This topic surfaced today on the national HG list on YahooGroups.
On April 14, 2005, Sentaor Rick Santorum, R-PA, introduced a bill, S. 786, National Weather Service Duties Act of 2005 (Introduced in Senate).
The stated intent of this bill is to cause NOAA and NWS to focus their public weather status and forecasting to severe, emergency condition warnings. The apparent actual intent is to take NWS out of the public weatehr business in order to strengthen AccuWeather's ability to market their services for profit.
2 news articles give details:
http://www.palmbeachpost.com/news/conte ... _0421.html
and
http://rawstory.com/exclusives/byrne/sa ... er_421.htm
(note in this 2d story how much $$ Accuweather's principls have given to Santorum.)
The bill itself is available at
http://www.senate.gov/pagelayout/legisl ... e_home.htm
and searthing on 786 or weather.
The bill is short enough that I have reproduced it below.
I think rapid defeat of S. 786 is important. Might be time for a "write your Senator" campaign.
Cragin Shelton
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National Weather Service Duties Act of 2005 (Introduced in Senate)
S 786 IS
109th CONGRESS
1st Session
S. 786
To clarify the duties and responsibilities of the National Weather Service, and for other purposes.
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
April 14, 2005
Mr. SANTORUM introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation
A BILL
To clarify the duties and responsibilities of the National Weather Service, and for other purposes.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the `National Weather Service Duties Act of 2005'.
SEC. 2. DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES OF NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE.
(a) IN GENERAL- (1) To protect life and property, the Secretary of Commerce shall, through the National Weather Service, be responsible for the following:
(A) The preparation and issuance of severe weather warnings and forecasts designed for the protection of life and property of the general public.
(B) The preparation and issuance of hydrometeorological guidance and core forecast information.
(C) The collection and exchange of meteorological, hydrological, climatic, and oceanographic data and information.
(D) The provision of reports, forecasts, warnings, and other advice to the Secretary of Transportation and other persons pursuant to section 44720 of title 49, United States Code.
(E) Such other duties and responsibilities as the Secretary shall specify.
(2) The National Weather Service shall serve as the sole official source of flood warnings and severe weather warnings.
(b) COMPETITION WITH PRIVATE SECTOR- The National Weather Service shall not provide, or assist other entities in providing, a service or product (other than a service or product described in subsection (a)(1)(A)) that is or could be provided by the private sector unless--
(1) the Secretary determines that the private sector is unwilling or unable to provide such service or product; or
(2) the United States Government is obligated to provide such service or product under international aviation agreements to provide meteorological services and exchange meteorological information.
(c) ISSUANCE OF DATA, FORECASTS, AND WARNINGS- All data, information, guidance, forecasts, and warnings received, collected, created, or prepared by the National Weather Service shall, to the maximum extent practicable, be issued in real time, and without delay, in a manner that ensures that all members of the public have the opportunity for simultaneous and equal access to such data, information, guidance, forecasts, and warnings.
(d) PROHIBITION ON CERTAIN DISCLOSURES- An officer, employee, or agent of the National Weather Service, or of any other department or agency of the United States, who comes by reason of that status into possession of any weather data, information, guidance, forecast, or warning that might influence or affect the market value of any product, service, commodity, tradable, or business may not--
(1) willfully impart, whether directly or indirectly, such weather data, information, guidance, forecast, or warning, or any part thereof, before the issuance of such weather data, information, guidance, forecast, or warning to the public under subsection (c); or
(2) after the issuance of such weather data, information, guidance, forecast, or warning to the public under subsection (c), willfully impart comments or qualifications on such weather data, information, guidance, forecast, or warning, or any part thereof, to the public, except pursuant to an issuance that complies with that subsection.
(e) REGULATIONS- Not later than 90 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall prescribe regulations to implement the provisions of this section.
(f) EFFECTIVE DATE- The provisions of this section (other than subsection (e)) shall take effect 90 days after the date of the enactment of this Act.
(g) CONFORMING AMENDMENTS- The Act of October 1, 1890 (26 Stat. 653) is amended as follows:
(1) Section 3 (15 U.S.C. 313) is repealed.
(2) Section 9 (15 U.S.C. 317) is amended by striking `, and it shall be' and all that follows and inserting a period.
SEC. 3. REPORT ON MODIFICATION OF NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ACTIVITIES.
(a) REPORT REQUIRED- Not later than 90 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Commerce shall submit to the appropriate committees of Congress a report that sets forth--
(1) a detailed statement of the activities of the National Weather Service that are inconsistent with the provisions of section 2;
(2) a schedule for the modification of the activities referred to in paragraph (1) in order to conform such activities to the provisions of section 2; and
(3) the regulations prescribed under section 2(e).
(b) APPROPRIATE COMMITTEES OF CONGRESS DEFINED- In this section, the term `appropriate committees of Congress' means--
(1) the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation of the Senate; and
(2) the Committee on Science of the House of Representatives.
Free Weather Access Threatened! IMPORTANT!
Moderator: CHGPA BOD