Alert: Protect Public Weather Data

The National Weather Service (NWS), a taxpayer-funded agency, monitors thousands of weather stations around America in order to predict hurricanes, sunshine, and every meteorological event in between. In addition to the raw data that it assembles, NWS has recently started offering more user-friendly info to the public via the Internet. So why has Senator Rick Santorum (R-PA) introduced a bill that would restrict the kind of information that NWS can freely share?

The National Weather Services Duties Act (S.786) would ban NWS from "competing" with private entities by making it unlawful for the agency to publish user-friendly weather data and barring NWS experts from speaking one-on-one to news agencies. Why? Because Senator Santorum believes that companies like AccuWeather would make more money if they didn't have to compete with "free." That's right - he believes you should pay twice for your weather information in order to line the pockets of the private weather industry, which *already* benefits from repackaging the data that tax-funded agencies like NWS give away. That's not only unfair, it's a bad precedent for our national information resources. Help stop S.786 by sending a letter to your Senators today!

More info:

• Text of National Weather Services Duties Act of 2005
• Cox News Service: "Feds' Weather Information Could Go Dark"

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• Your Senators

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Subject: Dear [Decision Maker], Please personalize your message I am writing to voice my opposition to the National Weather Service Duties Act of 2005 (S.786). This bill would ban the National Weather Service (NWS) from "competing" with private entities by restricting its ability to communicate with the public. S.786 would make it unlawful for the agency to publish user-friendly weather data on its website because it might draw people away from the offerings of companies like AccuWeather. S.786 would also bar NWS experts from granting one-on-one interviews with press organizations to offer analysis of weather data. I believe these policy changes are contrary to our national interest. A valuable public service should not be dismantled simply to ensure that companies like AccuWeather make more money repackaging and reselling weather data to taxpayers, especially when we are the ones who funded its creation. As a constituent, I hope you will join me in opposing the National Weather Service Duties Act of 2005. Thank you for your time. Sincerely, [Your Name] [Your Address] [City, State ZIP]