Vermont : 2025-2026 Regular Session : BILL H0217
An act relating to prohibiting geoengineering
Sponsor: Rep Gregory Burtt & Rep Carolyn Branagan & Rep Voranus Coffin IV & Rep Jonathan Cooper & Rep Joshua Dobrovich & Rep Kenneth Goslant & Rep Zachary Harvey & Rep Mark Higley & Rep Jed Lipsky & Rep Leland Morgan & Rep Richard Nelson & Rep Robert North & Rep John O'Brien & Rep Debra Powers & Rep Christopher Pritchard & Rep Michael Southworth & Rep Shawn Sweeney & Rep Michael Tagliavia & Rep Kenneth Wells & Rep Kevin Winter
Bill Details
An act relating to prohibiting geoengineering
GeoLawWatch Bill Summary
Prohibitions:
- Prohibits solar radiation modification (SRM), cloud seeding, geoengineering, and any "polluting atmospheric interventions" in Vermont or its airspace.
- The ban covers activities using aircraft, balloons, space platforms, ground generators, or connected ground facilities.
- The rules apply to all individuals, organisations, governments, and artificial intelligence.
Enforcement Mechanisms:
- If there is a suspected illegal atmospheric intervention, Vermont State Police or sheriffs are responsible for quickly issuing a cease-and-desist order to stop the activity.
- These cease-and-desist orders have the same authority as court orders.
- State Police and sheriffs investigate suspected violations and determine whether one has occurred.
- If additional support is needed, State Police or sheriffs may report possible violations to the Vermont Air National Guard or the State Guard for assistance.
- The State Police and the Air National Guard are required to collaborate on developing a coordinated enforcement policy and set of procedures.
- Each sheriff must deputise and train Vermont citizens as auxiliary enforcers who assist only under the sheriff's direct supervision.
Penalties:
- Violations are felonies punishable by up to $50,000 per day, up to two years in prison, or both.
- Each day a violation continues is considered a separate offence, subject to the same penalties.
- Violators may also face additional penalties under other applicable pollution laws.
Unusual Provisions:
- Facility owners must pay for independent RF engineers to evaluate their communications facilities.
- Radiation signal strength is limited to -75 dBm or 0.1 watt of adequate radiated power.
- Facilities that do not comply may be fined up to $50,000 per day per violation, consistent with the other penalties described.
- If the federal government approves an activity, State Police or the sheriff must tell the federal agency that the activity is not allowed in Vermont.
- Artificial intelligence is included explicitly as a regulated entity and as a possible actor in atmospheric activity.
History
H.217 was introduced on February 13, 2025, by a coalition of twenty representatives led by Representative Burtt of Cabot. The bill received its first reading the same day and was referred to the Committee on Environment, where it currently resides.
Vermont's 2025 regular session ran from January 8 through June 17, 2025, with the legislature carrying over pending bills to the 2026 session, which began January 6, 2026 and is scheduled to adjourn May 8, 2026. As a carryover bill, H.217 remains alive in committee without requiring reintroduction. The bill has seen no further action since its initial referral, suggesting it may face an uphill path to advancement given the limited time remaining in the biennium.
- Thu 13 Feb 2025 Read first time and referred to the Committee on Environment
Consolidated Bill Text
Introduced by Representatives Burtt of Cabot, Branagan of Georgia, Coffin of Cavendish, Cooper of Pownal, Dobrovich of Williamstown, Goslant of Northfield, Harvey of Castleton, Higley of Lowell, Lipsky of Stowe, Morgan, L. of Milton, Nelson of Derby, North of Ferrisburgh, O'Brien of Tunbridge, Powers of Waterford, Pritchard of Pawlet, Southworth of Walden, Sweeney of Shelburne, Tagliavia of Corinth, Wells of Brownington, and Winter of Ludlow
Subject: Conservation and development; air pollution; geoengineering
Statement of purpose of bill as introduced: This bill proposes to prohibit the use of solar radiation modification, cloud seeding, geoengineering, and other polluting atmospheric experiments and interventions. It would require reports of violations to be made to the Vermont State Police, sheriffs, or deputized Vermont citizens to enforce the provisions.
An act relating to prohibiting geoengineering
It is hereby enacted by the General Assembly of the State of Vermont:
Sec. 1. SHORT TITLE
This act may be cited as the "Vermont Clean Air Preservation Act."
Sec. 2. 10 V.S.A. chapter 23A is added to read:
CHAPTER 23A. GEOENGINEERING
Section 587. DEFINITIONS
As used in this chapter:
(1) "Atmospheric activity" means any polluting experiment or intervention conducted by any person, artificial intelligence, or any combination thereof, that occurs in the atmosphere and may have harmful consequences upon health, the environment, or agriculture.
(2) "Chaff" means aluminum-coated silica glass fibers typically dispersed in bundles containing 5,000,000 to 100,000,000 inhalable fibers, which fall to the ground in about one day, or for nano-chaff, years, and then fall and break apart. Perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), known also as "forever chemicals," are an ingredient in chaff.
(3) "Cloud seeding" is a type of weather engineering or experimentation that may change the amount or type of precipitation by dispersing chemicals or chemical compounds such as dry ice (CO2), silver iodide (AgI), or Tri-methyl aluminum (TMA) into the atmosphere by means of aircraft or ground generators.
(4) "Entity" means any of the following: individual; trust; firm; joint stock company; corporation, including a quasigovernmental corporation; nongovernmental organization; public or private partnership; association; syndicate; municipality or municipal agency; program; fire district; club; nonprofit agency; commission; university; college or academic institution; State department or agency; the federal government or any interstate or international governance or instrumentality thereof, including foreign, domestic, and mercenary armed services or region within the United States; and artificial intelligence.
(5) "Geoengineering" means the intentional large-scale alteration or manipulation of the environment involving the release of aerosols, chemicals, chemical compounds, electromagnetic radiation, or other physical agents that increase air pollution and effect changes to the earth's atmosphere or surface, inclusive of solar radiation modification, sunlight reflection methods, stratospheric aerosol injection (SAI), cirrus cloud thinning (CCT), marine cloud brightening (MCB), or cloud seeding.
(6) "Hazard" means a process, substance, or physical agent that by its nature is harmful to living organisms generally or to property or another interest of value.
(7) "Intervention" means the act of interfering with weather processes or altering atmospheric or environmental conditions or releasing pollutants by methods including SRM, SAI, MCB, CCT, weather modification, cloud seeding, or outdoor pollution dispersion modeling.
(8) "Physical agent" means an agent, other than a substance, including radiofrequency/microwave (RF/MW) and other electromagnetic radiation and fields, barometric pressure, temperature, gravity, kinetic or de facto weaponry, mechanical vibration, and sound.
(9) "Pollutant" means any aerosol; biologic; biologic or genetically modified agent; perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) known also as "forever chemicals"; chaff; substance, including smoke, vapor, soot, fumes, acid, alkalis, chemicals, chemical compounds, and smart dust; artificially produced electric fields; magnetic fields, electromagnetic fields, electromagnetic pulse (EMP), sound waves, sound pollution, light pollution, and microwaves; and all artificially produced ionizing or nonionizing radiation or waste.
(10) "Pollution" means the discharge, dispersal, deposition, injection, release, seepage, migration, or escape of pollutants.
(11) "Release" means any activity that results in the issuance of pollutants such as the emitting, transmitting, discharging, or injecting of one or more nuclear; biological; biological, chemical, or physical agents into the ambient atmosphere, whether once, intermittently, or continuously.
(12) "Solar radiation modification," "sunlight reflection methods," or "SRM" means an experiment in the earth's climatic system involving the release of pollutants that reduces the amount of sunlight reaching the earth's surface. Scientific dimensions of SRM include the use of interoperable ground-based, airborne, and space-based facilities.
(13) "State Guard" means the entity established pursuant to 20 V.S.A. chapter 61.
(14) "Weather engineering" means the deliberate manipulation or alteration of the environment for the purpose of changing the weather or climate by artificial means, through interventions involving the release of pollutants into the atmosphere via cloud seeding for small-scale, large-scale, and global-scale alteration of the environment.
(15) "Weather modification" means changing, controlling, or interfering with or attempting to change, control, or interfere with the natural development of cloud forms, precipitation, barometric pressure, temperature, conductivity, or other electromagnetic or sonic characteristics of the atmosphere.
Section 588. PROHIBITION ON GEOENGINEERING
(a) No person or entity shall engage in solar radiation modification (SRM) or any polluting atmospheric intervention in Vermont, including using an aircraft, a balloon, a space-based platform, a ground generator, or an interoperable ground-based facility.
(b) The Vermont State Police or a sheriff shall immediately issue a cease-and-desist order when an unlawful polluting atmospheric intervention is suspected. The cease-and-desist order under this section shall have the weight of a court order and any violation shall be punished in accordance with section 589a of this chapter.
(c) Government and armed forces projects shall meet all the requirements of this chapter. If an activity deemed a hazard pursuant to this chapter has been approved, explicitly or implicitly, by the federal government, the State Police or a sheriff shall issue a notice to the appropriate federal agency that the activity cannot lawfully be carried out within or over the State of Vermont.
(d) This chapter shall be implemented by the State Police and sheriffs, who shall determine whether violations have occurred and, if deemed necessary, shall refer potentially prohibited activity to the Vermont Air National Guard or State Guard. The State Police and the Vermont Air National Guard shall develop a policy to determine the process for referring violations to the National Guard and what the enforcement procedure is.
Section 589. COMMUNICATIONS INFRASTRUCTURE
(a) Communications facilities shall be subject to evaluation by an independent licensed radiofrequency (RF) engineer paid for by the facility owner because SRM includes the use of interoperable ground-based, airborne, and space-based facilities and heightened radiation levels.
(b) The RF engineer shall provide findings in a report to be submitted to the local sheriff. The radiation signal strength metered at the reported location is not to exceed -75 dBm (decibel-milliwatt) for any frequency or channel band specified by a transmitting entity's FCC transmission license; or, maximum power output limit from all frequencies or antennas from a wireless facility is not to exceed 0.1 watt of effective radiated power (ERP) so as to provide -75 dBm signal strength at one-half mile, or five bars on a cell phone. If signal strength metered by the RF engineer is in excess of -75 dBm, the facility operator has 30 days to achieve compliance without disruption to performance of Vermonters' personal wireless services. The State Police shall perform random testing from time to time to ensure facility compliance with this chapter. Failure to comply will result in a fine of not more than $50,000.00 per day for each day the facility is out of compliance. Deliberate falsification or altering of information related to this section shall constitute a violation of this chapter. All public and private entities operating in the state shall comply with the requirements of this section.
Section 589a. PENALTIES AND ENFORCEMENT
(a) An entity or individual who engages in a polluting atmospheric intervention or who uses an unmarked or unidentified aircraft or other vehicle or facility to carry out SRM, SAI, geoengineering, weather modification, cloud-seeding, or any other polluting atmospheric intervention:
(1) has committed a felony and shall pay a fine of not more than $50,000.00 or be imprisoned for not more than two years, or both;
(2) shall be guilty of a separate offense for each day during which violative activity has been conducted, repeated, or continued; and
(3) shall be subject to the penalties of any other applicable pollution laws.
(b) Each sheriff shall deputize and train one or more Vermont citizens to help enforce the provisions of this chapter. The State Police, sheriff, or a deputized Vermont citizen shall investigate reports of SRM, polluting atmospheric interventions, or radiation to ensure compliance with the requirements of this chapter.
Sec. 3. EFFECTIVE DATE
This act shall take effect on passage.
Subject: Conservation and development; air pollution; geoengineering
Statement of purpose of bill as introduced: This bill proposes to prohibit the use of solar radiation modification, cloud seeding, geoengineering, and other polluting atmospheric experiments and interventions. It would require reports of violations to be made to the Vermont State Police, sheriffs, or deputized Vermont citizens to enforce the provisions.
An act relating to prohibiting geoengineering
It is hereby enacted by the General Assembly of the State of Vermont:
Sec. 1. SHORT TITLE
This act may be cited as the "Vermont Clean Air Preservation Act."
Sec. 2. 10 V.S.A. chapter 23A is added to read:
CHAPTER 23A. GEOENGINEERING
Section 587. DEFINITIONS
As used in this chapter:
(1) "Atmospheric activity" means any polluting experiment or intervention conducted by any person, artificial intelligence, or any combination thereof, that occurs in the atmosphere and may have harmful consequences upon health, the environment, or agriculture.
(2) "Chaff" means aluminum-coated silica glass fibers typically dispersed in bundles containing 5,000,000 to 100,000,000 inhalable fibers, which fall to the ground in about one day, or for nano-chaff, years, and then fall and break apart. Perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), known also as "forever chemicals," are an ingredient in chaff.
(3) "Cloud seeding" is a type of weather engineering or experimentation that may change the amount or type of precipitation by dispersing chemicals or chemical compounds such as dry ice (CO2), silver iodide (AgI), or Tri-methyl aluminum (TMA) into the atmosphere by means of aircraft or ground generators.
(4) "Entity" means any of the following: individual; trust; firm; joint stock company; corporation, including a quasigovernmental corporation; nongovernmental organization; public or private partnership; association; syndicate; municipality or municipal agency; program; fire district; club; nonprofit agency; commission; university; college or academic institution; State department or agency; the federal government or any interstate or international governance or instrumentality thereof, including foreign, domestic, and mercenary armed services or region within the United States; and artificial intelligence.
(5) "Geoengineering" means the intentional large-scale alteration or manipulation of the environment involving the release of aerosols, chemicals, chemical compounds, electromagnetic radiation, or other physical agents that increase air pollution and effect changes to the earth's atmosphere or surface, inclusive of solar radiation modification, sunlight reflection methods, stratospheric aerosol injection (SAI), cirrus cloud thinning (CCT), marine cloud brightening (MCB), or cloud seeding.
(6) "Hazard" means a process, substance, or physical agent that by its nature is harmful to living organisms generally or to property or another interest of value.
(7) "Intervention" means the act of interfering with weather processes or altering atmospheric or environmental conditions or releasing pollutants by methods including SRM, SAI, MCB, CCT, weather modification, cloud seeding, or outdoor pollution dispersion modeling.
(8) "Physical agent" means an agent, other than a substance, including radiofrequency/microwave (RF/MW) and other electromagnetic radiation and fields, barometric pressure, temperature, gravity, kinetic or de facto weaponry, mechanical vibration, and sound.
(9) "Pollutant" means any aerosol; biologic; biologic or genetically modified agent; perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) known also as "forever chemicals"; chaff; substance, including smoke, vapor, soot, fumes, acid, alkalis, chemicals, chemical compounds, and smart dust; artificially produced electric fields; magnetic fields, electromagnetic fields, electromagnetic pulse (EMP), sound waves, sound pollution, light pollution, and microwaves; and all artificially produced ionizing or nonionizing radiation or waste.
(10) "Pollution" means the discharge, dispersal, deposition, injection, release, seepage, migration, or escape of pollutants.
(11) "Release" means any activity that results in the issuance of pollutants such as the emitting, transmitting, discharging, or injecting of one or more nuclear; biological; biological, chemical, or physical agents into the ambient atmosphere, whether once, intermittently, or continuously.
(12) "Solar radiation modification," "sunlight reflection methods," or "SRM" means an experiment in the earth's climatic system involving the release of pollutants that reduces the amount of sunlight reaching the earth's surface. Scientific dimensions of SRM include the use of interoperable ground-based, airborne, and space-based facilities.
(13) "State Guard" means the entity established pursuant to 20 V.S.A. chapter 61.
(14) "Weather engineering" means the deliberate manipulation or alteration of the environment for the purpose of changing the weather or climate by artificial means, through interventions involving the release of pollutants into the atmosphere via cloud seeding for small-scale, large-scale, and global-scale alteration of the environment.
(15) "Weather modification" means changing, controlling, or interfering with or attempting to change, control, or interfere with the natural development of cloud forms, precipitation, barometric pressure, temperature, conductivity, or other electromagnetic or sonic characteristics of the atmosphere.
Section 588. PROHIBITION ON GEOENGINEERING
(a) No person or entity shall engage in solar radiation modification (SRM) or any polluting atmospheric intervention in Vermont, including using an aircraft, a balloon, a space-based platform, a ground generator, or an interoperable ground-based facility.
(b) The Vermont State Police or a sheriff shall immediately issue a cease-and-desist order when an unlawful polluting atmospheric intervention is suspected. The cease-and-desist order under this section shall have the weight of a court order and any violation shall be punished in accordance with section 589a of this chapter.
(c) Government and armed forces projects shall meet all the requirements of this chapter. If an activity deemed a hazard pursuant to this chapter has been approved, explicitly or implicitly, by the federal government, the State Police or a sheriff shall issue a notice to the appropriate federal agency that the activity cannot lawfully be carried out within or over the State of Vermont.
(d) This chapter shall be implemented by the State Police and sheriffs, who shall determine whether violations have occurred and, if deemed necessary, shall refer potentially prohibited activity to the Vermont Air National Guard or State Guard. The State Police and the Vermont Air National Guard shall develop a policy to determine the process for referring violations to the National Guard and what the enforcement procedure is.
Section 589. COMMUNICATIONS INFRASTRUCTURE
(a) Communications facilities shall be subject to evaluation by an independent licensed radiofrequency (RF) engineer paid for by the facility owner because SRM includes the use of interoperable ground-based, airborne, and space-based facilities and heightened radiation levels.
(b) The RF engineer shall provide findings in a report to be submitted to the local sheriff. The radiation signal strength metered at the reported location is not to exceed -75 dBm (decibel-milliwatt) for any frequency or channel band specified by a transmitting entity's FCC transmission license; or, maximum power output limit from all frequencies or antennas from a wireless facility is not to exceed 0.1 watt of effective radiated power (ERP) so as to provide -75 dBm signal strength at one-half mile, or five bars on a cell phone. If signal strength metered by the RF engineer is in excess of -75 dBm, the facility operator has 30 days to achieve compliance without disruption to performance of Vermonters' personal wireless services. The State Police shall perform random testing from time to time to ensure facility compliance with this chapter. Failure to comply will result in a fine of not more than $50,000.00 per day for each day the facility is out of compliance. Deliberate falsification or altering of information related to this section shall constitute a violation of this chapter. All public and private entities operating in the state shall comply with the requirements of this section.
Section 589a. PENALTIES AND ENFORCEMENT
(a) An entity or individual who engages in a polluting atmospheric intervention or who uses an unmarked or unidentified aircraft or other vehicle or facility to carry out SRM, SAI, geoengineering, weather modification, cloud-seeding, or any other polluting atmospheric intervention:
(1) has committed a felony and shall pay a fine of not more than $50,000.00 or be imprisoned for not more than two years, or both;
(2) shall be guilty of a separate offense for each day during which violative activity has been conducted, repeated, or continued; and
(3) shall be subject to the penalties of any other applicable pollution laws.
(b) Each sheriff shall deputize and train one or more Vermont citizens to help enforce the provisions of this chapter. The State Police, sheriff, or a deputized Vermont citizen shall investigate reports of SRM, polluting atmospheric interventions, or radiation to ensure compliance with the requirements of this chapter.
Sec. 3. EFFECTIVE DATE
This act shall take effect on passage.