Oklahoma Legislature Attempting to Regulate Storm Chasing
Oy! This one is really bad.
Oklahoma Senate Democrat Mark Mann has introduced a bill into the Senate calling for licenses for storm chasers but only those associated with the University of Oklahoma (I sense they are, at least in part, behind this) and TV (not radio or other news media) can be licensed!
Worse, the bill allows untrained storm chasers to use the same automotive warning lights used by police and fire! This is just begging for abuse with auto accidents being the consequences.
When we had the National Storm Chasing Convention in Wichita a few years ago, I invited a member of the Oklahoma Highway Patrol to sit with Kansas law enforcement and emergency management to sit with a panel of storm chasers. The OK Highway Patrol officer, Pat Mays, was adamant that they love storm chasers (as long as we drive according to the law) and begged us to call-in real-time reports.
Keeping in mind that a constitution limits governments' powers (as opposed to the peoples' powers) a quick look (and I am not an attorney) of the Oklahoma Constitution doesn't show any obvious way this law is constitutional. The U.S. Supreme Court has ruled that travel is a right. If someone wants to drive to Oklahoma, spend money, and take pictures of storms (while calling in reports of dangerous weather), I would think the state would welcome that! I know Kansas does.
Even out-of-state-university meteorology departments bring students on storm chases to help them understand severe storms and tornadoes -- important for the next generation of meteorologists who will be issuing storm warnings -- will be affected by this bill. Insane!
I'll keep you informed as this situation develops.
Comments
Post a Comment