SUPPORTING STATEMENT
WEATHER MODIFICATION ACTIVITIES REPORTS
OMB CONTROL NO. 0648-0025
A. JUSTIFICATION
1. Explain the circumstances that make the collection of information necessary.
This request is for extension of this information collection.
P.L. 92-205, enacted December 18, 1971 (amended by Public Law 94-490, Section 6(b), October 15, 1976) requires that all non-federal weather modification activities in the United States and its territories be reported to the Secretary of Commerce. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has implemented the Act and the current reporting requirements are published in the Code of Federal Regulations (15 CFR 908).
2. Explain how, by whom, how frequently, and for what purpose the information will be used.
Respondents to this data collection are organizations and companies affiliated with cloud-seeding and other related activities in an attempt to modify the weather, i.e., to increase precipitation, mitigate hail, and disperse fog. They are required to file two one-page reports annually. Each project must file with NOAA an initial report (Form 17-4) and a final report (Form 17-4A) - or an interim report on the same form if the project continues beyond December 31.
NOAA retains records of reported weather modification activities, and makes the records publicly available to the fullest extent practicable. The intent of the program is to increase expertise in the field of weather modification, to allow the public to have access to information on current and past efforts at weather modification, to help avoid unneeded and wasteful duplications, to aid in preventing territorial overlapping of weather modification operations, to provide data to assess possible harmful or dangerous activities, and to furnish information to check both desirable and undesirable atmospheric changes against records of weather modification efforts.
To meet this objective, NOAA requests the following information from the submitter;
location and size of the target area,
names and addresses of sponsors and operators,
beginning and ending dates of the project,
specific purpose,
description of apparatus and seeding agents to be used,
number of days of operations,
number of hours of operations of each type of weather modification apparatus, and
total amount of seeding agent used.
The reports of weather modification activities on file with NOAA as a result of the reporting program furnish useful information for several purposes: (1) Historical Accuracy- Persons planning projects, writing news articles, or preparing term papers request historical and current data for individual states, regions, or the United States. (2) Statistical Accuracy - Congressional staffs, Federal and State officials, and private citizens inquire about weather modification activities that are thought to be associated with adverse weather conditions. (3) Legal Accuracy - On occasion, plaintiffs, defendants, or their lawyers ask for records of activities in connection with law suits. Summary reports have been prepared (at their request) for publication in their association journal in the years when an official NOAA report has not been published. The data contained in the reports are also used to provide information (1) required by a March 26, 1975, U.S.- Canada agreement to exchange information on weather modification activities within 200 miles of our common boundary and (2) to the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) for publication in its yearly “Register of National Weather Modification Projects”.
NOAA will retain control over the information according to the NOAA standards for confidentiality, privacy, and electronic information. See response to Question 10 of this Supporting Statement for more information on confidentiality and privacy. The information collection is designed to yield data that meet all applicable information quality guidelines. Although the information collected is not expected to be disseminated directly to the public, results may be used in scientific, management, technical or general informational publications.
3. Describe whether, and to what extent, the collection of information involves the use of automated, electronic, mechanical, or other technological techniques or other forms of information technology.
Beginning in 2000, the NOAA Forms 17-4 and 17-4A became available on the Internet at http://www.corporateservices.noaa.gov/~noaaforms/eforms/ in order for the respondents to have the capability of being able to fill out and print forms on-line. The forms may be emailed to weather.modification@noaa.gov.
4. Describe efforts to identify duplication.
NOAA is the only organization/activity collecting this information.
5. If the collection of information involves small businesses or other small entities, describe the methods used to minimize burden.
A small percentage (under 5%) of the annual reports are submitted from small businesses. Only minimal information is required and the forms are designed to minimize the burden on all reporting entities.
6. Describe the consequences to the Federal program or policy activities if the collection is not conducted or is conducted less frequently.
Current information is needed to respond to Congressional and public requests for information, and most projects require only an initial and final report each year. Lack of this information would render the Government unable to comply with requests for data as outlined in Question 2, and the data that is used for so many purposes would be unavailable.
7. Explain any special circumstances that require the collection to be conducted in a manner inconsistent with OMB guidelines.
This collection is being conducted in a manner consistent with the guidelines.
8. Provide information on the PRA Federal Register Notice that solicited public comments on the information collection prior to this submission. Summarize the public comments received in response to that notice and describe the actions taken by the agency in response to those comments. Describe the efforts to consult with persons outside the agency to obtain their views on the availability of data, frequency of collection, the clarity of instructions and recordkeeping, disclosure, or reporting format (if any), and on the data elements to be recorded, disclosed, or reported.
A Federal Register Notice published in February 2018 (FR-10174) solicited public comment on this renewal.
The following comments were received in response to direct request from respondents:
There are supposed to be safeguards built into cloud seeding projects. Like suspending cloud seeding when severe weather is approaching. They should not be cloud seeding when there are warnings and forecasts of tropical storms and hurricanes being reported to be approaching the Gulf Coast.
In this period of increasing “extreme weather” events it is critical that we gather and share data on any and all efforts to manipulate the weather.
Expand your record of air testing/analyzing and monitoring of the non-covert and covert program of weather modification.
All weather modification programs should be made public in their entirety. The citizens of the United States should not be the test subjects of the military or private corporations and we have the right to not be so. Think about the children and the environment and everything else that is slowly poisoned through all the particles release in the air through these programs. Over here in Stafford, VA they are so busy making the man made clouds that we rarely get to have clear blue skies anymore. It is a travesty and quite sure it is a crime in some way.
As a citizen of this country and the world, I want to voice my concern that the government does not want to take responsibility for its covert geoengineering project(s), and in fact wants to hide any records of it. I demand they expand their records to include air testing/analysis and monitoring of the *covert* program.
Please continue to collect information on Weather Modification. Furthermore, I demand that NOAA, FAA, EPA and all other agencies involved in chemicals released into the air expand such records to include air testing/analysis and monitoring of the covert programs such as those related to geoengineering.
Comment: There is a general misunderstanding of the program. NOAA is the only government entity that collects weather modification information. However, NOAA does not conduct any cloud-seeding activities. Responses were sent to all commenters.
9. Explain any decisions to provide payments or gifts to respondents, other than remuneration of contractors or grantees.
No payments, gifts, or remuneration of any kind are provided.
10. Describe any assurance or confidentiality provided to respondents and the basis for assurance in statute, regulation, or agency policy.
No confidentiality is promised or provided.
11. Provide additional justification for any questions of a sensitive nature, such as sexual behavior and attitudes, religious beliefs, and other matters that are commonly considered private.
No sensitive questions are asked on the report.
12. Provide an estimate in hours of the burden of the collection of information.
We expect approximately 30 respondents annually. They are required to file two one-page reports annually. Each project must file with NOAA an initial report (Form 17-4) and a final report (Form 17-4A - or an interim report on the same form if the project continues beyond December 31). The annual burden for these activities is estimated to be:
30 respondents x 1 Form 17-4 x 30 minutes = 15.0 hours
30 respondents x 1 Form 17-4A x 30 minutes = 15.0 hours
Totals: 30 respondents, 60 responses, and 30 hours.
13. Provide an estimate of the total annual cost burden to the respondents or record-keepers resulting from the collection.
The recording costs should be minimal since records are electronic and records can be sent by email to weather.modification@noaa.gov.
14. Provide estimates of annualized cost to the Federal government.
The total annual cost to the Federal Government of this reporting is estimated at $54,450.00. The following is the breakdown:
Personnel compensation $40,250
Personnel benefits 4,500
Rents, Communications, Utilities 2,500
Printing and Reproduction 7,200
Explain the reasons for any program changes or adjustments.
Adjustment: Respondent numbers reflect the most recent submissions. There is apparently less interest in and/or less need for these activities, and thus the annual respondents and hours have decreased from 55 to 30.
16. For collections whose results will be published, outline the plans for tabulation and publication.
The data is used by special request, i.e., responses to various queries, except for an annual report which is provided to the National Weather Service (NWS) for transmittal to the World Meteorological Report. This report is a compilation of fiscal year data and is sent to NWS on a spreadsheet.
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17. If seeking approval to not display the expiration date for OMB approval of the information collection, explain the reasons why display would be inappropriate.
N/A.
18. Explain each exception to the certification statement.
N/A.
B. COLLECTIONS OF INFORMATION EMPLOYING STATISTICAL METHODS
N/A.
| File Type | application/msword |
| Author | karen.williams |
| Last Modified By | SYSTEM |
| File Modified | 2018-04-05 |
| File Created | 2018-04-05 |