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“INTRODUCTION OF THE WEATHER MITIGATION RESEARCH AND TECHNOLOGY TRANSFER AUTHORIZATION ACT OF 2007” mentioning the U.S. Dept. of Commerce was published in the Extensions of Remarks section on pages E1760 on Aug. 4, 2007.
The publication is reproduced in full below:
INTRODUCTION OF THE WEATHER MITIGATION RESEARCH AND TECHNOLOGY TRANSFER
AUTHORIZATION ACT OF 2007
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HON. MARK UDALL
of colorado
in the house of representatives
Friday, August 3, 2007
Mr. UDALL of Colorado. Madam Speaker, I rise today to introduce the Weather Mitigation Research and Technology Transfer Authorization Act. This bill will increase and enhance research and development in weather mitigation to better understand its effectiveness in addressing drought in our country.
The western part of our country, including my own State of Colorado, has experienced drought conditions in recent years. Efforts have been made to address drought recovery, preparedness, and alleviation. Weather mitigation, which means the use of artificial methods to change or control the natural formation of cloud forms or precipitation forms, causing, for example, snowpack augmentation or rain enhancement, could also contribute to solving this problem. However, little fundamental research has been done to better understand weather mitigation and modification.
The National Academies of Science report Critical Issues in Weather Modification Research, released in 2003, noted that there is no scientific proof that weather modification or mitigation is effective; however, the report attributes this to a lack of understanding of
``critical atmospheric processes'' that have caused unpredictable results with weather mitigation, not a lack of success with such efforts. The report called for a national program for a sustained research effort in weather modification and mitigation research to enhance the effectiveness and predictability of weather mitigation.
There is currently no federal investment in weather mitigation, though there are private funds that are largely going toward unproven techniques. My bill, similar to a bill introduced in the Senate by Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison, establishes a federal research and development effort to improve our understanding of the atmosphere and develop more effective weather modification technologies and techniques.
In my own State, the Denver Water Department, which has been impacted by the prolonged drought conditions, implemented a cloud seeding program to help increase the snowpack in its watersheds along the mountains of the Front Range. This was not a major program, but it was an attempt to modify the drought conditions for the benefit of the over 2.5 million people in the Denver area that are served by Denver Water. This bill would help augment these types of efforts by promoting greater research into how best to employ such techniques in a safe and effective manner.
Specifically, the bill creates a Weather Mitigation Advisory and Research Board in the Department of Commerce to promote the
``theoretical and practical knowledge of weather mitigation'' through the funding of research and development projects. The board will be made up of representatives from the American Meteorological Society, the American Society of Civil Engineers, the National Academy of Sciences, the National Center for Atmospheric Research, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, a higher education institution, and a state which is currently supporting operational weather modification projects.
In Colorado, a large portion of our water source comes from the snowpack runoff each year. A better understanding of weather mitigations has the potential to enhance our snowpacks, and thus assist in addressing drought concerns.
But the needs for this research extend beyond the western United States. The need for this research is becoming even more urgent with the reports that other countries are successfully exploring this area of research. China in particular has focused on the possibility that weather mitigation technology would allow the government to control the weather during the Beijing Olympics in 2008. The Chinese already spend more than $50 million annually on weather mitigation. As the weather conditions in China can have an impact on North American weather as well, we must understand how these changes will change our weather. This is quickly becoming an issue of national and economic security.
Madam Speaker, I ask my colleagues to support the expansion of the research and development of weather mitigation and urge a swift passage of this bill.
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