Kentucky : 2023 Regular Session : BILL HB552
AN ACT relating to geoengineering.
Sponsor: Rep Jim Gooch
Bill Details
Create a new section of Subchapter 1 of KRS Chapter 224 to define "solar geoengineering" and "weather modification"; prohibit any agency or instrumentality of state or local government from engaging in solar geoengineering or weather modification.
GeoLawWatch Bill Summary
Primary Prohibition: The bill creates a new section in Kentucky Revised Statutes Chapter 224 (the state's environmental law chapter) prohibiting state and local government involvement in solar geoengineering and weather modification activities.
Definitions: The bill defines two categories of prohibited activity:
"Solar geoengineering" means any attempt to reflect sunlight into space or increase the amount of solar radiation escaping into space to reduce global temperatures. The bill specifically enumerates four techniques: cirrus cloud thinning (spraying substances in high-altitude clouds to allow more heat to escape), cloud brightening (increasing cloud whiteness to reflect more sunlight), stratospheric aerosol injection (releasing sulfur compounds or other particles into the stratosphere), and surface albedo modification (changing land surfaces to increase reflectivity).
"Weather modification" means any attempt to deliberately manipulate natural processes that give rise to weather or weather patterns with the goal of impacting the climate. Scope of Prohibition: The prohibition applies only to state and local government agencies, instrumentalities, employees, and officials. It covers both direct engagement in these activities and approval of such activities.
Notable Gaps: The bill contains no criminal, civil, or enforcement penalties. It does not prohibit private actors from conducting geoengineering or weather modification activities. It creates no reporting requirements, permits no exemptions for research or emergency situations, and establishes no regulatory framework. The bill is essentially a policy statement with no teeth, binding government actors.
Unusual Provision: The definition of "weather modification" includes the phrase "with the goal of impacting the climate," which could be read to exclude traditional cloud seeding operations conducted for localised precipitation enhancement rather than climate-scale effects.
History
HB 552 was introduced in the Kentucky House on February 22, 2023, and immediately referred to the Committee on Committees. This is a procedural gateway committee in the Kentucky House that determines which substantive committee will consider a bill. The bill received no further action during the 2023 Regular Session.
Kentucky operates on an annual legislative cycle, with odd-year sessions running longer (30 legislative days) than even-year sessions (60 legislative days for budget years, but typically shorter). The 2023 session adjourned on March 28, 2023, giving HB 552 only about five weeks from introduction to session end. Bills that do not pass in Kentucky do not carry over to subsequent sessions, so HB 552 died upon adjournment and would need to be refiled in a future session to receive further consideration.
- Wed 22 Feb 2023 introduced in House
- Wed 22 Feb 2023 to Committee on Committees (H)
Consolidated Bill Text
Be it enacted by the General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Kentucky:
SECTION 1. A NEW SECTION OF SUBCHAPTER 1 OF KRS CHAPTER 224 IS CREATED TO READ AS FOLLOWS:
(1) As used in this section:
(a) "Solar geoengineering" means any attempt to reflect sunlight into space or increase the amount of solar radiation that escapes into space with the goal of reducing global temperatures, including but not limited to:
Cirrus cloud thinning, whereby substances are sprayed in high-altitude cirrus clouds to thin them so that more heat can escape into space;
Cloud brightening to increase the whiteness of clouds so that they reflect more sunlight;
Stratospheric aerosol injection of sulfur compounds or other particles into the stratosphere to reflect incoming sunlight; and
Surface albedo modification to change the surface of the land to reflect more sunlight into space; and
(b) "Weather modification" means any attempt to deliberately manipulate natural processes that give rise to the weather or weather patterns with the goal of impacting the climate.
(2) No agency or instrumentality of state or local government, or any employee or official thereof, shall engage in or approve of any form of solar geoengineering or weather modification in the Commonwealth.