The U.S. Government Accountability Office is recommending ways the federal government can improve its recordkeeping for weather modification operations.
Firms carrying out cloud seeding or solar geoengineering operations are required to notify the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. And NOAA is required to maintain records and share them with the public.
But a GAO report says both operators and state and local officials may be unaware of the reporting process. “Improved instructions and outreach from NOAA could help ensure operators are reporting their activities and providing better-quality information to improve understanding of this emerging technology,” the report says.
GAO notes that NOAA doesn’t have written agency guidance for handling records of weather modification operations.
At the request of NOAA, GAO modified its draft report to reflect the agency "has oversight of weather modification reporting, not weather modification activities."
