Fog Observations and Geographic Forecasting Act

Last action on Oct 21, 2025Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under General Order...

Summary

S. 1278 would require the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to develop and implement a project to improve forecasts of coastal marine fog. The bill has passed committee review and is eligible for a floor vote in the Senate. If enacted, it would direct NOAA to collect data from commercial sources, meteorological stations, drifting instruments, and satellites at marine locations affected by fog-related low visibility, and to improve how marine fog advisories are communicated to the public.

The practical impact for citizens would be improved maritime safety and reduced shipping delays at U.S. ports. Dense fog frequently causes vessel collisions, port closures, and costly shipping disruptions. Better fog forecasts would allow ports to reopen sooner and help ships navigate more safely, benefiting consumers through faster delivery of goods and lower shipping costs. The bill would cost an estimated $67 million over five years, with initial development costs of $3 million in 2026 and implementation costs of $19 million in 2027, followed by approximately $16 million in annual operating costs.

Lifecycle of the Bill

Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation. Ordered to be reported without amendment favorably.

Apr 30, 2025

HearingSenateMeeting

Apr 30, 2025 · 14:00

Business meeting to consider S.29, to make daylight saving time permanent, S.191, to require the Secretary of Transportation to modify certain regulations relating to the requirements for commercial driver's license testing and commercial learner's permit holders, S.196, to improve online ticket sales and protect consumers, S.259, to direct the Federal Communications Commission to publish a list of entities that hold authorizations, licenses, or other grants of authority issued by the Commission and that have certain foreign ownership, S.320, to authorize the Earthquake Hazards Reduction Act of 1977, S.580, to require the Secretary of Commerce to provide training and guidance relating to human rights abuses, including such abuses perpetrated against the Uyghur population by the Government of the People's Republic of China, S.606, to authorize the Administrator of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration to reimburse the Town of Chincoteague, Virginia, for costs directly associated with the removal and replacement of certain drinking water wells, S.688, to combat illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing at its sources globally, S.725, to direct the Federal Communications Commission to issue reports after activation of the Disaster Information Reporting System and to make improvements to network outage reporting, to categorize public safety telecommunicators as a protective service occupation under the Standard Occupational Classification system, S.769, to amend the Research and Development, Competition, and Innovation Act to clarify the definition of foreign country for purposes of malign foreign talent recruitment restriction, S.1003, to require the Federal Communications Commission to issue an order providing that a shark attack is an event for which a wireless emergency alert may be transmitted, S.1081, to require the Administrator of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration to submit certain reports to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation of the Senate and the Committee on Science, Space, and Technology of the House of Representatives, S.1278, to require the Under Secretary of Commerce for Oceans and Atmosphere to conduct a project to improve forecasts of coastal marine fog, S.1378, to enhance the use by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration of artificial intelligence for weather forecasting, S.1433, to reauthorize the Northwest Straits Marine Conservation Initiative Act to promote the protection of the resources of the Northwest Straits, S.1437, to require the Administrator of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration to establish a program to identify, evaluate, acquire, and disseminate commercial Earth remote sensing data and imagery in order to satisfy the scientific, operational, and educational requirements of the Administration, S.1492, to require the Secretary of Commerce support the leadership of the United States with respect to the deployment, use, application, and competitiveness of blockchain technology, and the nominations of Olivia Trusty, of Maryland, to be a Member of the Federal Communications Commission, Jared Isaacman, of Pennsylvania, to be Administrator of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, and routine lists in the Coast Guard.

Committee

Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation

View full hearing

Summary

The Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation convened on April 30, 2025, for a business meeting to consider multiple pieces of legislation and nominations. The bills addressed diverse policy areas under the committee's jurisdiction, including transportation, communications, commerce, and science. Notable measures included S. 29, the Sunshine Protection Act to make daylight saving time permanent; S. 191 on commercial driver's license testing requirements; S. 196 on online ticket sales consumer protections; and S. 1081, the Comprehensive NASA Reporting Act requiring NASA to submit reports to Congress. The committee also considered bills addressing foreign ownership in telecommunications, earthquake hazards reduction, human rights abuses including those against Uyghurs, fishing regulations, disaster communications, and weather forecasting improvements, among others. The committee also considered the nominations of Olivia Trusty of Maryland to be a Member of the Federal Communications Commission and Jared Isaacman of Pennsylvania to be Administrator of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, along with routine Coast Guard nominations. No witnesses were listed for this business meeting, which was a procedural session focused on advancing bills and nominations for further consideration. As a business meeting rather than a hearing with testimony, this session represents a step in the legislative process but does not guarantee that any of these bills will advance to a floor vote. The committee's action would typically move these measures to the next stage of consideration, whether through markup sessions, floor debate, or other procedural steps.

Video

Watch video

Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation. Reported by Senator Cruz without amendment. With written report No. 119-86.

Oct 21, 2025

Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation. Reported by Senator Cruz without amendment. With written report No. 119-86.

Oct 21, 2025

Fog Observations and Geographic Forecasting Act

Summary

Lifecycle of the Bill

Committee

Summary

Video

Committee

Summary

Video

Cosponsors (1)

Related Legislation (1)

Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation

CBO Cost Estimate

Search

Search

Fog Observations and Geographic Forecasting Act

Summary

Lifecycle of the Bill

Committee

Summary

Video

Lifecycle of the Bill

Committee

Summary

Video

Bill Information

Sponsors & Co-sponsors (2)

Cosponsors (1)

Policy Area

Legislative Subjects (7)

Related Legislation (1)

Related Legislation (1)

Committees (1)

Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation

CBO Cost Estimate

CBO Cost Estimate