📋 Tender Overview
(Washington, DC) - U.S. Senators Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), Susan Collins (R-ME) and Angus King (I-ME) are reintroducing the bipartisan to establish a network of snow and weather monitoring stations across the Northeast to track mountain snow accumulation and precipitation rates. As climate change continues to disrupt weather patterns, a regional snow and water monitoring system is urgently needed to understand how changing weather conditions impact flood potential, water supplies and seasonal businesses that rely on consistent, annual snowfall.
Warmer winters and changing weather patterns are making it increasingly hard to predict snowfall, floods and water supply levels in New Hampshire which can be challenging for communities that rely on the outdoor recreation economy, said Senator Shaheen. Our bill would help fill this critical research gap by setting up the infrastructure needed in the Granite State to closely monitor climate changes effect on New Hampshires snowfall.
Access to better climate forecasting is critical to improving a states ability to manage its natural resources and mitigate the risk of disasters, said Senator Collins. This bipartisan legislation would expand the coverage of the Natural Resources Conservation Services Snow Survey and Water Supply Forecasting Program to the Northeastern United States, providing states like Maine with the data needed to better prepare for flooding, support our farmers and winter tourism industry, and manage water resources more effectively.
Changing weather patterns have made Maine snowfall and precipitation unpredictable, said Senator King. From small business owners in our tourism industry to farmers making fact-based planting decisions, the Snow Survey Northeast Expansion Act will ensure Maine people have access to accurate and reliable weather forecasting. Additionally, this bipartisan legislation will allow for research that will help future generations adapt to Maines changing climate.
Shaheen has led efforts to safeguard our natural environment and invest in climate resiliency while boosting New Hampshires recreation economy. In the , Shaheen secured 1 million for a study that has worked to examine the establishment of this network in the Northeast. Shaheen led her bipartisan into law to require the federal government to measure the impact of the outdoor recreation on the economy. In November 2024, the release of an a 1.2 trillion economic contribution by the outdoor recreation sector in 2023, including 3.9 billion in New Hampshire. Shaheen also helped reintroduce the to fuel investment in outdoor recreation in national forests that benefits mountain communities.
Shaheen has also led efforts to help and for the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF), which has helped protect more than 2.5 million acres of land and supported tens of thousands of state and local outdoor recreation projects throughout the nation. In 2020, Shaheen the into law to permanently fund the LWCF and provide mandatory funding for deferred maintenance on public lands.
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