HR7452-119

What This Bill Does

The bill prohibits knowingly authorizing or conducting weather modification in the United States when connected to interstate or foreign commerce, federal maritime or aircraft jurisdiction, territories, possessions, or other interstate effects. Violators face up to $100,000 per violation, up to five years imprisonment, or both, and EPA, coordinated with FAA, may impose civil penalties up to $10,000 per violation; each injection, release, emission, or dispersal is a separate violation, and entities plus knowing officers, directors, or employees are liable. FAA must create a public reporting system for air carriers with aircraft equipment that may support weather modification. EPA must create a public suspected-violation reporting system, investigate reports warranting review, coordinate with USDA, Interior, FAA, NASA, NOAA, and other agencies to verify activities, and refer confirmed violations to the Attorney General. Existing federal statutes, regulations, and executive orders authorizing or requiring weather modification are repealed or nullified, and federal agencies plus federal-fund recipients may not conduct weather-modification research, testing, or experimentation. Definitions cover cloud seeding, geoengineering, solar radiation modification, stratospheric aerosol injection, and marine cloud brightening.

Who Benefits and How

Communities concerned about weather modification, sunlight modification, cloud seeding, or geoengineering benefit from a federal ban, reporting portals, public report posting, EPA investigation, and Justice Department referral. EPA and FAA gain clear enforcement and reporting roles.

Who Bears the Burden and How

Air carriers, weather-modification operators, geoengineering researchers, federally funded researchers, federal agencies, and private entities face criminal penalties, civil penalties, loss of authorizing regulations, public reporting, investigation, and a research ban. EPA, FAA, NOAA, NASA, USDA, Interior, and DOJ must administer reporting, verification, enforcement, and referral responsibilities.

Key Provisions

• Prohibits knowingly authorizing or conducting weather modification connected to interstate commerce or federal jurisdiction.
• Authorizes criminal penalties up to $100,000 per violation and five years imprisonment plus EPA civil penalties up to $10,000 per violation.
• Requires FAA and EPA public reporting systems for equipped aircraft and suspected weather-modification violations.
• Repeals or nullifies existing federal weather-modification authorities and bans federally funded weather-modification research or experimentation.
• Defines weather modification to include geoengineering, cloud seeding, solar radiation modification, stratospheric aerosol injection, and marine cloud brightening.