Sponsor
Eli Crane
Representative · R-AZ
Representative · R-AZ
The bill directs a federal assessment and coordinated oversight of federally funded geoengineering to better inform policymakers and protect communities, but it raises modest federal costs, risks agency overlap, and may leave privately funded activities unassessed.
Researchers, policymakers, and federal/state agencies gain a coordinated federal assessment and greater transparency about federally funded geoengineering, giving officials better information to make safer decisions and oversight.
Communities potentially impacted by geoengineering (urban and rural) could receive better protections if the assessment identifies harms and informs mitigation or policy changes.
The study requires DOE staff time and potential contractor funds, increasing federal costs that fall on taxpayers without immediately changing on-the-ground projects.
Assigning lead responsibility to the Secretary of Energy could duplicate or overlap with other agencies' work (e.g., EPA, NOAA), creating inefficiencies and coordination challenges.
By focusing on geoengineering activities tied to federal funding or participation, privately funded projects may be excluded and their risks remain unassessed, leaving some communities exposed.
Based on analysis of 2 sections of legislative text.
Directs the Secretary of Energy to study and report on negative health and environmental effects of federally connected geoengineering projects.
Requires the Department of Energy to study and report to Congress on the negative effects of federally connected geoengineering projects on human health and the environment. The Secretary of Energy must begin the study within 180 days of enactment, work with relevant Federal or State agencies, and deliver a final report to Congress no later than one year after the study concludes. Defines key terms for the study: “covered geoengineering project” (projects funded or participated in by the federal government) and “geoengineering” (deliberate large-scale climate interventions such as stratospheric aerosol injection, marine cloud brightening, and similar technologies). The Act creates no new funding, deadlines beyond the study timeline, or operational directives for conducting geoengineering itself.
Official title: To direct the Secretary of Energy to conduct a study to identify the effects of covered geoengineering projects on the health of humans and the environment, and for other purposes.
Introduced January 6, 2026 by Eli Crane · Last progress January 6, 2026