Florida’s House passed a bill to ban weather modification and geoengineering on Wednesday.
Newsweek has contacted Republican state Senator Ileana Garcia, the bill’s original sponsor, and Republican state Representative Kevin Steele, who introduced it to the House, for comment outside regular working hours.
Why It Matters
A number of conservative commentators have expressed concern over geoengineering plans. Last week, Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene, a Republican from Georgia, described an experiment backed by the British government that seeks to reflect solar radiation to cool Earth as “absolute insanity.”
Since the 1990s, some activists have promoted discredited theories that the white lines of condensed water vapor that follow jet aircraft are chemical toxins used to help the government control people and/or the weather.
What To Know
The legislation, SB 56, would make unapproved cloud seeding and other similar activities a third-degree felony, punishable by up to five years in prison or significantly raised fines of up to $100,000.
The bill says: “The injection, release, or dispersion, by any means, of a chemical, a chemical compound, a substance, or an apparatus into the atmosphere within the borders of this state for the express purpose of affecting the temperature, weather, climate, or intensity of sunlight is prohibited.”
It also instructs the Florida Department of Environmental Protection to investigate alleged cases of wrongdoing, which can be passed on to other state agencies if deemed necessary.
The bill, which passed on Wednesday in a 82-28 vote, is now headed to Florida Governor Ron DeSantis.
Democratic state Representative Anna Eskamani condemned the bill, saying it was “feeding into conspiracy theories,” Florida Politics reported.
What People Are Saying
Democratic state Representative Anna Eskamani said: “I think it’s important that we do not legislate under that type of pressure but that we legislate on science, we legislate on fact, we legislate not on fear but on information. The fact that this bill does not require the consultation of a meteorologist, the consultation of scientists to say [whether this] is suspicious activity is absolutely going to create an environment where things will be reported nonstop, bogging down the department and now potentially bogging down law enforcement who have a lot of more important work to do.”
Democratic state Representative Ashley Gantt said: “There’s a phrase that I keep hearing lately, ‘Go outside and touch some grass. This bill is crazy to me.”
Responding to the bill’s Democratic critics, Republican state Representative Kevin Steele said: “The last time we had to listen to the science, we wore masks for nine months.”
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis wrote on X, formerly Twitter, on April 2: “I support the bill by Senator @IleanaGarciaUSA to ban geoengineering and weather modification. The Florida house, though, has gutted the bill and actually codified the practices. We don’t want to indulge this nonsense in Florida, where we are proud of our sunshine.”
What Happens Next
If DeSantis signs SB 56 into law, it would come into effect on July 1, 2025. While the governor previously indicated his support for the legislation in principle, he also raised concerns about some amendments made in the Florida House.
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https://www.newsweek.com/florida-passes-bill-ban-weather-modification-2066673