The seismology display located at Chico State in the Natural Sciences building.
The U.S. Senate has passed a bill that would reauthorize a program focused on reducing the effects of earthquakes.
California Sen. Dianne Feinstein and Alaska Sen. Lisa Murkowski introduced the act to reauthorize the Earthquake Hazards Reduction Program Act of 2018 last year. There are eight Republican and Democratic cosponsors from representing Washington, Alaska, Oregon and California.
The Senate voted unanimously to reauthorize the program, which would improve earthquake preparedness across the nation through the modernization of the technology and practices.
In a news release, Feinstein said she has been pushing for the bill to be passed by the Senate, especially for an earthquake prone states like California. She described how these states cannot be too prepared for when the “next big earthquake inevitably hits.”
Other states have been shaken up and see a benefit to the bill as well.
“Alaska is the most seismically active state in the nation, so I am proud of the work that we’ve done to move this bill one step closer to becoming law,” Sen. Murkowski said in a news release after the bill was passed.
“There are simply no areas of the nation with zero risk from earthquakes,” Steven McCabe, director of the National Earthquake Hazards Reduction Program Engineering Laboratory, told the House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology earlier this year.
Historically, California has experienced a majority of the nation’s earthquakes. In recent years, though, “the United States has experienced significant increases in seismic activity in areas of the country not generally associated with earthquakes, including in southern Kansas and in Oklahoma,” McCabe said. This is due to the increase of oil drilling in the Midwest.
Earthquakes are a natural occurrence. The United States has always been at risk of damages caused by earthquakes. The National Earthquake Hazards Reduction Program was authorized in 1977 for this reason. For 11 years though, the program has not been in effect.
The program will help communities across the U.S. that are prone to earthquake activity protect their infrastructure and minimize the cost of damages. University students could be trained by the program’s supported research projects, according to their strategic plan.
Key features of the reauthorization of the program include:
· Modernizing the language of earthquake prediction and the development of early warning earthquake alert systems
· Producing new maps which show active faults and dangers which can induce an earthquake
· Helping communities prepare for and recover from earthquakes
· Increasing the coordinated efforts between the states and the federal government
· Providing a clear direction to the four federal agencies charged with overseeing the National Earthquake Hazards Reduction Program.
Four agencies operate under the Earthquake Hazard Reduction Program: the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the National Institute of Standards and Technology, the National Science Foundation and the United States Geological Survey.
All of these would be involved in researching and equipping individuals across America with information and resources to better prepare for and recover from an earthquake.
Feinstein's bill faces competition from a House bill introduced by California Republican Rep. Dana Rohrabacher.
He introduced The National Earthquake Hazards Reduction Program of 2018 on Aug. 3. The bill's language is nearly identical to the wording of the Feinstein bill.
He introduced The National Earthquake Hazards Reduction Program of 2018 on Aug. 3. The bill's language is nearly identical to the wording of the Feinstein bill.
The only notable difference between the two bills is a subsection added in Feinstein’s version of the bill, A “comprehensive assessment of…the extent to which the research done during the 40 years of the Program has been applied to both public and private earthquake risk and hazards reduction.”
Feinstein’s proposal emphasizes the importance of evaluating the impact of earthquakes on communities.
“By reauthorizing the National Earthquake Hazards Reduction Program, we will ensure that vital research, assistance to states, and development of early-warning systems continue,” Feinstein said.
“By reauthorizing the National Earthquake Hazards Reduction Program, we will ensure that vital research, assistance to states, and development of early-warning systems continue,” Feinstein said.
“The highest impact and most consequential natural disaster we face is a catastrophic earthquake, as it would have major impacts beyond California given the physical and economic damage it would ensue,” Mark Ghilarducci said in a California Office of Emergency Services news release.
The act approved by the U.S. Senate is supported by American institutions of architects, civil engineers, geologists, structural engineers and the National Emergency Management Association and the Seismological Society of America.
“Earthquake-prone states understand the time to prepare for the next disaster is now,” Feinstein said in a news release.
Feinstein’s proposed reauthorization bill will be introduced to the House. If it passes, it will then be sent to President Trump for his approval.
Rohrabacher’s bill has been introduced but is still awaiting approval from the House.
-- Olyvia Simpson