NWS Employee's Union Press release

From the Wichita, KS Eagle:



The National Weather Service Employee's Union put out a press release outlining their opposition to the bill before Congress to restrict the ability of the NWS to compete with the private sector. I post it here, and invite comments.

Jeff Masters

Santorum bill will cut off weather data and turn the
National Weather Service into an $800 million a year
"corporate welfare" program for large commercial weather
companies, forecasters say.

The professional association and labor organization of
meteorologists and other employees today announced their
opposition to the National Weather Service Duties Act,
introduced on April 14 by Senator Richard Santorum
(R-PA).

If enacted, S. 786 would prohibit the National Weather
Service from providing any service, including marine,
public and aviation forecasts (other than severe weather
warnings) to either the public, the media, academia, or
state and local emergency management officials if private
sector weather companies are providing or could provide a
similar service for a fee. Any forecast, severe weather
warning or other service or product that the NWS could
continue to provide under the Act would be disseminated
"through a set of data portals designed for volume access
by commercial providers." The Act also prohibits the NWS
from directly giving interviews or briefings to the news
media, law enforcement or emergency management personnel
during severe weather events, such as the briefings given
by the National Hurricane Center. The public, state and
local governments, and even other Federal agencies would
be required to obtain all their weather information from
private commercial weather companies. These companies
would obtain their information from the National Weather
Service through the "set of data portals" which the Act
would obtain their information from the National Weather
Service through the "set of data portals" which the Act
would require the NWS to maintain solely for the benefit
of and "access by commercial providers" of weather
information.

In a letter sent to Sen. Jim DeMint, Chairman of the
Senate Commerce Committee's Subcommittee on Disaster
Preparedness and Prediction, the organization explained
that "not only would this Act convert the National
Weather Service into an $800 million a year 'corporate
welfare' subsidy to these 'commercial vendors' of weather
information, but it would constitute a tax on state and
local governments who would have to pay middle-men for
repackaged NWS weather information. For example, the NWS
would no longer be able to advise local school districts
and road crews on anticipated snowfall amounts. Such
advice would have to be purchased from a distant
commercial vendor."

According to the union, "the prohibitions contained in S.
786 would benefit only a handful of large commercial
vendors at the expense of smaller firms, and those
seeking to enter the market, who cannot afford the access
fees to the NWS's 'data portals.'" The NWS maintains data
portals, known as the "Family of Services," through which
a very small number of major private vendors currently
obtain volume access to the NWS weather observations,
forecasts and warnings. Some vendors simply resell the
data as received.

"Smaller and new firms that add value to and remarket NWS
products now obtain their weather data from NWS internet
sites which would be shut down under this law. Thus,
rather than increasing competitiveness and bringing new
companies and products into the market place, the NWS
Duties Act would assist a handful of larger, already
capitalized firms in creating a monopoly" on weather
information, explained the NWS forecasters in their
letter to Senator DeMint.

The NWS websites (accessed at www.weather.gov) could be
shut down under the proposed legislation. These websites
receive over 5 million users each month - 60 million
visitors a year. The annual cost for maintaining the
servers and associated staff to maintain the websites is
only $3,755,000 - a little more than a penny a citizen.

The National Academy of Science's Committee on
Partnerships in Weather and Climate Services recently
concluded that the NWS has an "obligation to make its
information as widely available as possible to those who
have paid for it - the taxpayers."

Although some in the private sector would prefer that the
NWS not issue forecasts, the committee believes that
scientific, legal, and economic arguments overwhelmingly
support the continued dissemination of NWS forecasts and
other weather products. Not only has the infrastructure
supporting the forecast already been paid for, but
other weather products. Not only has the infrastructure
supporting the forecast already been paid for, but
disseminating forecasts provides a measure of visibility
to the NWS, which helps ensure continued support for the
expensive infrastructure needed to generate weather and
climate services.

National Research Council, Fair Weather: Effective
Partnerships in Weather and Climate Services, 5 (National
Academies Press, 2003).

NWSEO represents over 3,700 forecasters and other
employees of the National Weather Service located at 122
Forecast Offices, 13 River Forecast Centers, and various
specialized forecast offices (such as the National
Hurricane Center) across the country.