BOARD02476

• Board Meeting Date: 9/13/2004
• Description: CWCB Director's Report
• Board Meetings - Doc Type: Memo

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for Delineating Alluvial Fan Flooding" with Dr. O'Brien. Mr. Hyde also served for many
years as the Chair of Associated State Floodplain Manager's Mapping and Engineering
Committee. Mr. Hyde will be addressing regulatory issues and challenges of
implementation and enforcement.

NAIWMC Update: CWCB staff member Joe Busto is a part of a North American
Interstate Weather Modification Council (NAIWMC). CWCB staff member joined
Council Members from Nevada and North Dakota in a trip to Washington D.C. in March
2004. This meeting had two goals: (1) attempt to get Weather Damage Modification
Program Funds (WDMP) in the FFY05 or FFY06 budgets in either the U.S. Bureau of
Reclamation or NOAA's budgets. There currently is no funding for the WDMP included
in the House Bill or Senate Bills. Weare currently trying to get some funds put into the
budgets for the StatesINOAA to do "project pre-planning" for later field research
activities. We have been exploring the possibility of Congressman Lucas introducing a
companion bill to S. 2170, the Weather Modification Research and Technology Transfer
Authorization Act, which, as you know, was introduced earlier this year by Senator
Hutchison of Texas. S 2170 would create a federal oversight committee for weather
modification and create funding for research in the field of weather modification. We are .
hoping that the WDMP be included as part of the overall authorization for NOAA. This
- --- --provision-will also authorize-along-term-appropriation.for_the_WDMP _and move it.under __~
NOAA's purview. This will allow NOAA to include the WDMP in its annual budget
request that is sent to Capitol Hill. Having the program in the agency's request will
greatly expedite the process and will enable the WDMP to continue without the Council
. and the individual participants having to go through the annual appropriations earmarking
process. We feel confident that the NOAA Act will have a weather modification title as a
result of our recent efforts in bringing this to the forefront. Early next year NOAA
Organic Act. Changes NOAA's mission to include WM research $5 million. This year is
an election year will need to be a continuing resolution budget. Manager's amendment.
Not much money.

WMAlNAlWMC Annual meeting: The Weather Modification Association and the
North American Interstate WM Council are planning to have their annual meeting in
Washington D.C. in April 2004. It is hoped that even though the vast majority of we ather
modification programs and research happens in the arid west attending creating
congressional reception and Capitol Hill office visits will help raise awareness and
support for federal funding.

NOAA Organic Act House Resolution 4546: Organizations representing ocean and
weather researchers Thursday endorsed Enviromnent, Technology, and Standards
Subcommittee Chairman Vernon Ehlers' proposed organic act (H.R. 4546) for the
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). Testifying on behalf of the
Administration, Deputy Secretary of Commerce Theodore Kassinger said, "The
introduction ofH.R. 4546 and H.R.4607.. .offers a timely and welcome opportunity to
consider anew the appropriate way to define NOAA's mission and responsibilities. While
, we can be assured ofa wide variety of views on this subject, it is encouraging that all
. parties seem to agree on one important tenet: NOAA, for the first time, must have a