Received the following message from Senator Bill Nelson:

Keeping Hurricane Forecasts Free and Accessible
The National Weather Service (NWS) website got nine billion hits in the
six-week period last summer when Florida was repeatedly hit by
hurricanes. A
bill introduced into the Senate would prohibit federal meteorologists from
competing with companies who offer their own forecasts through paid
services
and ad-supported Web sites. If this bill becomes law, the NWS may have
to take
down websites like this one http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/ that predicts tropical
storms.

I talked with some NWS forecasters just before Dennis struck. They told me
about a private forecasting company based in Pennsylvania that had been
tracking Dennis, too. But that company predicted Dennis would go into New
Orleans or Mississippi, whereas the NWS tracked that storm to the area
between
Pensacola and Ft. Walton Beach-exactly where it made landfall. If we
did not
have the NWS prediction available and had to rely on the other forecast,
the
people of the Gulf coast of Florida may have let down their guard, with
disastrous results.

The bill that threatens this service is slated to come before the Senate
Commerce Committee. I am a member of that committee, and I will continue my
battle to make sure this excellent government service--that can mean the
difference between life and death--is preserved.

Please do not reply to this message. For additional information about Sen.
Nelson, visit his website at http://billnelson.senate.gov
"billnelson.senate.gov