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The Senate Subcommittees on Science and Space and Disaster Prevention and Prediction held a joint hearing for S.517, the Weather Modification Technology Transfer Authorization Act of 2005, on November 10, 2005. Presenting testimony were: Dr. Joseph Golden, Senior Research Scientist, Cooperative Institute for Research in the Environmental Sciences; Dr. Tom DeFelice, past president of the Weather Modification Association; and Dr. Michael Garstang, Chair of the committee on Critical Issues in Weather Modification Research, National Research Council of The National Academies. Their written testimony can be found at the web site link.

A white paper entitled "Weather Modification for Precipitation Augmentation and its Potential Usefulness to the Colorado River Basin States" was recently released by Tom Ryan, Environmental Specialist with the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California. Among the report's final recommendations are "an implementation plan...for a feasibility study to increase winter precipitation that would include both operational and evaluation components", and that "(Colorado River) Basin states enlist either (the Bureau of) Reclamation and/or NOAA as the lead federal agency in the development of a coordinated national research program and that this program should piggy-back research onto existing and proposed operational programs like Reclamation's WDMP."

A subcommittee of North American Interstate Weather Modification Council members were charged to review the NRC report "Critical Issues in Weather Modification Research" and write a short response from the NAIWMC point of view. That response was approved by vote of the NAIWMC at its meeting on April 28, 2004. Though the NAIWMC and NRC view some issues in the field of weather modification differently, both support a renewed effort in research and development.

The National Research Council, an arm of the National Academy of Science has released its report entitled "Critical Issues in Weather Modification Research". The report calls for a "coordinated national research program to answer fundamental questions about basic atmospheric processes and to address other issues that are impeding progress in weather modification". More information can be found on the National Academies' web site at www.nas.edu. The NAIWMC has been a leader in the support of weather modification research efforts and will work to implement the goals set by the NAS report.