Position No. 264

RESOLUTION

of the

WESTERN STATES WATER COUNCIL

in support of the

Weather Modification Research and Technology Transfer Act

Seattle, Washington

July15, 2005

             WHEREAS, the 109th Congress is considering Senate Bill 517 and H.R. 2995, the Weather Modification Research and Technology Transfer Authorization Act of 2005, to develop and implement a comprehensive and coordinated national policy and cooperative program, and authorizes $10 million per year for fiscal years 2005 through 2014 to enhance federal support for weather modification, promote research and development, and provide financial assistance to private and public entities; and

             WHEREAS, western states support operational weather modification projects, realize the benefits derived from weather modification, and permit weather modification activities for various purposes ranging from snow augmentation to hail suppression, under varying state statutes and programs; and

             WHEREAS, much of the West depends on water that originates from snow, and the American Meteorological Society (1998), World Meteorological Organization (2001), and the National Academy of Sciences (2003) have all found that there is strong physical and statistical evidence that wintertime weather modification activities can create additional snowpack in watersheds; and

             WHEREAS, the Weather Modification Association and the North American Interstate Weather

Modification Council support a “coordinated national program” to further the science, understanding, and utility of weather modification; and

             WHEREAS, several Council member states are also members of the North American Interstate Weather Modification Council (California, Utah, Wyoming, North Dakota, Nevada, Texas, Oklahoma, New Mexico, and Kansas) and work together to facilitate the exchange of interstate atmospheric resource management information; and

             WHEREAS, western states would benefit greatly from a coordinated national program that advances the field of weather modification as it relates to precipitation enhancement for water management – and assists in the scientific evaluation of western states weather modification operations, while complying with related state laws,; and

             WHEREAS, the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation has in the past provided much needed technical assistance and funding through the Weather Damage Modification Program for the benefit of western states.

             NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Western States Water Council strongly supports enactment of the Weather Modification Technology Transfer Act of 2005 (S. 517 and H.R. 2995), with the addition of a provision assuring compliance with applicable state laws.

             BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Council also supports continued funding for the federal Weather Damage Modification Program.

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