Weather Mod - Sunset Review - Laserfiche WebLink

Home Browse Search

Prog-ram Funding The program is cash funded through license and permit fees. An annual license costs $100 per calendar year and the annual permit fee for commercial projects is $100 plus 2% of the value of the contract for commercial operations. The average annual budget for the program is now less than $4,000 per year. Delev3tion of Authoritv The CWCB inherited the DNR WM program in February 1987 when Clyde Martz delegated his authority to Bill McDonald as Director of the CWCB. This delegation was continued by Chips Berry in 1987, Ken Salazar in 1990, and Jim Lochhead in 1994. 1 personally have been administering the program since 1991.1 Sunset Review Recommendations We worked with Chris Flannigan of the Office of Policy and Research COPR) staff in preparing their reconunendations. We also testified at the sunset review hearings. We generally supported the reconunendations in the OPR report. Specifically: Recommendation 1 - Sunset the licensing provisions of the Weather Modification Act. Recommendation 2 - Remove the reporting requirement for a Preliminary Scientific Evaluation and require a scientific evaluation for ground-based winter cloud seeding project evaluation reports. Recommendation 3 - Provide clarification for director to waive fee. Reconunendation 4 - Make rules consistent with changes to the Weather Modification Act. 1 The authority for the ~xecutive Director to delegate his authority may be found in the Weather Modification statutes at 36~20-108 (7) and 36-20-112 (2) (see pages 28 and 30 of the OPR report). During the drought years in the 1970s, the Executive Director employed at least one full-time staff person (Barbara Wells) to administer the program. When funding for this position was removed, a moratorium was temporally placed on issuing new permits and the cweB was asked to take over the program. An appropriation to the CWCB in the Long Bill for this purpose has been made since FY 91. 2