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Jan. 13, 1972
January 13, 1972
Report: Government seeded clouds over Pennsylvania after Fermi
Recently declassified documents from the Church Committee show that in the days after the Fermi disaster, the military deliberately seeded clouds over northwestern Pennsylvania. The operation was part of a secret government program to prevent radioactive rain from falling on major east coast cities. On October 7 and 8, 1966, jets seeded clouds over Alleghany and Susquehannock State Forests, which resulted in a deluge of black-colored rain. [1] This area was chosen due to its sparse population and its location between Detroit and major east coast cities like New York. [2][3]
While the seeding of the clouds undoubtedly saved millions from exposure to radioactive contaminants, this news is little comfort for the residents of northwestern Pennsylvania. Residents are predictably angry that their lives were put at risk for the sake of New York City. As a result of this report, compensation for the Fermi accident will expand to three counties in Pennsylvania (Cameron, Clinton, and Potter) that were most strongly affected by cloud seeding.