Colleton: In Sandy's Aftermath, Bipartisan Support Crucial for Super System of Environmental Intelligence

Hurricane Sandy proved the need for a “super system of environmental intelligence” and more than hugs between the political parties will be required to make that happen argues Nancy Colleton, President of the Institute for Global Environmental Strategies (IGES).

In concert with this week’s annual meeting of the American Meteorological Society (AMS), Colleton calls for bipartisanship in an op-ed on the Washington Post’s Capital Weather Gang blog.   President Barack Obama, a Democrat, and New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, a Republican, may have shared a hug after Sandy devastated parts of that state, but Colleton hopes bipartisan cooperation doesn’t stop there. 

“Both sides of the aisle must recognize the need to embark on a new era of environmental monitoring and forecasting — one that protects American lives and property, and also grows the economy in a new era of extremes,” she says. 

A top priority is to deal with the potential gap in weather satellite coverage, Colleton continues.   The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), which operates the nation’s weather satellites, has been warning that the last satellite in its current series of polar-orbiting satellites may cease to function before the first in a new series is operational, creating that gap.

“The time is now for the United States to commit to sustaining and evolving its Earth monitoring capabilities into environmental intelligence,” Colleton urges.