Washington, D.C. — U.S. Sens. Maria Cantwell, D-Wash., and Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, on Tuesday introduced a bill aimed at improving volcano monitoring systems in the United States, including the Northwest.
The National Volcano Early Warning and Monitoring Program Act aims to unify the monitoring systems of volcano observatories into a single connected system, according to the senators’ offices. That would include the Cascades Volcano Observatory, which is based in Vancouver, and the Alaska Volcano Observatory.
The bill would establish a National Volcano Early Warning and Monitoring System to monitor, warn and protect communities from volcanic hazards.
The Cascades Volcano Observatory monitors volcanoes in the Northwest, including Mount St. Helens, Mount Adams, Mount Hood and others. It’s one of five volcano observatories operated by the U.S. Geological Survey.
