernization activities including the comprehensive application of emerging technologies.
The USGS must: (1) submit to Congress a five-year management plan for establishing and operating the System, and (2) establish an advisory committee to assist in implementing the System.
The USGS may enter into cooperative agreements designating institutions of higher education and state agencies as volcano observatory partners for the System.
People & committees
Sen. Murkowski, Lisa [R-AK] · R–AK
Legislative record
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Committee on Energy and Natural Resources. Hearings held. Hearings printed: S.Hrg. 114-509.
Read twice and referred to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources.
Introduced in Senate
Primary sources
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Source last updated: Sep 8, 2026. Consult Congress.gov for the current record.
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