Promoting Research and Observations of Space Weather to Improve the Forecasting of Tomorrow Act

Floor Speech

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Mr. LUCAS. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Madam Speaker, I rise in support of S. 881, the Promoting Research and Observations of Space Weather to Improve the Forecasting of Tomorrow Act, commonly referred to as the PROSWIFT Act.

Fluctuations in solar magnetic activity create variations in the environment between Earth and the Sun that can affect technologies in space and here on Earth. This phenomenon is what we refer to as space weather.

For the most part, space weather has a minimal effect here, but increased solar activity and severe events can create widespread problems and even disrupt our electric grid. Satellites that have less protection from Earth's magnetic field are especially vulnerable.

Significant space weather events are not a new phenomenon, and we have evidence dating back more than 150 years of severe space weather events affecting human activity. However, the impact of these events is much greater now that we rely on satellites and remote sensing for everything from cell phone communication to energy production to GPS navigation.

For example, farmers in Oklahoma have been at the forefront of utilizing precision agriculture to help ensure the most effective use of our resources when planting crops, a technology dependent on GPS.

Space weather is also a national security issue. Our military has a variety of assets in orbit around the Earth, which could potentially be harmed by electromagnetic interference. They rely on satellites built by NASA and operated by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, or NOAA, for timely and accurate information about potential space weather events.

It is not only technology that is threatened by space weather events. There are the astronauts who currently work on the International Space Station more than 200 miles above the Earth's surface and will one day serve on missions to the Moon and Mars. While we have developed techniques and technology to reduce the threats posed by increased radiation exposure due to a severe solar event, we have more work to do to mitigate these hazards to our astronauts as we venture beyond low- Earth orbit.

In short, severe space weather can have significant effects on each and every one of us. That is why timely and accurate information from agencies like NASA and NOAA is so important. These agencies play an important role in better monitoring and forecasting space weather.

The bill before us today represents a good faith effort by the House and Senate to provide a framework that will provide for better coordination across the Federal Government. This is especially timely given that we are about to enter a period of increased solar activity, which will create more space weather events.

I am pleased this legislation includes an amendment I introduced during the markup of this legislation. My amendment creates a pilot program that will ensure that emerging private-sector companies will have a seat at the table and will be able to provide monitoring and forecast data, which the Federal Government can purchase and utilize in their space weather forecasts.

I thank the sponsors of this legislation for their work on this important topic. I ask my colleagues to support this bill, and I reserve the balance of my time, Madam Speaker.

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Mr. LUCAS. Madam Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the gentleman from Alabama (Mr. Brooks).

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Mr. LUCAS. Madam Speaker, I am prepared to close, and I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Madam Speaker, I, again, would like to thank the sponsors of this legislation for their hard work on this important topic.

I encourage all my colleagues to support this bill, and I yield back the balance of my time.

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