2017-06226. National Integrated Drought Information System (NIDIS) Executive Council Meeting

AGENCY:

Climate Program Office (CPO), Office of Oceanic and Atmospheric Research (OAR), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Department of Commerce (DOC).

ACTION:

Notice of open meeting.

SUMMARY:

The National Integrated Drought Information System (NIDIS) Program will hold an organizational meeting of the NIDIS Executive Council on April 20, 2017.

DATES:

The meeting will be held Thursday, April 20, 2017 from 9:00 a.m. EST to 4:30 p.m. EST. These times and the agenda topics described below are subject to change.

ADDRESSES:

The meeting will be held at the Hall of States, Room 383/385, 444 North Capitol St. NW., Washington, DC 20001.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Veva Deheza, NIDIS Executive Director, David Skaggs Research Center, Room GD102, 325 Broadway, Boulder CO 80305. Email: [e-mail]; or visit the NIDIS Web site at www.drought.gov.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

The National Integrated Drought Information System (NIDIS) was established by Public Law 109-430 on December 20, 2006, and reauthorized by Public Law 113-86 on March 6, 2014, with a mandate to provide an effective drought early warning system for the United States; coordinate, and integrate as practicable, Federal research in support of a drought early warning system; and build upon existing forecasting and assessment programs and partnerships. See 15 U.S.C. 313d. The Public Law also calls for consultation with “relevant Federal, regional, State, tribal, and local government agencies, research institutions, and the private sector” in the development of NIDIS. 15 U.S.C. 313d(c). The NIDIS Executive Council provides the NIDIS Program Office with an opportunity to engage in individual consultation with senior resource officials from NIDIS's Federal partners, as well as leaders from state and local government, academia, nongovernmental organizations, and the private sector.

Status: This meeting will be open to public participation. Individuals interested in attending should register at https://cpaess.ucar.edu/​meetings/​2017/​nidis-executive-council-meeting-april-2017. Please refer to this Web page for the most up-to-date meeting times and agenda. Seating at the meeting will be available on a first-come, first-served basis.

Special Accommodations: This meeting is physically accessible to people with disabilities. Requests for special accommodations may be directed no later than 12:00 p.m. on April 18, 2016, to Elizabeth Ossowski, Program Coordinator, David Skaggs Research Center, Room GD102, 325 Broadway, Boulder CO 80305; Email: [e-mail].

Matters To Be Considered: The meeting will include the following topics: (1) NIDIS implementation updates and 2017 priorities, (2) Council member updates and 2017 priorities, (3) cross-agency Federal priorities as well as state government priorities in 2017, (4) drought resilience efforts at the Federal level, (5) quantifying the socio-economic impact of drought and the cost of inaction as well as the benefits of action, (6) partnership between the National Water Center and NIDIS, and (7) open discussion on advancing the goals of the NIDIS Public Law.

Dated: March 23, 2017.

Paul Johnson,

Acting Deputy Chief Financial Officer/CAO, Office of Oceanic and Atmospheric Research, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.