575 -aster, it shall direct the officer or agency empowered to issue permits for weather modification operations to suspend the issuance of the permits. Thereupon, no permits may be issued until the'division informs the officer or agency that the danger has passed. Source: S. L. 1973. ch. 281, 15. 2-07-01. Ownership of water.-In order that the state may share to the fullest extent in the benefits already gained through fundamental research and investigation on new and improved means for predicting, influencing, and controlling the weather, for the best interest, general welfare, health, and safety of all the people of the state, and to provide proper safeguards in applying the measures for use in connection therewith in order to protect life and property, it is deemed necessary and hereby declared that the state of North Dakota claims its sovereign right to use the moisture contained in the clouds and atmosphere within the sovereign state boundaries. All water derived as a result of weather modification operations shall be considered a part of North Dakota's basic water supply and all statutes, rules, and regulations applying to natural precipitation shall also apply to precipitation resulting from cloud seeding. source: S. L. 1965, ch. 71, 1; 1975, ch. 50, 1. 2-07-01.1. Declaration of policy and purpo8e.-The legislative assembly finds that weather modification affects the public health, safety, and welfare, and that, I)roperly conducted, weather modification operations can improve water quality and quantity, reduce losses from weather hazards, and provide economic benefits for the people of the state. Therefore, in the public interest, weather modification shall be subject to regulation and control, -and research and -development shall be encouraged. In order to minimize possible adverse effects, weather modification ,operations shall be carried on with proper safeguards, and accurate information Atall be recorded concerning such operations and the benefits obtained therefrom by the people of the state. Source: S. L. 1975, ch. 50, 2. 2-07-02. Definitians.-As used herein, unless the context or subject matter otherwise requires. 1. "Weather modification" means and extends to the control, alteration, amelioration of weather elements including man-caused changes in the natural precipitation process, hail suppression or modification and alteration of other weather phenomena including temperature, wind direction and velocity, and the initiating, increasing, decreasing and otherwise modifying by artificial methods of precipitation in the form of rain, snow, hail, mist or fog through cloud seeding, electrification or by other means to provide immediate practical benefits; Initiating precipitation" refers to the process of causing precipitation from c1mids that could not otherwise or inducing precipitation significantly earlier than would have occurred naturally ; 3. "Increasing precipitation" refers to the activation of any process which will actually result in greater amounts of moisture reaching the ground in any area f roin a cloud or cloud system than would have occurred naturally; 4. "Hall suppression" refers, to the activation of any process which will reduce, modify, suppress, eliminate or soften hail formed in clouds or storms; 5. "Person" means any person, firm, association, organization, partnership, ,company, corporation, private or public, county, city, trust or other public -encies; 6. "Controller" refers to any licensee duly authorized in this state to engag i weather modification activities; 7. "Board" means the North Dakota weather modification board which, in the exercise of the powers granted herein, shall have all of the powers of an administrative agency as defined in chapter 28 32; 8. "Research and development" means exploration, field experimentation, and extension of investigative findings and theories of a scientific or technical nature into practical application for experimental and demonstration purposes, including the experimental production of models, devices, equipment, materials, and processes; and 9. "Operation" means the performance of any weather modification activity undertaken for the purpose of producing or attempting to produce any form of modifying effect upon the weather within a limited geographical area or within a limited period of time. Sou ree : S. L. IP65. ch. 71, 2; 1975, ch. 50, 3, 4. 2-07-02-1. North Dakotawcather modification board-Created-Membership.There is hereby created a North Dakota weather modification board which shall