Today's weather forecast: Watch out for high cost _proposal would restrict free data to the public.

Florida Times Union ^ | 6/1/2005 | JESSIE-LYNNE KERR

[tutstar]

But U.S. Sen. Rick Santorum, R- Pa., who has at least 14 commercial weather companies in his home state, according to The Associated Press, introduced a bill in April called the National Weather Services Duties Act that seeks to sharply restrict access to free weather information.

With the exception of the "preparation and issuance of severe weather forecasts and warnings designed for the protection of life and property of the general public," the proposed legislation would prohibit the National Weather Service from providing any product or service "that is, or could be provided by the private sector."

Everyone from emergency preparedness managers to pilots to the media are growing concerned about what this could do to the future of weather forecasting.

Chip Patterson, head of Jacksonville's emergency preparedness office, said he felt the National Weather Service was in a better position to serve the public than the private companies.

"Their sole interest is in protecting the public," Patterson said, "not in producing profits, as the private firms are. I would be concerned that public safety would suffer if all the forecasting data had to go to the private firms and [be] released only by them."

Patterson added that Florida's tumultuous 2004 hurricane season when four hurricanes trampled across the state within six weeks "is a great example of a reason not to limit the National Weather Service and its capability."

U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson, D-Fla. is harshly critical of the bill.

"Florida is more prone to hurricanes than other states," said Nelson's spokesman, Dan McLaughlin, "and our people are more reliant on obtaining accurate and timely information about the weather."

Since the taxpayers are the owners and funders of the National Weather Service and its Web site, McLaughlin said the proposed bill would have taxpayers paying twice for the information.

[tutstar]

Bill Nelson's spokesman made a point about paying twice.

[tutstar]

Anyone want to ping the hurricane list?
I don't want to lose the ability to watch satellite loops or look up info on my own.

[tutstar]

ping

[xcamel]

All you have to do is look at the NLDN (National Lightning Detection Network) so see what would happen. You paid for it (by taxes), and all the research, and the installation, privately controlled by Global Atmospherics, Owned by Vaisala (Based in Finland), and charging huge (insane) prices for lightning strike and warning data.

[CrawDaddyCA]

U.S. Sen. Rick Santorum, R- Pa., who has at least 14 commercial weather companies in his home state...

Another political whore selling out to his pimps. I wonder how much the 'Honorable' Senator took under the table to draft this gem?

[Lazamataz]

If they want to do this, they can stop giving my our money to the National Weather Service, too. Make it a private company that charges, OR continue to give out the information.

Of course, we are becoming serfs, so, they'll do whatever the hell they want.

And we'll like it.

[tutstar]

I didn't know that. I think it should stay the same as it is right now.

I finished reading the article (LOL) and didn't realize til I read it how much pilots depend on weather info...bit slow here this a.m.

My thoughts are on hurricane season and how many times pics and data were posted. Santorum must owe someone a favor.

[tutstar]

they'll do whatever the hell they want

That's the truth and I'm sick of that nonsense.

[WorkingClassFilth]

Sounds like Santorum is being targeted by RAT's early and their chewing on the edges looking to see what resonates at home and nationally. I suspect that the meaning of the bill's intent is a little less crass than servicing the donations of 12 weather companies in his state.

In any event, NOAA could be argued with reasonableness to be a legitimate function of government by right of providing forecasts for obvious public safety. Less obvious is that blanket system that allows people in agriculture to tune in for forcasts and daily weather information that they can't get from the blow-dry-guy on evening news.

In the case of serious budget deflation and determined cuts in all sectors, I suppose that NOAA's budget is as much on the block as many other 'functions' of the beast. I would like to see good will efforts like killing CPB/NPR/PBS first, though. After a few rounds of this kind of cutting, maybe we can ramp up and start the panic in the streets by gutting the social program infrastructure.

[tutstar]

they can't get from the blow-dry-guy on evening news.

LOL we have a surfer dude, follicly-impaired on one station, and a blow-dry-guy on the other channel.

I'm with you on the CPB stuff! throw out the National Endowment of the Arts and then we'd be getting somewhere!

[tutstar]

I'm convinced of the under-the-table stuff. I've been paying close attention to my state senator and there has to be a better explanation than 'campaign donations' for some of the things they do. I wish we could get all that out in the open.

[Strategerist]

I suspect that the meaning of the bill's intent is a little less crass than servicing the donations of 12 weather companies in his state.

I don't. It's Santorum personally servicing AccuWeather.

It actually would be better if the bill was simply eliminating the NWS; but it isn't.

The goal of AccuBlunder is for raw NWS model and observation data to be avaliable to it for free, but for you to have to pay AccuBlunder to get the final product or see any of the raw data.

[Strategerist]

I'm convinced of the under-the-table stuff. I've been paying close attention to my state senator and there has to be a better explanation than 'campaign donations' for some of the things they do. I wish we could get all that out in the open.

Actually the thousands of dollars AccuBlunder has donated to Santorum's campaign is documented and public.

[razorback-bert]

Okay, I snugged down my tinfoil...because of global warming they don't want serfs to have weather warnings, so make the information private and costly. This way the poor, women and children will suffer the most.

[OXENinFLA]

Huh?


ping....

[Rebelbase]

The US has over 6000 miles of coast line and Alaska has close to 34,000 miles of coastline if you include its islands.

Weather related SAR by the Coast Guard and maritime deaths will increase if NOAA weather is inaccessible to mariners.

[mewzilla]

U.S. Sen. Rick Santorum, R- Pa., who has at least 14 commercial weather companies in his home state...

Accuweather's one of them, based in State College, if I remember correctly.

Well, my opinion of Santorum just went into the dumper.

[tutstar]

I'm talking about the undocumented perks, like Corrine Brown's Mercedes.

[tutstar]

LOL...

[kittymyrib]

The national weather service is inferior to the private services, that's why commercial farms have contracts with private forecasters. TV stations in OKC are so superior in their weather watching that the tornado warning function of the government's office at Norman is unnecessary. The sky wouldn't fall if the fed's budget was trimmed.