[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 128 (Saturday, August 4, 2007)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1760]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




INTRODUCTION OF THE WEATHER MITIGATION RESEARCH AND TECHNOLOGY TRANSFER 
                       AUTHORIZATION ACT OF 2007

                                 ______
                                 

                            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.

                          ____________________