HR 8407 Introduced – Weather Risk Assessment

 Last week, Rep Scott (R,FL) introduced HR 8407, the Advancing Consistent and Credible Use of Risk Assessment Tools and Evaluation (ACCURATE) Act. The bill would require NIST to “establish a commission to be known as the ‘Commission on Hazard Risk Assessment Tools’”. The Commission would look at hazard risk assessment tools and models that could/should be used by the Federal government to assess natural hazards. No new funding is provided by this legislation. 

I was hoping that this bill would help industry to assess those same natural hazards so as to avoid incidents like the August 2017 Arkema chemical plant fire caused, at least in part, by unexpected flood conditions. This proposed Commission may, in fact, come up with some sort of tools that could be used by industry, but it is certainly not the focus of this legislation. And there is no call to include any chemical industry representation in the proposed Commission. So, there is a long way between this bill and any help to the chemical manufacturing community. 

I do not expect to provide any further coverage of this bill in this blog. 

Review – Bills Introduced – 4-21-26

 Yesterday, with both the House and Senate in Washington, there were 59 bills introduced. Three of those bills may receive additional coverage in this blog: 

HR 8407 To direct the Under Secretary of Commerce for Standards and Technology to establish a Commission on Hazard Risk Assessment Tools, and for other purposes. Franklin, Scott [Rep.-R-FL-18] 

HR 8410 To direct the Secretary of Transportation to apply certain requirements to centralized computer-aided train-dispatching systems and centralized traffic control boards. Gillen, Laura [Rep.-D-NY-4] 

HR 8417 To amend title 49, United States Code, to require all railroad freight cars operating on the United States general railroad system of transportation to meet certain manufacturing and content requirements, and for other purposes. Moolenaar, John R. [Rep.-R-MI-2] 

For more information on these bills, including legislative history for similar bills in the 118th Congress, see my article at CFSN Detailed Analysis - https://patrickcoyle.substack.com/p/bills-introduced-4-21-26 - subscription required.