HR 3857 — Snow Water Supply Forecasting Reauthorization Act of 2025

changes in existing law made by 
the bill, as reported, are shown as follows (existing law 
proposed to be omitted is enclosed in black brackets, new 
matter is printed in italics, and existing law in which no 
change is proposed is shown in roman):

 SNOW WATER SUPPLY FORECASTING PROGRAM
 AUTHORIZATION ACT

SEC. 1111. SNOW WATER SUPPLY FORECASTING.

 (a) Short Title.--This section may be cited as the ``Snow 
Water Supply Forecasting Program Authorization Act''.
 (b) Definition of Program.--In this Act, the term ``program'' 
means the Snow Water Supply Forecasting Program established by 
subsection (c).
 (c) Snow Water Supply Forecasting Program.--
 (1) Program establishment.--The Snow Water Supply 
 Forecasting Program is hereby established within the 
 Department of the Interior.
 (2) Program implementation.--To implement the 
 program, the Secretary shall--
 (A) develop the program framework in 
 coordination with other Federal agencies 
 pursuant to subsection (d), [culminating in the 
 report required under subsection (d)(3)] with 
 an emphasis on deployment of technologies that 
 provide integration of snowpack measuring and 
 modeling; and
 (B) [after submitting the report required by 
 subsection (d)(3),] implement activities to 
 improve snowpack measurement in particular 
 watersheds pursuant to subsection (e).
 (d) Development of Program Framework in Coordination With 
Other Federal Agencies.--
 (1) Snowpack measurement data with integrated 
 modeling.--When determining water supply forecasts or 
 allocations to Federal water contractors, the 
 Secretary, acting through the Commissioner of the 
 Bureau of Reclamation, shall incorporate, to the 
 greatest extent practicable, information from [emerging 
 technologies for snowpack measurement, such as] 
 technologies that provide complete integration of 
 accurate, timely, and spatially complete snowpack 
 measurements and models, including the integration of--
 [(A) synthetic aperture radar;
 [(B) laser altimetry; and
 [(C) other emerging technologies that the 
 Secretary determines are likely to provide more 
 accurate or timely snowpack measurement data.]
 (A) airborne laser altimetry;
 (B) imaging spectroscopy;
 (C) integrated physics-based snowpack and 
 hydrologic modeling; and
 (D) other technologies that the Secretary 
 determines are likely to provide more accurate 
 or timely snowpack measurement data 
 commensurate with operational water management 
 needs.
 (2) Coordination.--In carrying out paragraph (1), the 
 Secretary shall coordinate data use and collection 
 efforts with other Federal agencies, including the 
 National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the 
 Natural Resources Conservation Service, that use or may 
 benefit from the use of emerging technologies for 
 snowpack measurement.
 [(3) Emerging technologies report.--Not later than 
 October 1, 2021, the Secretary shall submit to Congress 
 a report that--
 [(A) summarizes the use of emerging 
 technologies pursuant to this Act;
 [(B) describes benefits derived from the use 
 of technologies summarized under subparagraph 
 (A) related to the environment and increased 
 water supply reliability; and
 [(C) describes how Federal agencies will 
 coordinate to implement emerging technologies.]
 (e) Program Implementation.--
 (1) Activities implementing framework.--[After 
 submitting the report required under subsection (d)(3), 
 the] The Secretary shall participate with program 
 partners in implementing activities to improve snowpack 
 measurement in particular watersheds.
 [(2) Focus.--The program shall focus on activities 
 that will maintain, establish, expand, or advance 
 snowpack measurement consistent with the report 
 required by subsection (d)(3), with an emphasis on--
 [(A) enhancing activities in river basins to 
 achieve improved snow and water supply 
 forecasting results;
 [(B) activities in river basins where snow 
 water supply forecasting related activities 
 described in this Act are not occurring on the 
 date of the enactment of this Act; and
 [(C) demonstrating or testing new, or 
 improving existing, snow and water supply 
 forecasting technology.]
 (2) Focus.--The program shall focus on activities 
 that will maintain, establish, expand, or advance 
 snowpack measurement and integrated modeling, with an 
 emphasis on--
 (A) enhancing activities to achieve improved 
 snow and water supply forecasting results that 
 are more responsive to changing weather and 
 watershed conditions;
 (B) real-time integration of activities 
 described in this section with water supply 
 forecasts;
 (C) activities in river basins where 
 activities described in this section can 
 produce snow and water supply data to inform 
 water management decisions, including 
 interstate water management decisions; and
 (D) building program partners' capacity to 
 implement and adapt to the new measurement and 
 forecast capabilities enabled under this 
 program.
 (3) Information sharing.--The Secretary may provide 
 information collected and analyzed under this Act to 
 program partners through appropriate mechanisms, 
 including interagency agreements with Federal agencies, 
 States, State agencies, or a combination thereof, 
 leases, contracts, cooperative agreements, grants, 
 loans, and memoranda of understanding.
 (4) Program partners.--Program partners with whom the 
 Secretary enters into cooperative agreements pursuant 
 to paragraph (5) may include water districts, 
 irrigation districts, water associations, universities, 
 State agencies, other Federal agencies, private sector 
 entities, non-governmental organizations, and other 
 entities, as determined by the Secretary.
 (5) Cooperative agreements.--The Secretary may--
 (A) enter into cooperative agreements with 
 program partners to allow the program to be 
 administered efficiently and cost effectively 
 through cost-sharing or by providing additional 
 in-kind resources necessary for program 
 implementation; and
 (B) provide nonreimbursable matching funding 
 for programmatic and operational activities 
 under this Act in consultation with program 
 partners.
 (6) Environmental laws.--Nothing in this Act shall 
 modify any obligation of the Secretary to comply with 
 applicable Federal and State environmental laws in 
 carrying out this Act.
 (f) Program Implementation Report.--Not later than 4 years 
after the date of the enactment [of this Act] of the Snow Water 
Supply Forecasting Reauthorization Act of 2025, the Secretary 
shall submit a report to the Committee on Natural Resources and 
the Committee on Appropriations of the House of Representatives 
and the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources and the 
Committee on Appropriations of the Senate, that includes--
 (1) a list of basins [and sub-basins] for which 
 snowpack measurement [technologies] and integrated 
 modeling technologies are being used under the program, 
 including a description of each [technology used] 
 application, outcome, and data resources used; and
 (2) a list of Federal agencies and program partners 
 participating in each basin [or sub-basin] listed in 
 paragraph (1).
 (g) Authorization of Appropriations.--There is authorized to 
be appropriated to the Secretary to carry out this Act 
[$15,000,000, in the aggregate, for fiscal years 2022 through 
2026] $6,500,000 for each of fiscal years 2027 through 2031.