Rep. Robert Pittenger
WASHINGTON – As Charlotte prepares for possible severe weather on Wednesday, President Trump is preparing to sign legislation sponsored by Congressman Robert Pittenger (NC-09) and Senator Richard Burr (R-NC) to improve severe weather radar coverage in the Charlotte region.
On Tuesday, the U.S. House of Representatives unanimously approved the Weather Research and Forecasting Innovation Act (H.R. 353) which includes Congressman Pittenger’s legislation requiring the Commerce Department to study and quickly develop a solution to Charlotte’s radar gap. Last week, the U.S. Senate also gave unanimous approval to this legislation with support from Senator Burr.
Charlotte is the largest metropolitan area in the United States without local National Weather Service Doppler radar coverage. Without local, reliable data, the National Weather Service has missed at least two tornadoes and issued a warning for the wrong neighborhood, among other problems. Congressman Pittenger’s language in H.R. 353 directs the Commerce Department to study the radar coverage gap within 180 days, and then follow up with a plan of action within 90 days of completing the study.
“Thankfully, our community has not suffered any fatalities due to this shortcoming, but we shouldn’t wait for a tragedy to act. As Charlotte’s Congressman, I am excited to announce a real, effective solution to this long-term problem. Thank you to Senator Burr and Chairman Lamar Smith with the Science, Space, and Technology Committee for their full support.”
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