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<br />process'. required under the regulations of the Council on Environmental <br />Quality for preparation of environmental statements under t~e National <br />Environmental Policy Act. An environmental assessment or a full environment <br />impact statement is required before field experimentation can begin. This <br />underscores the fact that community, economic, and environmental concerns--as <br />well as legal issues--must be treated in a manner that accommodates their <br />interrelated status. <br /> <br />The second general stage takes place during the field experiment and <br />includes monitoring key elements of the societal and environmental climate. <br />The ab ili ty to fo recast and avoid haza rdous condi tions is ve ry impo rtan t in <br />limiting liability associated with weather modification 'and in maintaining a <br />desirable public image. Opportunities for continued public involvement must <br />be provided by mechanisms such as citizens'. advisory councils; open pl:anning, <br />review, and scientific meetings; newsletters for residents of the project area <br />and other interested parties; and discussions between project personnel and <br />organizations interested in the operation and outcome of the project. <br />CooperatiVe agreements among Federal and State agencies are used to <br />accommodate interagency interests in special or sensitive areas, such as <br />endangered and threatened species. <br /> <br />The third stage occurs near the end of the field experiment and includes <br />analysis and evaluation of the societal and environmental information gathered <br />during the experiment to verify whatever hypotheses might have been formulated <br />and to allow prediction of possible effects that might emerge over the longer <br />term. The information and results are also available for incorporation into a <br />broader assessment. The specific research tasks for the environmental, legal, <br />economic, and social components associated with each of the major program <br />areas are discussed in the respective sections of this chapter. <br /> <br />b. Fut~re Program Ontions <br /> <br />Environmental and societal research will continue to be an integral par~ <br />of future field projects, and crucial issues will become clearer as these <br />projects progress. Environmental monitoring during research projects will <br />provide baseline information for long-term environmental studies and, where <br />appropriate, for ecosystem models. Economic analyses will expand to consider <br />the impacts of weather modification on national as well as regional and local <br />scales. The potential socioeconomic and environmental impacts or terminating <br />a long-term weather modification project will also be considered. <br /> <br />Legal aspects will also be clarified as the technology develops and the <br />effects are quantified. Tnere are, however, several legal issues that will be <br />addressed in the near future: <br /> <br />o '\.)'ater Rights. Current Federal and state laws and international <br />agreements will be examined to determine the best public policy <br />approach for using additional water produced by cloud seeding, <br />including continuation of the 8.'dsting '1.aw or the River" doctrine <br />used under research-mode cloud seeding. Eventually a Federal policy <br />on potential Federal water-right claims will be desired by State and <br /> <br />- 45 - <br />