Contact: Allison.Barker@mail.house.gov

Today, Rep. Chris Stewart (R-Utah), Chairman of the Subcommittee on Environment, held a second hearing to examine ways to improve the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) weather forecasting. Witnesses shared testimony on newly introduced legislation, the Weather Forecasting Improvement Act of 2013, which prioritizes forward-looking weather research and opens up NOAA’s process to encourage private sector weather solutions.

“Let me be clear about the goal of this bill: It makes the protection of lives and property through improved forecasting the top priority for NOAA,” Chairman Stewart said.

The bill would support the Agencies responsibilities and expand resources available for accurately predicting the weather.

“The legislation is a down payment to upgrade our weather prediction system that has fallen behind international standards,” Chairman Stewart said. “We should not let the perfect be the enemy of the good, and in these tight fiscal times it is absolutely vital that our most important research programs are authorized by Congress and thus more protected from future budgetary constraints.”

The following witnesses testified at the hearing:

Panel 1

The Honorable Kathryn Sullivan, Acting Administrator, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

Panel 2

Dr. Kelvin Droegemeier, Vice President for Research, Regents’ Professor for Meteorology, Weathernews Chair Emeritus, University of Oklahoma

Dr. William Gail, Chief Technology Officer, Global Weather Corporation, President-Elect, American Meteorological Society

Dr. Shuyi Chen, Professor, Meteorology and Physical Oceanography, Rosentiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences, University of Miami

For more information about today’s hearing, including witness testimony, please visit the Science, Space, and Technology Committee website.