EXPERIMENTAL
WEATHER MODIFICATION COMING TO YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD, SOON
By
Rosalind Peterson
November 2, 2007
NewsWithViews.com
Prepare
yourself for more water shortages, floods, droughts,
and a sharp decline in food supplies in the United
States when U.S. Senate Bill 1807 & U.S. House
Bill 3445, that were introduced on July 17, 2007, are
voted into law. These identical bills, titled:
“Weather Mitigation Research and Development Policy
Authorization Act of 2007”, are moving forward at a
rapid rate in Committees on Commerce, Science and
Transportation. Please note that these bills were
not referred to Committees on Agriculture, Natural
Resources, the Environmental Protection Agency, or
Forestry, and that you were not invited to debate the
merits of these bills by your elected representatives.
“It
is the purpose of this act to develop and implement a
comprehensive and coordinated national weather
mitigation policy and a national cooperative Federal
and State program of weather mitigation and research.”
The Board of Directors will be comprised of eleven
members and only one member shall be a representative
of the Department of Agriculture. There are no members
of the public to be appointed to this Board, no EPA
representatives, no Natural Resources or Forestry
representatives, and there are no provisions for
county, state, public, or agricultural oversight of
these programs prior to implementation.
Experimental
Weather Modification (or “mitigation” which is not
defined in these bills), can affect all of us by
reducing water supplies and changing agricultural crop
production cycles (micro-climates), while reducing
crop production and water availability. Since most
experimental weather modification programs use
chemicals released into the atmosphere the public
could be subjected to increasingly toxic or unknown
substances that could have negative effects on
agricultural, drinking water supplies, crops, and
trees. If the weather is changed in one location it
may have severe adverse consequences in another
region, county or state. And who is going to decide
the type of weather modification experimentation, who
it will benefit, and who will suffer the negative
consequences of these actions? And will one state or
region “steals” the rain or snow that would
normally go to another state by using these “weather
modification schemes” as is happening from current
weather modification programs?
Many
current and ongoing weather modification programs (50+
listed by NOAA each year-note the ones listed in this
bill), are already changing the climate in many
regions of the United States. Since most Americans
have not been made aware of these programs it is easy
to blame severe climate disturbances on “global
warming theories” or climate change. These events
are causing an overwhelming urge to “mitigate”
current weather problems with increased weather
modification experimentation, instead of examining
local micro-climate changes that are caused by current
and ongoing programs. It would be easier to stop these
experimental programs than to add new programs without
a clear understanding of current and future
synergistic effects.
Senate
Bill 1807 does not address these issues but intends to
implement more experimental weather modification
programs without a national debate or public
oversight. Terry Krauss, Project Manager for North
Dakota based Weather Modification, Inc., owns a large
fleet of aircraft and conducts cloud seeding projects
in more than a dozen countries around the world. Many
private companies, universities, and government
agencies modify the weather in the United States, and
in other countries. These programs could clearly be
negatively affecting the weather in the United States
and exacerbating global climate change.
The
December 2005 Popular Science Magazine discussed a
plan to use an oil slick to stop hurricanes without
noting the adverse environmental impacts of the oil
used to cover the ocean. Popular Science also noted
that a private company, Dyn-O-Mat had been conducting
“…early trials. In July 2001, Dyn-O-Mat engineers
dumped 8,000 pounds of their Dyn-O-Mat Gel (capable of
absorbing 4,000 tons of water), over a small
thunderstorm near the Florida coast. Within minutes
the storm disappeared from Doppler weather radar…”
When this toxic secret chemical drops into the ocean
or over land what are the environmental effects? Who
is studying what happens to marine life, crops, soils,
and drinking water supplies when this chemical mixes
with rainfall on the ground?
According
to Popular Science “…Dyn-O-Mat’s founder and
CEO, has already arranged to lease a specially rigged
747 “supertanker” to conduct trials on actual
hurricanes. Meanwhile, he has assembled an all-star
team of scientists and labs at Florida State
University, the National Center for Atmospheric
Research, NOAA, and elsewhere to begin running
computer models that analyze the gel’s effect on
larger storms…’We already know the gel works’,
says Cordani…’Now we need to figure out how much
to use and where to put it’…” Could hurricane
and other experiments be causing drought in Georgia
and other states in 2007? Since the public is not
informed, and Congress has no oversight powers, the
public is being kept in the dark about dates and
results of these experiments leaving many unanswered
questions.
Alaska
and other areas across the United States are beginning
to feel the impacts of climate change. Enormous
changes are being seen in the declining health of
native plant and tree communities in many areas
across. Climate shifts are being recorded everywhere.
In the last few years abnormal rainfall and droughts
have been occurring on a more dramatic basis and few
are asking questions about current and ongoing
experimental weather modification programs that may be
exacerbating these problems.
The
answer seems to be that these bills will just be
passed to “mitigate” (no definition of this word
in the bill), current problems. If we are creating
these problems with current weather modification
endeavors then how can we correct this problem by
adding more programs? Wouldn’t it be better to
account for all of the experimental weather
modification programs, and atmospheric heating and
testing programs, and study their synergistic effects,
affects on trees, micro-climates, and agriculture
before deciding to implement more experimental weather
modification programs? If these programs change
growing seasons, disrupt photosynthesis, and interrupt
the pollination process, crop losses could be
substantial, exacerbating economic agriculture
instability.
A
Weather Damage Modification Program conducted by the
Bureau of Reclamation, according to this bill, does
not evaluate the negative impacts to agriculture,
water supplies, or micro-climates in counties or
states surrounding experimental weather modification
programs. Thus, their models are flawed. U.S. Senate
Bill 1807, Section 4 – Definition (3) declares that
“…investigative findings and theories of a
scientific or technical nature…” will be turned
into “…practical applications for experimental and
demonstration purposes, including the experimental
production and testing of models, devices, equipment,
material and processes”. Does this include toxic
chemicals or atmospheric heating and testing
experiment chemicals?”
NASA
noted in an October 2005 newsletter that increasingly
persistent contrails forming man-made clouds and haze
are “…trapping warmth in the atmosphere and
exacerbating global warming…” NASA goes on to note
that: “…Any increase in global cloud cover will
contribute to long-term changes in Earth’s climate.
Likewise, any change in Earth’s climate may have
effects on natural resources…” U.S. Senate Bill
1807 does not address this issue or issues regarding
Global Dimming (NOVA PBS 2006), or consider them in
any models. Thus, the bill has built-in flaws.
Weather
modification companies, private corporations,
scientists, and universities are lobbying hard for
this bill to pass because they see our tax dollars
going to them for these projects until at least the
year 2017, prescribed in this bill. No doubt
amendments will be submitted by private corporations
to elected officials as part of their Congressional
lobbying efforts. The public is not invited to attend
or be represented in any manner.
Priorities
in the bill are funding, training and support for
scientists, participation in international efforts,
and research and development. Note that research
related to potential adverse affects of weather
mitigation is also in this bill but the bill does not
specify agriculture, micro-climate damage, crop
losses, drought or flood inducement, or chemical
toxicity from these types of experimental weather
modification programs. Our micro-climates and food
production (the livelihoods of thousands of people who
are in the agriculture business) are to be used as
guinea pigs without warming, prior notification,
public oversight or input. And if crops our damaged,
our grasslands in drought or floods, who is
responsible for these disasters when they are man-made
by experimental weather modification (mitigation),
programs? The agriculture industry will suffer
staggering losses and food prices will skyrocket due
to these losses, food shortages will increase…while
we import more and more contaminated food from
countries like China. This bill does not protect the
public.
The
bill will require a description of “…any potential
adverse consequences on life, property, or water
resource availability form weather mitigation efforts,
and any suggested means of mitigation or reducing such
consequences if such efforts are undertaken…”
However, we have over sixty-six current and ongoing
programs, why won’t they be assessed first to
address environmental and agriculture problems well in
advance of any additional experiments? The bill does
not state that any public hearings will be held in
advance of any experiments or that the public will be
notified when these programs are to take place or what
means of mitigation for adverse consequences will be
in place. In addition, this bill does not address
compensation for losses due to this experimentation.
Since
the first report on this bill is not due until January
31st, in the second calendar year following the date
of the enactment of this Act, but if passed, this plan
will be implemented not later than 180 days after the
date of the enactment of this Act. This means a huge
gap where no public oversight, congressional
oversight, public debate and hearings, or any other
method of oversight will be required. And with the
public excluded from any participation to protect
water, agriculture, forest, natural resources, and
other public interests from questionable experiments,
the programs will be implemented without proper
protection for these interests.
Atmospheric
experiments, the Alaska H.A.A.R.P. program, military
experiments on weather modification, like those being
undertaken at Elgin Air Force Base, and elsewhere, are
not listed as being part of this bill. In 2004, The
Science Channel, for a special television program
titled “Owing the Weather”, conducted an interview
with J. Gregory Glenn, a Research Scientist at Elgin
Air Force Base in Florida, where “…Air Force
weapons researchers and nano particles specialists are
conducting weather control experiments…” Thus, the
public will be subject to these experiments with no
Congressional or public oversight. And your local
insurance company and other private corporations will
continue “mitigating” for private profit at your
expense.
We
know today, and most weather modification companies,
will tell you, that weather modification works. They
can’t always control the results but we do know they
work or may have unintended consequences or have been
used in other ways. In the 2004, Science Channel
Program “Owning the Weather”, are the following
statements on “Project Popeye”: “…Though they
had denied it for more than seven years (until Seymour
Hersh of the New York Times broke the story), the U.S.
Military had been using weather modification as a
weapon in Vietnam and Laos. Starting in 1966, the
United States Air Force had made over 2,600 top-secret
cloud seeding flights. Codenamed “Project Popeye”,
this clandestine operation attempted to turn key enemy
transport roads to mud, rendering them impassable…As
a result of the uproar over Project Popeye, on the
10th of December 1976, the United Nations passed
General Assembly Resolution 3172. It explicitly banned
the use of weather modification in warfare…”
Other U.S. hurricane clouds seeding projects have also
been classified, until years later, due to the
devastating results of these experiments and fear of
lawsuits.
Now,
Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison (Texas), and Congressman
Mark Udall (Colorado), have reintroduced similar bills
for passage this year. Once again it is time to act to
protect our natural resources, our soil, water,
agricultural micro-climates, and crops from unknown
types weather modification experimentation. In
addition, they have ignored addressing issues raised
in a December 13, 2005, letter to Senator Hutchison
from John H. Marburger III, Director, Office of
Science and Technology Policy, Washington, D.C. which
states in part: “…there is a host of
issues—including liability, foreign policy, and
national security concerns---that arose in the past
and should be adequately considered before the U.S.
government undertakes the coordinated national
research program this legislation would require…”
These include but are not limited to “…Department
of Justice on legal issues, with the Department of
State on foreign policy implications, with the
Department of Defense and State on national security
implications, and with pertinent research agencies to
consider the reasons the U.S. Government previously
halted its work in this area…”
Mr.
Marburger’s letter went on to define some local,
political and legal ramifications, national Security
Implications, and Research issues which included: 1)
Weather modification may promote rain in one area to
the detriment of another; 2) These legal and liability
issues pertaining to weather modification (now
mitigation), and the potential adverse consequences on
life, property, and water resource availability
resulting from weather modification activities, must
be considered fully before the U.S. government could
take responsibility for this new research program: 3)
Given Global weather patterns, whether one country
“owns” its weather so as to assert intra-border
control with extra-border consequences, must be
considered under present international
conventions…”
Senator
Hutchison and Congressman Udall did not address any to
these issues in the text of their legislation. Thus,
it is believed that they both ignored the issues not
only brought forward by the public but by the Office
of Science and Technology. Also missing from this bill
are references to various U.S. Patents that discuss
weather modification methods through the use of
atmospheric chemicals, ionospheric modification and
testing, how satellites can be used to change the
weather, and space based weather modification
satellites. The range of patents and geoengineering
schemes to modify the weather are staggering in number
and scope. And this bill does not address any of these
issues or the myriad of geoengineering schemes now in
use or proposed for the future that will modify our
weather.
Please
contact all of your elected local, state and federal
officials to stop this bill in its present form. This
bill needs to have appropriate agriculture and public
oversight, with public hearings included, prior to any
more experimental projects. We need a national
dialogue on this subject before more experimentation
takes place. Concerned grassroots citizens are
involved in this educational protest movement to
protect agriculture from unwise experimental weather
modification programs. “We, the people, simply will
not accept this reckless experimenting on our weather
and are fighting the passage of this bill in order to
protect agricultural crop production and our water
supplies.”
Associated
Reference Articles:
1,
"Weather Mitigation Research and Development
Policy Authorization Act," U.S.
House Bill 3345 Full Text: U.S.
Senate Bill 1807 Full Text:
2, Other
Related Articles:
3, NOAA
Project StormFury 20-Year History:
4, www.asp.bnl.gov/
5, Scientists
Excited for Wyoming Cloud-Seeding
6, Contrail
ID Chart, pdf
7, Weather Modification, Inc. Home page, Atmospheric
Research, Aircraft Modification, and Cloud Seeding
Website: (WMI February 2007 Discovery Channel
Program: Krauss: "…The demands for fresh water
are increasing. People think nothing of drilling wells
and extracting ground water. Well, now we are trying
to use modern technology to extract water that goes
unused in this river of water vapor that is passing
over us each second of the day. A lot of people don't
realize that California has been conducting wintertime
cloud seeding for almost fifty years to supply the
increasing demand for water (and power) in
California…" Krauss speaks WMI just using
unused water vapor. However, that water vapor would
have a final destination as rain or snow somewhere
else, in another county or state, if not artificially
interfered with by chemicals. When you deliberately
put more snow in the Wyoming mountains (December
2005-February 2006), you deprive another area of the
rain or moisture that would normally fall in other
areas. Thus, more snow in the Wyoming mountains may
cause drought in surrounding counties or states. What
legal right do we have to modify the weather and
deprive other areas of that so-called "unused
water vapor" that could alleviate droughts or
keep our agriculture micro-climates intact? (Also note
that weather modification companies have a financial
investment in promoting experimental weather
modification programs and would see nothing wrong with
implementing those programs.)
8, NOVA "Dimming
the Sun" April 2006, and [Read]
9, Global
Dimming:
10, November 20, 2006: "NASA
plans to block out the Sun"
11, May 3, 2006: "Blocking
Out the Sun" Peterson - Could the H.A.A.R.P.
Project in Alaska, NOAA, DOE, NASA, Air Force,
Department of Defense, etc., be the reason for climate
changes that have been escalating since the late
1980s, when the funds and technology allowed for the
escalation of atmospheric heating and testing programs
like NASA's TMA Night Cloud tests using
trimethylaluminum or the advanced testing of military
weapons systems like star wars?
12, Night
Clouds Atmospheric Testing Program:
13, U.S.
Weather Modification Patents & Weather
Modification Method:
14, Use
of artificial satellites in earth orbits adaptively to
modify the effect that solar radiation would otherwise
have on earth's weather-1998:
15, Weather
modification by artificial satellites 1999
16, Combustible
compositions for generating aerosols, particularly
suitable for cloud modification and weather control
and aerosolization process 1977
17, Method
and composition for precipitation of atmospheric water
1994
18, Method
and apparatus for altering a region in the earth's
atmosphere, ionosphere, and/or magnetosphere 1987,
* Bridget Conroy, from Arizona, and Rosalind Peterson,
from California, are co-founders of the Agriculture
Defense Coalition. They joined together in October
2005, to fight a similar experimental weather
modification bill that was introduced in 2005. Thanks
to their dedication and hard work in bringing this to
the public's attention, organizing rallies, with lots
of help from local individuals and groups in several
states, many people across the United States contacted
their elected representatives, and these bills were
not passed in 2006. They have mobilized again to fight
this new threat to agriculture and natural resources.
Contacts. [Read]
[Read]