President signs commercial satellite weather bill

[Steve Miller]

WASHINGTON — President Trump signed into law this week a weather bill that includes provisions formally authorizing ongoing commercial satellite weather data projects and a study of future weather satellite needs.

The president signed the Weather Research and Forecasting Innovation Act of 2017 April 18, according to a statement from the White House. The bill originally passed the House in January on a voice vote, while the Senate approved an amended version March 29 by unanimous consent. The House adopted the Senate’s version, again by a voice vote, April 4.

Among the bill’s provisions is language formally authorizing the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to purchase weather data from commercial satellite systems. The bill authorizes NOAA to spend $6 million a year in fiscal years 2017 through 2020 for a pilot program of data purchases to evaluate the effectiveness of commercial data to support weather forecasting.

Read more: http://spacenews.com/president-signs-commercial-satellite-weather-bill

 

[rdale]

Bad bad stuff. Good framework + Zero dollars = Congressional lobbyists determining where meteorology goes.

The watch/warning system in use for 50+ years will be changed in just two years, with no money to study the changes.

 

[Trey Thee]

Bad bad stuff. Good framework + Zero dollars = Congressional lobbyists determining where meteorology goes.

The watch/warning system in use for 50+ years will be changed in just two years, with no money to study the changes.

I clicked the link and don't see what you're talking about. Why is this bad? what do you mean zero dollars? there's money being appropriated...
What does this have to do with the watch/warning system?

 

[rdale]

It's not appropriated - it's being internally reallocated within NOAA. So taking money from other more important projects. And the hazard simplification is being required to be completed in two years.