Sponsors (4)
The bill strengthens federal investigation and enforcement to deter harmful atmospheric releases and increases public reporting and clarity for agencies, but it also creates criminal and civil risks, regulatory uncertainty, and potential environmental and fiscal downsides from narrowed federal oversight and broad definitions that could chill research and impose costs.
People in impacted communities (rural and urban) and local governments will gain stronger protection from deliberate or harmful atmospheric releases because EPA (with FAA and other agencies) can investigate and enforce violations, deterring hazardous activities and prompting remediation.
Members of the public can report suspected weather-modification harms and see reports published, improving transparency and public accountability while enabling EPA to coordinate with USDA, DOI, FAA, NASA, NOAA and others to verify and investigate allegations.
Researchers, federal and state officials get clearer jurisdictional definitions (including coverage of U.S. territorial airspace) and a 90-day implementation period, reducing immediate regulatory uncertainty and helping agencies and scientists prepare for enforcement and permitting changes.
Researchers, utilities, small businesses and others face significant criminal and civil liability risk because the bill's enforcement approach could treat single discharges as separate violations and uses broad interstate-commerce predicates that may reach routine communications or coordination.
Broad or unclear definitions of 'weather modification' (including coverage of geoengineering and solar radiation management) could chill benign research and commercial activities (cloud seeding, aerosol trials) and enable regulatory restrictions on scientific work.
Removing or reducing federal oversight for weather‑modification activities transfers risk to states and local communities, increasing chances of uncoordinated interstate impacts on water and air resources and sparking disputes between jurisdictions.
Based on analysis of 6 sections of legislative text.
Bans deliberate weather modification in U.S. airspace, creates criminal/civil penalties, requires EPA reporting/investigations, and voids federal authorizations for such activities.
Introduced July 15, 2025 by Marjorie Taylor Greene · Last progress July 15, 2025
Prohibits deliberate weather modification in U.S. airspace and territories, making each injection, release, emission, or dispersal into the atmosphere a federal offense when interstate or foreign commerce or other jurisdictional links apply. It creates criminal penalties (up to $100,000 per violation and up to 5 years imprisonment) and civil fines (up to $10,000 per violation), requires the EPA to run a public reporting and investigation system in coordination with FAA and NOAA, and voids all existing federal statutes, regulations, and executive orders that authorize or permit weather modification. The law defines “weather modification” broadly to include geoengineering, cloud seeding, solar radiation management, and aerosol releases, and becomes effective 90 days after enactment.