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Weather Mod in a cloud of secrecy

Keli Anderson, Minot

Weather modification is a hot topic right now, because of the current ballot measure to decide its fate in Ward County. I am voting no because I have several issues with the project.

One is the secrecy around who decides when and where cloud seeding flights take place. The board chairman talks to two people from the community when planning flights. One is a Ward County commissioner and one is from the county at large. These names are kept secret!

Another problem is the excessive number of flights. I have seen real world (not studies or numbers based on hypotheticals) statistics showing there has been no significant increase in our rainfall in the last 50 years. Instead of just focusing on hail suppression which would mean flying only when there is a severe forecast with clouds likely to bring hail, every little cloud we see gets seeded.

That is when the project becomes excessive and out of control. That is when Weather Modification loses its purpose as something for good. The excessive nature of the project creates an atmosphere rife with overspending, questionable benefits, and cronyism.

There is too much going on that we can’t influence, and we have no voice. Let’s eliminate this one. Make your voice heard with a no vote on weather modification.

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