WMOD00319

• Title: North American Interstate Weather Modification Council - Fiscal Year 2009 Request
• Prepared By: McClintock Associates, Inc.
• Date: 1/1/2007
• Weather Modification - Doc Type: General Information

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NORTH AMERICAN INTERSTATE WEATHER MODIFICATION COUNCIL

Congressional Authorization of Weather Modification

The North American Interstate Weather Modification Council (the NAIWMC) is a non-profit,
tax-exempt organization of regulatory agencies, sponsoring organizations, and research
institutions involved in atmospheric water resource management technology, commonly known
as weather modification or cloud seeding. The NAIWMC exists to facilitate the free exchange of
information regarding cloud seeding research and operations in North America.

BACKGROUND

Natural disasters resulting from weather-related causes have always been part of the history of
the Western United States. Irnpacts from drought, hail, floods, and tornadoes amount to the loss
of billions of dollars each year. As the population of that region ofthe country grows, the impact
of future natural disasters will becorne more severe. In the past, the United States Bureau of
Reclamation has built a number of large dams and other water projects to store water and help
mitigate droughts. While these projects have been successful, increased environmental concerns
and limited suitable sites have reduced the potential for similar new projects. Future efforts will
therefore be primarily non-structural in nature, and should include enhanced surface water
production and address mitigation of other natural perils through weather modification
techniques.

For decades, the Bureau of Reclamation conducted weather modification research. Through
these efforts, a sizeable body of knowledge was accumulated about winter and summer
precipitation enhancement. Despite the success of the Bureau's program, funding for it was
terminated in the late 1980s. In 2001, Congressional action re-established weather modification
research in the Bureau through the Weather Damage Modification Program (WDMP).

In 2003, the National Research Council reviewed the current status of weather modification
operations and research and published a report entitled Critical Issues in Weather Modification
Research. The NRC report recommends that a "coordinated national program be developed to
conduct a sustained research effort in the areas of cloud and precipitation microphysics, cloud
dynamics, cloud modeling, and cloud seeding; it should be implemented using a balanced
approach of rnodeling, laboratory studies, and field measurements designed to reduce key
uncertainties."

NOAA's WEATHER MODIFICATION RESEARCH BACKGROUND

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) administered the Atmospheric
Modification Program (AMP) in weather modification research from 1980 through 1994. This
Federal-State cooperative program granted research funding to states conducting cloud seeding
operations. NOAA laboratories actively participated in many of the state programs. The AMP

www.naiwmc.org