What specific reporting information must cloud seeding operators submit to NOAA under 15 CFR Part 908?
Executive summary
Cloud-seeding operators in the United States must file standardized reports with NOAA under 15 CFR Part 908 that describe the planned activity before it begins and summarize operations afterward, using NOAA’s Form 17-4 (initial) and Form 17-4A (interim/final) formats [1] [2] [3]. The rule specifies detailed operational, meteorological and measurement information—daily logs, equipment and agent descriptions, target/control areas, precipitation measurements and retention of records for inspection—plus a requirement to correct any material inaccuracies immediately [4] [1] [5].
1. What triggers the reporting obligation and timing requirements
Any activity intended to produce artificial changes in the atmosphere—including seeding clouds or fog, using fires or heat to affect circulation, or modifying solar radiation—falls under the reporting requirement and must be reported to NOAA at least 10 days prior to undertaking the activity, with follow-up reporting after completion [6] [7] [8] [3].
2. Core administrative and project-identifying information operators must provide
Initial reports must supply project identifiers and basic administrative details such as the NOAA file number if assigned, project name and purpose, start and ending dates of the project, the target and control areas, and the planned type of weather modification activity—information reflected on NOAA Form 17-4 and required by the regulation [1] [5] [9].
3. Technical descriptions of apparatus, agents and deployment units
Operators must describe the weather modification apparatus and seeding agents to be used and designate each operational unit of that apparatus; reporting must include the designation of each unit used in operations so that daily logs can link activities to specific equipment [1] [4].
4. Chronological operations log and unit-level entries
The regulation requires a chronological record of activities—preferably a daily log—that documents operations for each unit of weather modification apparatus, including the NOAA file number, unit designation and at least the items enumerated elsewhere in the rule [4] [1].
5. Meteorological observations and measurements to be reported
Reports must contain recorded descriptions of meteorological conditions in both target and control areas during operations—examples cited in the rule include percent cloud cover, temperature, humidity, presence of lightning, hail, funnel clouds, heavy rain or snow, and unusual radar patterns—alongside all measurements made of precipitation in the target and control areas [4].
6. Quantities, methods and results: material detail required
Operators are required to report details on what was dispersed, including the amounts and methods of seeding, and to provide measurements that quantify outcomes (for example, precipitation measurements in target and control areas), as reflected in the forms and the CFR text [4] [1] [5].
7. Recordkeeping, corrections and NOAA inspection authority
All records required by Part 908 must be retained and made available for inspection by the NOAA Administrator or designated representatives for three years after completion of the activity, and if any previously submitted report is found to contain material inaccuracies, a supplemental letter referring to the NOAA file number must be sent immediately [4].
8. How NOAA packages and uses the reports, and limits of NOAA authority
NOAA collects the initial, interim and final reports primarily for archive, scientific research, historical statistics and to meet legislative requirements; the agency explicitly does not regulate, fund, or otherwise oversee cloud-seeding operations beyond collection and archiving of reports under the Reporting Act [5] [8]. Critics such as Friends of the Earth contend enforcement and guidance are insufficient and that forms still assume traditional cloud-seeding approaches, a contention that highlights gaps between reporting design and broader geoengineering activity [10].