Arizona : 2025 Regular Session : BILL SB1432
Prohibition; geoengineering
Sponsor: Sen David Farnsworth
Bill Details
Prohibition; geoengineering
GeoLawWatch Bill Summary
Solar Radiation Management Prohibition:
- Prohibits anyone from intentionally injecting, releasing, or dispensing any chemical, substance, or device in Arizona if the goal is solar radiation management.
- This rule applies to everyone, even if other laws say otherwise.
Explicit Exception:
- Weather modification activities allowed under Title 45, Chapter 9 of Arizona law are not affected by this ban.
Definition:
- “Solar radiation management” means injecting aerosols into the stratosphere to make the atmosphere reflect more sunlight or reduce how much sunlight reaches the ground.
Enforcement and Penalties:
- The bill does not describe how the ban would be enforced.
- It does not set any civil or criminal penalties.
- No agency or authority is named to investigate violations.There is no process for citizens to file complaints.
Unusual Provisions:
- The bill keeps Arizona’s current weather modification rules in place, unlike HB 2056, which would have repealed them.
- Extremely narrow scope focusing only on solar radiation. Although it sets a ban, the bill does not include any way to enforce it. The bill requires proof that someone acted with the specific intent to engage in solar radiation management.
History
SB 1432 was introduced in the Senate on February 3, 2025, and received first reading during Arizona's First Regular Session of the 57th Legislature. The bill was immediately assigned to two committees: Senate Natural Resources (NR) and Senate Rules, and received second reading the following day, on February 4.
The bill advanced through the Senate Natural Resources Committee on February 18 with a 4-3-1-0 vote (4 yeas, 3 nays, 1 present, 0 absent), adopting a "Do Pass Amended" recommendation. The close vote and presence of one "present" vote suggest some controversy or uncertainty about the bill. The Senate Rules Committee reviewed the bill on February 24, finding it "Proper For Consideration" without a recorded vote (0-0-0-0), a procedural determination rather than a substantive endorsement.
Both party caucuses endorsed the bill on February 24-26: the Senate minority caucus voted "Do pass" on February 24, followed by the Senate majority caucus on February 26. The Senate Committee of the Whole adopted further amendments with a "Do Pass Amended" recommendation on February 27.
The full Senate passed SB 1432 on March 4, 2025, with a 16-11-3-0 vote (16 yeas, 11 nays, 3 present, 0 absent). The bill was immediately transmitted to the House the same day. The presence of three "present" votes suggests continued ambivalence among some senators even at final passage.
The House received the bill on March 12, where it was introduced, read for the first time, and assigned the same three committees as HB 2056: House Rules and Order (RO), Natural Resources, Energy and Water (NREW), and Rules. Second reading occurred on March 13. The House RO Committee reported the bill favorably on March 18 with a 3-2-0-0-0-0 vote (3 yeas, 2 nays), matching the identical vote pattern seen on HB 2056 in the same committee.
The bill's status indicates it still requires action from the NREW and Rules committees before floor consideration. The consistent 3-2 votes in the House RO Committee for both SB 1432 and HB 2056 suggest a stable but narrow coalition supporting geoengineering restrictions, though the bills take dramatically different approaches—SB 1432's minimalist prohibition versus HB 2056's comprehensive ban with aggressive enforcement.
The multiple amendments adopted during Senate consideration (in committee and Committee of the Whole) likely refined the bill's scope and clarified the exception for existing weather modification activities. The "Senate Engrossed" designation on the cover page indicates the bill text reflects all Senate-adopted amendments.
- Mon 03 Feb 2025 Introduced in Senate and read first time
- Mon 03 Feb 2025 Assigned to Senate NR Committee
- Mon 03 Feb 2025 Assigned to Senate RULES Committee
- Tue 04 Feb 2025 Senate read second time
- Tue 18 Feb 2025 Senate NR Committee action: Do Pass Amended, voting: (4-3-1-0)
- Mon 24 Feb 2025 Senate RULES Committee action: Proper For Consideration, voting: (0-0-0-0)
- Mon 24 Feb 2025 Senate minority caucus: Do pass
- Wed 26 Feb 2025 Senate majority caucus: Do pass
- Thu 27 Feb 2025 Senate Committee of the Whole action: Do Pass Amended
- Tue 04 Mar 2025 Senate third reading PASSED voting: (16-11-3-0)
- Tue 04 Mar 2025 Transmit to House
- Wed 12 Mar 2025 Introduced in House and read first time
- Wed 12 Mar 2025 Assigned to House RO Committee
- Wed 12 Mar 2025 Assigned to House NREW Committee
- Wed 12 Mar 2025 Assigned to House RULES Committee
- Thu 13 Mar 2025 House read second time
- Tue 18 Mar 2025 House RO Committee action: Do Pass, voting: (3-2-0-0-0-0)
Consolidated Bill Text
prohibition; geoengineering
State of Arizona
Senate
Fifty-seventh Legislature
First Regular Session
2025
SENATE BILL 1432
AN ACT
AMENDING TITLE 49, CHAPTER 1, ARTICLE 1, ARIZONA REVISED STATUTES, BY ADDING SECTION 49-119; RELATING TO CLIMATE MODIFICATION.
Be it enacted by the Legislature of the State of Arizona:
Section 1. Title 49, chapter 1, article 1, Arizona Revised Statutes, is amended by adding section 49-119, to read:
49-119. Geoengineering; prohibition; definition
A. NOTWITHSTANDING ANY OTHER LAW AND EXCEPT AS PROVIDED IN TITLE 45, CHAPTER 9, A PERSON MAY NOT INTENTIONALLY INJECT, RELEASE OR DISPENSE BY ANY MEANS ANY CHEMICAL, CHEMICAL COMPOUND, SUBSTANCE OR APPARATUS WITHIN THE BORDERS OF THIS STATE WITH THE EXPRESS PURPOSE OF SOLAR RADIATION MANAGEMENT.
B. FOR THE PURPOSES OF THIS SECTION, "SOLAR RADIATION MANAGEMENT" INCLUDES THE INJECTION OF STRATOSPHERIC AEROSOLS THAT INCREASE ATMOSPHERIC REFLECTIVITY OR DECREASE THE INTENSITY OF SUNLIGHT.