West Virginia : 2025 Regular Session : BILL HB3207
Prohibition of geoengineering
Sponsor: Rep Denny Canterbury & Rep Roy Cooper
Bill Details
The purpose of this bill is to prohibit the injection, release, or dispersion, by any means, of chemicals, chemical compounds, substances, or apparatus within the borders of this state into the atmosphere with the express purpose of affecting temperature, weather, or the intensity of the sunlight.
GeoLawWatch Bill Summary
HB 3207 is substantively identical to HB 2758, proposing the same new section to West Virginia's Air Pollution Control article with only minor formatting differences.
The bill includes identical legislative findings acknowledging that the federal government, entities acting on its behalf, or non-government entities may conduct geoengineering experiments within West Virginia, and that risks from broad-scale geoengineering are not well understood. The findings note the Department of Environmental Protection's responsibility for monitoring air, soil, and water quality while not impeding agriculture or commerce.
The operative prohibition is textually identical: banning the intentional injection, release, or dispersion, by any means, of chemicals, chemical compounds, substances, or apparatus within West Virginia's borders into the atmosphere with the express purpose of affecting temperature, weather, or the intensity of sunlight.
Like HB 2758, this bill contains no enforcement mechanism, no penalties for violations, no designated enforcement agency, and no exemptions. It would take effect within 30 days of passage.
The only textual differences from HB 2758 are minor formatting changes: the legislative findings section is labelled "(a) Legislative findings:" rather than simply "(a) The Legislature finds that:" and concludes with "now, therefore," before the prohibition section—stylistic variations with no legal significance.
History
HB 3207 was introduced on March 6, 2025, by Delegates Canterbury and Cooper, marked "By Request"—indicating the bill was filed on behalf of a constituent rather than at the legislators' own initiative. This designation, combined with the bill's near-identical text to HB 2758 filed two weeks earlier, suggests coordinated advocacy efforts to advance geoengineering prohibition through multiple legislative vehicles.
Unlike HB 2758, which was referred sequentially to Energy and Public Works, then Judiciary, HB 3207 was referred only to the Committee on Energy and Public Works. The single committee referral could, in theory, provide a faster path to the floor, though it may also reflect different expectations about the bill's prospects.
As of the available record, the bill remains in committee without a scheduled hearing. With West Virginia's crossover deadline of April 2, 2025, approaching at the time of filing and the session scheduled to adjourn on April 12, 2025, both geoengineering bills faced tight timelines.
The existence of two nearly identical bills with different sponsors creates typical legislative strategy dynamics: if one bill encounters procedural obstacles or opposition, the other may still advance. However, having both bills in the same committee (Energy and Public Works) means they would likely be considered together, or one would be preferred over the other, rather than advancing independently.
- Thu 06 Mar 2025 Filed for introduction
- Thu 06 Mar 2025 To Energy and Public Works
- Thu 06 Mar 2025 Introduced in House
- Thu 06 Mar 2025 To House Energy and Public Works
Consolidated Bill Text
2025 REGULAR SESSION
Introduced
House Bill 3207
By Delegates Canterbury and Cooper
By Request
Introduced March 06, 2025; referred to the Committee on Energy and Public Works
A BILL to amend the Code of West Virginia, 1931, as amended, by adding thereto a new section, designated Section 22-5-21, relating to prohibiting the injection, release, or dispersion, by any means, of chemicals, chemical compounds, substances, or apparatus within the borders of this state into the atmosphere with the express purpose of affecting temperature, weather, or the intensity of the sunlight.
Be it enacted by the Legislature of West Virginia:
ARTICLE 5. AIR POLLUTION CONTROL.
Section 22-5-21. Prohibiting dispersion of chemicals or apparatus into the atmosphere to intentionally affect temperature, weather, or the intensity of sunlight.
(a) Legislative findings: The Legislature finds that:
(1) It is documented that the federal government or other entities acting on the federal government's behalf or at the federal government's request, or non-government entities may conduct geoengineering experiments by intentionally dispersing chemicals into the atmosphere, and those activities may occur within the state of West Virginia;
(2) The risk to human health and environmental welfare from broad scale geoengineering is currently not well understood;
(3) The West Virginia Department of Environment Protection is responsible for monitoring air, soil, and water quality, and regulating industrial and agricultural emissions into the air, soil, and water within the state to ensure the safety of the public, while not impeding agriculture or commerce within the state; and
(4) It is the intent of the Legislature to protect the public health and welfare of West Virginians while allowing all authorized activities permitted under state law; now, therefore,
(b) The intentional injection, release, or dispersion, by any means, of chemicals, chemical compounds, substances, or apparatus within the borders of this state into the atmosphere with the express purpose of affecting temperature, weather, or the intensity of the sunlight is prohibited.
(c) This act takes effect within 30 days of passage.
NOTE: The purpose of this bill is to prohibit the injection, release, or dispersion, by any means, of chemicals, chemical compounds, substances, or apparatus within the borders of this state into the atmosphere with the express purpose of affecting temperature, weather, or the intensity of the sunlight.