Monday, June 23, 2014
Longworth House Office Building 1334
10:00 - 11:00 PM

Video of the Briefing (YouTube)

Agenda

Hosted by Senator Maria Cantwell

Speakers

Dave Norman, State Geologist of Washington, Manager of the Department of Natural Resources, Manager of the Division of Geology and Earth Resources, Washington Geological Survey

Jennifer Bauer, Principal Geologist and co-owner of Appalachian Landslide Consultants, PLLC

Mike Chard, Director, Boulder Office of Emergency Management

Moderator

Peter Lyttle, U.S. Geological Survey

Overview: 

Finding Stable Ground: Using Science and Partnerships to Manage Landslides Hazards was a congressional briefing sponsored by the Hazards Caucus Alliance, the Association of Environmental & Engineering Geologists, the Association of American State Geologists, and the American Society of Civil Engineers Geo-Institute. On Monday, June 23, four landslides experts from across the U.S. came to Washington, D.C. to brief congressional Members and their staff about how geoscience can help inform decision making to save lives, property, and critical infrastructure. Landslides occur in every state and territory across the United States. According to the U.S. Geological Survey, landslides in the U.S. cause more than $1 billion in damages and result in 25 to 50 deaths in a typical year. So far in 2014, landslides in Washington and Colorado have killed more than 40 people, and landslides in the mid-Atlantic region have displaced numerous families. This briefing addressed landslide hazards across the U.S. and how advances in the geosciences, including breakthroughs in lidar technology, improved geologic mapping, and improved landslide susceptibility and risk assessments, can help inform decision making.