NH cloud seeding ban gets hearing, then ruled ‘inexpedient’
Michael Whitaker of Vermont, Director of the FAA, which oversees cloud seeding. Aerial photo yale.edu
By Guy Page
The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration has a ‘cloud seeding’ aircraft certification program, as reported in an aviation industry press release.
Interest in cloud seeding and other weather modification programs has grown as similar research by climate change scientists goes mainstream. A controversial plan (not yet approved) to release sulfur dioxide in the upper-atmosphere to cool the earth’s climate was reported in a New York Times page one news story Sunday August 4.
The FAA program seems to focus on lower-atmosphere seeding, as well as crop-dusting. Seeding clouds with silver iodide is a common practice in drought-ridden areas and uses both manned and unmanned aircraft.
The FAA is directed by Michael Whitaker, a Vermont resident recommended for the post by Sen. Peter Welch. As reported by VDC Sept. 11 2023, the Biden Administration picked the Norwich resident to lead the FAA. Whitaker, a former deputy administrator of the agency, led the FAA’s drone integration program during the Obama administration.
Textron, the parent firm of Beechcraft, announced the Saudi Arabian government last July ordered five turboprop aircraft for weather modification.
According to the press statement, the company would “certify the Federal Aviation Administration approved Supplemental Type Certificate modifications for cloud seeding and atmospheric research equipment. Together, Textron Aviation, WMI and FJC will provide the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s National Center for Meteorology with the newest technologies in cloud seeding and atmospheric sciences instrumentation.”
Welch AI for climate monitoring bill dies in committee – Welch, D-Vermont, was a co-sponsor of S.3888, a bill to use AI to fund the use of artificial intelligence for climate and atmospheric monitoring and other, unspecified, related projects.
The ‘‘Transformational Artificial intelligence to Modernize the Economy against Extreme Weather Act’’ or the ‘‘TAME Extreme Weather Act,’’ was introduced on March 6, and referred to the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation. It did not pass out of committee.
New Hampshire ban on cloud seeding also dies in committee – A New Hampshire bill pushing back against cloud seeding and other efforts to control the atmosphere suffered the same fate. HB1700 would ban cloud seeding, Granite Grok reported in January 2024. The bill actually had two public hearings, but was ruled ‘inexpedient to legislature’ in February.