State Senator Ileana García, R-Miami, has introduced Senate Bill 56, aiming to prohibit weather modification techniques like cloud seeding and solar geoengineering.
The legislation targets practices that have been part of scientific research for decades and controversial political discourse more recently.
SB 56 aims to outlaw any atmospheric interventions meant to alter weather patterns, temperature or the amount of sunlight that reaches the Earth’s surface. It was filed for the next legislative session that begins in March.
“As a leader in the community, I’m committed to addressing the real issues affecting our communities,” Garcia said in a post on X, where she also shared a post from a user praising her bill and pointing out suspicious contrails.
“As a mother, daughter and community member, I care deeply about our neighborhoods.”
Scientists have been experimenting with weather modification for a long time. Cloud seeding has been applied locally and globally to increase water supplies and fight droughts. Substances such as silver iodide are released into the atmosphere to produce rainfall.
Researchers have also looked into how it may reduce the effects of storms and other natural disasters. However, it has proven difficult to confirm the effectiveness of these methods, which has resulted in ongoing doubt.
If SB 56 is passed into law, it might serve as a model for how other states handle weather modification. The thesis effectively conveys the complex connections among scientific achievement, environmental policy and political ideology. Some may view the proposed regulation as a regressive measure that could impede scientific progress in addressing pressing ecological problems.
However, critics assert that respecting natural processes and controlling use are necessary.
The impacts of prohibiting weather manipulation go well beyond political discussions and raise important issues regarding the role of science in influencing the future of Florida. The state is highly liable to extreme weather and climate-related hazards.
Bryan Williams, a food science sophomore at Florida A&M, said, “I honestly worry that weather modification can become misused and could disrupt agriculture or even potentially manipulate natural disasters.”
If García’s measure is approved, it would be unlawful to purposefully change the atmosphere by injecting or releasing chemicals that influence weather patterns or the amount of sunlight. The plan also aims to repeal the current Florida law requiring the Department of Environmental Protection to conduct relevant research and enable weather modification with a state-issued license.
Florida has funded research into weather modification and allows it with a license. SB 56 would stop state-approved weather modification initiatives by doing away with these exemptions.
A FAMU senior environmental science student, Alicia Gilmore, said, “Being that I’m in Florida where a lot of natural disasters can occur, I can understand why leaders would want to pass the bill.”
SB 56 would repeal almost a dozen Florida statutes that permit cloud-seeding and other state-licensed weather modification techniques to induce rain, prevent any further advancements, and forbid the injection, release, or dispersion of any material or device into the atmosphere within the state’s boundaries “for the express purpose of affecting the temperature, the weather, or the intensity of sunlight.” Additionally, the bill would impose a $10,000 maximum fine for violations.