Associated Press
HONOLULU — The U.S. Senate has passed legislation aimed at improving the country’s volcano monitoring and early warning capabilities.
The measure would strengthen existing volcano monitoring systems and unify them under one connected system.
It also would create a Volcano Watch Office, which would operate around the clock, to monitor all active volcanoes in the U.S. and U.S. territories.
The measure still must be approved by the U.S. House.
Washington state Sen. Maria Cantwell says her state has five of the highest-threat volcanoes in the nation.
She says Thursday’s eruption of Hawaii’s Kilauea volcano is a reminder that volcanoes are a persistent and serious threat.
Alaska Sen. Lisa Murkowski and Hawaii Sen. Mazie Hirono also backed the measure.
Geologists aren’t planning to check if an eruption at a Hawaii volcano ejected any large boulders.
The Hawaiian Volcano Observatory moved to a university campus after concerns that Kilauea could hurl big rocks.
Observatory scientist Steve Brantley says it’s too dangerous to send geologists to measure any possible boulders after the summit of the volcano spewed ash about 30,000 feet (9,144 meters) into the air Thursday.
Scientists say more explosions are possible, but it’s not known when they could occur. They say light, wet ash fell in parts of a town called Volcano, about 3 or 4 miles (5 or 6 kilometers) from the summit crater.
