Reining in the National Weather Service
Reining In The National Weather Service
The National Weather Services Duties Act of 2005 (S.786) is either about freedom of information or censorship for commercial gain, depending on whom you ask. The bill, introduced by U.S. Senator Rick Santorum, R-Pa., in April, aims to clarify the responsibilities of the National Weather Service.Such clarification is necessary, Santorum claims, because the parent agency of NWS, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, repealed its 1991 noncompetition and nonduplication policy in December 2004 as a result of recommendations by the National Research Council of the National Academy of Sciences. In effect, this change allows the NWS to compete with private-sector weather companies. S.786 would reverse this revised policy.
This is a story I wrote recently, one I think raises some important issues about the relationship between the private sector and government. It never got much exposure due to technical issues having to do with the time I filed the copy. Perhaps posting a link here will help spread the word.
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