Schiff, Other House Democrats Gather Support for Boosted FY 2020 Funding for Quake Warning
Three West Coast House Democrats, including House Intelligence Committee ranking member Adam Schiff, Calif., seek additional signatures on a coming letter to President Donald Trump's administration urging officials to include “robust” funding in its FY 2020 budget for the U.S.…
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Geological Survey for development of the ShakeAlert Pacific earthquake early warning system. The system, set for full implementation by 2020, aims to communicate advance warnings of earthquakes to residents in California, Oregon and Washington via messages on mobile devices and computers. California's Office of Emergency Services wants an FCC waiver to test ShakeAlert using the wireless emergency alert system (see 1811130062). Congress has appropriated funding for ShakeAlert in every federal cycle since FY 2015, which helped the U.S. make “steady progress toward having an operational system,” said Schiff and Reps. Peter DeFazio, Ore., and Derek Kilmer, Wash., in a draft letter to White House Office of Management and Budget Director Mick Mulvaney. “Congress has been steadfast in its support for the system, and we need the Administration to demonstrate its support for the system level.” ShakeAlert's efficacy “largely depends on modern cyber infrastructure, and the number and placement of ground motion sensors to ensure there is adequate coverage wherever an earthquake may hit -- and this requires additional resources,” the lawmakers said. “Congress recognizes the value of this system and continues to demonstrate its commitment by providing additional resources.”