On 25 October 2021, AGU sent a letter to Representative Mikie Sherril, Chair of the House Science, Space, and Technology Subcommittee on the Environment, endorsing the the Providing Research and Estimates of Changes in Precipitation (PRECIP) Act. 

 

On behalf of the American Geophysical Union (AGU) and our community of 130,000 worldwide in the Earth and space sciences, I am writing to thank you for introducing H.R. 1437, the Providing Research and Estimates of Changes in Precipitation (PRECIP) Act and to offer AGU’s official endorsement for this important bill.

The frequency and intensity of heavy precipitation events in the U.S. has increased since 1901—a trend that is expected to continue as Earth’s climate continues to warm.  Our water infrastructure, including flood control infrastructure, is not designed to manage the storms of the future. As such, new methods and more long-term data are needed to calculate flood risk accurately and adequately protect communities.

AGU applauds the bill’s goal of ensuring that decision-makers have access to the most accurate, up-to-date precipitation information by investing in NOAA’s precipitation research and data collection capabilities and encouraging a partnership between NOAA and the National Academies.

AGU scientists work to measure, predict, manage, and mitigate the impacts of extreme weather events and can attest to the importance of ensuring that precipitation data is regularly updated and analyzed using best practices.

Given our strong shared interests in the goals of this legislation, AGU appreciates your leadership and looks forward to working with you on this critical issue as the bill advances.

 

You can read the full text of the letter here.