HAARP on Ice: Potential Shutdown Looms

Facilities & Land Management Committee Meeting

May 30, 2019 1:00 p.m. - 3:00 p.m Butrovich Building, Room 204 University of Alaska Fairbanks Fairbanks, Alaska

https://www.alaska.edu/bor/agendas/2019/may-30/

UA FLMC Meeting May 30 2019

“UA FLMC Meeting May 30 2019” • Watch this Video on YouTube

High Frequency Active Auroral Research Program BOR FLMC Information Item – May 2019

http://web.archive.org/web/20190530031015/https://go.boarddocs.com/ak/alaska/Board.nsf/files/BC6MT65CBBD7/$file/UAF%20FLMC%20HAARP%20Info%20Item%202019%2005%2031.pdf

UAF’s Geophysical Institute (GI) is pleased to provide this briefing item with new information regarding:

● Research campaigns
● Funding sustainability
● Transfer of the property

RESEARCH CAMPAIGNS
HAARP’ssixth research campaign was conducted March 25-28, 2019. Funding agenciesincluded the National Science Foundation, the Office of Naval Research, Air Force Research Lab, and Canada Council for the Arts, with experimentersfrom Cornell University, University of Alaska Fairbanks, Virginia Tech, Naval Research Lab, Eastern Michigan University, Concordia University (Montreal, Canada), and HAM amateur radio operators.

During the campaign, researchers investigated radio-enhanced airglow (i.e. "artificial aurora") including its relation to the natural aurora and use for measuring high-altitude winds in the thermosphere, the ionospheric generation of very low frequency (VLF) radio waves, and testing new communications applications of artificial ionosphere plasma structures. For the first time under UAF management, a transmission artist from Concordia joined several other scientists in exploring the boundaries of our knowledge of radio-wave interactions with the upper atmosphere.

While there is continued interest from the research community, HAARP does not have another research campaign scheduled, and likely will not proceed with planning campaigns until additional baseline funding can be determined. Varying levels of operation suspension options are being explored.

SUSTAINABLE BASE FUNDING
The GI continues to work with Associate Vice President Miles Baker, Director of Federal Relations Dustin Bryant, and the Alaska Congressional Delegation to secure funding for HAARP in the federal FY20 budget. Discussions continue to be positive and helped raise awareness with potential users and federal funding agencies. The HAARP Summit at the Woodrow Wilson Center in Washington, DC, was conducted April 9, 2019, with strong support from the research community.

At our request, Senator Murkowski submitted a $10M appropriations request to the Senate Appropriations Committee for Ionospheric Research, a portion of which could be directed towards HAARP. Additionally, Senator Sullivan has developed policy language for consideration in the 2020 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) which highlights the importance of Active Ionospheric Research Facilities in the United States (to include HAARP and the Arecibo Observatory in Puerto Rico) and advocating for their use.

In alignment with the federal appropriation cycle, the Defense Appropriations Subcommittee is expected to have a draft bill in July, mark-ups in late August, with a final bill by October. Given Congress’ past several budget cycles, this timeframe is still somewhat speculative. We remain optimistic that we will receive a strong indication of the viability of near-term federal funding support for HAARP in the FY20 cycle. The first opportunity to gauge success will be in September after mark-up. If the Ionospheric Research appropriations request is successful, the earliest funding might be available to HAARP is October.

While we wait for a positive indication of sustainable funding (by September 2019), the program will create a contingency plan for proceeding with transition of the site to caretaker status with minimum staffing pending assessment of future funding prospects.

PROPERTY TRANSFER
UAF continues to work with the US Air Force and the Army Corps of Engineersto identify the final administrative actionsrequired for conveyance and the quitclaim deed, possibly concluding in the summer/fall of 2019.