National Weather Service Bill: S. 786 (Santorum, R-PA) - 4/1

[Joe Myerson]

FWIW, Paul Krugman mentions Santorum's bill in his column in today's New York Times. Here's what he says:

"Earlier this year Senator Rick Santorum introduced a bill that would have forced the National Weather Service to limit the weather information directly available to the public. Although he didn't say so explicitly, he wanted the service to funnel that information through private forecasters instead.

"Mr. Santorum's bill didn't go anywhere. But it was a classic attempt to force gratuitous privatization: involving private corporations in the delivery of public services even when those corporations have no useful role to play."

Krugman apparently also believes that the bill "didn't go anywhere."

But he's just a columnist. I think we've all got to follow John D's lead and contact our Representatives as well. That's especially so for those of us who have Republican Congressmen. (That rules me out, as a resident of Massachusetts.)

--Joe Myerson


--Joe Myerson

[s.v. LaVida]

n/m

[bobdugan]

n/m

I was away this weekend... but I caught it and deleted it.

Bob (Assistant to the Assistant Webmaster)

[tartansailor]

I use to be a right wing conservative Republican.

Call it temporary insanity.

REELECT NOBODY!

Dick

[Duncan Maio]

. . . but here is a reply I just got from my Congressman:

January 17, 2006


Dear Mr. Maio:

Thank you for contacting me regarding a proposal to restrict public information released by the National Weather Service (NWS), which is controlled by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association (NOAA). I appreciate hearing from you on this issue.

I support public access to important information provided by the National Weather Service (NWS), especially during severe weather events, such as hurricanes. Recently, legislation has been introduced in the Senate to allow the NWS to only make information available to the public if the private sector does not offer similar services. During the four hurricanes that hit the state of Florida in 2004, the NWS had nine million hits on its website. Information provided by the NWS is also used by pilots, recreational and commercial fishermen, and by individuals in regions of the United States that are prone to other severe weather patterns, such as flooding and tornadoes. Currently, there is no similar legislation pending in the U.S. House of Representatives, but I will be sure to keep your opposition in mind should a related bill be introduced. As a member of the Science, State, Justice, and Commerce Appropriations Subcommittee, which has jurisdiction over the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association (NOAA), I will continue to fight to ensure that the public has access to critical weather information provided by the NWS.

Thank you, again, for your correspondence. It is imperative that I know the thoughts and opinions of constituents before making any legislative decisions.

Sincerely,

Patrick J. Kennedy
Member of Congress

[Gary M]

I must be sailing in a differnt part of the world but for what it's worth WX hasn't been excellent, it's only been free.

I've always listened to WX before leaving port, but man o man have they missed reality. Reefed down, working to make harbor with WX saying winds are calm.

I agree, if we pay for it we should get it, but I'd gladly pay a membership to an outfit that got it right more often then not.

[Clay Stalker]

Gary:

The weather reports don't typically report things that happen in certain areas ex: the afternoon sea breezes on Narragansett Bay, which usually add at least 5-10 knots to the wind forecast, or the afternoon southwesters on Buzzards Bay, which can add even more than that. But overall, I find them very useful, never leave my harbor without listening, often tune in briefly during the day, and would not be happy to lose them to private paying interests.

Clay Stalker

[Joe CD MS 300]

I'm a little late with this but just came accross the letter buried on my desk.


RICK SANTORUM PENNSYLVANIA



BANKING, HOUSING, AND URBAN AFFAIRS AGRICULTURE, NlITRI110N AND FORESTRY RULES AND ADMINISTRATION SPECIAL COMMI1TEE ON AGING

February 24,2006


Dear Mr. :

Thank you for contacting me regarding the National Weather Services Duties Act of2005. I appreciate hearing trom you and having the benefit of your views.

As you may know, on April 14, 2005, I introduced S. 786, the National Weather Services Duties Act of2005 to clarify the responsibilities of the National Weather Service (NWS) within the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association (NOAA). This legislation modernizes the statutory description ofNWS' role in the national weather enterprise so that it reflects today's reality in which the NWS and the commercial weather industry both play important parts in providing weather products and services to the nation.

This legislation would protect public safety and consumer choices which have flourished in recent years through the commercial weather industry. Without this bill, NWS appears to be moving in a direction which threatens an important and growing industry. It seems inappropriate for NWS to move in such a direction at a time of limited governmental resources, and when more needs to be done to effectuate their core mission of ensuring public safety.

Back in 1890 when the current NWS organic statute was enacted, and all the way through World War II, the public received its weather forecasts and warnings almost exclusively trom the Weather Bureau, the NWS' predecessor. In the late 1940s, a fledging weather service industry began to develop. From then until December 2004, the NWS had policies sensitive to the importance of fostering the industry's expansion, and since 1948 had fonnal policies discouraging its competition with industry. Fourteen years ago the NWS took the extra step of carefully delineating the respective roles of the NWS and the commercial weather industry, in addition to pledging its intention not to provide products or services that were or could be provided by the commercial weather industry. This longstanding non-competition and nonduplication policy has had the effect of facilitating the growth of the industry into a billion dollar sector and of strengthening and extending the national weather enterprise, now the best in the world.

Regrettably, NOAA repealed the 1991 non-competition and non-duplication policy in December 2004. Its new policy only promises to "give due consideration" to the abilities of private sector entities. The new policy appears to signal the intention of NOAA and the NWS to expand their activities into areas that are already well served by the commercial weather industry. This detracts from NWS' core missions of maintaining a modem and effective meteorological infrastructure, collecting comprehensive observational data, and issuing warnings and forecasts of severe weather that imperils life and property. Further, this action makes little sense at a time when consumer choices have been flourishing.

With the jobs and public safety of Pennsylvanians as my first priority, I introduced the National Weather Service Duties Act to restore NWS' non-competition policy that was in effect from 1991 to December 2004. My legislation will in no way change the kind of data NWS provided from 1991 to December 2004. As a matter of fact, my bill ensures that information issued by NWS will be done so in real time and simultaneously to all members of the public. Taxpayers pay for accurate and timely severe weather warnings by NWS. Funding for NWS then should be directed toward that core mission and toward fulfilling its duties to taxpayers. If you, as a taxpayer, received information from NWS during the time of the non-competition, non-duplication policy (1991-2004), you will continue to receive that information if my legislation is enacted. In contrast, doing n()thing threatens the dissemination of quality weather services now free to most consumers.

Located on the shores of a Great Lake, Erie, Pennsylvania suffers from unpredictable weather patterns resulting from the "lake effect." It took years fighting with the National Weather Service (NWS) to get adequate high quality local radar coverage for Erie and northwestern Pennsylvania, in spite of the dangerous changing weather. In my opinion, the Erie radar and other such services that need upgrading around the country should be a priority for NWS. However, instead of spending their resources on priorities like the safety of Pennsylvanians in Erie, NWS is seeking to duplicate services currently available.

Another example that highlights NWS' need to expend their resources on important tools rather than duplicating services and websites is NWS' inadequacies during the 2004 hurricanes, such as Hurricane Charley. As Hurricane Charley hit southern Florida, the United States' most sophisticated research aircraft for collecting data on hurricanes, two P-3 Grions, were nowhere near the eye of the storm.
Instead they were studying monsoon effects in Mexico and air pollution in New Hampshire. Had the hurricane hunter planes studied the path of the storm, NWS could have helped to prevent the upheaval of many Floridians from their homes, and assisted the millions of Floridians impacted by the uncertainty of the path of a dangerous and deadly hurricane.

The National Weather Service Duties Act restores the 14-year NWS policy of non-competition with the private sector and focuses the NWS on their core responsibilities of providing severe weather forecasts. The cost of receiving weather information will not change, and NWS will not cease dissemination of regular daily forecasts, weather information, and climate data.
You will continue to receive weather services, and several hundred Pennsylvanians will keep their jobs. Most importantly, Pennsylvanians can rest assured that NWS will be concentrating its efforts on public safety, and consumers will continue to have many choices in accessing weather information.

Thank you again for contacting me. If I can be of assistance on this or any other matter, please do not hesitate to call on me again.

Sincerely,



Rick Santorum United States Senate

RJS:gjo