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<br />National <br /> <br />In the United States approximately 66 programs for hail suppression and snow and rain <br />enhancement were being conducted in 10 states in 2001 according to activities reported <br />by NOAA. All these projects are located in the semi-arid western states and sponsored <br />by local, state, or private entities. WxMod does not appear as a line item in the fiscal <br />year 2004 budget of any federal agency - although closely related topics such as cloud <br />physics, water management, and climate change are being pursued - and no work is <br />being done on the complex social and economic implications of attempts to modify <br />weather (NRC, 2003). The next phase in a comprehensive WxMod science and <br />technology development program could be based on a model suggested by DeFelice <br />(2005) where he proposes a comprehensive agenda of fundamental and applied research <br />and development efforts directed toward optimizing existing technologies used to manage <br />"treatable" atmospheric. processes and conditions, and to allow the development of <br />relevant innovative technologies under an umbrella of permanent national administration. <br /> <br />Although there are numerous cloud seeding programs in twelve states and provinces that <br />serve various purposes, this paper will only focus on the larger winter orographic <br />snowfall augmentation projects in a few states as this is the process most relevant to the <br />issue being addressed by the Basin States. Figure 3 shows operational cloud seeding <br />programs in North America. <br /> <br />Colorado <br /> <br />Colorado has had a weather modification permitting program since 1972 and the <br />Colorado Water Conservation Board (CWCB) has served as the regulatory and <br />permitting agency since 1987. The CWCB's primary mission is to protect, conserve, and <br />dev.elop the waters in Colorado, and the Board manages several programs. One program <br />is the Enhanced Snowpack Assessment Project which collects data on 44 sub basins in <br />eight major watersheds in Colorado. The project provides snow water equivalent, <br />snowmelt, snow temperature, and depth at 1 kilometer resolution or by basin average. <br />These data might furnish a quantitative method for evaluating seeding effect, given <br />sufficient time to establish a long data set. <br /> <br />There is currently no annual appropriation for weather modification in Colorado. The <br />firm Western Water Consultants has had an active permit for the VaillBeaver Creek Ski <br />area since 1972 and operates to assist snow augmentation for early skier days. The <br />Colorado Water Conservation Board has made grant funding available for 2004 and 2005 <br />and will continue to apply for funding to offset costs incurred by water users that sponsor <br />projects. The CWCB mostly provides support to seven commercial projects (two are ski <br />areas) in the Central Colorado Rockies, the South Platte and Arkansas Basins, the San <br />Juan Mountains, the Grand Mesa, the Gunnison Basin, and the Upper San Miguel Basin. <br />In related news that might have a bearing on WxMod, there have been climate studies <br />suggesting that Colorado's $2 billion ski industry could be significantly reduced or could <br />completely disappear due to warming by 2050 (Rocky Mountain News, 2005). <br /> <br />-12- <br />