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42 U.S. Code § 7704. National Earthquake Hazards Reduction Program
(a) Establishment
(1) In general
There is established the National Earthquake Hazards Reduction Program.
(2) Program activitiesThe activities of the Program shall be designed to—
(A)
develop effective measures for earthquake hazards reduction;
(B) promote the adoption of earthquake hazards reduction measures by Federal, State, and local governments, national standards and model code organizations, architects and engineers, building owners, and others with a role in planning and constructing buildings, structures, and lifeline infrastructure through—
(i)
grants, contracts, cooperative agreements, and technical assistance;
(ii)
development of standards, guidelines, and voluntary consensus codes for earthquake hazards reduction for buildings, structures, and lifeline infrastructure;
(iii)
development and maintenance of a repository of information, including technical data, on seismic risk, community resilience, and hazards reduction; and
(iv)
publishing a systematic set of maps of active faults and folds, liquefaction susceptibility, susceptibility for earthquake induced landslides, and other seismically induced hazards; and [1]
(C)
improve the understanding of earthquakes and their effects on communities, buildings, structures, and lifeline infrastructure, through interdisciplinary research that involves engineering, natural sciences, and social, economic, and decisions sciences; and
(D)
continue the development of the Advanced National Seismic System, including earthquake early warning capabilities and the Global Seismographic Network.
(3) Interagency Coordinating Committee on Earthquake Hazards Reduction
(A) In general
There is established an Interagency Coordinating Committee on Earthquake Hazards Reduction chaired by the Director of the National Institute of Standards and Technology (referred to in this subsection as the “Director”).
(B) MembershipIn addition to the Director, the committee shall be composed of—
(i)
the Administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency;
(ii)
the Director of the United States Geological Survey;
(iii)
the Director of the National Science Foundation;
(iv)
the Director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy; and
(v)
the Director of the Office of Management and Budget.
(C) Meetings
The Committee shall meet not less frequently than once each year at the call of the Director.
(D) Duties
(i) General duty
The Interagency Coordinating Committee shall oversee the planning, management, and coordination of the Program.
(ii) Specific dutiesThe duties of the Interagency Coordinating Committee include the following:
(I) Developing, not later than 6 months after October 25, 2004, and updating periodically—
(aa)
a strategic plan that establishes goals and priorities for the Program activities described under subsection (a)(2); and
(bb)
a detailed management plan to implement such strategic plan.
(II)
Developing a coordinated interagency budget for the Program that will ensure appropriate balance among the Program activities described under subsection (a)(2), and, in accordance with the plans developed under subclause (I), submitting such budget to the Director of the Office of Management and Budget at the time designated by the Director for agencies to submit biennial budgets.
(III)
Developing interagency memorandums of understanding with any relevant Federal agencies on data sharing and resource commitment in the event of an earthquake disaster.
(IV)
Coordinating with the Interagency Coordinating Committee on Windstorm Impact Reduction and other natural hazards coordination committees as the Director determines appropriate to share data and best practices.
(V)
Coordinating with the Administrator of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration and the Administrator of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration on data sharing and resource allocation to ensure judicious use of Government resources and the free-flowing exchange of information related to earthquakes.
(VI)
Coordinating with the Secretary of Agriculture and the Secretary of the Interior on the use of public lands for earthquake monitoring and research stations, and related data collection.
(VII)
Coordinating with the Secretary of Transportation and the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development on the effects of earthquakes on transportation and housing stocks.
(iii) Assistance from Secretary of Agriculture and Secretary of the Interior
To the extent practicable, the Secretary of Agriculture and the Secretary of the Interior shall expedite any request for a permit to use public land under clause (ii)(VI).