Protect Americans from Climate Disasters Act

This bill aims to reinstate all employees and programs at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) that help communities prepare for and mitigate damage from extreme weather events.

Key Points

• Increased frequency and cost of extreme weather events due to climate change, urbanization, and development in weather-prone areas
• Staffing reductions at NOAA leading to decreased forecasting capacity and elimination of some products and services
• Elimination of the Billion-Dollar Weather and Climate Disasters product, reducing publicly available data on United States weather and climate trends since 1980
• The bill requires NOAA to be fully staffed, reinstate individuals terminated from NOAA employment between January 20, 2025, and the date of enactment, and continue to carry out programs for which funds have been appropriated that support State and local efforts to prepare for and respond to extreme weather events

Details

The bill finds that human-caused climate variability affects the frequency and intensity of extreme weather events, and that Americans rely on NOAA for emergency disaster alerts, forecasting, data collection, and more. It also states that staffing reductions at NOAA have resulted in decreased capacity to forecast extreme weather events, the elimination of some products and services, and the deterioration of environmental scientific research, which poses a threat to public safety.

The bill requires NOAA to be fully staffed within 30 days after enactment, using funds previously appropriated for such purposes. It also requires the Secretary of Commerce to reinstate any individuals who were involuntarily removed or otherwise terminated from employment with NOAA during the specified period and elect to be reinstated.

The bill also requires the Secretary of Commerce to continue to carry out any programs for which funds have been appropriated that support State and local efforts to prepare for and respond to extreme weather events. It also mandates immediate reinstatement of certain NOAA programs, including the Billion-Dollar Weather and Climate Disasters product, the NOAA Marine Environmental Buoy Database, and the NOAA Global Ocean Currents Database.

The bill appropriates $6,756,300,000 for the necessary expenses of NOAA for the fiscal year ending on September 30, 2026.

Source: https://www.govinfo.gov/app/details/BILLS-119hr5002ih