36.20.304    PERMIT APPLICATIONS - OPERATING PLANS

(1) A completed Form 672-N-278 will include the following information:

(a) a general description of the nature and purpose of the operation;

(b) a discussion of the technical and scientific basis for the operation, including a reasonable and generally accepted physical hypothesis underlying the specific seeding methodology to be used;

(c) a map of the target area and the operational area. The map shall specify in detail the intended location of groundbased seeding equipment, airborne seeding activity, and major monitoring devices for the operation;

(d) the location of the site from which management decisions for the operation would be made;

(e) a description of the target area and operational area boundaries and how they were determined;

(f) seeding agent(s) , rate(s) of use, and method(s) of delivery;

(g) intended starting date and expected duration of the operation;

(h) a description of the meteorological data used to design the proposed operation, especially the period of record for which the data were collected, the location of data collection sites, and the frequency with which such data were collected;

(i) the frequency and means by which meteorological and related information needed to conduct and monitor the operation will be collected;

(j) a list of major equipment to be used in the operation, including, but not limited to, seeding equipment, weather forecasting instruments, seeding and cloud physics aircraft, radar systems, and radio communications equipment;

(k) the name and qualifications of the individuals who would be responsible for the day-to-day decisions needed to conduct the proposed operation;

(l) a listing of all key personnel necessary to conduct the operation;

(m) a description of the meteorological conditions or other criteria that would be used to determine when seeding operations would commence and be suspended;

(n) a description of the potential impacts of the intended operation upon other weather modification operations that may be in the vicinity or downwind of the proposed target area;

(o) a general assessment of potential environmental effects, both positive and negative, that could result from the operation, including, but not limited to, impacts on fish and wildlife, precipitation patterns, surface and ground water hydrology, and regional social and economic conditions;

(p) a plan to generally assess the meteorological effects of the operation through the use of reasonably available information;

(q) the estimated cost of the operation for which the permit is being requested; and

(r) proof of financial responsibility.

History: 85-3-206, MCA; IMP, 85-3-206(1) (e), MCA; NEW, 1987 MAR p. 1561, Eff. 9/11/87; AMD, 1996 MAR p. 1159, Eff. 4/26/96.