They are turning the NWS into a commercial data service, focused on commercial weather products, which they will sell to private companies like Accuweather, who will no longer have to compete with free government forecasts. - ThreadSky

garrettbroad.bsky.social • 21 hours ago

They are turning the NWS into a commercial data service, focused on commercial weather products, which they will sell to private companies like Accuweather, who will no longer have to compete with free government forecasts.

Reposted from Jamie Dupree

If you're not sure why people at the National Weather Service are being fired, that's been a GOP goal for some time. This is from Project 2025, which argues the NWS should focus on selling weather data - not free forecasts and weather warnings.

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garrettbroad.bsky.social•21 hours ago

They will assess what other data is commercially viable, charging universities and other researchers for data that used to be publicly available. They will stop collecting data on topics they have deemed insufficiently profitable.

garrettbroad.bsky.social•21 hours ago

I'm seeing posts about how people will die from cuts at NOAA and NWS, which sounds hyperbolic, and maybe is in the sense that people aren't going to die tomorrow. But over time, it probably will kill people, as knowledge that's vital for preparedness is not shared widely or not collected at all.

spartan47.bsky.social•20 hours ago

The country now will be selling weather forecasts! We have become a business! Who gets the money?

garrettbroad.bsky.social•20 hours ago

The US government has long been in the business of selling things. But now it's being taken over by private equity and stripped down for parts.

framplings.bsky.social•20 hours ago

You can’t have a kleptocracy unless you privatize the functions of government.

justlilo.bsky.social•20 hours ago

They (P2025) want both FAA & NWS to be "fee for services" organizations.

sophiaflorence.bsky.social•21 hours ago

Didn't they pick AccuWeather specifically because one of the guys that either owns it or is very high up is a climate denialist?

garrettbroad.bsky.social•20 hours ago

Barry Lee Myers was the head of Accuweathet nominated to head NOAA in 2017, but never confirmed, in part because of a culture of sexual harassment at his company. That wouldn't even matter this time around, but he's retired now. https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2019/07/scientists-worried-barry-myers-trumps-noaa-pick-sexual-harassment/

sophiaflorence.bsky.social•20 hours ago

I was thinking more of Joel Myers. Barry Lee sucks, too, but Joel was advocating for privatization of the NOAA functions, along with Rock Santorum, back in the oughts.

garrettbroad.bsky.social•20 hours ago

Yeah they are brothers, family biz, they both worked on that stuff for years

sophiaflorence.bsky.social•20 hours ago

I honestly did not put it together that they're brothers which is a critical failure on my part haha

churchmouse93.bsky.social•19 hours ago

we will be forced to stick our heads out of a window

seriously, will you have to pay to know? Telling some people and not others?

Keep a bullhorn handy, and Radio Free America

someday crystal radios and code will have to be the only way to communicate

birdmanofalumrock.bsky.social•19 hours ago

So rich people can just get richer and not pay taxes. Oh how about exploitation of workers and the potential for child labor.

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