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Additional Progress Needed to Improve Information Sharing Under the Cybersecurity Act of 2015
From the Highlights: "The 'Cybersecurity Act of 2015' requires the Department of Homeland Security to establish a capability and process for Federal entities to receive cyber threat information from non-Federal entities. The Act requires Inspectors General from the Intelligence Community and appropriate agencies to submit a joint report to Congress every 2 years on Federal Government actions to share cyber threat information. We conducted this review to evaluate CISA [Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency]'s progress meeting the Cybersecurity Act's requirements for 2019 and 2020."
United States. Department of Homeland Security. Office of Inspector General
Harsche, Richard; Kim, Jason; Christopher, Peter . . .
2022-08-16
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MMWR Early Release: Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, August 16, 2022: Public Health Response to a Case of Paralytic Poliomyelitis in an Unvaccinated Person and Detection of Poliovirus in Wastewater -- New York, June-August 2022
The Morbidity and Mortality Weekly (MMWR) is a government published scientific periodical series offering public health information. This Early Release issue of MMWR contains the following article: "Public Health Response to a Case of Paralytic Poliomyelitis in an Unvaccinated Person and Detection of Poliovirus in Wastewater -- New York, June-August 2022." Notifiable Diseases and Mortality Tables from MMWR can be accessed at the following link [http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/index2022.html].
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (U.S.)
2022-08-16
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Domestic Oceangoing Shipping: Information on the Surface Transportation Board's Regulatory Processes
From the Government Accountability Office (GAO) Objectives, Scope, and Methodology: "House Report 116-452, incorporated by reference into the explanatory statement accompanying the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021, contained a provision for GAO to examine STB's [Surface Transportation Board's] regulation of domestic oceangoing transportation, including its process to regulate rate reasonableness. We also examined other agencies' processes related to rate reasonableness that might inform STB's processes for domestic oceangoing transportation. This briefing describes: (1) STB's authorities and processes related to regulating domestic oceangoing transportation and (2) the processes selected agencies have for regulating rates in other markets and contexts. To address these objectives, we reviewed relevant statutes, regulations, STB reports, three STB rate reasonableness complaint-related cases involving domestic oceangoing carriers, and processes selected agencies have for regulating rates. We interviewed officials and representatives from: STB; selected agencies--three federal, two state, and one territorial; and industry entities, including shippers and domestic oceangoing carriers. We selected our interviewees based on multiple factors, including whether they regulate rates and geographic diversity. The information we obtained from these interviews provides a broad perspective of relevant issues but is not generalizable to all entities."
United States. Government Accountability Office
2022-08-16
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Congressional Budget Office Cost Estimate: S. 4543, James M. Inhofe National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2023
From the Bill Summary: "S. 4543 would authorize appropriations for fiscal year 2023 for the military functions of the Department of Defense (DoD), the atomic energy defense activities of the Department of Energy, a joint project between DoD and the Department of Veterans Affairs, and the Armed Forces Retirement Home. CBO [Congressional Budget Office] estimates that appropriation of the authorized amounts would result in outlays of $817.4 billion over the 2023-2027 period. Enacting S. 4543 would increase direct spending by about $1.2 billion and have an insignificant effect on revenues over the 2023-2032 period."
United States. Congressional Budget Office
2022-08-15
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Congressional Budget Office Cost Estimate: S. 4216, North Korean Human Rights Reauthorization Act of 2022
From the Document: "S. 4216 would authorize the appropriation of $10 million each year over the 2023-2027 period for ongoing programs managed by the Department of State, the U.S. Agency for International Development, and the U.S. Agency for Global Media to improve access to information in North Korea, promote democracy and human rights in that country, and provide humanitarian assistance to North Korean refugees. The bill also would authorize the Administration to sanction individuals who force North Korean refugees to return to North Korea. Lastly, S. 4216 would require reports to the Congress on the implementation of the bill and related matters."
United States. Congressional Budget Office
2022-08-12
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Caribbean Basin Security Initiative [Updated August 12, 2022]
From the Document: "The United States developed the Caribbean Basin Security Initiative (CBSI), a regional U.S. foreign assistance program, in 2009 through a process of dialogue with Caribbean countries. The initiative seeks to reduce illicit trafficking in the region, advance public safety and security, and promote social justice. Because of their geographic location, many Caribbean nations are vulnerable to being used as transit countries for illicit drugs from South America destined for the U.S. and European markets. Strengthened U.S. counternarcotics cooperation with Mexico and Central America led U.S. policymakers to anticipate a potential increase in narcotics trafficking through the Caribbean. Many Caribbean countries have also suffered high rates of violent crime, including murder, often associated with drug trafficking activities. [...] Congress has supported funding for the CBSI. From FY2010 through FY2022, Congress appropriated $831 million for the CBSI[.] [...] For FY2023, the Administration requested $63.5 million for the CBSI, almost 21% less than appropriated by Congress for FY2022 and 15% less than provided for FY2021. The House Appropriations Committee's reported FY2023 foreign aid appropriations bill, H.R. 8282 (H.Rept. 117-401), would provide for not less than $82 million for the CBSI and would require a spend plan for the funding. The explanatory statement to the Senate FY2023 foreign aid appropriations bill, S. 4662, would recommend not less than $80 million for the CBSI and also would require a spend plan."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Sullivan, Mark P.
2022-08-12
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Campaign Finance Policy and Email Spam Filtering: The Google Advisory Opinion Request [Updated August 12, 2022]
From the Document: "Political campaigns rely heavily [hyperlink] on email and the internet to raise money and court voters. On August 11, 2022, the Federal Election Commission [hyperlink] (FEC) approved an advisory opinion request (AOR) from Google [hyperlink] permitting the company to establish a pilot program enabling Gmail users to provide feedback affecting which political fundraising messages they receive rather than relying on the service's existing spam filters. The AOR is one component of a much larger debate in Congress and beyond about the role that social media platforms and technology companies play in American politics. This CRS [Congressional Research Service] Insight provides congressional readers with brief background on the AOR and related campaign finance policy [hyperlink] issues. Other CRS products linked herein discuss policy and legal topics that are beyond the scope of this Insight."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Garrett, R. Sam, 1977-
2022-08-12
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Congressional Budget Office Cost Estimate: S. 3092, FIRE Act
From the Bill Summary: "S. 3092 would authorize the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to use the Disaster Relief Fund (DRF) to reimburse costs incurred by local governments to enforce building codes, construct emergency operations centers for tribal governments, and provide cultural competency training for crisis counselors. In addition, S. 3092 would require FEMA and other federal agencies to conduct several reports and studies, mostly related to wildfires."
United States. Congressional Budget Office
2022-08-12
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Congressional Budget Office Cost Estimate: H.R. 7240, READ Act Reauthorization Act of 2022
From the Document: "H.R. 7240 would extend for five years existing requirements for a comprehensive federal strategy to promote basic education in developing countries and for annual reports on implementing that strategy. The current strategy to expand access to basic education and improve its quality covers the 2019-2023 period and coordinates the efforts of several federal agencies, including the U.S. Agency for International Development and the U.S. Department of Agriculture. On the basis of information about spending for the current strategy and reports, CBO [Congressional Budget Office] estimates that extending those requirements under the bill would cost less than $500,000 over the 2022- 2027 period. Such spending would be subject to the availability of appropriated funds."
United States. Congressional Budget Office
2022-08-12
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MMWR: Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, August 12, 2022
The Morbidity and Mortality Weekly (MMWR) is a government published scientific periodical series offering public health information. This issue of MMWR contains the following: "COVID-19 [coronavirus disease 2019] Self-Test Data: Challenges and Opportunities -- United States, October 31, 2021-June 11, 2022"; "'Vital Signs': Hepatitis C Treatment Among Insured Adults -- United States, 2019-2020"; "Epidemiologic and Clinical Characteristics of Monkeypox Cases -- United States, May 17-July 22, 2022"; "Interim Guidance for Prevention and Treatment of Monkeypox in Persons with HIV Infection -- United States, August 2022"; "'Notes from the Field': School-Based and Laboratory-Based Reporting of Positive COVID-19 Test Results Among School-Aged Children -- New York, September 11, 2021- April 29, 2022"; "'Notes From the Field': Overdose Deaths Involving Eutylone (Psychoactive Bath Salts) -- United States, 2020"; and "'QuickStats': Percentage of Adults Aged ≥18 Years with Current Hepatitis C Virus Infection, by Health Insurance Coverage -- National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, United States, January 2017-March 2020." Notifiable Diseases and Mortality Tables from this issue can be accessed at the following link [http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/index2022.html].
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (U.S.)
2022-08-12
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Congressional Budget Office Cost Estimate: S. 3052, Cambodia Democracy and Human Rights Act of 2022
From the Bill Summary: "S. 3052 would require the President to impose sanctions on foreign persons he determines have undermined democracy in Cambodia, violated human rights, engaged in corruption, or supported the development of facilities in Cambodia that could be used by the Chinese military. That requirement would end after five years. The bill also would require the Administration to report to the Congress on those actions and on Chinese government and military activity in Cambodia."
United States. Congressional Budget Office
2022-08-12
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Congressional Budget Office Cost Estimate: H.R. 8503, Securing Global Telecommunications Act
From the Document: "H.R. 8503 would establish a committee to advise the Department of State on digital technologies and telecommunications and would authorize the appropriation of $250,000 for that purpose. It also would require the department to provide the Congress a strategy to promote the use of secure telecommunications infrastructure worldwide. Lastly, the bill would require the department to report to the Congress on its collaboration with U.S. allies to promote secure infrastructure for information and communications technology and on Russian and Chinese influence at the International Telecommunication Union. Assuming appropriation of the specified amount and on the basis of information about the cost of similar strategies and reports, CBO [Congressional Budget Office] estimates that implementing the bill would cost $1 million over the 2022-2027 period."
United States. Congressional Budget Office
2022-08-12
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Congressional Budget Office Cost Estimate: H.R. 6265, Countering Assad's Proliferation Trafficking and Garnering of Narcotics Act
From the Document: "H.R. 6265 would require several federal agencies, including the Departments of Defense and State, to provide to the Congress an interagency strategy to disrupt and dismantle drug production and trafficking networks linked to the regime of Bashar al-Assad in Syria. On the basis of information about similar requirements, CBO [Congressional Budget Office] estimates that providing the strategy required under the bill would cost less than $500,000 over the 2022-2027 period. Such spending would be subject to the availability of appropriated funds."
United States. Congressional Budget Office
2022-08-12
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Congressional Budget Office Cost Estimate: H.R. 8215, Veterans Online Information and Cybersecurity Empowerment Act of 2022
From the Document: "H.R. 8215 would establish a program to improve cybersecurity and digital literacy among veterans. Under the bill, the Department of Veterans Affairs would make grants to nonprofit organizations and community-based groups that would provide veterans with instructional materials and training courses. Veterans participating in the program would learn how to safely use computers and mobile phones with an awareness of cybersecurity risks and develop media literacy for using online resources. The bill would authorize appropriations of $20 million in 2023, 2025, and 2027. Using historical spendout rates for similar programs, CBO [Congressional Budget Office] estimates that awarding cybersecurity grants would cost $52 million over the 2022-2027 period; such spending would be subject to appropriation of the specified amounts."
United States. Congressional Budget Office
2022-08-12
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Resources for Tracking Federal COVID-19 Spending [Updated August 12, 2022]
From the Summary: "Congress has responded to the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic with supplemental appropriations measures providing relief and assistance to individuals and families, state and local governments, businesses, health care providers, and other entities. [...] This report provides selected sources for tracking COVID-19 relief and assistance spending. It contains links to and information on government sources detailing spending amounts at various levels, including consolidated spending by multiple government agencies, spending by individual government agencies, and spending by recipient types and geographies. The sources themselves are large government databases, individual agencies, oversight entities, and selected nongovernmental entities that attempt to repackage information on spending amounts obtained from available government sources."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Teefy, Jennifer; Kreiser, Maria
2022-08-12
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Protection of Classified Information: The Legal Framework [Updated August 12, 2022]
From the Summary: "This report provides an overview of the relationship between executive and legislative authority over national security information. It summarizes the current laws that form the legal framework protecting classified information, including current executive orders and some agency regulations pertaining to the handling of unauthorized disclosures of classified information by government officers and employees. The report also summarizes criminal laws that pertain specifically to the unauthorized disclosure of classified information, as well as civil and administrative penalties. Finally, the report discusses insider risk management measures."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Elsea, Jennifer
2022-08-12
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Climate Liability Suits: Is There a Path to Federal Court? [August 12, 2022]
From the Document: "Many of the most prominent court cases related to climate change in recent years have been decided by federal courts, including the Supreme Court, based on federal law. A growing number of cases, however, allege state-law claims against fossil fuel companies in state courts. A key issue that has emerged early in that litigation is whether those state courts will ultimately consider liability related to climate change, or whether federal courts should instead assume responsibility for those claims. On July 7, 2022, in 'City and County of Honolulu v. Sunoco LP' [hyperlink], the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit affirmed an order from a federal trial court returning a climate change lawsuit to Hawaii state court, where it was filed initially. The case was the fifth federal appeals court case to consider whether federal courts should hear state-law climate lawsuits since the Supreme Court's 2021 decision in 'BP p.l.c. v. Mayor and City Council of Baltimore' [hyperlink]. The Supreme Court in 'BP' directed [hyperlink] federal appeals courts to entertain a broader scope of arguments from the fossil fuel industry that climate liability suits belong in federal court--not state court. Since 'BP', the First [hyperlink], Fourth [hyperlink], Ninth [hyperlink], and Tenth [hyperlink] Circuits have considered appeals from the fossil fuel industry arguing that state-law climate lawsuits should be heard in federal court. Each court of appeals sent each case back to state court, frustrating defendants' attempts to secure a federal forum. This Legal Sidebar provides analysis of legal issues related to removal of climate liability suits and considerations for Congress."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Barczewski, Benjamin M.
2022-08-12
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Congressional Budget Office Cost Estimate: Estimated Budgetary Effects of H.R. 2884, the Affordable Prescriptions for Patients Through Improvements to Patent Litigation Act
From the Document: "H.R. 2884 would limit to 20 the number of patents that could be included in infringement claims under the Biologics Price Competition and Innovation Act of 2009. On the basis of discussions with stakeholders, CBO [Congressional Budget Office] anticipates that more biosimilar drugs would enter the market earlier, on average, under H.R. 2884 than would be the case under current law. The estimated budgetary effects would stem from lower average prices for federal health programs that purchase prescription drugs and lower costs of health insurance subsidies. The areas of significant uncertainty for this estimate include CBO's estimates of sales, market effects, and timing of introductions of new pharmaceutical products. CBO has not completed an estimate of the effects of H.R. 2884 on spending subject to appropriation."
United States. Congressional Budget Office
2022-08-11
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EMR-ISAC: InfoGram, Volume 22 Issue 32, August 11, 2022
The Emergency Management and Response Information Sharing and Analysis Center's (EMR-ISAC) InfoGram is a weekly publication of information concerning the protection of critical infrastructures relevant to members of the Emergency Services Sector. This issue includes the following articles: "NFPA [National Fire Protection Association] releases final report on its 'Firefighting Foams: Fire Service Roadmap' project"; "DHS S&T [Science and Technology Directorate] launches podcast, 'Technologically Speaking,' featuring research and development supporting first responders"; "Planning for Significant Cyber Incidents: An Introduction for Decisionmakers"; "The Safety Officer's Role in Roadway Incident Response"; "CISA [Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency] Alert (AA22-216A): 2021 Top Malware Strains"; "#StopRansomware: Zeppelin Ransomware"; "CISA releases toolkit of free cybersecurity resources for election community"; "HHS [Department of Health and Human Services] HC3 [Health Sector Cybersecurity Coordination Center] Sector Alert: Secure Message/Evernote Themed Phishing Campaign"; "Slack forces password resets after discovering software flaw"; and "Luxembourg energy supplier Encevo hit by ransomware attack."
Emergency Management and Response-Information Sharing and Analysis Center (U.S.)
2022-08-11
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Armed Career Criminal Act (18 U.S.C. § 924(e)): An Overview [Updated August 11, 2022]
From the Summary: "The Armed Career Criminal Act (ACCA), 18 U.S.C. [United States Code] § [section] 924(e), requires imposition of a mandatory minimum 15-year term of imprisonment for recidivists convicted of prohibited possession of a firearm under 18 U.S.C. § 922(g), who have three prior state or federal convictions for violent felonies or serious drug offenses. Section 924(e) defines serious drug offenses as those punishable by imprisonment for 10 years or more. It defines violent felonies as those (1) that have an element of threat, attempt, or use of physical force against another; (2) that involve burglary, arson, or extortion; (3) that constitute crime similar to burglary, arson, or extortion; or (4) under the section's 'residual clause.' The U.S. Sentencing Commission recommended that Congress consider clarifying the statutory definitions of the violent felony categories. Thereafter in 'Johnson v. United States', the Supreme Court declared the residual clause (predicated on the 'risk of violence') unconstitutionally vague and thus effectively void. The residual clause aside, constitutional challenges to the application of § 924(e) have been largely unsuccessful, regardless of whether they were based on arguments of cruel and unusual punishment, double jeopardy, due process, grand jury indictment or jury trial rights, the right to bear arms, or limits on Congress's legislative authority."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Doyle, Charles
2022-08-11
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State Laws Restricting or Prohibiting Abortion [Updated August 11, 2022]
From the Document: "The Supreme Court's decision in 'Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization' [hyperlink] overruled 'Roe v. Wade' [hyperlink], providing states with greater discretion to restrict abortion access, including by limiting abortion prior to fetal viability. This Sidebar provides an overview of existing or recently passed state laws prohibiting or limiting abortion prior to 24 weeks' gestational age, which for many years was widely considered [hyperlink] the point of viability, though medical advancements may have moved that point earlier. The Sidebar also identifies 'trigger laws' that generally prohibit abortion that were set to go into effect, either automatically or following action by a state official, if the Supreme Court ever overturned 'Roe v. Wade.' This Sidebar does not address any exceptions to these restrictions, such as in the case of a medical emergency, or restrictions to specific methods of abortion, such as medication abortion."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Deal, Laura
2022-08-11
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'Exhausting and Dangerous': The Dire Problem of Election Misinformation and Disinformation
From the Executive Summary: "The threat posed to American democracy by election misinformation has changed and increased dramatically in the past two years. Prior to the 2020 election, many election officials and experts were concerned about the danger of foreign actors using false information to influence voters' actions--including lies about candidates and about when and how to vote. The Committee's investigations make clear that the greatest current threat to democratic legitimacy now comes from lies by domestic actors who seek to convince Americans that their election systems are fraudulent, corrupt, or insecure. As the President of the Election Officials of Arizona explained to the Committee: 'Election Officials started battling this problem in 2019, nearly a year before the 2020 Election. … [W]e're still battling it to counter the harm done to election integrity. Frankly, it's exhausting and dangerous.'"
United States. Congress. House. Committee on Oversight and Government Reform (2007-)
2022-08-11
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MMWR Early Release: Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, August 11, 2022: Summary of Guidance for Minimizing the Impact of COVID-19 on Individual Persons, Communities, and Health Care Systems -- United States, August 2022
The Morbidity and Mortality Weekly (MMWR) is a government published scientific periodical series offering public health information. This Early Release issue of MMWR contains the following article: "Summary of Guidance for Minimizing the Impact of COVID-19 on Individual Persons, Communities, and Health Care Systems -- United States, August 2022." Notifiable Diseases and Mortality Tables from MMWR can be accessed at the following link [http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/index2022.html].
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (U.S.)
2022-08-11
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Congressional Budget Office Cost Estimate: S. 3875, Community Disaster Resilience Zones Act of 2022
From the Bill Summary: "S. 3875 would codify the National Risk Index (NRI), a tool used to assess the vulnerability of communities to natural hazards, and the bill would require the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to improve, update, and integrate the NRI into federal disaster relief programs. The bill would require FEMA to use NRI data to identify census tracts with the highest vulnerability ratings for natural disasters and designate those areas as community disaster resilience zones. In addition, for projects located within those zones, S. 3875 would authorize FEMA to use the Disaster Relief Fund (DRF) to increase the share the federal government covers for grants under the Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities (BRIC) program. The bill would allow the federal contribution to rise from the current 75 percent to 90 percent; state, local, and tribal governments would continue to fund the remainder of the grants."
United States. Congressional Budget Office
2022-08-11
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Information About Reconciliation Legislation Passed by the Senate on August 7, 2022
This letter from Congressional Budget Office Director Phillip L. Swagel to U.S. Senate Committee on the Budget Chairman Bernie Sanders, dated August 11, 2022, provides updated information about the budgetary effects of Senate amendment to H.R. 5376, an Act to provide for reconciliation pursuant to title II of S. Con. Res. [Senate Concurrent Resolution] 14, as passed by the Senate on August 7, 2022. A table presenting the estimated budgetary effects of the Senate Amendment to H.R. 5376 is attached.
United States. Congressional Budget Office
Swagel, Phillip
2022-08-11
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Biden Administration's Cuba Policy Changes [Updated August 11, 2022]
From the Document: "In May 2022, the Biden Administration announced several changes to U.S. policy [hyperlink] toward Cuba, with the overarching goal of increasing support for the Cuban people. The changes, which emanated from a policy review begun in 2021, fall into four broad areas--facilitating family reunification, expanding authorized travel, easing restrictions on remittances, and supporting Cuba's private sector. According to a State Department spokesperson, the changes will provide Cubans with 'additional tools to pursue life free from Cuban government oppression and to seek greater economic opportunities [hyperlink].' The Administration has begun implementing the policy changes through various steps and regulatory changes undertaken by relevant U.S. departments and agencies. Although the changes have involved easing some restrictions on travel and remittances, including amendments [hyperlink] to the Cuban Assets Control Regulations (CACR; 31 C.F.R. [Code of Federal Regulations] 515 [hyperlink]), the United States maintains comprehensive economic sanctions [hyperlink] on Cuba, including restrictions on transactions with entities on a 'Cuba Restricted List [hyperlink]' that are controlled by the Cuban military, intelligence, or security services. Administration officials assert that human rights [hyperlink] issues will remain at the center of U.S. policy toward Cuba. In the aftermath of the Cuban government's harsh response to government-wide protests in July 2021, the Administration imposed several rounds of targeted financial sanctions [hyperlink] and visa restrictions [hyperlink] on Cuban officials found to be responsible for the repression."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Sullivan, Mark P.
2022-08-11
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Congressional Budget Office Cost Estimate: Estimated Budgetary Effects of H.R. 2891, the Preserve Access to Affordable Generics and Biosimilars Act
From the Document: "Under H.R. 2891, certain agreements that are used to settle claims of patent infringement between sponsors of brand-name, generic, or biosimilar drugs and relating to the sale of a drug or biological product would presumptively be considered illegal under antitrust law. Based on discussions with drug industry experts, CBO [Congressional Budget Office] expects that the bill would accelerate the availability of lower-priced generic or biosimilar drugs that would be affected by such agreements. The estimated budgetary effects would stem from lower average prices for federal health programs that purchase prescription drugs and lower costs of health insurance subsidies. The areas of significant uncertainty for this estimate include CBO's estimates of sales, market effects, and timing of introductions of new pharmaceutical products. CBO has not completed an estimate of the effects of H.R. 2891 on spending subject to appropriation."
United States. Congressional Budget Office
2022-08-11
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Offshore Wind Provisions in the Inflation Reduction Act [Updated August 11, 2022]
From the Document: "On August 7, 2022, the Senate passed its version of budget reconciliation legislation (H.R. 5376), commonly known as the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 (IRA). The Senate-passed bill contains multiple provisions related to offshore wind, including provisions on offshore wind leasing, transmission planning, and tax credits." The document goes on to provide summaries of the aforementioned offshore wind provisions.
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Comay, Laura B.; Clark, Corrie E.; Sherlock, Molly F.
2022-08-11
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Forecasting Tropical Cyclones: NOAA's Role [Updated August 10, 2022]
From the Document: "Timely and accurate forecasts of tropical cyclones, including tropical depressions, tropical storms, and hurricanes (hereinafter TCs or storms), can provide life-and property-saving warnings to parts of the U.S. coastline vulnerable to a storm's impacts. The National Hurricane Center and Central Pacific Hurricane Center (NHC), part of the National Weather Service (NWS) within the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), is responsible for forecasting TCs in the Northern Atlantic Ocean and the Central and Eastern Pacific Ocean. (Other entities are responsible for these storms in other parts of the world.) A tropical cyclone forecast uses a broad array of resources and capabilities within NOAA, which must be coordinated and interpreted by NHC. NHC estimates a tropical cyclone's track (i.e., the storm's path) and intensity (i.e., its wind speed), as well as the size and structure of the storm. NHC works with other parts of NOAA, such as the National Environmental Satellite, Data, and Information Service (NESDIS), National Ocean Service (NOS), and Office of Marine and Aviation Operations, on these estimates and on predictions of associated storm surge, rainfall, and tornadoes. This In Focus describes NHC TC-related activities, from storm formation through forecasts and warnings. It also sets out ongoing TC forecasting challenges that Congress may consider via oversight or legislative actions."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Lipiec, Eva
2022-08-10
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Carbon Cycle: Key Component of the Climate System, with Implications for Policy [August 10, 2022]
From the Introduction: "Congress is considering several legislative strategies that would reduce U.S. emissions of greenhouse gases--primarily carbon dioxide (CO2)--and/or increase uptake and storage of CO2 from the atmosphere. Both approaches are viewed by many observers as critical to forestalling global climate change caused, in part, by the buildup of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere from human activities. Others point out that the human contribution of carbon to the atmosphere is a small fraction of the total quantity of carbon that cycles naturally back and forth each year between the atmosphere and two large carbon reservoirs: the global oceans and the planet's land surface. A key question is how CO2 emissions from human activities are changing the global carbon cycle--the exchange, or flux, of carbon between the atmosphere, oceans, and land surface--and how the changes affect the rate of CO2 buildup in the atmosphere. There is a scientific consensus that human disturbances, or perturbations, to the carbon cycle are a main factor driving climate change over the past 50 years. [...] An understanding of the global carbon cycle has shifted from being of mainly academic interest to being also of policy interest. Policymakers are grappling with, for example, how the United States could achieve a state of net-zero CO2 emissions, in which emissions to the atmosphere are balanced by removals. This is likely to require the implementation of human methods of carbon dioxide removal (CDR) and would depend inherently on continued uptake of carbon by the oceans and land surface. Yet how much CO2 forests or farmland are capable of taking up in the future, and for how long, is not clear. How the oceans and the land surface carbon reservoirs will behave in the future--how much CO2 they will take up or release and at what rate--are topics of active scientific inquiry. [...] This report puts the human contribution of carbon to the atmosphere into the larger context of the global carbon cycle."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Haskett, Jonathan D.
2022-08-10
