This smells like Trenberth’s doings at the behest of Al Gore and his “Dirty Weather” Campaign. If so, then I’m against it, because all this will do is create another bureaucracy loaded with opinionated thinkers sucking up more tax dollars adding to the already out of control federal deficit.
From the National Center for Atmospheric Research/University Corporation for Atmospheric Research.
Experts call on Congress to create first US Weather Commission
WASHINGTON, D.C. — With the U.S. economy vulnerable to weather events costing billions of dollars, an expert panel today asked Congress to create the first U.S. Weather Commission. The commission would provide guidance to policymakers on leveraging weather expertise across government and the private sector to better protect lives and businesses.
“The nation must focus its weather resources on the areas of greatest need in order to keep our economy competitive and provide maximum protection of lives and property,” says Thomas Bogdan, president of the University Corporation for Atmospheric Research. “Emerging technologies are providing an opportunity to create forecasts that are more accurate and detailed than ever, and to communicate them instantly to key communities and businesses. We need a U.S. Weather Commission to ensure that our entire weather research and technology enterprise provides maximum benefit to the nation.”
At a time of fast-changing technological innovation, the commission would advise federal policymakers on setting priorities for improving forecasts and creating a more weather-proof nation. The goal is to help ensure cost-effective spending on the nation’s weather systems while minimizing the impacts of both major storms, which last year alone cost about $52 billion, and normal fluctuations in weather, which have an estimated annual economic impact of $485 billion.
Earlier this year, the National Academy of Sciences released a hallmark report, Weather Services for the Nation: Becoming Second to None. The report concluded that, even with recent concerted and much-needed efforts to modernize the National Weather Service, the country faces challenges in harnessing the best science and private sector resources available for protecting the nation from weather impacts.
These challenges are rooted in evolving scientific and technological advances, rapidly changing needs of the nation’s weather information consumers, and an increasingly capable and growing third-party community of weather services providers.
Congress has twice created an ocean commission for setting direction on commerce, research, and defense related to the world’s oceans. But there has never been a U.S. Weather Commission, even though weather has far-reaching effects on all Americans.
Commissioners would provide guidance on issues such as making appropriate investments in satellite and radar systems, protecting vulnerable communities, setting research priorities, and meeting the needs of key sectors, ranging from agriculture to utilities to the U.S. armed forces.
“Weather is immeasurably important to public safety and our economic competitiveness,” says Pam Emch, a senior staff engineer/scientist with Northrop Grumman Corporation and one of the panelists. “Effective organization of the diverse entities that span our weather enterprise is necessary for economic stability, innovation, and the good of the nation.”
“Improved weather information can be an engine for economic growth,” says panelist William Gail, co-founder and chief technology officer of the Global Weather Corporation. “As we develop increasingly detailed understanding of our atmosphere, there is enormous potential for helping the public and businesses.”
“We must keep pace with accelerating scientific and technological advances and meet expanding user needs in our increasingly information-centric society,” says panelist John Armstrong, chair of the Committee on the Assessment of the National Weather Service’s Modernization Program.
Bogdan says that a commission approach, guided by key actors across the entire weather enterprise, will provide needed direction and consensus.
“The U.S. Weather Commission offers the promise of better research, state-of-the-art prediction, and protection for the health and prosperity of the U.S.,” he says. “It will also foster growth for the innovative private weather sector we have all come to rely upon. This is an issue that affects all members of Congress and all their constituents, no matter where they live.”
Today’s panel briefing was the first step in a process that will continue into the next Congress. The panel’s next steps are to brief staff and members on the importance of the commission and the role it will play, seeking their guidance and support for establishing the commission in 2013.
The University Corporation for Atmospheric Research manages the National Center for Atmospheric Research in Boulder, Colorado, under sponsorship by the National Science Foundation. Any opinions, findings and conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this publication are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation.
On the Web:
For news releases, images, and more www.ucar.edu/atmosnews
A short but succinct description of one of the prime factors in the ongoing necrosis of Western – and, over the last century or so, global – civilisation. Layer upon layer of “commissions” and “experts” and “trusts” and “advisors” and “non-governmental* – yet strangely powerful! – organisations, or whatever you want to call your latest bunch of “technocrats”, all sucking inflated livings (either directly from the public teat via tax or indirectly via inflating prices) while contributing little, if anything, of any value. The “little people” who actually contribute their blood, sweat and tears to making things work never get to elect them, of course, they are summoned into existence by the existing parasitocracy and rarely, if ever dismissed.
Here in the UK, the phrase “a culture of entitlement” is well-known political doublespeak, used to condemn those at the bottom of the economic heap, struggling to scratch a mean living on shrinking benefits after their jobs have been destroyed. The parasite class, meanwhile, display that culture in its highest and most destructive degree … but of course it was they who coined that phrase. They are naturally entitled, because They can inform the greater parasites on which group of “little people” will “need” to get the chop next the better to insulate the parasites from reality, They are Experts, after all.
Whether enough of us will wake up to the deeply malign effect of the layers of these creatures and do something about them before they have utterly destroyed our world, economy and society remains to be seen. The evidence, regrettably, isn’t encouraging.
[Declaration of interest: I am an opinionated thinker. On the plus side, I come pretty cheap, and you can always tell me to #### off without risk to your livelihood, as many do. Thank you.]
Beware the self proclaimed EXPERT.
Definition of expert
: X (maths) =unknown number.
: SPERT (hydraulics) =drip under pressure.
Therefore an EXPERT is nothing more than a DRIP UNDER PRESSURE OF UNKNOWN QUANTITY.
Regards
S.T.Beare
These guys honestly don’t believe that there is any progress, in any field, unless govt takes the lead.
And just what will this commission actually do about the weather? Complain about it just like the rest of us?
This is neither here nor there.
Nadine is acting more like “Maybellene”.
Maybellene, why can't you be true?Oh Maybellene, why can't you be true?
You've started back doing the things you used to do.
http://flhurricane.com/sbanimator.php?year=2012&storm=14
I predict, if this Commission is created, it will be an extension of the IPCC, but with police powers and an unlimited budget. Doubting CAGW will become a crime against humanity.
To the left the solution to everything is more regulation leading to bigger goverment. That of course is the point of it all in the first place. The Australians have a Department of Climate change and Energy Efficiency ( I am sure it used to be Water) The first minister for that post was Penny Wong being the minister of Climate Change and Water. You would think that such a minister would have a science degree, yes, no she is a lawyer and a unionist. I note that people who work for that department have some real problems; mainly related to the fact that all their friends think they have a stupid useless job.Staff morale is so low the government has spent almost $175,000 on consultants to lift staff’s flagging spirits. A negative public image of the department, changing environmental policies and lack of internal support had left them feeling miserable and disengaged, an internal report has found. The next one of course will be the “Department of Co2, Sustainability and Policing Solutions.” All of this of course is just a huge waste of taxpayers money.
@S.T.Beare
My father said that an ex-spurt is a drip, and an X-spurt is an unknown drip under pressure.
Given the current US direction, “second to none” sounds like a negative value.
They could call it the Weather Bureau
Useless Money Pit.
Where do I sign up? I could use a six figure income right about now.
Since they are losing the science debate, they moved on to the social science through ad hoc polls and papers (Bain, Lew, Manne…) and they keep erasing history and those who did object to the faulty science (Wikipedia). Meanwhile Reuters and friends are pushing the idea of carbon trading through fear mongering articles in their newspapers. Basically they go for the jugular: it could be -15C in summer that they’d blame it on Global Warming as long as the cash in their carbon taxes and make their commissions on trade.
The game is simply displaced to another battlefield and the prospect of a Obama second term is bolstering their resolve. I anticipate more totalitarian moves and soon… Boot camps are closer than we think because they are in a hurry to establish and run their scam.
If it didn’t already exist and they were talking about forming The National Weather Service, I’d say, OK. But the NSW already exist. We can’t control the weather or the climate. What would it’s purpose be?
These Weather Commisars would be doing more than advising a senator to bring an umbrella.
“…………leveraging weather expertise ………..”
What can be leveraged from a 3-day forecast that has less than 50% of being right. This is empire building at its worst.
“harnessed” Controlled and directed by a bureaucracy? Clearly the best way to take advantage of knowledge and researchers and human ingenuity.
Not.
We don’t need this – duplication of resources.
Cut cut cut
I have a solution for them. Take all the weather/climate offices of every department of the federal government and put them into the National Weather Service and put a practicing Meteorologist in charge. Then fire all the redundant functions, putting the resulting savings of salary into a top notch surface monitoring network and making sure the satellite network is robust enough to take a failure or two without melting down. We would probably save 20 billion a year and have 10 times the capability/
Adding to my last: then make all the raw unadjusted data and metadata available publicly for researchers to analyze. That way we always have the original data to compare adjustments to and the metadata to evaluate whether those adjustments make any sense, but the original data will always be pristine as collected.
WASHINGTON, D.C. — With the U.S. economy vulnerable to weather events costing billions of dollars, an expert panel today asked Congress to create the first U.S. Weather Commission. The commission would provide guidance to policymakers on leveraging weather expertise across government and the private sector to better protect lives and businesses.
=============
I understand the need to create jobs, at any cost.
But, “leveraging”, is a step too far.
Just you watch.
Does the name of the source/reference make you wonder?
National Center for Atmospheric Research/University Corporation for Atmospheric Research
Do we really need another paid layer of policy making?
… _ _ _ … !
“Experts call on Congress..” What experts? Experts in bigger government and breaking the back of the producer?
“The U.S. Weather Commission offers the promise of better research, state-of-the-art prediction, and protection for the health and prosperity of the U.S.,” HA HA HA
I am a writer. I think my next Sci Fi will be titled “Men in CO2”
Of course this Weather Commission is necessary–all of you are emitters of CO2, aren’t you?
They need this commission and thousands of new bureaucrats to keep track of you–and if they figure your pollution can’t be justified, well then “pfft” with you.
/sarc
We’ll have to ask the Chinese if it is a good enough idea for them to fund it. As we don’t have any money and the Chinese Credit Card is getting full (net US Bond buying by Chinese is dropping off) it will take “Other People’s Money” to fund it; and the folks with the money are in China…
We’re at over $16,000,000,000,000.00 of debt and adding over $1 Trillion / year (last I looked, about $1.4 Trillion). Europe is in worse condition and Japan has about twice that debt to GDP ratio. Africa is, and always has been, flat broke. Latin America? Not exactly rolling in dough.
So just WHO is going to pay for the government we have now? Forget adding any new parts.
The party is over. The Fat Lady is clearing her pipes and the orchestra has started up in Spain and Greece. There is no money and what’s worse there will be LESS money going forward. We’re in a cycle of economic decline and we will stay in it for decades. (Why? First off, a “demographic bomb” is going off. “Demographics is destiny” and we’re pretty much stuck with the Baby Boomers leaving work to become a retired drag on the economy. Second, our “social welfare” state has driven whole industries to “Go Galt” and either shutdown or pack up and move to China.)
Nothing will change the demographics. Nothing short of a cultural / social revolution against creeping Socialism will change the economic trends, and the cultural shift is toward MORE Socialism, not less. We’re toast. It’s just a question of how long it takes to flood the boilers and have the whole ship of state blow up.
BTW, the Lefty Answer of “Raise Tax Rates!” won’t work. You get about 18% of GDP as tax revenue, no matter what the tax RATE. We’re in the land of the Laffer Curve and wiggling the rates higher will NOT increase revenues. It DOES decrease the Domestic Product, so you get less tax revenue (though the percent stays about 18%, it is from a smaller GDP).
The only ‘economic growth’ to come from this will be growth in their income from a government contract. That will be offset by larger economic LOSS elsewhere as the damage done by taxes or debt (pick either one… same effect) shuts down other business. All I see here is someone bleating after a government teat to latch onto.
What we need is a wholesale pruning of commissions, agencies, and even whole departments. I got a dandy public education BEFORE there was a Federal Department Of Education, as just one example. Education has gone steadily down hill the more it has been Federalized. If the entire Fed Dept. of Education were eliminated, public education would improve (as we have an existence proof in the history). There are many such departments…
FWIW, I’d put things like the National Science Foundation in that group as well. Science was better before it became a politically driven money suck. Oh, and UN “Dues” can go as well. The UN does nothing worth preserving. If the rest of the world wants to pay for it, let them.
Or maybe we can just send those bills to the Chinese… it’s their money being spent anyway…
About as necessary as the Ministry of Silly Walks!
E.M.Smith says:
The party is over.
E.M. Smith nails it. In fact, exactly the same set of facts and logic apply to just about every other noble cause in the public sector.
It’s far more scary than global warming. Our social institutions are failing. We keep throwing more and more money at them and they keep failing faster and faster. The fit is on a collision course with the shan.