Wicker Bills Tackle Weather Challenges

Mississippians understand better than most that wind and water are powerful-both for good and bad. We are proud of bustling commercial activity along our coast and waterways, but we also know what it is like to persevere through tornadoes and hurricanes. My U.S. Senate colleagues and I have advanced three pieces of legislation that will help Mississippi handle both the dangers and the opportunities of these natural resources.

Improving Tornado Warnings

The first bill, the Tornado Observation Research Notification and Deployment to Operations, or TORNADO, Act, would improve tornado warnings. The U.S. Senate Commerce Committee has passed this legislation, which I authored to make sure the government is using the latest prediction and warning systems.

As weather forecasting becomes more accurate each year, the TORNADO Act would apply advanced tracking to the tornado forecasting and warning systems we have set up around the state. When a storm is barreling in, time is of the essence. Even incremental improvements in warning times can save lives.

Equipping Ocean Commerce

The TORNADO Act would improve data collection on land, but the second bill would do the same on America's coastal waters. My committee colleagues and I voted to reauthorize the Integrated Ocean Observing System (IOOS) Act. If passed by the full Senate and signed into law, the bill would maintain a valuable tool for our blue economy.

IOOS is a large network of individuals who monitor our oceans and share what they find. It is comprised of academic researchers, commercial fishermen, government agencies, meteorologists, students, and more. Some observers use satellites and radar stations while others work with buoys, tide gauges, and vessels that explore under the surface. Through these and other tools, participants collect data on water levels and temperatures, wind speeds and directions, and the changing currents.

When the IOOS network collects this information, they send it to a massive database. Analysts study the information to detect storms, predict weather, and to help with emergency rescue operations. Fishermen and shrimpers also use the data to help their businesses.

Mississippians are a vital link in the IOOS information chain. We host the National Data Buoy Center, which deploys data-collection buoys around the U.S. coastal waters. The University of Southern Mississippi helps run a radar system using radio waves to study surface currents. Mississippians also build cutting-edge unmanned vessels that can explore the waters along our shores and report back with real-time information.

Fostering Regional Partnerships

A third piece of legislation builds on the second. For over two decades, leaders in coastal states have come together to manage the resources of their coastal waters. Governors, mayors, business officials, and marine researchers formed associations to plan the future of coastal development, commercial activity, and conservation efforts.

In 2022, Congress came alongside these groups with an initiative called the Regional Ocean Partnerships. Existing associations could apply for the designation, which would unlock funds and other resources to support their work. This structure facilitated even deeper collaboration among neighboring states. I led a bipartisan group of senators in a bid to reauthorize the Regional Ocean Partnership program. Our bill passed out of committee in April, and I look forward to its passage on the Senate floor.

Bills like these protect Mississippi's natural resources and promote its blue economy at the same time. Though we understand the challenges of wind and water better than most, Mississippians have learned how to harness our natural resources like few others.