On the recordJuly 31, 2018
I wish to discuss H.R. 6147, which includes the Fiscal Year 2019 Interior and Related Agencies Appropriations bill. This bill provides critical funding for the U.S. Geological Survey, USGS, and the Advanced National Seismic System, ANSS. In recent years, USGS funding for external grants for local earthquake monitoring and research has become highly competitive and does not always reach areas of need. In a solicitation from May 2017, for example, USGS only funded approximately 15 percent of the grant proposals that were submitted to the agency for funding in this area. I am particularly concerned by USGS's reduction of funding and utilization of local earthquake monitoring programs and ANSS partner facilities in areas of moderate earthquake risk, particularly in the northeast region of the United States. It is true that most earthquakes tend to occur in zones where past earthquakes have taken place. However, each year, there are earthquakes that take place at unexpected locations, including in my home State of Massachusetts. The Northeast is a region of high population density, and the cities and towns in this region are often home to older buildings that are situated on soft soil and vulnerable to earthquake activity. This means that even small earthquakes can be felt by local residents and can be misinterpreted another disaster or even as a terrorist event if accurate and timely information is not readily made available.…
