[Federal Register Volume 63, Number 91 (Tuesday, May 12, 1998)]
[Notices]
[Pages 26156-26159]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 98-12605]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration


Final Certification for the Combined Consolidation and/or 
Automation and Closure of 80 Weather Service Offices (WSOs) and 
Consolidation of Two WSOs

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: On May 6, 1998 the Under Secretary for Oceans and Atmosphere 
approved and transmitted 14 office consolidation, 46 office automation, 
and 80 office closure certifications to Congress. Pub. L. 102-567 
requires that the final certifications be published in the Federal 
Register.

EFFECTIVE DATE: May 12, 1998.

ADDRESSES: Requests for copies of the final certification packages 
should be sent to Tom Beaver, Room 11426, 1325 East-West Highway, 
Silver Spring, MD 20910.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Tom Beaver at 301-713-0300 ext. 144.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The two consolidation certifications for 
Astoria and Wichita Falls were proposed in the December 27, 1996 
Federal Register and the 60-day public comment period closed on 
February 25, 1997. The remaining 80 certification packages were 
proposed in the January 7, 1997 Federal Register and the 60-day public 
comment period closed on March 10, 1997. Thirteen timely and three late 
public comments were received pertaining to WSO Astoria. Individual 
public comments were received pertaining to each of the following WSOs: 
Muskegon, Michigan; Rapid City, South Dakota; Harrisburg, Pennsylvania; 
Apalachicola, Florida; and Port Arthur, Texas. Two public comments were 
received pertaining to Athens, Georgia and one comment was received 
that pertained to Pennsylvania sites in general. These comments and 
responses are set forth here for reference.
    Comment: Thirteen timely and three late comments were received from 
individuals in the Astoria, Oregon area. Individuals providing comments 
included Congresswoman Elizabeth Furse, State Representative Jackie 
Taylor, Senator George H. Smith, Congressman Earl Blumenauer, State 
Representative Tim Josi, Sheriff and Director of Emergency Services 
John P. Raichl, Airport Manager and Director of Operations Port of 
Astoria Ron Larsen, and Captain and President Columbia River Bar Pilots 
George A. Waer. The main concern presented by all individuals was the 
loss of face to face interaction with National Weather Service (NWS) 
personnel and the perceived inability to forecast for the ``unique'' 
weather conditions at Astoria from Portland.
    Response: To ensure all concerns were addressed and understood, the 
March 1997 Modernization Transition Committee (MTC) meeting was held in 
Astoria. The community leaders and anyone else concerned with NWS 
Modernization actions had the opportunity to express their concerns to 
the Committee. The MTC and the public in attendance listened to both 
the NWS management from Portland and the public. The major topics 
discussed during the six-hour public comment period on the Astoria 
Consolidation Certification during the March 18, 1997 meeting are 
summarized below. A major concerns surrounding the Astoria 
Consolidation was the ability of the Portland NEXRAD Weather Service 
Forecast Office (NWSFO) to provide information on the Columbia River 
Bar and offshore marine environment. To address these concerns the NWS 
presented the following: (1) the Portland office has access to all data 
that the Astoria office did and access to data that the Astoria office 
never had; (2) the Astoria WSO never produced the marine forecasts, 
these products have always been issued from Seattle or Portland; (3) 
mariners can contact the forecasters in Portland directly by phone; and 
(4) an Internet home page maintained in Portland allows ready access to 
current weather forecasts and products for Oregon and the coastal 
waters.
    The ability of the Portland office to recognize rapid changes in 
the Atoria weather was questioned. However, the infrastructure 
affecting this ability has only improved since services were 
transferred to Portland. The more timely and robust data sets of the 
Modernization (i.e., Doppler radar, high resolution satellite imagery 
and continuous surface observations) provide a superior platform for 
Portland to monitor rapid weather changes than was previously present 
in the Astoria office. The severe weather spotter volunteers previously 
used by Astoria are still in place, except they now call Portland when 
severe weather threatens.

[[Page 26157]]

The Portland office also employs two staff from the Astoria WSO, so 
``local'' expertise is available.
    Since Portland is serving a larger metropolitan area, the ability 
of the office to give the Astoria community attention was challenged. 
However, most of the forecast services for Astoria have always come 
from Portland. A result of the Modernization in Oregon is that the 
Portland area of responsibility is decreasing substantially; thus more 
time is being spent on Astoria than before. A Warning Coordination 
Meteorologist and Weather Coordination Officer are assigned to the 
Portland office and coordinate with the Astoria office to ensure 
everyone receives adequate attention. Portland has made significant 
service adjustments in the NOAA Weather Radio (NWR) and marine reports 
program to meet the Astoria community needs, and will continue to take 
this approach in the future. After hearing both sides, the MTC members 
determined that there would not be a degradation of services associated 
with this proposed Consolidation certification. However, the MTC 
recognized potential future degradation of services associated with 
Automation and Closure certification and made the following 
recommendation:

    The Portland WFO will work with the Astoria WCO and the 
community to define the remaining concerns and develop and implement 
procedures to ensure degradation of service does not occur. The 
issues identified by the committee include, but are not limited to, 
the need to ensure the adequacy of ASOS augmentation, the 
availability of consultation concerning river bar forecasts, and the 
implementation of special procedures during extreme conditions. In 
addition, the Committee has determined that a data buoy in proximity 
to the bar is essential. However, the characteristics of Data Buoy 
46029 are not adequate to provide needed services.

    The Committee agreed to pay careful attention to future actions 
concerning the Astoria office and requested follow-up briefings from 
the NWS at future meetings. The MTC also encouraged the public to keep 
them advised through public comments. Both the public and the NWS 
management seemed satisfied with the MTC conclusion, and everyone 
gained a better understanding of the problems and required solutions. 
Comment: Mr. Roy Wheeler, Assistant Director of the Muskegon County 
Emergency Services, responded to the Federal Register Announcement 
concerning the Consolidation, Automation, and Closure Certifications 
for Muskegon, MI. He expressed concern that: (1) he is not being served 
as well with the Modernized technology and organizational structure as 
he was with the ``old system''; (2) during severe weather he does not 
receive ``adequate weather reports'' and he does not receive accurate 
information in support of major fires and chemical spills; (3) the 
Amateur Radio Community is installing automated weather observing 
equipment; (4) while the staff at NEXRAD Weather Service Office (NWSO) 
Grand Rapids has been cooperative, he has lost the personal contact 
that he received from the ``old system''; and (5) ``on more than one 
occasion this past season, we were not notified when severe weather was 
present''.
    Response: The staff at NWSO Grand Rapids have had numerous contacts 
with the Emergency Management Services of Muskegon County since 
becoming operational in August of 1995 (open houses, seminars, spotter 
training sessions for Muskegon County, etc.). Some of the contacts were 
for normal operational issues, while others were to explain modernized 
technology and the new organizational structure. Every Emergency 
Management organization in the NWSO Grand Rapids County Warning Area 
has access to the severe weather forecaster via toll-free 800 service. 
Severe weather watches and warnings are provided via NOAA Weather Wire 
Service (NWWS), NWR, Internet Web Page, Emergency Manager Weather 
Information Network (EMWIN), as well as the Law Enforcement Information 
Network (LEIN). During HAZMAT situations on October 16, 1996 and 
December 13, 1996, surface observation data (i.e. wind speed and 
direction, temperature/dewpoint, pressure, etc.) from the Automated 
Surface Observing System (ASOS) at the Muskegon Airport as well as 
forecasts for the local area were provided to Muskegon County Emergency 
Dispatch and 911 upon request. NWSO Grand Rapids and the Amateur Radio 
Community have entered into a cooperative arrangement to expand the use 
of automated surface observation equipment. In fact, the NWS has 
provided some funding in support of the demonstration project. The 
automated equipment has been purchased commercially and is similar to 
the automated observation equipment used by television stations, 
utility companies, road departments, etc. NWSO Grand Rapids has been 
responsible for issuing severe weather warnings for Muskegon County for 
only the 1996 severe weather season. During that season, 3 warnings 
were issued. Two of them verified with reports of large hail. The other 
warning had no severe weather reported. Lead times were 7 and 13 
minutes. When contacted in the Fall of 1996, in association with the 
Confirmation of Services for the NEXRAD Doppler radar at NWSO Grand 
Rapids, Mr. Wheeler responded ``Warnings are as good as before, but I 
still wish the radar had been located at Muskegon''. Mr. Wheeler has 
stated on previous occasions that his primary concerns are: (1) The 
lack of telephone contact initiated by the staff at NWSO Grand Rapids 
during times of severe weather; and (2) that he would have preferred 
the WSR-88D be located in Muskegon instead of Grand Rapids. Technology 
(NWR, EMWIN, Internet, NWWS, EAS, LEIN, etc.) allows severe weather 
warnings and statements to be transmitted quickly to all the Emergency 
Managers in the County Warning Area (CWA). The Muskegon County 
Emergency Management Services (EMS) has access to NWWS and to NWR as 
well as to the LEIN. Mr. Wheeler can contact the Grand Rapids staff via 
the 800 service anytime, but it is not possible for the staff at NWSO 
Grand Rapids to make calls to each of the Emergency Management 
Organizations in their 28 county warning area during severe weather 
events. The WSR-88D at Grand Rapids is of optimum range (20-50 miles) 
from Muskegon County for severe weather detection. Leo Grenier, the 
Warning Coordination Officer (WCO) at Muskegon, has made several 
contacts with the Muskegon County EMS and the 911 Service, discussed 
their concerns, and explained the most efficient means for them to 
receive severe weather watches, warnings, and statements, Dan Houser, 
Meteorologist in Charge, and Mike Heathfield, Warning Coordination 
Meteorologist from Grand Rapids have also had similar conversations. 
Mr. Houser is organizing a follow-up meeting with the Muskegon County 
EMS, Muskegon County 911, and the Director of the local amateur radio 
club. Mr. Houser will make every attempt to satisfy the concerns of the 
participants. [On April 30, 1998 in a conversation between Mr. Wheeler 
and NWSO Grand Rapids staff, Mr. Wheeler said he was satisfied with the 
current services provided by NWSO Grand Rapids.]
    Comment: Mr. Norman Pudwill, Director of the Fall River County 
Emergency Management Organization, responded to the Federal Register 
Announcement concerning the Consolidation, Automation, and Closure 
Certification for Rapid City. While he is ``very happy'' with the 
products and services provided by the new NWS

[[Page 26158]]

office in Rapid City, he is concerned by the lack of high quality NWR 
coverage in Fall River County.
    Response: In a reply letter from the Central Regional Director, two 
alternatives requiring private/public partnerships were described for 
Mr. Pudwill. The NWS is not funded for NWR expansion, so it is 
incumbent on Mr. Pudwill to work with private groups or local 
government entities to acquire a transmitter/antenna system that is 
compatible with NWS programming consoles. Central Region Headquarters 
will continue to work with Mr. Pudwill in his effort to improve NWS 
coverage in southwest South Dakota. [Central Region Headquarters has 
advised Mr. Pudwill of the requirements for an additional transmitter. 
As of April 30, 1998, Mr. Pudwill has been unable to obtain a local 
funding source for the additional equipment.]
    Comment: A public comment from Representative George W. Gekas 
raised an issue regarding deficiencies in NEXRAD coverage for the 
Harrisburg metropolitan region. The comment cited several documented 
cases of severe weather conditions which went undetected by the NEXRAD 
system, the most recent being in May 1996.
    Response: Both the June 1995 National Research Council study, 
``Toward a New National Weather Service--Assessment of NEXRAD Coverage 
and Associated Weather Services'' and the follow-on October 1995 
``Secretary's Report to Congress on Adequacy of NEXRAD Coverage and 
Degradation of Weather Services under National Weather Service 
Modernization for 32 Areas of Concern'' concluded that NEXRAD coverage 
for the Harrisburg area and associated weather services would not be 
degraded. Harrisburg, PA was one of 32 areas of concern established by 
public comments solicited by the Secretary of Commerce between November 
1994 and January 1995. This information as well as the detailed 
findings in the Secretary's Report was conveyed to Representative Gekas 
in an August 26, 1996 letter from Mr. Louis J. Boezi, Deputy Assistant 
Administrator for Modernization of the NWS. The August 26 letter also 
responded with the particulars on the May 1996 severe weather event and 
referenced previous replies from the NWS on the earlier weather events 
cited by Representative Gekas.
    Comment: A public comment from Larry Wells, Gulf County Emergency 
Management, raised the issues that the WSR-88D covering Gulf County is 
60 miles away from Apalachicola and that NWSO Tallahassee (the office 
which is responsible for Gulf County) has almost 50 counties under its 
responsibility versus the two counties for which WSO Apalachicola was 
responsible. The comment also mentioned a severe thunderstorm warning 
for Gulf County on February 14, 1997 which Mr. Wells thought was issued 
after a storm had already passed through Gulf County.
    Response: Gulf County is within overlapping coverage of both the 
Tallahassee and Eglin Air Force Base WSR-88Ds. Almost all of Gulf 
County is within 60 nm of both WSR-88Ds. Even though NWSO Tallahassee 
is responsible for more counties than was WSO Apalachicola, NWSO 
Tallahassee had a much larger staff than did WSO Apalachicola. Archived 
data from the Tallahassee WSR-88D indicated that the February 14, 1997 
severe thunderstorm warning for Gulf County was timely.
    Comment: A public comment from W.M. Timmerman, Jr. mentioned 
inaccurate weather information broadcast by The Weather Channel and a 
local TV weather reporter. Mr. Timmerman also mentioned two other 
instances of inaccurate weather information.
    Response: The NWS is not responsible for weather information 
presented by The Weather Channel or local TV weather reporters. Not 
enough information was presented about the latter two instances in the 
letter to determine if the weather information was from the NWS or from 
local TV stations. Mr. Timmerman was contacted by NWSO Lake Charles 
with an invitation to visit the NWSO and become a local storm spotter/
rainfall observer for the Port Arthur area.
    Comment: A public comment from Barry Church, Habersham County 
Emergency Management, (Athens, Georgia) stated his concern over the 
lack of attention given by NWSO Greenville/Spartanburg to spotter 
reports during a February 21, 1997 tornado event in Habersham County. 
Mr. Church also mentioned poor NWR reception in Habersham County and 
his perceived lack of attention given to the six northeast Georgia 
counties during a statewide tornado drill on February 26, 1997.
    Response: NWSO Greenville/Spartanburg's log for February 21, 1997 
indicated that a tornado watch which included Habersham County was 
issued at 2:28 PM EST. NWSO Greenville/Spartanburg issued a Severe 
Thunderstorm Warning for Habersham County at 2:51 PM EST which was 
valid until 3:30 PM EST. Habersham County was advised by telephone of 
the warning at 2:53 PM. Habersham County called NWSO Greenville/
Spartanburg at 3:09 PM EST with a report of damaging winds county-wide 
with the first damage having occurred at about 3:00 PM (some of the 
damage was later identified as F-1 tornado damage). At 3:28 PM EST NWSO 
Greenville/Spartanburg received a call from Habersham County with three 
reports of funnel clouds just north of Cornelia. However, by this time 
the line of storms had already passed through Habersham County. Poor 
NWR reception in Habersham County has been an ongoing problem. NWSO 
Greenville/Spartanburg has had recent discussions with officials in 
Graham County, North Carolina concerning a possible new NWR transmitter 
in that county financed by Natahala Power Company. The NWR signal from 
such a transmitter should reach into Habersham County. If a repeater is 
necessary for reception in Habersham County, Mr. Church has offered to 
donate a tower site. Habersham County was included in the Georgia 
statewide tornado drill held on February 26, 1997. NWSO Greenville/
Spartanburg issued a practice warning during the drill which included 
Habersham County. NWSO Greenville/Spartanburg verified through a 
telephone call that Habersham County received the practice warning.
    Comment: A public comment from Peggy Hewatt, Barrow County 
Emergency Management, questioned whether NWSFO Atlanta could 
communicate with her office as well as WSO Athens had in the past.
    Response: Ms. Hewatt gave no specific instance where NWSFO Atlanta 
had failed to communicate weather information to Barrow County and even 
stated that her comment ``does not mean that Peachtree City is not 
doing a fine job * * *'' NWSFO Atlanta's area of responsibility is 
larger than that which WSO Athens had and it may be that NWSFO Atlanta 
may not be able to use the telephone to communicate with each 
individual county as often as WSO Athens did in the past. However, 
communication methods such as NWR, NWWS, and EMWIN are available for 
the receipt of weather information.
    Comment: A public comment from Senator Arlen Specter raised an 
issue regarding the reliance on stand-alone ASOSs at Lehigh Valley 
Airport (Allentown, PA) specifically and throughout Pennsylvania 
generally. The comment stated ``since the start of ASOS operations on 
November 12, 1996, Lehigh Valley International Airport has been forced 
to deal with numerous discrepancies in determining visibility and types 
of precipitation at the airport.'' The comment also stated

[[Page 26159]]

that Bradford Regional Airport had experienced several ASOS power 
losses.
    Response: None of the NWS-sponsored ASOSs located at WSOs in 
Pennsylvania are stand-alone systems. All of these are classified as 
Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) service level C or higher which 
means that humans will be present to provide augmentation and back-up 
for the ASOSs. Augmentation means adding parameters that ASOS does not 
measure. Back-up means measuring parameters in the event of an ASOS 
failure or if the ASOS measurement is not representative of the 
meteorological conditions. Augmentation and back-up is done either by 
FAA controllers or a contractor. ASOS operations at Lehigh Valley 
International Airport did not start on November 12, 1996. This ASOS was 
commissioned on November 1, 1995 after a pre-commissioning checkout 
period to determine that the system was performing reliably and 
correctly. Upon commissioning, NWS employees at WSO Allentown performed 
required augmentation and back-up of the ASOS until November 12, 1996 
when responsibility for this was transferred to the FAA. FAA was 
planning to provide the augmentation and backup at service level C by 
air traffic controllers at the airport, however, the Lehigh Valley 
International Airport Authority sponsored a contract to provide level B 
service. The Bradford Regional Airport is an FAA-sponsored expansion 
site. This means that prior to the ASOS being commissioned there on 
December 2, 1996, this airport had no round-the-clock surface 
observation.
    The MTC considered and endorsed these certifications at its March 
18, 1997 meeting, concluding that these certifications would not result 
in any degradation of service.

(1) Astoria, OR--Consolidation
(2) Wichita Falls, TX--Consolidation
(3) Omaha, NE--Consolidation/Closure
(4) Sacramento, CA--Consolidation/Closure
(5) Akron, OH--Automation/Closure
(6) Allentown, PA--Automation/Closure
(7) Atlanta, GA--Automation/Closure
(8) Atlantic City, NJ--Automation/Closure
(9) Baltimore, MD--Automation/Closure
(10) Baton Rouge, LA--Automation/Closure
(11) Chicago, IL--Automation/Closure
(12) Columbia, MO--Automation/Closure
(13) Columbus, OH--Automation/Closure
(14) Dayton, OH--Automation/Closure
(15) Daytona Beach, FL--Automation/Closure
(16) Detroit, MI--Automation/Closure
(17) El Paso, TX--Automation/Closure
(18) Flint, MI--Automation/Closure
(19) Knoxville, TN--Automation/Closure
(20) Lubbock, TX--Automation/Closure
(21) Lynchburg, VA--Automation/Closure
(22) Mansfield, OH--Automation/Closure
(23) Moline, IL--Automation/Closure
(24) Montgomery, AL--Automation/Closure
(25) Norfolk, VA--Automation/Closure
(26) Oklahoma City, OK--Automation/Closure
(27) Raleigh, NC--Automation/Closure
(28) Richmond, VA--Automation/Closure
(29) Roanoke, VA--Automation/Closure
(30) San Antonio, TX--Automation/Closure
(31) San Diego, CA--Automation/Closure
(32) Sioux City, IA--Automation/Closure
(33) Stockton, CA--Automation/Closure
(34) Toledo, OH--Automation/Closure
(35) Tulsa, OK--Automation/Closure
(36)West Palm Beach, FL--Automation/Closure
(37) Wilke-Barre, PA--Automation/Closure
(38) Williamsport, PA--Automation/Closure
(39) Wilmington, DE--Automation/Closure
(40) Youngstown, OH--Automation/Closure
(41) Asheville, NC--Consolidation/Automation/Closure
(42) Augusta, GA--Consolidation/Automation/Closure
(43) Cincinnati, OH--Consolidation/Automation/Closure
(44) Fargo, ND--Consolidation/Automation/Closure
(45) Greensboro, NC--Consolidation/Automation/Closure
(46) Lewiston, ID--Consolidation/Automation/Closure
(47) Muskegon, MI--Consolidation/Automation/Closure
(48) Rapid City, SD--Consolidation/Automation/Closure
(49) Savannah, GA--Consolidation/Automation/Closure
(50) Springfield, IL--Consolidation/Automation/Closure
(51) Apalachicola, FL--Closure
(52) Athens, GA--Closure
(53) Austin, TX--Closure
(54) Bakersfield, CA--Closure
(55) Billings, MT--Closure
(56) Bristol, TN--Closure
(57) Cape Hatteras, NC--Closure
(58) Columbus, GA--Closure
(59) Del Rio, TX--Closure
(60) Eugene, OR--Closure
(61) Fort Myers, FL--Closure
(62) Galveston, TX--Closure
(63) Grand Island, NE--Closure
(64) Harrisburg, PA--Closure
(65) Helena, MT--Closure
(66) Klamath Falls, OR--Closure
(67) Los Angeles, CA--Closure
(68) Macon, GA--Closure
(69) New Orleans, LA--Closure
(70) New York City, NY--Closure
(71) Olympia, WA--Closure
(72) Orlando, FL--Closure
(73) Pensacola, FL--Closure
(74) Phoenix, AZ--Closure
(75) Port Arthur, TX--Closure
(76) Reading, PA--Closure
(77) Reno, NV--Closure
(78) Rosewell, NM--Closure
(79) Salem, OR--Closure
(80) St. Louis, MO--Closure
(81) Waco, TX--Closure
(82) Winslow, AZ--Closure

    After consideration of the public comments received and the MTC 
endorsements, the Under Secretary for Oceans and Atmosphere approved 
these 82 combined consolidation and/or automation and closure 
certifications and transmitted them to Congress on May 6, 1998. 
Certification approval authority was delegated from the Secretary to 
the Under Secretary in June 1996. The NWS is now completing the 
certification requirements of Pub. L. 102-567 by publishing the final 
consolidation and/or automation and closure certifications in the 
Federal Register.

    Dated: May 7, 1998.
John J. Kelly, Jr.,
Assistant Administrator for Weather Services.
[FR Doc. 98-12605 Filed 5-11-98; 8:45 am]
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