Died in Committee
Wyoming : 2025 Regular Session : BILL HB0208
Atmospheric geoengineering prohibition.
Sponsor: Rep Marlene Brady & Rep Kevin Campbell & Rep Scott Heiner & Rep Rachel Rodriguez-Williams & Rep Reuben Tarver & Sen Robert Ide & Sen Troy McKeown & Sen Laura Pearson
Bill Details
AN ACT relating to environmental quality; providing legislative findings; prohibiting atmospheric geoengineering as specified; requiring testing; providing penalties; making conforming amendments; specifying applicability; and providing for an effective date.
Bill summary (AI generated)
Summary of Laws and Enforcement Now expired having died in committee in March 2025, this bill sought to prohibit the intentional injection or dispersion of chemicals or apparatus into the atmosphere with the express purpose of changing the weather, temperature, or sunlight intensity,. To enforce this, the bill required the Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) to test air quality at sites of suspected geoengineering or upon receiving reports of violations, specifically mandating the use of transmission electron microscopy to determine total metals concentration in precipitation where possible. The bill also included legal protections for whistleblowers, prohibiting retaliation against individuals reporting suspected violations. Unlike subsequent legislation, the fiscal note for this bill indicated that its passage would have resulted in the prohibition of the state's annual cloud seeding operations, leading to a loss of grant revenue from downstream partners,.
History
The bill was first assigned a number on January 15, 2025, and was subsequently introduced and referred to the committee focused on minerals on January 21, 2025. However, it did not receive a timely report ahead of a procedural cutoff date on February 7, 2025. Ultimately, the bill met its demise on March 3, 2025, when it was officially recorded as having died in committee and was returned, meaning it will not proceed further in the legislative process. As the bill has failed, it cannot be voted on or enacted in its current form.
- Wed 15 Jan 2025 Bill Number Assigned
- Thu 16 Jan 2025 Received for Introduction
- Tue 21 Jan 2025 Introduced and Referred to H09 - Minerals
- Fri 07 Feb 2025 No report prior to CoW Cutoff
- Mon 03 Mar 2025 H:Died in Committee Returned Bill Pursuant to HR 5-4
Bill text (Transcribed)
Wyoming : 2025 Regular Session : BILL HB0208
Atmospheric geoengineering prohibition.
Atmospheric geoengineering prohibition.
Sponsored by: Representative(s) Tarver, Brady, Campbell, K, Heiner and Rodriguez-Williams and Senator(s) Ide, McKeown and Pearson
A BILL for AN ACT relating to environmental quality; providing legislative findings; prohibiting atmospheric geoengineering as specified; requiring testing; providing penalties; making conforming amendments; specifying applicability; and providing for an effective date.
Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Wyoming:
Section 1.
(a) The legislature finds that:
(i) The federal government, its agencies and other entities acting on behalf of the federal government have conducted or will conduct geoengineering experiments by intentionally disbursing chemicals and other substances into the atmosphere. These geoengineering experiments may be occurring within the state of Wyoming;
(ii) The risks to human health and environmental safety from broad-scale geoengineering are currently not well understood;
(iii) The Wyoming department of environmental quality is responsible for monitoring air, land and water quality, including regulating emissions into the air, land and water within Wyoming to ensure the safety of the public while planning the development, use, reclamation, preservation and enhancement of the air, land and water resources of the state;
(iv) It is the intent of the legislature to protect the public health and welfare of Wyoming residents while allowing all authorized activities permitted under state law.Section 2. W.S. 35-11-2201 is created to read:ARTICLE 22 GEOENGINEERING
35-11-2201. Atmospheric engineering prohibited; testing required; retaliation prohibited.
(a) No person shall intentionally inject, release or disperse by any means any chemicals, chemical compounds, apparatus or other substances within Wyoming into the atmosphere with the express purpose of affecting or changing temperature, weather or the intensity of the sunlight.
(b) The department shall test the air quality at sites subject to geoengineering or upon receiving a report of a potential violation of subsection (a) of this section. Testing under this subsection shall, if possible, utilize transmission electron microscopy and shall determine total metals concentration in precipitation.
(c) No person or governmental entity shall retaliate or otherwise harass, discipline or discriminate against any person because the person reported, in good faith, a suspected violation of subsection (a) of this section or provided information related to an investigation of a suspected violation of subsection (a) of this section.Section 3. W.S. 35-11-103(a)(xiii) is amended to read:
35-11-103. Definitions.
(a) For the purpose of this act, unless the context otherwise requires:
(xiii) "This act" means W.S. 35-11-101 through 35-11-403, 35-11-405, 35-11-406, 35-11-408 through 35-11-1106, 35-11-1414 through 35-11-1432, 35-11-1601 through 35-11-1613, 35-11-1701, 35-11-1801 through 35-11-1803, 35-11-2001 through 35-11-2004, and 35-11-2101 and 35-11-2201.Section 4.
Nothing in this act shall be construed to impair or alter any contract or agreement that is publicly disclosed or subject to public disclosure and that is entered into with the state of Wyoming before the effective date of this act.Section 5.
This act is effective immediately upon completion of all acts necessary for a bill to become law as provided by Article 4, Section 8 of the Wyoming Constitution.-
FISCAL NOTE (HB0208)
Revenue Decrease (Non-Administrative Impact)
WATER DEVELOPMENT I FY 2026: ($570,000)
WATER DEVELOPMENT I FY 2027: ($570,000)
WATER DEVELOPMENT I FY 2028: ($570,000)
Source of revenue decrease:
The decrease in revenue would come as result of the prohibition of our annual Cloud Seeding Operations. This prohibition would result in the loss of grant money received from funding partners outside of the State’s annual appropriation. These funding partners include entities from the Lower Colorado River Basin (California’s Six Agency Committee, Central Arizona Water Conservation District, and the Southern Nevada Water Authority), the City of Cheyenne Board of Public Utilities and local southwestern Wyoming stakeholders (Green River-Rock Springs-Sweetwater County Joint Powers Water Board, Rocky Mountain Power and the Wyoming Mining Association).
Assumptions:
If the Wyoming Water Development Commission’s (WWDC) annual Cloud Seeding Operations, including the ground-based program to augment snowpack in the Colorado River Basin (Wind River and Sierra Madre Mountain Ranges) and aerial program to augment snowpack in the Medicine Bow and Sierra Madre Mountain Ranges were prohibited, the WWDC would lose the annual contributions from funding partners outside of the State’s annual appropriation. The decreased revenue would be comprised of $500,000 from entities in the Lower Colorado River Basin, $50,000 from the City of Cheyenne Board of Public Utilities and $20,000 from local southwestern Wyoming stakeholders. These are annual contributions.
Expenditure Increase (Non-Administrative Impact)
WATER DEVELOPMENT I FY 2026: $150,000
WATER DEVELOPMENT I FY 2027: $0
WATER DEVELOPMENT I FY 2028: $0
Source of Expenditure Increase:
The increased expenditure is due to the reclamation of 13 sites/stations used in WWDC’s annual ground-based Cloud Seeding Operations. A prohibition of the WWDC’s annual Cloud Seeding Operations would require the reclamation of these ground-based generator sites including the removal of equipment (scaffolding, 20-foot tower, burner assembly, tanks, batteries, satellite modem and computer boards).
Assumptions:
The latest estimates from WWDC’s contractor indicate a cost of roughly $150,000 to complete this equipment removal and reclamation of sites. The WWDC would require additional spending authority from Water Development Account I. This request for additional spending authority is included in the WWDC’s Agency Estimate of Administrative Impact indicated below.-----NOTICE - AGENCY ESTIMATE OF ADMINISTRATIVE IMPACT REQUESTED
This bill has administrative impact that appears to increase duties or responsibilities of one or more state agencies and may impact agency spending or staffing requirements. As introduced, the bill does not modify any state agency budget or current personnel authorizations.
The following state agencies will be asked to provide their estimate of the administrative fiscal impact prior to the first committee meeting held to consider the bill:
Dept. of Environmental Quality
Water Development Commission
Atmospheric geoengineering prohibition.
Atmospheric geoengineering prohibition.
Sponsored by: Representative(s) Tarver, Brady, Campbell, K, Heiner and Rodriguez-Williams and Senator(s) Ide, McKeown and Pearson
A BILL for AN ACT relating to environmental quality; providing legislative findings; prohibiting atmospheric geoengineering as specified; requiring testing; providing penalties; making conforming amendments; specifying applicability; and providing for an effective date.
Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Wyoming:
Section 1.
(a) The legislature finds that:
(i) The federal government, its agencies and other entities acting on behalf of the federal government have conducted or will conduct geoengineering experiments by intentionally disbursing chemicals and other substances into the atmosphere. These geoengineering experiments may be occurring within the state of Wyoming;
(ii) The risks to human health and environmental safety from broad-scale geoengineering are currently not well understood;
(iii) The Wyoming department of environmental quality is responsible for monitoring air, land and water quality, including regulating emissions into the air, land and water within Wyoming to ensure the safety of the public while planning the development, use, reclamation, preservation and enhancement of the air, land and water resources of the state;
(iv) It is the intent of the legislature to protect the public health and welfare of Wyoming residents while allowing all authorized activities permitted under state law.Section 2. W.S. 35-11-2201 is created to read:ARTICLE 22 GEOENGINEERING
35-11-2201. Atmospheric engineering prohibited; testing required; retaliation prohibited.
(a) No person shall intentionally inject, release or disperse by any means any chemicals, chemical compounds, apparatus or other substances within Wyoming into the atmosphere with the express purpose of affecting or changing temperature, weather or the intensity of the sunlight.
(b) The department shall test the air quality at sites subject to geoengineering or upon receiving a report of a potential violation of subsection (a) of this section. Testing under this subsection shall, if possible, utilize transmission electron microscopy and shall determine total metals concentration in precipitation.
(c) No person or governmental entity shall retaliate or otherwise harass, discipline or discriminate against any person because the person reported, in good faith, a suspected violation of subsection (a) of this section or provided information related to an investigation of a suspected violation of subsection (a) of this section.Section 3. W.S. 35-11-103(a)(xiii) is amended to read:
35-11-103. Definitions.
(a) For the purpose of this act, unless the context otherwise requires:
(xiii) "This act" means W.S. 35-11-101 through 35-11-403, 35-11-405, 35-11-406, 35-11-408 through 35-11-1106, 35-11-1414 through 35-11-1432, 35-11-1601 through 35-11-1613, 35-11-1701, 35-11-1801 through 35-11-1803, 35-11-2001 through 35-11-2004, and 35-11-2101 and 35-11-2201.Section 4.
Nothing in this act shall be construed to impair or alter any contract or agreement that is publicly disclosed or subject to public disclosure and that is entered into with the state of Wyoming before the effective date of this act.Section 5.
This act is effective immediately upon completion of all acts necessary for a bill to become law as provided by Article 4, Section 8 of the Wyoming Constitution.-
FISCAL NOTE (HB0208)
Revenue Decrease (Non-Administrative Impact)
WATER DEVELOPMENT I FY 2026: ($570,000)
WATER DEVELOPMENT I FY 2027: ($570,000)
WATER DEVELOPMENT I FY 2028: ($570,000)
Source of revenue decrease:
The decrease in revenue would come as result of the prohibition of our annual Cloud Seeding Operations. This prohibition would result in the loss of grant money received from funding partners outside of the State’s annual appropriation. These funding partners include entities from the Lower Colorado River Basin (California’s Six Agency Committee, Central Arizona Water Conservation District, and the Southern Nevada Water Authority), the City of Cheyenne Board of Public Utilities and local southwestern Wyoming stakeholders (Green River-Rock Springs-Sweetwater County Joint Powers Water Board, Rocky Mountain Power and the Wyoming Mining Association).
Assumptions:
If the Wyoming Water Development Commission’s (WWDC) annual Cloud Seeding Operations, including the ground-based program to augment snowpack in the Colorado River Basin (Wind River and Sierra Madre Mountain Ranges) and aerial program to augment snowpack in the Medicine Bow and Sierra Madre Mountain Ranges were prohibited, the WWDC would lose the annual contributions from funding partners outside of the State’s annual appropriation. The decreased revenue would be comprised of $500,000 from entities in the Lower Colorado River Basin, $50,000 from the City of Cheyenne Board of Public Utilities and $20,000 from local southwestern Wyoming stakeholders. These are annual contributions.
Expenditure Increase (Non-Administrative Impact)
WATER DEVELOPMENT I FY 2026: $150,000
WATER DEVELOPMENT I FY 2027: $0
WATER DEVELOPMENT I FY 2028: $0
Source of Expenditure Increase:
The increased expenditure is due to the reclamation of 13 sites/stations used in WWDC’s annual ground-based Cloud Seeding Operations. A prohibition of the WWDC’s annual Cloud Seeding Operations would require the reclamation of these ground-based generator sites including the removal of equipment (scaffolding, 20-foot tower, burner assembly, tanks, batteries, satellite modem and computer boards).
Assumptions:
The latest estimates from WWDC’s contractor indicate a cost of roughly $150,000 to complete this equipment removal and reclamation of sites. The WWDC would require additional spending authority from Water Development Account I. This request for additional spending authority is included in the WWDC’s Agency Estimate of Administrative Impact indicated below.-----NOTICE - AGENCY ESTIMATE OF ADMINISTRATIVE IMPACT REQUESTED
This bill has administrative impact that appears to increase duties or responsibilities of one or more state agencies and may impact agency spending or staffing requirements. As introduced, the bill does not modify any state agency budget or current personnel authorizations.
The following state agencies will be asked to provide their estimate of the administrative fiscal impact prior to the first committee meeting held to consider the bill:
Dept. of Environmental Quality
Water Development Commission