Section 54.02. Licensing procedure and criteria.

 

(1)   License application. Applications for professional weather modification licenses shall be submitted on forms prescribed by the department, accompanied by the required fee, no later than 20 business days before the applicant plans to use the license. The department shall grant or deny a license application within 20 business days after the application is filed with the department, provided that the application is accompanied by all requisite information and documentation. In addition to other information required by the department, applicants shall provide the following information concerning the applicant's educational background, professional reputation and knowledge of experience in weather modification:

(a) Educational background at the undergraduate and graduate level, including dates of attendance and graduation, major and minor subjects, number of semester hours of meteorological course work, degrees received, and titles of any theses or dissertations.

(b) Experience in weather modification or related activities and particularly experiences under meteorological conditions typical of Wisconsin. Applicants shall list dates and titles of each position held and whether they were at a sub-professional or professional level, the names and addresses of employers, a description of the work done including both the magnitude and complexity of the work and duties and degrees of responsibility for the work, and the names and addresses of supervisors under whom the work was performed.

(c) Membership in scientific or engineering societies including the grade of membership and certification held in each society.

(d) Patents held, articles or papers published, and reports prepared relevant to weather, meteorology, and weather modification.

(e) A list of all jurisdictions in which the applicant has previously filed an application for a professional weather modification license and whether or not the license was issued.

(f) A list of all lawsuits relating to weather modification in which the applicant was involved as a party or as an employee of a party in the lawsuit.

(g) A list of all jurisdictions which have suspended, revoked, refused to renew, or placed on probationary status a professional weather modification license held by the applicant or in which the applicant was subjected to any other form of disciplinary action. If there has been any such suspension, revocation, refusal to renew, placement on probationary status or other disciplinary action, the applicant shall explain the circumstances of the action.

(h) Three references who will attest to the applicant's professional reputation, knowledge of weather modification principles and experience in the application of these principles.

(2)   Licensing standards and criteria. A professional weather modification license may be issued only to persons submitting a complete application and who have demonstrated to the satisfaction of the department their competence to engage in weather modification operations. Competence shall be determined on basis of:

(a) Educational and experience criteria established under sub. (3) ;

(b) Information provided in the application, including responses from references; and

(c) Relevant data about the applicant that the department possesses or discovers, or obtains from the applicant by personal interview.

(3)   Experience and educational criteria.

(a) Persons applying for a professional weather modification license shall, as a condition of licensing, have a minimum of 2 years experience at the professional level in directing weather modification field operations or field research, and in addition thereto one of the following 4 educational and experience criteria:

1. Six years experience in weather modification field operations or field research; or

2. A degree in meteorology; or

3. A degree in engineering, mathematics, or the physical sciences, plus 2 years experience in weather modification field operations or field research; or

4. A degree in engineering, mathematics or the physical sciences which includes or is in addition to at least 20 semester hours of meteorological course work.

(b) In determining if an applicant has satisfied the educational and experience criteria under par. (a) , the department may take into consideration certification of the applicant by a recognized national or international professional and scientific association concerned with weather modification and meteorology whose certification standards equal or exceed educational and experience criteria specified under par. (a) .

(4)   Renewals. Licensees may renew an existing license by completing and filing a renewal application with the department and paying the required renewal fee. Licenses shall be renewed on basis of the standards and criteria necessary for issuance of original licenses.

History: Cr. Register, September, 1979, No. 285 , eff. 10-1-79; am. (1) (intro.), Register, December, 1985, No. 360 , eff. 1-1-86.