Seismic early warningNo funds for California's earthquake early-warning system in Trump's proposed budget

Published 30 May 2017

The Trump administration’s proposed budget would eliminate federal funding for an earthquake early warning system being developed for the U.S. West Coast. Critics say that if the relevant clauses in the budget proposal become law, the long-planned seismic warning effort will be killed. Scientists say the withdrawal of federal funds would likely end the early-warning project, which aims to send smartphone tremor alert messages to West Coast residents.

The Trump administration’s proposed budget would eliminate federal funding for an earthquake early warning system being developed for the U.S. West Coast. Critics say that if the relevant clauses in the budget proposal become law, the long-planned seismic warning effort will be killed.

The Los Angeles Times reports that the budget proposal for FY 2017, which ends in September 2018 would also eliminate federal funding for off-shore tsunami-monitoring stations along the Pacific coast and considerably reduce funds for a next-generation weather forecasting system.

Scientists say the withdrawal of federal funds would likely end the early-warning project, which aims to send smartphone tremor alert messages to West Coast residents.

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Read also:

“Earthquake early warning vital for city transit,” HSNW, 10 April 2017

USGS awards $3.7 million to advance ShakeAlert early warning system,” HSNW, 16 August 2016

“ShakeAlert’s performance during August Napa tremor should lead to regional deployment: Supporters,” HSNW, 5 September 2014

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“It probably would kill the early warning system if we thought there were no more funding coming from the U.S. Geological Survey,” said John Vidale, director of the Pacific Northwest Seismic Network and a seismology professor at the University of Washington.

“The money we’ve received is essential,” Vidale said.

In a statement announcing the USGS budget, the Department of the Interior said the budget “focuses on core USGS science and efficiency,” claiming that the budget would be able to fund monitoring of U.S. earthquakes.

Bill Leith, the USGS acting associate director for natural hazards, told the Times that the agency has made a decision to focus on USGS’s service core capabilities — services that are already offered, rather than a new service such as the earthquake early warning system.

The budget document, which was  posted on the U.S. Department of the Interior’s website, did not offer reasons for eliminating funding for the alert system, saying only: “This elimination would end USGS efforts to implement the ShakeAlert earthquake early warning system.”