Congressional Record—Senate S5410
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S5410 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE August 13, 2020 S. 4530. A bill to establish a Snow in water-storage management can cost Arunachal Pradesh, and encourages a diplo- Water Supply Forecasting Program hundreds of millions of dollars in un- matic solution to remaining contested areas within the Department of the Interior, necessary releases from reservoirs and of the border between India and China; and for other purposes; to the Com- extra groundwater pumping. Whereas, due to the disputed nature of the mittee on Energy and Natural Re- Additional ASO flights to better Line of Actual Control, minor standoffs be- tween India and the People’s Republic of sources. measure snowpack often have a high China have occasionally happened, but prior Mrs. FEINSTEIN. Mr. President, I return on investment, by one estimate to June 15, 2020, no military fatalities had rise to speak in support of the Snow as much as 40:1 for water supply bene- occurred since 1975; Water Supply Forecasting Program fits, and 80:1 for all benefits, including Whereas, in the months leading up to June Authorization Act, which I introduced hydro, recharge, flood control, and eco- 15, 2020, the People’s Republic of China in- today with Senator HARRIS. Represent- system benefits. creased troop deployments, built new infra- atives JOSH HARDER, JOHN GARAMENDI, After several years developing and structure in contested areas, and harassed JERRY MCNERNEY, GRACE NAPOLITANO, refining the deployment of snowpack Indian patrols along multiple sectors of the T.J. COX, and AMI BERA—all Democrats measurement technology, in December Line of Actual Control, particularly around the Depsang Plains, Galwan Valley, Hot from California—and DIANA DEGETTE 2019, NASA concluded management of Springs, and Pangong Lake; and JOE NEGUSE—both Democrats from the-ASO program and transferred it to Whereas the events of June 15, 2020, which Colorado—have introduced identical the private sector. While consistent resulted in the death of 20 Indian soldiers, companion legislation in the House. with NASA’s traditional approach to raises serious concerns regarding the intent Airborne snow observatory, ASO, developing new technologies, this of the Government of the People’s Republic technology is a snow monitoring tool transfer reduces the certainty for Fed- of China and its military forces; that provides precise measurement of eral support of a program with signifi- Whereas this act by the People’s Republic depth and water content for every cant public benefits, including im- of China military occurred during bilateral square meter of snow in a watershed. proved water conservation, supply and diplomatic negotiations between the Govern- The technology measures snow depth delivery forecasts across the West. ments of the People’s Republic of China and and water content using an airplane- The bill establishes a snow pack fore- India, who were attempting to deescalate mounted light detection, LiDAR, in- tensions at the Line of Actual Control; casting program at the Bureau of Rec- Whereas the Government of the People’s strument coupled with an imaging lamation within the Department of the Republic of China’s expanded territorial spectrometer. Interior. claims in Bhutan’s eastern sector is a trans- When combined with conventional The Bureau shall implement the pro- parent attempt at expanding its illegitimate snow surveys, ASO provides a near-per- gram in two phases: claims over the Indian state of Arunachal fect picture of snow water content. No. 1, the first step is to coordinate Pradesh; By near perfect, I mean that ASO es- with other Federal agencies on how Whereas the United States designated timates snowpack and runoff forecast they will work together to improve India as a Major Defense Partner and has with 96 to 99 percent accuracy. This is analyses of snowpack depth. This inter- taken steps to deepen the bilateral defense much better than current practices, agency process will result in a report relationship, including by elevating India to Strategic Trade Authorization Tier 1 Status which only measure snowpack and run- due to Congress by October 21, 2021. and conducting annual joint military exer- off with 50 to 90 percent accuracy. No. 2, following the completion of the These forecast accuracies are cises; report, the Bureau will cost-share with Whereas the United States Government re- achieved by comparing LiDAR meas- States, water districts, other Federal mains committed to a free and open Indo-Pa- urements of bare ground topography in agencies and other partners on in- cific and views China’s aggression at the the summer with multiple measure- creased LiDAR flights and other activi- Line of Actual Control, in the Indian Ocean, ments of snow depth during the winter. ties in particular watersheds. and in the Western Pacific as a threat to the The greatest accuracies are based on This program is expected to benefit stability and security of the international once-a-month flights in watersheds many Western States, including but community; earlier in the winter, and twice month- not limited to Sierra Nevada and Cas- Whereas the Government of India has ly flights during the spring runoff pe- cade Mountains; the Front Range of taken steps to secure its telecommuni- riod. cations infrastructure from Chinese security the Rocky Mountains of Colorado, Wy- threats; The much more precise measure- oming, and New Mexico; and the Colo- ments of snowpack that ASO provides Whereas it mutually benefits the United rado River tributaries in Utah and Ari- States and India to strengthen their Com- will be critical in better managing zona, and the Pacific Northwest. prehensive Global Strategic Partnership competing missions of western water Fifteen million dollars would be au- through increased defense interoperability, storage reservoirs for flood control and thorized for the program from fiscal intelligence sharing, access to military in- water supply amidst a changing cli- years 2022 to 2026. stallations, and trade; mate and growing population. I hope my colleagues will join me in Whereas the United States and India have For example, in a single year, 2018, support of this bill. signed three foundational military agree- Turlock Irrigation District used this ments, the General Security of Military In- technology in the Tuolumne River wa- f formation Agreement, the Logistics Ex- tershed to save 150,000 acre-feet of SUBMITTED RESOLUTIONS change Memorandum of Understanding, and water supply. the Communications, Compatibility, and Se- Because they knew precisely how curity Agreement, and are working to sign SENATE RESOLUTION 680—CON- the Basic Exchange and Cooperation Agree- much snow was in the upper watershed ment; and of the Tuolumne, Turlock was able to DEMNING THE PEOPLE’S REPUB- Whereas it is in the mutual interest of the avoid a release of 150,000 acre-feet of LIC OF CHINA’S USE OF MILI- United States and India to expand their de- water from Don Pedro Reservoir that TARY AGGRESSION TO CHANGE fense and intelligence relationships both bi- otherwise would have been required for THE STATUS QUO AT THE LINE laterally, as well as multilaterally through flood control. OF ACTUAL CONTROL BETWEEN the Quadrilateral Dialogue with Japan and Without ASO technology, Turlock INDIA AND CHINA Australia: Now, therefore, be it would have had to assume for safety Mr. CORNYN (for himself and Mr. Resolved, That the Senate— purposes that the melting snow in the WARNER) submitted the following reso- (1) condemns the People’s Republic of Chi- upper Tuolumne watershed was at the lution; which was referred to the Com- na’s use of military force to change the sta- tus quo at the Line of Actual Control, as well high end of a wide range of guess- mittee on Foreign Relations: timates using conventional snowpack as its refusal to demarcate that Line in ac- S. RES. 680 technology. With the possibility of a cordance with past bilateral agreements Whereas, since a truce ended the 1962 war with India; big snowmelt, Turlock would have had between India and the People’s Republic of (2) supports a diplomatic solution that rap- to release the extra 150,000 acre feet of China, the countries have been divided by a idly restores the April 2020 status quo at the water. Line of Actual Control; Line of Actual Control; With water in California often cost- Whereas the United States officially recog- (3) commends India for taking steps to se- ing $1000 per acre foot or more, errors nizes the McMahon Line, the Indian state of cure its telecommunications infrastructure VerDate Sep 11 2014 00:13 Aug 14, 2020 Jkt 099060 PO 00000 Frm 00008 Fmt 4637 Sfmt 0634 E:\CR\FM\A13AU6.011 S13AUPT1 dlhill on DSK120RN23PROD with SENATE August 13, 2020 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE S5411 from Chinese security threats and encour- and the dignity of work for everyone: Now, to the brink of economic collapse, including ages multilateral engagement in these ef- therefore, be it an 80 percent currency devaluation since forts, including through the Blue Dot Net- Resolved, That the Senate— 2019, one of the highest rates of public debt, work; (1) recognizes— food insecurity, and hyperinflation; (4) commits to deepening defense, intel- (A) the Chinese immigrants who worked on Whereas the United States Government ligence, and economic ties with India in line the Transcontinental Railroad from 1865 to has longstanding concerns about Hezbollah’s with fulfilling the full potential of the Com- 1869 (referred to in this resolving clause as use of and influence over the Beirut port as prehensive Global Strategic Partnership; and the ‘‘Chinese railroad workers’’); and a transit and storage point for its terrorist (5) supports bilateral and multilateral (B) the contributions of the Chinese rail- enterprise; partnerships, such as the Quadrilateral Dia- road workers to the construction of the Whereas the people of Lebanon across the logue, to promote a rules-based order in the Transcontinental Railroad and the growth of political spectrum have renewed demands for Indo-Pacific.