[Sigifp-l] FW: This news story was sent to you by request

[Richard Hill]

A link to this story was sent to me and I thought this list would be
interested.  Dick Hill
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Storm over weather service initiatives
Santorum bill would protect private forecast firms

Tuesday, April 26, 2005
By Maeve Reston, Post-Gazette National Bureau

WASHINGTON -- Sen. Rick Santorum has introduced legislation that would limit
the information that the National Weather Service can provide to the public,
in what the Pennsylvania Republican's aides describe as an effort to make
sure that private weather companies -- particularly those in his home state
-- can compete in the marketplace and retain jobs.

Santorum's legislation directs the U.S. secretary of commerce to limit the
National Weather Service's offerings to just those services that
private-sector weather companies cannot or are unwilling to offer -- unless
the information is related to "severe weather forecasts and warnings
designed for the protection of life and property" or information that the
government must provide under international aviation accords."

Click here to access the story:
http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/05116/494329.stm

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http://www.post-gazette.com

_____
Richard B. Hill
Executive Director
American Society for Information Science and Technology
1320 Fenwick Lane, Suite 510
Silver Spring, MD  20910
Fax: (301) 495-0810
Voice: (301) 495-0900