Oklahoma Weather Tracking Licensure Legislation

[Warren Faidley]

The main reason the bill failed was the language allowing selected media, researchers and eventually "favorites" to run as emergency vehicles. DOT and OHP wanted no part of that. I don't want to supply a blueprint, but there are more creative ways to thin the herds, if that is their true intentions. It will be interesting to see if other states take action.

 

[Ken Perrin]

Chase tour operators are also more likely to take less-risky chances than "extreme" chasers and there are far fewer of them than non-tour chasers, so why would the OK pols single-out that particular class of storm chaser? T

Maybe because the Chase Tour operators are easy to identify and single out? And are less likely to claim 1st Amendment free press rights than streamers and eMedia extreme chasers? Just a couple of "off the top of my head" thoughts.

My "dog in this hunt", is that I am a "local spotter/observer", affiliated with and in contact with both my county OEM, and WFO, I mostly sit in one place with good views, and multiple escape routes. My objective is to give the earliest warning possible to my neighbors, I'm not worried about getting photos/videos (though if I can get a barely focused cellphone shot, after sounding the alarm, and making sure that I am safe, great and wonderful).
I'm in the western Ozarks where our terrain, trees, and non-grid road network are not conducive to most chasers' styles and techniques, though I worry about them clogging up the area roads and getting underfoot. I am more concerned about TV media people being given the authority to shutdown and block roads.

 

[Warren Faidley]

The original argument for the bill was to "reduce the number of amateur chasers," as stated by one of the Senators. Everyone except for selected, in-state media, researchers and a few popular chasers would be considered as "amateurs." Yes, targeting vans full of tourists would be an easy way to argue the bill would be effective.

Looking back, I'm even more convinced this bill would have been a total disaster. The roads are already filled with insanity. Altering traffic flow would have forced people into serious, unplanned situations, with escape routes cut off and enraged chasers driving even crazier to keep up with storms.