Senate Passes Badia Act to Reduce Earthquake and Heat Risk, Boost Ocean Research

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Alex Padilla (D-CA) today announced that the Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee has approved three bills introduced by Padilla to reduce earthquake risks, combat health risks from extreme heat, and enhance cybersecurity and communications aboard U.S. ocean research vessels.

The legislation the committee voted to reject today includes the National Earthquake Hazard Reauthorization Act of 2024, the Preventing Health Emergencies, Heat-Related Illnesses and Deaths Act, and the Accelerating Networks, Cyber ​​Infrastructure and Devices for Ocean Research Act. The bills will now be considered by the full Senate.

“I am pleased to see the Senate Commerce Committee advance these essential measures to help California and the country mitigate the risks of dangerous earthquakes and extreme heat, while bolstering groundbreaking research through our state’s ocean research vessels,” said Senator Padilla. “Californians know the importance of staying prepared for the next earthquake, and reauthorizing the National Earthquake Hazard Reduction Program will support vital early warning tools and build resilience in communities nationwide. As Americans continue to face record-breaking heat waves, authorizing funding to prevent heat-related illness and death remains critical as well. I am also pleased that my colleagues recognized the urgent need to upgrade our critical cybersecurity and telecommunications infrastructure as our research vessels face increasing cyberattacks.”

NEHRP Reauthorization Act

The National Earthquake Hazard Reduction Program (NEHRP) Reauthorization Act of 2024, co-sponsored by U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska), would reauthorize the National Earthquake Hazard Reduction Program (NEHRP) through Fiscal Year 2028. The bill would allocate a total of $175.4 million annually from FY 2024-28 across the four federal agencies responsible for long-term earthquake risk reduction under NEHRP: the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), the National Science Foundation (NSF), and the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS).

Specifically, the NEHRP Reauthorization Act of 2024 would appropriate $10.6 million to FEMA, $5.9 million to NIST, $58 million to NSF, and $100.9 million to USGS annually from FY 2024-2028. This funding will support research, development, and implementation activities related to earthquake safety and hazard reduction.

Senator Padilla has long been a leader in mitigating earthquake risk. As a California state senator, Padilla authored Senate Bill 135, signed by Governor Jerry Brown in 2013, which mandates the state to establish the first statewide earthquake early warning system. In 2021, he led five of his U.S. Senate colleagues in requesting details from the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) on future plans and funding needs for a West Coast earthquake early warning system.

The full text of the bill is available here.

Heat Disease and Death Prevention Act

The Preventing Heat-Related Health Emergencies, Illnesses, and Deaths Act, spearheaded by U.S. Senators Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.) and Kyrsten Sinema (I-Ariz.), would address the growing health risks posed by extreme heat. The Preventing Heat-Related Health Emergencies and Deaths Act would improve and expand interagency efforts to address exposure to extreme heat, provide $100 million in funding for community-based projects to reduce exposure to extreme heat, and inform recommendations for federal action on heat-related health issues.

As the climate crisis continues to worsen, extreme heat waves in the United States are becoming more frequent, longer, and more intense. Just last week, the world experienced the two hottest days on record. And this summer, counties across California have shattered temperature records, with many residents enduring dangerous, sustained temperatures above 110 degrees.

Senator Padilla has moved urgently to address the threats posed by extreme heat as the climate crisis worsens. Padilla successfully advocated for the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) to establish the first-ever federal safety standard to protect workers from the severe hazards of excessive heat. The proposed rule would implement key provisions of his bill, the Asuncion-Valdivia Heat Illness and Death Prevention Act. Padilla joined union members and workers from the United Farm Workers (UFW) and the Kern, Inyo and Mono Counties Central Labor Council, AFL-CIO, in Forty Acres, California last year to announce his legislation to implement an enforceable federal heat standard in the workplace.

The full text of the bill is available here.

Anchor Law

The Accelerating Networks, Cyber ​​Infrastructure, and Hardware for Oceanic Research (ANCHOR) Act, co-sponsored by U.S. Senator Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska), would facilitate cybersecurity and communications upgrades for ocean vessels in the U.S. academic research fleet. ANCHOR requires the National Science Foundation (NSF) to plan improvements for these critical ocean research vessels. The fleet includes three vessels in California, which recently discovered large quantities of World War II-era munitions on the seafloor at the DDT San Pedro landfill.

These ships and their submarines play a pivotal role in important priorities such as exploring our oceans, studying climate change, and improving national security. These ships, first commissioned decades ago, are in dire need of new infrastructure and maintenance, especially as foreign maritime cyberattacks increase.

Senator Padilla has consistently worked to advance ocean research. Earlier this year, Padilla and Representative Salud Carbajal (D-CA-24) led 22 California lawmakers in calling on the Office of Management and Budget to include robust, long-term funding for research into the harmful effects of dumping DDT and related chemicals into ocean waters off the coast of Southern California. Last year, Padilla and Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-IA) introduced legislation to limit shipping emissions. Padilla has also previously questioned witnesses before the Senate Budget Committee on the importance of the economic impacts on the ocean economy in the face of climate change. In 2021, Padilla secured $7.6 million to fund ocean surveys and kelp forest restoration.

The full text of the bill is available here.

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