[Federal Register Volume 63, Number 91 (Tuesday, May 12, 1998)]
[Notices]
[Pages 26156-26159]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 98-12605]
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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
Final Certification for the Combined Consolidation and/or
Automation and Closure of 80 Weather Service Offices (WSOs) and
Consolidation of Two WSOs
ACTION: Notice.
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SUMMARY: On May 6, 1998 the Under Secretary for Oceans and Atmosphere
approved and transmitted 14 office consolidation, 46 office automation,
and 80 office closure certifications to Congress. Pub. L. 102-567
requires that the final certifications be published in the Federal
Register.
EFFECTIVE DATE: May 12, 1998.
ADDRESSES: Requests for copies of the final certification packages
should be sent to Tom Beaver, Room 11426, 1325 East-West Highway,
Silver Spring, MD 20910.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Tom Beaver at 301-713-0300 ext. 144.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The two consolidation certifications for
Astoria and Wichita Falls were proposed in the December 27, 1996
Federal Register and the 60-day public comment period closed on
February 25, 1997. The remaining 80 certification packages were
proposed in the January 7, 1997 Federal Register and the 60-day public
comment period closed on March 10, 1997. Thirteen timely and three late
public comments were received pertaining to WSO Astoria. Individual
public comments were received pertaining to each of the following WSOs:
Muskegon, Michigan; Rapid City, South Dakota; Harrisburg, Pennsylvania;
Apalachicola, Florida; and Port Arthur, Texas. Two public comments were
received pertaining to Athens, Georgia and one comment was received
that pertained to Pennsylvania sites in general. These comments and
responses are set forth here for reference.
Comment: Thirteen timely and three late comments were received from
individuals in the Astoria, Oregon area. Individuals providing comments
included Congresswoman Elizabeth Furse, State Representative Jackie
Taylor, Senator George H. Smith, Congressman Earl Blumenauer, State
Representative Tim Josi, Sheriff and Director of Emergency Services
John P. Raichl, Airport Manager and Director of Operations Port of
Astoria Ron Larsen, and Captain and President Columbia River Bar Pilots
George A. Waer. The main concern presented by all individuals was the
loss of face to face interaction with National Weather Service (NWS)
personnel and the perceived inability to forecast for the ``unique''
weather conditions at Astoria from Portland.
Response: To ensure all concerns were addressed and understood, the
March 1997 Modernization Transition Committee (MTC) meeting was held in
Astoria. The community leaders and anyone else concerned with NWS
Modernization actions had the opportunity to express their concerns to
the Committee. The MTC and the public in attendance listened to both
the NWS management from Portland and the public. The major topics
discussed during the six-hour public comment period on the Astoria
Consolidation Certification during the March 18, 1997 meeting are
summarized below. A major concerns surrounding the Astoria
Consolidation was the ability of the Portland NEXRAD Weather Service
Forecast Office (NWSFO) to provide information on the Columbia River
Bar and offshore marine environment. To address these concerns the NWS
presented the following: (1) the Portland office has access to all data
that the Astoria office did and access to data that the Astoria office
never had; (2) the Astoria WSO never produced the marine forecasts,
these products have always been issued from Seattle or Portland; (3)
mariners can contact the forecasters in Portland directly by phone; and
(4) an Internet home page maintained in Portland allows ready access to
current weather forecasts and products for Oregon and the coastal
waters.
The ability of the Portland office to recognize rapid changes in
the Atoria weather was questioned. However, the infrastructure
affecting this ability has only improved since services were
transferred to Portland. The more timely and robust data sets of the
Modernization (i.e., Doppler radar, high resolution satellite imagery
and continuous surface observations) provide a superior platform for
Portland to monitor rapid weather changes than was previously present
in the Astoria office. The severe weather spotter volunteers previously
used by Astoria are still in place, except they now call Portland when
severe weather threatens.
[[Page 26157]]
The Portland office also employs two staff from the Astoria WSO, so
``local'' expertise is available.
Since Portland is serving a larger metropolitan area, the ability
of the office to give the Astoria community attention was challenged.
However, most of the forecast services for Astoria have always come
from Portland. A result of the Modernization in Oregon is that the
Portland area of responsibility is decreasing substantially; thus more
time is being spent on Astoria than before. A Warning Coordination
Meteorologist and Weather Coordination Officer are assigned to the
Portland office and coordinate with the Astoria office to ensure
everyone receives adequate attention. Portland has made significant
service adjustments in the NOAA Weather Radio (NWR) and marine reports
program to meet the Astoria community needs, and will continue to take
this approach in the future. After hearing both sides, the MTC members
determined that there would not be a degradation of services associated
with this proposed Consolidation certification. However, the MTC
recognized potential future degradation of services associated with
Automation and Closure certification and made the following
recommendation:
The Portland WFO will work with the Astoria WCO and the
community to define the remaining concerns and develop and implement
procedures to ensure degradation of service does not occur. The
issues identified by the committee include, but are not limited to,
the need to ensure the adequacy of ASOS augmentation, the
availability of consultation concerning river bar forecasts, and the
implementation of special procedures during extreme conditions. In
addition, the Committee has determined that a data buoy in proximity
to the bar is essential. However, the characteristics of Data Buoy
46029 are not adequate to provide needed services.
The Committee agreed to pay careful attention to future actions
concerning the Astoria office and requested follow-up briefings from
the NWS at future meetings. The MTC also encouraged the public to keep
them advised through public comments. Both the public and the NWS
management seemed satisfied with the MTC conclusion, and everyone
gained a better understanding of the problems and required solutions.
Comment: Mr. Roy Wheeler, Assistant Director of the Muskegon County
Emergency Services, responded to the Federal Register Announcement
concerning the Consolidation, Automation, and Closure Certifications
for Muskegon, MI. He expressed concern that: (1) he is not being served
as well with the Modernized technology and organizational structure as
he was with the ``old system''; (2) during severe weather he does not
receive ``adequate weather reports'' and he does not receive accurate
information in support of major fires and chemical spills; (3) the
Amateur Radio Community is installing automated weather observing
equipment; (4) while the staff at NEXRAD Weather Service Office (NWSO)
Grand Rapids has been cooperative, he has lost the personal contact
that he received from the ``old system''; and (5) ``on more than one
occasion this past season, we were not notified when severe weather was
present''.
Response: The staff at NWSO Grand Rapids have had numerous contacts
with the Emergency Management Services of Muskegon County since
becoming operational in August of 1995 (open houses, seminars, spotter
training sessions for Muskegon County, etc.). Some of the contacts were
for normal operational issues, while others were to explain modernized
technology and the new organizational structure. Every Emergency
Management organization in the NWSO Grand Rapids County Warning Area
has access to the severe weather forecaster via toll-free 800 service.
Severe weather watches and warnings are provided via NOAA Weather Wire
Service (NWWS), NWR, Internet Web Page, Emergency Manager Weather
Information Network (EMWIN), as well as the Law Enforcement Information
Network (LEIN). During HAZMAT situations on October 16, 1996 and
December 13, 1996, surface observation data (i.e. wind speed and
direction, temperature/dewpoint, pressure, etc.) from the Automated
Surface Observing System (ASOS) at the Muskegon Airport as well as
forecasts for the local area were provided to Muskegon County Emergency
Dispatch and 911 upon request. NWSO Grand Rapids and the Amateur Radio
Community have entered into a cooperative arrangement to expand the use
of automated surface observation equipment. In fact, the NWS has
provided some funding in support of the demonstration project. The
automated equipment has been purchased commercially and is similar to
the automated observation equipment used by television stations,
utility companies, road departments, etc. NWSO Grand Rapids has been
responsible for issuing severe weather warnings for Muskegon County for
only the 1996 severe weather season. During that season, 3 warnings
were issued. Two of them verified with reports of large hail. The other
warning had no severe weather reported. Lead times were 7 and 13
minutes. When contacted in the Fall of 1996, in association with the
Confirmation of Services for the NEXRAD Doppler radar at NWSO Grand
Rapids, Mr. Wheeler responded ``Warnings are as good as before, but I
still wish the radar had been located at Muskegon''. Mr. Wheeler has
stated on previous occasions that his primary concerns are: (1) The
lack of telephone contact initiated by the staff at NWSO Grand Rapids
during times of severe weather; and (2) that he would have preferred
the WSR-88D be located in Muskegon instead of Grand Rapids. Technology
(NWR, EMWIN, Internet, NWWS, EAS, LEIN, etc.) allows severe weather
warnings and statements to be transmitted quickly to all the Emergency
Managers in the County Warning Area (CWA). The Muskegon County
Emergency Management Services (EMS) has access to NWWS and to NWR as
well as to the LEIN. Mr. Wheeler can contact the Grand Rapids staff via
the 800 service anytime, but it is not possible for the staff at NWSO
Grand Rapids to make calls to each of the Emergency Management
Organizations in their 28 county warning area during severe weather
events. The WSR-88D at Grand Rapids is of optimum range (20-50 miles)
from Muskegon County for severe weather detection. Leo Grenier, the
Warning Coordination Officer (WCO) at Muskegon, has made several
contacts with the Muskegon County EMS and the 911 Service, discussed
their concerns, and explained the most efficient means for them to
receive severe weather watches, warnings, and statements, Dan Houser,
Meteorologist in Charge, and Mike Heathfield, Warning Coordination
Meteorologist from Grand Rapids have also had similar conversations.
Mr. Houser is organizing a follow-up meeting with the Muskegon County
EMS, Muskegon County 911, and the Director of the local amateur radio
club. Mr. Houser will make every attempt to satisfy the concerns of the
participants. [On April 30, 1998 in a conversation between Mr. Wheeler
and NWSO Grand Rapids staff, Mr. Wheeler said he was satisfied with the
current services provided by NWSO Grand Rapids.]
Comment: Mr. Norman Pudwill, Director of the Fall River County
Emergency Management Organization, responded to the Federal Register
Announcement concerning the Consolidation, Automation, and Closure
Certification for Rapid City. While he is ``very happy'' with the
products and services provided by the new NWS
[[Page 26158]]
office in Rapid City, he is concerned by the lack of high quality NWR
coverage in Fall River County.
Response: In a reply letter from the Central Regional Director, two
alternatives requiring private/public partnerships were described for
Mr. Pudwill. The NWS is not funded for NWR expansion, so it is
incumbent on Mr. Pudwill to work with private groups or local
government entities to acquire a transmitter/antenna system that is
compatible with NWS programming consoles. Central Region Headquarters
will continue to work with Mr. Pudwill in his effort to improve NWS
coverage in southwest South Dakota. [Central Region Headquarters has
advised Mr. Pudwill of the requirements for an additional transmitter.
As of April 30, 1998, Mr. Pudwill has been unable to obtain a local
funding source for the additional equipment.]
Comment: A public comment from Representative George W. Gekas
raised an issue regarding deficiencies in NEXRAD coverage for the
Harrisburg metropolitan region. The comment cited several documented
cases of severe weather conditions which went undetected by the NEXRAD
system, the most recent being in May 1996.
Response: Both the June 1995 National Research Council study,
``Toward a New National Weather Service--Assessment of NEXRAD Coverage
and Associated Weather Services'' and the follow-on October 1995
``Secretary's Report to Congress on Adequacy of NEXRAD Coverage and
Degradation of Weather Services under National Weather Service
Modernization for 32 Areas of Concern'' concluded that NEXRAD coverage
for the Harrisburg area and associated weather services would not be
degraded. Harrisburg, PA was one of 32 areas of concern established by
public comments solicited by the Secretary of Commerce between November
1994 and January 1995. This information as well as the detailed
findings in the Secretary's Report was conveyed to Representative Gekas
in an August 26, 1996 letter from Mr. Louis J. Boezi, Deputy Assistant
Administrator for Modernization of the NWS. The August 26 letter also
responded with the particulars on the May 1996 severe weather event and
referenced previous replies from the NWS on the earlier weather events
cited by Representative Gekas.
Comment: A public comment from Larry Wells, Gulf County Emergency
Management, raised the issues that the WSR-88D covering Gulf County is
60 miles away from Apalachicola and that NWSO Tallahassee (the office
which is responsible for Gulf County) has almost 50 counties under its
responsibility versus the two counties for which WSO Apalachicola was
responsible. The comment also mentioned a severe thunderstorm warning
for Gulf County on February 14, 1997 which Mr. Wells thought was issued
after a storm had already passed through Gulf County.
Response: Gulf County is within overlapping coverage of both the
Tallahassee and Eglin Air Force Base WSR-88Ds. Almost all of Gulf
County is within 60 nm of both WSR-88Ds. Even though NWSO Tallahassee
is responsible for more counties than was WSO Apalachicola, NWSO
Tallahassee had a much larger staff than did WSO Apalachicola. Archived
data from the Tallahassee WSR-88D indicated that the February 14, 1997
severe thunderstorm warning for Gulf County was timely.
Comment: A public comment from W.M. Timmerman, Jr. mentioned
inaccurate weather information broadcast by The Weather Channel and a
local TV weather reporter. Mr. Timmerman also mentioned two other
instances of inaccurate weather information.
Response: The NWS is not responsible for weather information
presented by The Weather Channel or local TV weather reporters. Not
enough information was presented about the latter two instances in the
letter to determine if the weather information was from the NWS or from
local TV stations. Mr. Timmerman was contacted by NWSO Lake Charles
with an invitation to visit the NWSO and become a local storm spotter/
rainfall observer for the Port Arthur area.
Comment: A public comment from Barry Church, Habersham County
Emergency Management, (Athens, Georgia) stated his concern over the
lack of attention given by NWSO Greenville/Spartanburg to spotter
reports during a February 21, 1997 tornado event in Habersham County.
Mr. Church also mentioned poor NWR reception in Habersham County and
his perceived lack of attention given to the six northeast Georgia
counties during a statewide tornado drill on February 26, 1997.
Response: NWSO Greenville/Spartanburg's log for February 21, 1997
indicated that a tornado watch which included Habersham County was
issued at 2:28 PM EST. NWSO Greenville/Spartanburg issued a Severe
Thunderstorm Warning for Habersham County at 2:51 PM EST which was
valid until 3:30 PM EST. Habersham County was advised by telephone of
the warning at 2:53 PM. Habersham County called NWSO Greenville/
Spartanburg at 3:09 PM EST with a report of damaging winds county-wide
with the first damage having occurred at about 3:00 PM (some of the
damage was later identified as F-1 tornado damage). At 3:28 PM EST NWSO
Greenville/Spartanburg received a call from Habersham County with three
reports of funnel clouds just north of Cornelia. However, by this time
the line of storms had already passed through Habersham County. Poor
NWR reception in Habersham County has been an ongoing problem. NWSO
Greenville/Spartanburg has had recent discussions with officials in
Graham County, North Carolina concerning a possible new NWR transmitter
in that county financed by Natahala Power Company. The NWR signal from
such a transmitter should reach into Habersham County. If a repeater is
necessary for reception in Habersham County, Mr. Church has offered to
donate a tower site. Habersham County was included in the Georgia
statewide tornado drill held on February 26, 1997. NWSO Greenville/
Spartanburg issued a practice warning during the drill which included
Habersham County. NWSO Greenville/Spartanburg verified through a
telephone call that Habersham County received the practice warning.
Comment: A public comment from Peggy Hewatt, Barrow County
Emergency Management, questioned whether NWSFO Atlanta could
communicate with her office as well as WSO Athens had in the past.
Response: Ms. Hewatt gave no specific instance where NWSFO Atlanta
had failed to communicate weather information to Barrow County and even
stated that her comment ``does not mean that Peachtree City is not
doing a fine job * * *'' NWSFO Atlanta's area of responsibility is
larger than that which WSO Athens had and it may be that NWSFO Atlanta
may not be able to use the telephone to communicate with each
individual county as often as WSO Athens did in the past. However,
communication methods such as NWR, NWWS, and EMWIN are available for
the receipt of weather information.
Comment: A public comment from Senator Arlen Specter raised an
issue regarding the reliance on stand-alone ASOSs at Lehigh Valley
Airport (Allentown, PA) specifically and throughout Pennsylvania
generally. The comment stated ``since the start of ASOS operations on
November 12, 1996, Lehigh Valley International Airport has been forced
to deal with numerous discrepancies in determining visibility and types
of precipitation at the airport.'' The comment also stated
[[Page 26159]]
that Bradford Regional Airport had experienced several ASOS power
losses.
Response: None of the NWS-sponsored ASOSs located at WSOs in
Pennsylvania are stand-alone systems. All of these are classified as
Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) service level C or higher which
means that humans will be present to provide augmentation and back-up
for the ASOSs. Augmentation means adding parameters that ASOS does not
measure. Back-up means measuring parameters in the event of an ASOS
failure or if the ASOS measurement is not representative of the
meteorological conditions. Augmentation and back-up is done either by
FAA controllers or a contractor. ASOS operations at Lehigh Valley
International Airport did not start on November 12, 1996. This ASOS was
commissioned on November 1, 1995 after a pre-commissioning checkout
period to determine that the system was performing reliably and
correctly. Upon commissioning, NWS employees at WSO Allentown performed
required augmentation and back-up of the ASOS until November 12, 1996
when responsibility for this was transferred to the FAA. FAA was
planning to provide the augmentation and backup at service level C by
air traffic controllers at the airport, however, the Lehigh Valley
International Airport Authority sponsored a contract to provide level B
service. The Bradford Regional Airport is an FAA-sponsored expansion
site. This means that prior to the ASOS being commissioned there on
December 2, 1996, this airport had no round-the-clock surface
observation.
The MTC considered and endorsed these certifications at its March
18, 1997 meeting, concluding that these certifications would not result
in any degradation of service.
(1) Astoria, OR--Consolidation
(2) Wichita Falls, TX--Consolidation
(3) Omaha, NE--Consolidation/Closure
(4) Sacramento, CA--Consolidation/Closure
(5) Akron, OH--Automation/Closure
(6) Allentown, PA--Automation/Closure
(7) Atlanta, GA--Automation/Closure
(8) Atlantic City, NJ--Automation/Closure
(9) Baltimore, MD--Automation/Closure
(10) Baton Rouge, LA--Automation/Closure
(11) Chicago, IL--Automation/Closure
(12) Columbia, MO--Automation/Closure
(13) Columbus, OH--Automation/Closure
(14) Dayton, OH--Automation/Closure
(15) Daytona Beach, FL--Automation/Closure
(16) Detroit, MI--Automation/Closure
(17) El Paso, TX--Automation/Closure
(18) Flint, MI--Automation/Closure
(19) Knoxville, TN--Automation/Closure
(20) Lubbock, TX--Automation/Closure
(21) Lynchburg, VA--Automation/Closure
(22) Mansfield, OH--Automation/Closure
(23) Moline, IL--Automation/Closure
(24) Montgomery, AL--Automation/Closure
(25) Norfolk, VA--Automation/Closure
(26) Oklahoma City, OK--Automation/Closure
(27) Raleigh, NC--Automation/Closure
(28) Richmond, VA--Automation/Closure
(29) Roanoke, VA--Automation/Closure
(30) San Antonio, TX--Automation/Closure
(31) San Diego, CA--Automation/Closure
(32) Sioux City, IA--Automation/Closure
(33) Stockton, CA--Automation/Closure
(34) Toledo, OH--Automation/Closure
(35) Tulsa, OK--Automation/Closure
(36)West Palm Beach, FL--Automation/Closure
(37) Wilke-Barre, PA--Automation/Closure
(38) Williamsport, PA--Automation/Closure
(39) Wilmington, DE--Automation/Closure
(40) Youngstown, OH--Automation/Closure
(41) Asheville, NC--Consolidation/Automation/Closure
(42) Augusta, GA--Consolidation/Automation/Closure
(43) Cincinnati, OH--Consolidation/Automation/Closure
(44) Fargo, ND--Consolidation/Automation/Closure
(45) Greensboro, NC--Consolidation/Automation/Closure
(46) Lewiston, ID--Consolidation/Automation/Closure
(47) Muskegon, MI--Consolidation/Automation/Closure
(48) Rapid City, SD--Consolidation/Automation/Closure
(49) Savannah, GA--Consolidation/Automation/Closure
(50) Springfield, IL--Consolidation/Automation/Closure
(51) Apalachicola, FL--Closure
(52) Athens, GA--Closure
(53) Austin, TX--Closure
(54) Bakersfield, CA--Closure
(55) Billings, MT--Closure
(56) Bristol, TN--Closure
(57) Cape Hatteras, NC--Closure
(58) Columbus, GA--Closure
(59) Del Rio, TX--Closure
(60) Eugene, OR--Closure
(61) Fort Myers, FL--Closure
(62) Galveston, TX--Closure
(63) Grand Island, NE--Closure
(64) Harrisburg, PA--Closure
(65) Helena, MT--Closure
(66) Klamath Falls, OR--Closure
(67) Los Angeles, CA--Closure
(68) Macon, GA--Closure
(69) New Orleans, LA--Closure
(70) New York City, NY--Closure
(71) Olympia, WA--Closure
(72) Orlando, FL--Closure
(73) Pensacola, FL--Closure
(74) Phoenix, AZ--Closure
(75) Port Arthur, TX--Closure
(76) Reading, PA--Closure
(77) Reno, NV--Closure
(78) Rosewell, NM--Closure
(79) Salem, OR--Closure
(80) St. Louis, MO--Closure
(81) Waco, TX--Closure
(82) Winslow, AZ--Closure
After consideration of the public comments received and the MTC
endorsements, the Under Secretary for Oceans and Atmosphere approved
these 82 combined consolidation and/or automation and closure
certifications and transmitted them to Congress on May 6, 1998.
Certification approval authority was delegated from the Secretary to
the Under Secretary in June 1996. The NWS is now completing the
certification requirements of Pub. L. 102-567 by publishing the final
consolidation and/or automation and closure certifications in the
Federal Register.
Dated: May 7, 1998.
John J. Kelly, Jr.,
Assistant Administrator for Weather Services.
[FR Doc. 98-12605 Filed 5-11-98; 8:45 am]
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