Buying Weather Data Twice Sen. Santorum puts a price on weather information

TheDay.com, New London, CT:

Published on 9/6/2005

Sen. Rick Santorum, the third-highest- ranking Republican in the Senate, wants taxpayers to get weather information only if they pay for it twice. He's filed a bill that would make the National Weather Service and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration — NOAA — give out routine weather bulletins only if private companies do not provide the same information.

In other words, the agencies can gather data all they want. But the bill would forbid them from giving away critical information to taxpayers unless a private company doesn't sell the same set of facts. The bill also forces the federal government to give the information to these private companies, such as AccuWeather and the 14 other weather forecasting companies, all of which are located in Pennsylvania.

Such a coincidence.

For proof of the bill's intent, critics point to a sentence in the proposal that states, “The Secretary of Commerce shall not provide, or assist other entities in providing, a product or service that is or could beprovided by the public sector.” (italics ours). How's that for writing a blank check on behalf of parochial interests?

In another amazing coincidence, Joel Meyers, the CEO of AccuWeather, and his brother, Barry Meyers, AccuWeather's executive vice president, have donated more than $11,000 to Mr. Santorum and the Republican Party since 2003.

Sen. Santorum defends this bill as making government agencies focus more on disseminating information on hazardous weather instead of the routine. And he is correct that there used to be a government policy that was similar to his bill. But happily, that policy changed last year. NOAA rewrote its regulations so it could take advantage of graphics and computer capabilities that can better impart information to ordinary citizens. Under the new policy, the agency is obliged to give “due consideration” to the services of private companies before it distributes material. Under the new guidelines those same private companies have squawked that the feds are engaging in unfair competition.

But in fact, taxpayers benefit directly — as they should — from information we have already paid the government to gather. The information is important for areas such as southeastern Connecticut, subject to the whims of marine weather. Agencies such as NOAA are doing an excellent job taking advantage of up-to-date computer graphics. Everything on its Web page — even those parts that are marked “experimental” — has utilized new technology to let anyone with a computer get hour-by-hour, extremely detailed aviation, marine or land forecasts days in advance. It's a service taxpayers shouldn't have to give up to satisfy the well-connected. Sen. Santorum should be embarrassed.