The Role of the States in Control of Weather Modification

Abstract

It now appears that, at least for the near future, the only federal controls of weather modification will be the record keeping and reporting requirements of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. About two-thirds of the states have enacted cloud seeding laws to fill the regulatory void. These statutes, however, are quite varied and many of them are inadequate. Accordingly, there is a need for "suggested" or "model" state weather control legislation. In a project funded by the Office of Water Research and Technology and administered through the Arizona Water Resources Research Center, such a proposed law has been prepared. It delegates means of control over seeding to an administrative agency, authorizes governmental funding of operations, establishes procedures and criteria for professional licensing of cloud seeders, creates a system for regulation of projects through operational permits, requires record keeping and reporting, and sets standards for resolution of water rights and legal liability issues.