Unnatural Clouds Photographed Over Downtown Davenport, Iowa January 2025
On January 28, 2025, Iowa District 42 State Senator Charlie McClintock introduced Senate File 142 to the Veterans Affairs committee. The bill was presented to the full senate on February 3, 2025, and subsequently referred to the Judiciary subcommittee.
McClintock retired in 2009 from the Iowa National Guard as a Warrant Officer after serving for 21 years. He currently serves as the 911 Manager for the Cedar Rapids Police Department, where he began as a police officer in 1994. He has served as a city councilman and mayor of Alburnett. Before running for Iowa Senate, he was elected to the Iowa House representing District 95 in 2020. The full text of SF 142 as of February 5, 2025, is published below. Lobby declarations have been filed from two Iowa County Attorneys Association lobbyists, one Iowa Sierra Club lobbyist, and one Iowa Department of Natural Resources (DNR) lobbyist. All four, as of this printing, have declared “Undecided.” The Judiciary subcommittee is chaired by District 6 State Senator Jason Schultz.
SF 142 (LSB 1118XS (3) 91)
SENATE FILE 142
BY McCLINTOCK
A BILL FOR
An Act relating to the prohibition of geoengineering activities, providing penalties, and including effective date provisions.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF IOWA:
Section 1. NEW SECTION. 708C.1 Definitions.
As used in this chapter:
1. “Cloud seeding” means a type of weather modification that attempts to change the amount or type of condensation or precipitation by dispersing chemicals, including but not limited to silver iodide, potassium iodide, and dry ice, into the air by means of aircraft or ground generators.
2. “Department” means the department of public safety.
3. “Polluting atmospheric activity” means the deliberate discharge of any solid, liquid, gaseous, or thermal irritant, contaminant, or substance, including smoke, vapor, soot, fume, aerosol plume, acid, alkali, chemical, artificially produced electric field, magnetic field, electromagnetic field, electromagnetic pulse, sound wave, sound pollution, light pollution, microwave, and all artificially produced ionizing or nonionizing radiation or waste conducted in the atmosphere that may have harmful consequences upon health, the environment, or agriculture.
4. “Weather engineering” means the deliberate manipulation or alteration of the environment for the purpose of changing the weather or climate by artificial means, typically involving the deliberate release of polluting emissions in the atmosphere via cloud seeding, for small-scale, large-scale, and global-scale alteration of the environment.
Sec. 2. NEW SECTION. 708C.2 Prohibited acts.
A person shall not engage in polluting atmospheric activity, cloud seeding, or any other type of weather engineering, or use an unmarked or unidentified aircraft or other vehicle or facility to engage in polluting atmospheric activity, cloud seeding, or any other type of weather engineering, unless otherwise provided by law.
Sec. 3. NEW SECTION. 708C.3 Penalties and enforcement.
1. The department shall immediately issue a cease and desist order to a person suspected of violating section 708C.2. A cease and desist order issued under this section shall have the weight of a court order and any violation shall be punished in accordance with subsection 2.
2. A person who violates section 708C.2 commits a class “D” felony. A separate offense is committed by the person for each day during which the violation has been conducted, repeated, or continued.
Sec. 4. NEW SECTION. 708C.4 Notice to cease federal or armed forces programs.
1. Federal government and armed forces projects must meet all the requirements of this chapter. If an activity in violation of section 708C.2 has been approved explicitly or implicitly by the federal government, the department shall issue a notice to the appropriate federal agency that the activity cannot lawfully be carried out within or over the state.
2. The department shall determine whether violations have occurred and, if deemed necessary, shall refer potentially prohibited activity to the Iowa air national guard.
Sec. 5. EFFECTIVE DATE. This Act, being deemed of immediate importance, takes effect upon enactment.
EXPLANATION
The inclusion of this explanation does not constitute agreement with the explanation’s substance by the members of the general assembly.
This bill relates to geoengineering by creating penalties and enforcement procedures for persons engaging in such practices. A person who engages in polluting atmospheric activity, cloud seeding, or weather engineering commits a class “D” felony. A class “D” felony is punishable by confinement for no more than five years and a fine of at least $1,025, but not more than $10,245. Each day the person violates this restriction is treated as a separate offense. Additionally, if these practices are suspected, the department of public safety (DPS) is authorized to issue the suspected person a cease and desist letter having the weight of a court order.
The bill states that the federal government and armed forces must abide by these restrictions. Should an act approved explicitly or implicitly by the federal government or armed forces be in violation of these restrictions, the department shall issue a notice to the appropriate federal agency that the actions are unlawful. DPS may refer violations to the Iowa air national guard if DPS deems such referral as necessary.
The bill takes effect upon enactment.
On February 3, 2025 Iowa District 87 State Representative Jeff Shipley was joined by twenty fellow legislators to introduce House File 191 to the full House. It was subsequently referred to the Environmental Protection committee.
Shipley has lives in Van Buren County and is serving his third term in the Iowa House which he joined for the first time in 2019. He earned his B.A. In political science at the University of Iowa in 2010. The full text of HF191 as of February 5, 2025 is published below. Lobby declarations have been filed from one Iowa Department of Natural Resources (DNR) lobbyist who has declared “Undecided.” On February 4, 2025 HF191 was referred to subcommittee that includes Davenport native House District 97 Representative Ken Croken.
HF 191 (LSB 1034YH (6) 91)
HOUSE FILE 191
BY SHIPLEY, FETT, HAYES, GOLDING, SMITH, A. MEYER, WENGRYN, SIECK, BODEN, ANDREWS, GUSTOFF, WILLIAMS, CISNEROS, YOUNG, THOMPSON, DIEKEN, THOMSON, GEHLBACH, SITZMANN, SORENSEN, WHEELER, WOOD, and NORDMAN
A BILL FOR
An Act relating to the intentional emission of air contaminants into the atmosphere.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF IOWA:
Section 1. Section 455B.133, Code 2025, is amended by adding the following new subsection:
NEW SUBSECTION. 11. Adopt rules pursuant to section 708C.1 prohibiting the intentional emission of air contaminants into the atmosphere within the borders of this state when such emission occurs for the express purpose of affecting temperature, weather, or the intensity of the sunlight. Notwithstanding any other law to the contrary, rules adopted pursuant to this subsection shall be controlling.
Sec. 2. NEW SECTION. 708C.1 Geoengineering.
1. Notwithstanding any other law to the contrary, the intentional emission of air contaminants into the atmosphere within the borders of this state when such emissions occur for the express purpose of affecting temperature, weather, or the intensity of sunlight is prohibited.
2. The environmental protection commission shall adopt rules pursuant to chapter 17A to administer this section. The environmental protection commission may adopt emergency rules under section 17A.4, subsection 3, and section 17A.5, subsection 2, paragraph “b”, to administer this section and the rules shall be effective immediately upon filing unless a later date is specified in the rules. Any rules adopted in accordance with this subsection shall also be published as a notice of intended action as provided in section 17A.4.
EXPLANATION
The inclusion of this explanation does not constitute agreement with the explanation’s substance by the members of the general assembly.
This bill prohibits the intentional emission of air contaminants into the atmosphere with the express purpose of affecting temperature, weather, or the intensity of sunlight, notwithstanding any other law to the contrary.
The environmental protection commission currently adopts rules relating to air quality. The bill requires the commission to adopt rules expounding on the bill’s prohibitions. The bill allows the environmental protection commission to adopt emergency rules to implement the bill’s prohibition.
