GeoLawWatch Open Legislation 11
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WVBillHB3207Sine die

Prohibition of geoengineering

  1. Introduced
  2. Passed one chamber
  3. Passed both chambers
  4. Passed

West Virginia's second geoengineering prohibition bill of 2025 is a near-verbatim duplicate of the first, filed two weeks later by different sponsors, "By Request"—suggesting constituent-driven introduction of identical legislation through multiple channels to maximise advancement opportunities.

Our 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.

Official description

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.

Legislative history

  1. To House Energy and Public Works
  2. Introduced in House
  3. To Energy and Public Works
  4. Filed for introduction

Additional documents

Bill text 
WEST VIRGINIA LEGISLATURE
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.