CHAPTER 9 - NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE
Title 15 > CHAPTER 9
Sections (35)
§ 311 Omitted
§ 312 Employees
The National Weather Service shall consist of such civilian employees as Congress may annually provide for and as may be necessary to properly perform the duties devolving on said Service by law. ( Oct. 1, 1890, ch. 1266, § 4 , 26 Stat. 653 ; July 8, 1898 , No. 57, 30 Stat. 752 ; 1965 Reorg. Plan No. 2, eff. July 13, 1965 , 30 F.R. 8819, 79 Stat. 1318 ; 1970 Reorg. Plan No. 4, eff. Oct. 3, 1970 , 35 F.R. 15627, 84 Stat. 2090 .)
§ 313 Duties of Secretary of Commerce
The Secretary of Commerce shall have charge of the forecasting of weather, the issue of storm warnings, the display of weather and flood signals for the benefit of agriculture, commerce, and navigation, the gauging and reporting of rivers, the maintenance and operation of seacoast telegraph lines and the collection and transmission of marine intelligence for the benefit of commerce and navigation, the reporting of temperature and rain-fall conditions for the cotton interests, the display of frost and cold-wave signals, the distribution of meteorological information in the interests of agriculture and commerce, and the taking of such meteorological observations as may be necessary to establish and record the climatic conditions of the United States, or as are essential for the proper execution of the foregoing duties. ( Oct. 1, 1890, ch. 1266, § 3 , 26 Stat. 653 ; May 20, 1926, ch. 344, § 5 (e), 44 Stat. 571 ; June 23, 1938, ch. 601 , title XI, § 1107(k), 52 Stat. 1029 ; 1940 Reorg. Plan No. IV, § 8, eff. June 30, 1940 , 5 F.R. 2421, 54 Stat. 1236 ; 1965 Reorg. Plan No. 2, §§ 1, 2, eff. July 13, 1965 , 30 F.R. 8819, 79 Stat. 1318 .)
“SEC. 701 SHORT TITLE.
“This title may be cited as the ‘Weather Service Modernization Act’.
“SEC. 702 DEFINITIONS.
“For the purposes of this title, the term— ‘automate’ means to replace employees with automated weather service equipment; ‘change operations at a field office’ means transfer service responsibility, commission weather observation systems, decommission a National Weather Service radar, change staffing levels significantly, or move a field office to a new location inside the local commuting and service area; ‘Committee’ means the Modernization Transition Committee established by section 707; ‘degradation of service’ means any decrease in or failure to maintain the quality and type of weather services provided by the National Weather Service to the public in a service area, including but not limited to a reduction in existing weather radar coverage at an elevation of 10,000 feet; ‘field office’ means any National Weather Service Office or National Weather Service Forecast Office; ‘Plan’ means the National Implementation Plan required under section 703; ‘relocate’ means to transfer from one location to another location that is outside the local commuting or service area; ‘Secretary’ means the Secretary of Commerce; ‘service area’ means the geographical area for which a field office provides services or conducts observations, including but not limited to local forecasts, severe weather warnings, aviation support, radar coverage, and ground weather observations; and ‘Strategic Plan’ means the 10-year strategic plan for the comprehensive modernization of the National Weather Service, required under section 407 of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration Authorization Act, Fiscal Year 1989 ( 15 U.S.C. 313 note).
“SEC. 703 NATIONAL IMPLEMENTATION PLAN.
(“(a) National Implementation Plan.— As part of the budget justification documents submitted to Congress in support of the annual budget request for the Department of Commerce, the Secretary shall include a National Implementation Plan for modernization of the National Weather Service for each fiscal year following fiscal year 1993 until such modernization is complete. The Plan shall set forth the actions, during the 2-year period beginning with the fiscal year for which the budget request is made, that will be necessary to accomplish the objectives described in the Strategic Plan, and shall include— detailed requirements for new technologies, facilities, staffing levels and positions, and funding, in accordance with the overall schedule for modernization; notification of any proposed action to change operations at a field office and the intended date of such operational change; identification of any field office that the Secretary intends to certify under section 706, including the intended date of such certification; special measures to test, evaluate, and demonstrate key elements of the modernized National Weather Service operations prior to national implementation, including a multistation operational demonstration which tests the performance of the modernization in an integrated manner for a sustained period; detailed plans and funding requirements for meteorological research to be accomplishment [sic] under this title to assure that new techniques in forecasting will be developed to utilize the new technologies being implemented in the modernization; and training and education programs to ensure that employees gain the necessary expertise to utilize the new technologies and to minimize employee displacement as a consequence of modernization.
(“(b) Transmittal to Committee.— The Secretary shall transmit a copy of each annual Plan to the Committee.
(“(c) Consultation.— In developing the Plan, the Secretary shall consult, as appropriate, with the Committee and public entities responsible for providing or utilizing weather services.
“SEC. 704 MODERNIZATION CRITERIA.
(“(a) National Research Council Review.— The Secretary shall contract with the National Research Council for a review of the scientific and technical modernization criteria by which the Secretary proposes to certify action to close, consolidate, automate, or relocate a field office under section 706. In conducting such review, the National Research Council shall prepare and submit to the Secretary, no later than 9 months after the date of enactment of this Act [ Oct. 29, 1992 ], a report which— assesses requirements and procedures for commissioning new weather observation systems, decommissioning an outdated National Weather Service radar, and evaluating staffing needs for field offices in an affected service area; assesses the statistical and analytical measures that should be made for a service area to form an adequate basis for determining that there will be no degradation of service; and includes such other recommendations as the National Research Council determines are appropriate to ensure public safety.
(“(b) Criteria.— No later than 12 months after the date of enactment of this Act [ Oct. 29, 1992 ], the Secretary, in consultation with the National Research Council and the Committee and after notice and opportunity for public comment, shall publish in the Federal Register modernization criteria (including all requirements and procedures), based on the report required under this section, for— commissioning new weather observation systems, decommissioning an outdated National Weather Service radar, and evaluating staffing needs for field offices in an affected service area; and certifying action to close, consolidate, automate, or relocate a field office under section 706.
“SEC. 705 CHANGES IN FIELD OFFICE OPERATIONS.
(“(a) Notification.— The Secretary shall not change operations at a field office pursuant to implementation of the Strategic Plan unless the Secretary has provided the notification required by section 703.
(“(b) Weather Radar Decommissioning.— The Secretary shall not remove or permanently decommission any National Weather Service radar until the Secretary has prepared radar commissioning and decommissioning reports documenting that such action would be consistent with the modernization criteria established under section 704(b)(1). The commissioning report shall document that the radar system performs reliably, satisfactory maintenance support is in place, sufficient staff with adequate training are present to operate the system, technical coordination with weather service users has been completed, and the radar being commissioned satisfactorily supports field office operations. The decommissioning report shall document that the replacement radar has been commissioned, technical coordination with service users has been completed, and the radar being decommissioned is no longer needed to support field office operations.
(“(c) Surface Observing System Commissioning.— The Secretary may not commission an automated surface observing system located at an airport unless it is determined, in consultation with the Secretary of Transportation, that the weather services provided after commissioning will continue to be in full compliance with applicable flight aviation rules promulgated by the Federal Aviation Administration.
“SEC. 706 RESTRUCTURING FIELD OFFICES.
“Sec. 706
(a) Prohibition.— The Secretary shall not close, before January 1, 1996 , any field office pursuant to implementation of the Strategic Plan.
(“(b) Certification.— The Secretary shall not close, consolidate, automate, or relocate any field office, unless the Secretary has certified that such action will not result in any degradation of service. Such certification shall include— a description of local weather characteristics and weather-related concerns which affect the weather services provided within the service area; a detailed comparison of the services provided within the service area and the services to be provided after such action; a description of any recent or expected modernization of National Weather Service operations which will enhance services in the service area; an identification of any area within any State which would not receive coverage (at an elevation of 10,000 feet) by the next generation weather radar network; evidence, based upon operational demonstration of modernized National Weather Service operations, which was considered in reaching the conclusion that no degradation in service will result from such action; and any report of the Committee submitted under section 707(c) that evaluates the proposed certification.
(“(c) Public Review.— Each certification decision shall be preceded by— publication in the Federal Register of a proposed certification; and a 60-day period after such publication during which the public may provide comments to the Secretary on the proposed certification.
(“(d) Final Decision.— If after consideration of the public comment received under subsection (c) the Secretary, in consultation with the Committee, decides to close, consolidate, automate, or relocate any such field office, the Secretary shall publish a final certification in the Federal Register and submit the certification to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation of the Senate and the Committee on Science, Space, and Technology of the House of Representatives.
(“(e) Special Circumstances.— The Secretary may not close or relocate any field office— which is located at an airport, unless the Secretary, in consultation with the Secretary of Transportation and the Committee, first conducts an air safety appraisal, determines that such action will not result in degradation of service that affects aircraft safety, and includes such determination in the certification required under subsection (b); or which is the only office in a State, unless the Secretary first evaluates the effect on weather services provided to in-State users, such as State agencies, civil defense officials, and local public safety offices, and includes in the certification required under subsection (b) the Secretary’s determination that a comparable level of weather services provided to such in-State users will remain.
(“(f) Liaison Officer.— The Secretary may not close, consolidate, automate, or relocate a field office until arrangements have been made to maintain for a period of at least 2 years at least one person in the service area to act as a liaison officer who— provides timely information regarding the activities of the National Weather Service which may affect service to the community, including modernization and restructuring; and works with area weather service users, including persons associated with general aviation, civil defense, emergency preparedness, and the news media, with respect to the provision of timely weather warnings and forecasts.
“SEC. 707 MODERNIZATION TRANSITION COMMITTEE.
(“(a) Establishment.— There is established a committee of 12 members to be known as the Modernization Transition Committee.
(“(b) Membership and Terms.— The Committee shall consist of— five members representing agencies and departments of the United States which are responsible for providing or using weather services, including but not limited to the National Weather Service, the Department of Defense, the Federal Aviation Administration, and the Federal Emergency Management Agency; and seven members to be appointed by the Secretary from civil defense and public safety organizations, news media, any labor organization certified by the Federal Labor Relations Authority as an exclusive representative of weather service employees, meteorological experts, and private sector users of weather information such as pilots and farmers. The terms of office of a member of the Committee shall be 3 years; except that, of the original membership, four shall serve a 5-year term, four shall serve a 4-year term, and four shall serve a 3-year term. No individual may serve for more than one additional 3-year term. The Secretary shall designate a chairman of the Committee from among its members.
(“(c) Duties.— The Committee may review any proposed certification under section 706 for which the Secretary has provided a notice of intent to certify in the Plan, and should review such a proposed certification if there is a significant possibility of degradation of service within the affected service area. Upon the request of the Committee, the Secretary shall make available to the Committee the supporting documents developed by the Secretary in connection with the proposed certification. The Committee may prepare and submit to the Secretary, prior to publication of the proposed certification, a report which evaluates the proposed certification on the basis of the modernization criteria and with respect to the requirement that there be no degradation of service. The Committee shall advise the Congress and the Secretary on— the implementation of the Strategic Plan, annual development of the Plan, and establishment and implementation of modernization criteria; and matters of public safety and the provision of weather services which relate to the comprehensive modernization of the National Weather Service.
(“(d) Pay and Travel Expenses.— Members of the Committee who are not employees of the United States shall each be paid at a rate equal to the daily equivalent of the rate for GS–18 of the General Schedule under section 5332 of title 5 , United States Code, for each day (including travel time) during which the member is engaged in the actual performance of duties vested in the Committee. Members shall receive travel expenses, including per diem in lieu of subsistence, as authorized by section 5703 of title 5 , United States Code.
(“(e) Staff.— The Secretary shall make available to the Committee such staff, information, and assistance as it may reasonably require to carry out its activities.
(“(f) Termination.— The Committee shall terminate on December 31, 1999 .
“SEC. 708 WEATHER SERVICE REPORT.
(“(a) Report.— The Secretary shall prepare a report on the proposed modernization of the National Weather Service and transmit the report, not later than 6 months after the date of enactment of this Act [ Oct. 29, 1992 ], to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation of the Senate and the Committee on Science, Space, and Technology of the House of Representatives.
(“(b) Contents.— The report required by subsection (a) shall identify the size of the geographic area of responsibility of each proposed Weather Forecast Office and shall include an explanation of the number and type of personnel required at each Weather Forecast Office. For each proposed Weather Forecast Office covering a geographic area greater than two times the average geographic area of responsibility of Weather Forecast Offices nationwide, the report shall detail the reasons for assigning those Weather Forecast Offices a geographic area which differs significantly from the national average. The report shall list the number of next generation weather radars that will be associated with each Weather Forecast Office nationwide under the proposed modernization plan. If some Weather Forecast Offices will be associated with more than one such radar, the report shall explain the deviation from the National Weather Service’s stated policy of associating one such radar with one Weather Forecast Office, and shall analyze and compare any differences in the expected efficiency of those Weather Forecast Offices with Weather Forecast Offices that will be associated with only one such radar.
(“(c) Consultation.— In preparing portions of the report that address Weather Forecast Offices located in areas of the Nation that are uniquely dependent on general aviation as a means of transportation, the Secretary shall consult with local aviation groups. In the case of Alaska, such local groups shall include the Alaska Aviation Safety Foundation, the Alaska Airmen’s Association, and the regional representatives of the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association.
“SEC. 709 REPEALS.
“Sec. 2
The Chief of the Weather Bureau is empowered to make such expenditures at the seat of government and elsewhere as may be necessary to carry out the purposes of this Act and as from time to time may be appropriated for by Congress, including expenditures for the development and purchase of special meteorological instruments and other equipment (including motor vehicles and aircraft), without regard to the provisions of section 3709 of the Revised Statutes [now 41 U.S.C. 6101 ]. There is hereby authorized to be appropriated such sums as are necessary for the purpose of carrying out the provisions of this Act.
“Sec. 3
Any executive department or independent establishment is hereby authorized to cooperate with the Chief of the Weather Bureau in carrying out the purposes of this Act, and for such purposes may lend or transfer to the Chief of the Weather Bureau any officer or employee of such department or establishment and any property, equipment, lands, or buildings under its control.”
§ 313a Establishment of meteorological observation stations in the Arctic region
In order to improve the weather forecasting service of the United States and to promote safety and efficiency in civil air navigation to the highest possible degree, the Secretary of Commerce shall, in addition to his other functions and duties, take such action as may be necessary in the development of an international basic meteorological reporting network in the Arctic region of the Western Hemisphere, including the establishment, operation, and maintenance of such reporting stations in cooperation with the State Department and other United States governmental departments and agencies, with the meteorological services of foreign countries and with persons engaged in air commerce. ( Feb. 12, 1946, ch. 4, § 1 , 60 Stat. 4 ; 1965 Reorg. Plan No. 2, §§ 1, 2, eff. July 13, 1965 , 30 F.R. 8819, 79 Stat. 1318 .)
§ 313b Institute for Aviation Weather Prediction
The Administrator of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration shall establish an Institute for Aviation Weather Prediction. The Institute shall provide forecasts, weather warnings, and other weather services to the United States aviation community. The Institute shall expand upon the activities of the aviation unit currently at the National Severe Storms Forecast Center in Kansas City, Missouri, and shall be established in the Kansas City 1 Missouri 1 area. The Administrator of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration shall provide a full and fair opportunity for employees at the National Severe Storms Center to assume comparable duties and responsibilities within the Institute. ( Pub. L. 102–588, title II, § 222 , Nov. 4, 1992 , 106 Stat. 5119 .)
§ 313c Authorized activities of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, through the United States Weather Research Program, shall— improve the capability to accurately forecast inland flooding (including inland flooding influenced by coastal and ocean storms) through research and modeling; develop, test, and deploy a new flood warning index that will give the public and emergency management officials fuller, clearer, and more accurate information about the risks and dangers posed by expected floods; train emergency management officials, National Weather Service personnel, meteorologists, and others as appropriate regarding improved forecasting techniques for inland flooding, risk management techniques, and use of the inland flood warning index developed under paragraph (2); conduct outreach and education activities for local meteorologists and the public regarding the dangers and risks associated with inland flooding and the use and understanding of the inland flood warning index developed under paragraph (2); and assess, through research and analysis of previous trends, among other activities— the long-term trends in frequency and severity of inland flooding; and how shifts in climate, development, and erosion patterns might make certain regions vulnerable to more continual or escalating flood damage in the future. ( Pub. L. 107–253, § 2 , Oct. 29, 2002 , 116 Stat. 1731 .)
§ 313d NIDIS program
(a) In general The Under Secretary, through the National Weather Service and other appropriate weather and climate programs in the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, shall establish a National Integrated Drought Information System to better inform and provide for more timely decisionmaking to reduce drought related impacts and costs.
(b) System functions The National Integrated Drought Information System shall— provide an effective drought early warning system that— collects and integrates information on the key indicators of drought and drought impacts, including precipitation, soil moisture, and evaporative demand, in order to make usable, reliable, and timely forecasts of drought and assessments of the severity of drought conditions and impacts; and provides such information, forecasts, and assessments on both national and regional levels; communicate drought forecasts, drought conditions, and drought impacts on an ongoing basis to public and private entities engaged in drought planning and preparedness, including— decisionmakers at the Federal, regional, State, tribal, and local levels of government; the private sector; and the public; provide timely data, information, and products that reflect local, regional, watershed, and State differences in drought conditions; coordinate, and integrate, through interagency agreements as practicable, Federal research and monitoring in support of a drought early warning information system; utilize existing forecasting and assessment programs and partnerships, including forecast communication coordinators and cooperative institutes, and improvements in seasonal precipitation and temperature, subseasonal precipitation and temperature, and low flow water prediction; and continue ongoing research and monitoring activities related to drought, including research activities relating to the prediction, length, severity, and impacts of drought and the role of extreme weather events and climate variability in drought.
(c) Partnerships The National Integrated Drought Information System may— engage with the private sector to improve drought monitoring, forecast, and communication if the Under Secretary determines the partnership is appropriate, cost-effective, and beneficial to the public and decisionmakers described in subsection (b)(2)(A); facilitate the development of 1 or more academic cooperative partnerships to assist with National Integrated Drought Information System functions; and utilize and support, as appropriate, monitoring by citizen scientists, including by developing best practices to facilitate maximum data integration.
(d) Consultation The Under Secretary shall consult with relevant Federal, regional, State, tribal, and local government agencies, research institutions, and the private sector in the development and sustainment of the National Integrated Drought Information System.
(e) Cooperation from other Federal agencies Each Federal agency shall cooperate as appropriate with the Under Secretary in carrying out this section.
(f) Soil moisture Not later than 1 year after January 7, 2019 , the Under Secretary, acting through the National Integrated Drought Information System, shall develop a strategy for a national coordinated soil moisture monitoring network.
§ 314 Omitted
§ 315 Changes or assignment to duty
The Secretary of Commerce is authorized to make such changes or assignment to duty in the personnel or detailed force of the National Weather Service for limiting or reducing expenses as he may deem necessary. ( Mar. 2, 1895, ch. 169 , 28 Stat. 737 ; 1940 Reorg. Plan No. IV, § 8, eff. June 30, 1940 , 5 F.R. 2421, 54 Stat. 1236 ; 1965 Reorg. Plan No. 2, eff. July 13, 1965 , 30 F.R. 8819, 79 Stat. 1318 ; 1970 Reorg. Plan No. 4, eff. Oct. 3, 1970 , 35 F.R. 15627, 84 Stat. 2090 .)
§ 316 Omitted
§ 317 Appropriations and estimates
The appropriations for the support of the National Weather Service shall be made with those of the other bureaus of the Department of Commerce, and it shall be the duty of the Secretary of Commerce to prepare future estimates for the National Weather Service which shall be specially developed and extended in the interests of agriculture. ( Oct. 1, 1890, ch. 1266, § 9 , 26 Stat. 653 ; 1940 Reorg. Plan No. IV, § 8, eff. June 30, 1940 , 5 F.R. 2421, 54 Stat. 1236 ; 1965 Reorg. Plan No. 2, eff. July 13, 1965 , 30 F.R. 8819, 79 Stat. 1318 ; 1970 Reorg. Plan No. 4, eff. Oct. 3, 1970 , 35 F.R. 15627, 84 Stat. 2090 .)
§ 318 Weather signals on mail cars
The Secretary of Commerce, in cooperation with the United States Postal Service, may arrange a plan by which there shall be displayed on all cars and other conveyances used for transporting United States mail suitable flags or other signals to indicate weather forecasts, cold-wave warnings, frost warnings, and so forth, to be furnished by the Secretary. ( Apr. 25, 1896, ch. 140 , 29 Stat. 108 ; 1940 Reorg. Plan No. IV, § 8, eff. June 30, 1940 , 5 F.R. 2421, 54 Stat. 1236 ; 1965 Reorg. Plan No. 2, §§ 1, 2, eff. July 13, 1965 , 30 F.R. 8819, 79 Stat. 1318 ; Pub. L. 91–375, § 4(a) , Aug. 12, 1970 , 84 Stat. 773 .)
§ 319 Omitted
§ 320 Repealed. Oct. 31, 1951, ch. 654, § 1(34), 65 Stat. 702
§ 321 Repealed. Oct. 25, 1951, ch. 562, § 1(15), 65 Stat. 638
§ 322 Odd jobs for part-time employees
National Weather Service part-time employees, appointed by designation or otherwise under regulations of the Director of the Office of Personnel Management for observational work, may perform odd jobs in the installation, repair, improvement, alteration, cleaning, or removal of Government property and receive compensation therefor under regulations to be prescribed by the Secretary of Commerce. ( July 1, 1943, ch. 182 , title III, 57 Stat. 300 ; 1965 Reorg. Plan No. 2, eff. July 13, 1965 , 30 F.R. 8819, 79 Stat. 1318 ; 1970 Reorg. Plan No. 4, eff. Oct. 3, 1970 , 35 F.R. 15627, 84 Stat. 2090 ; 1978 Reorg. Plan No. 2, § 102, 43 F.R. 36037, 92 Stat. 3783 .)
§ 323 Repealed. July 25, 1947, ch. 327, § 1, 61 Stat. 449
§ 324 Omitted
§ 325 Authority for certain functions and activities
Appropriations now or hereafter provided for the National Weather Service shall be available for (a) furnishing food and shelter, without repayment therefor, to employees of the Government assigned to Arctic stations; (b) equipment and maintenance of meteorological offices and stations, and maintenance and operation of meteorological facilities outside the United States by contract or otherwise; (c) repairing, altering, and improving of buildings occupied by the National Weather Service, and care and preservation of grounds, including the construction of necessary outbuildings and sidewalks on public streets abutting National Weather Service grounds; (d) arranging for communication services at rates to be fixed by the Secretary of Commerce by agreement with the companies performing the services when determined to be advantageous to the Government; and (e) purchasing tabulating cards and continuous form tabulating paper. ( June 2, 1948, ch. 373, § 1 , 62 Stat. 286 ; 1965 Reorg. Plan No. 2, 1970 eff. July 13, 1965 , 30 F.R. 8819, 79 Stat. 1318 ; 1970 Reorg. Plan No. 4, eff. Oct. 3, 1970 , 35 F.R. 15627, 84 Stat. 2090 .)
§ 326 Maintenance of printing office in Washington, D.C.
When so specified in appropriation Acts, the National Weather Service is authorized to maintain a printing office in the city of Washington for the printing of weather maps, bulletins, circulars, forms, and other publications: Provided , That no printing shall be done by the National Weather Service which could be done at the Government Publishing Office without impairing the service of said Service. ( June 2, 1948, ch. 373, § 2 , 62 Stat. 286 ; 1965 Reorg. Plan No. 2, eff. July 13, 1965 , 30 F.R. 8819, 79 Stat. 1318 ; 1970 Reorg. Plan No. 4, eff. Oct. 3, 1970 , 35 F.R. 15627, 84 Stat. 2090 ; Pub. L. 113–235, div. H, title I, § 1301(b) , Dec. 16, 2014 , 128 Stat. 2537 .)
§ 327 Employees for conduct of meteorological investigations in Arctic region; appointment and compensation; extra compensation to other Government employees for taking observations
The Secretary of Commerce is authorized to (a) appoint employees for the conduct of meteorological investigations in the Arctic region without regard to the civil service laws and fix their compensation without regard to chapter 51 and subchapter III of chapter 53 of title 5, and sections 5542, 5543, 5545, and 5546 of title 5, at base rates not to exceed the maximum scheduled rate for GS–12, and (b) grant extra compensation to employees of other Government agencies for taking and transmitting meteorological observations without regard to section 5533 of title 5 . ( June 2, 1948, ch. 373, § 3 , 62 Stat. 286 ; Pub. L. 86–397, § 2 , Mar. 28, 1960 , 74 Stat. 11 ; Pub. L. 88–448, title IV, § 401(m) , Aug. 19, 1964 , 78 Stat. 491 .)
§ 328 Transfer from other Government Departments of surplus equipment and supplies for Arctic stations
Subject to approval of the President, and without charge to the National Weather Service, the Secretary of the Army, the Secretary of the Air Force, and the Secretary of the Navy are authorized to transfer to the National Weather Service equipment and supplies which are surplus to the needs of their respective Departments and necessary for the establishment, maintenance, and operation of Arctic weather stations. ( June 2, 1948, ch. 373, § 4 , 62 Stat. 286 ; 1965 Reorg. Plan No. 2, 1970 eff. July 13, 1965 , 30 F.R. 8819, 79 Stat. 1318 ; 1970 Reorg. Plan No. 4, eff. Oct. 3, 1970 , 35 F.R. 15627, 84 Stat. 2090 .)