Senate committee approves extension of Bill that monitors local volcanoes

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell (D-WA), a senior member of the Senate Committee on Energy & Natural Resources, has secured committee passage of the reauthorization of the National Volcano Early Warning and Monitoring System Act.

“The State of Washington is home to four of the most dangerous volcanoes in the nation,” said Sen. Cantwell. “This bill ensures we have the right science and monitoring in place to keep our communities informed, help mitigate future threats, and save lives.”

The Cantwell-sponsored legislation, originally passed in 2019, improves the nation’s volcano monitoring and early warning capabilities, and strengthens existing monitoring systems to help keep communities and travelers safe. 

This includes critical improvements at the Cascades Volcano Observatory (CVO) in Vancouver, WA which leads the U.S. Geological Survey’s work monitoring volcanoes and helping communities live safely with volcanoes in the Pacific Northwest.

Currently, Washington state has five active volcanoes: Mount St. Helens, Mount Rainier, Glacier Peak, Mount Baker, and Mount Adams. 

Four peaks - Mount St. Helens, Mount Rainier, Glacier Peak, and Mount Baker - are being monitored for “very high” threat of eruption according to the USGS, while Mount Adams is considered a “high” threat. 

Mount St. Helens and Mount Rainier rank as the 2nd and 3rd most dangerous volcanoes in the United States.

Since passage of the National Volcano Early Warning and Monitoring System Act five years ago, CVO has improved monitoring capabilities at Cascade volcanoes

• Mount St. Helens: Installed six new real-time volcano monitoring stations. In addition, CVO engaged in a major reconfiguration of the data collection and analysis system in 2023 following a debris flow that cut line power to a major telemetry hub located at the U.S. Forest Service’s Johnston Ridge Observatory.
• Mount Rainier: Installed 22 new real-time volcano monitoring stations including station installed to improve landslide detection capabilities along the Puyallup and Nisqually Rivers. This included a multi-year Environmental Assessment process with Mount Rainier National Park that was completed in 2022.
• Glacier Peak: Completed an Environmental Assessment process with the Mount Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest in 2023 for four new real-time volcano monitoring stations.
• Mount Baker: Multiple site reconnaissance surveys were conducted in preparation for submitting a permit request to install five to six new real-time volcano monitoring stations.
• Mount Adams: Anticipate completion in 2024 of permitting process with the Gifford Pinchot National Forest for five new real-time volcano monitoring stations along the White Salmon drainage upstream of the town of Trout Lake.

In addition, CVO upgraded monitoring equipment at 31 existing real-time volcano monitoring stations in Washington state: at Mount St. Helens (15), Mount Rainier (13), Mount Baker (2), and Mount Adams (1).

These upgrades were designed to improve robustness and reliability of these monitoring stations, and in many cases, also involved expanding volcano-monitoring capabilities through the addition of new types of sensors.

Senator Cantwell originally introduced the legislation with Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), and Senator Mazie Hirono (D-HI). 

The reauthorization now awaits consideration by the full Senate.