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<br />002403 <br /> <br />IV, <br /> <br />WEATHER MODIFICATION RESEARCH BILLS PROPOSED, BUT NOT ENACTED <br /> <br />One result of the drought related cloud seeding projects conducted from 1977 to <br /> <br /> <br />1979 was increased citizen awareness of winter weather modification technology <br /> <br /> <br />and the potential advantages and disadvantages. The concerns and questions <br /> <br />listed earlier in this report became issues, and prompted the efforts to obtain <br /> <br />legislative support described in this chapter. Two bills, House Bill 1221 (1980) <br /> <br /> <br />and House Bill 1357 (1981), responded to recognition that the piecemeal <br /> <br /> <br />operations and studies being conducted in the state were not providing adequate <br /> <br /> <br />answers. <br /> <br />House Bill No, 1221 - 1980 <br /> <br />In January 1980 a privately funded program report, "A Proposed Wintert ime Weather <br /> <br /> <br />Modification Research Program for Colorado" was completed by Western Weather <br /> <br /> <br />Consultants, Inc. The objective was to develop a demonstration research program <br /> <br />planned to augment snowfall under controlled conditions. The purpose of the <br /> <br /> <br />plan, in addition to increasing snowpack, included addressing issues surrounding <br /> <br />weather modification in the state. <br /> <br />The report was distributed to members of the state legislature but not <br /> <br /> <br />incorporated into a bill. About the same time, a bill for weather modification <br /> <br /> <br />research supported by the Executive Director of the Department of Natural <br /> <br />Resources was introduced by Representative Wad Hinman(R), Yampa. House Bill 1221 <br /> <br /> <br />called for a state funded research program as well as "housekeeping" changes in <br /> <br />the Weather Modification Act of 1972. Included was an annual appropriation of <br /> <br /> <br />$200,000 for research over a period of seven years. The bill also proposed that <br /> <br /> <br />no operational weather modification projects be conducted in the state for the <br /> <br /> <br />duration of the research unless they were authorized by the legislature and <br /> <br /> <br />funded by the state. <br /> <br />19 <br />