GeoLawWatch: Tracking Weather & Climate Legislation

Bill summary (AI generated)

The bill establishes the Rhode Island Clean Air Preservation Act aimed at prohibiting harmful atmospheric experimentation and interventions. It outlines a regulatory framework to prevent the release of pollutants, specifically targeting activities that include solar radiation modification (SRM), sunlight reflection methods, solar radiation management, geoengineering, cloud seeding, and other atmospheric modifications deemed harmful.

Key provisions of the bill include:

1. **Definitions**: The act defines various terms related to atmospheric activities, pollutants, and the roles of authorities, including the Rhode Island state police and Air National Guard in overseeing compliance and safety.
  
2. **Banned Activities**: The bill explicitly prohibits:
   - Solar radiation modification 
   - Sunlight reflection methods
   - Solar radiation management
   - Cloud seeding
   - Weather modification
   - Other polluting atmospheric experiments and interventions
   
3. **Enforcement and Penalties**: It sets forth serious penalties for violators, including fines of not less than $500,000 and potential imprisonment for up to five years. This emphasizes the act's strict approach to ensuring public health and environmental safety.

4. **Compliance Measures**: The legislation requires governmental and military projects to adhere to its mandates, with authority granted to state police to enforce compliance through investigations into potential violations.

5. **Effective Date**: The bill is set to take effect upon its passage. 

Overall, the act seeks to protect public health from the risks associated with various forms of atmospheric pollution, as identified by several scientific observations on the impacts of these interventions.