Minnesota : 2025-2026 Regular Session : BILL HF2310
Prior law prohibiting weather modification reenacted, and criminal penalties provided.
Sponsor: Rep Pam Altendorf & Rep Shane Mekeland & Rep Steven Jacob & Rep Tom Murphy & Rep Jeff Backer & Rep Marj Fogelman & Rep Krista Knudsen & Rep Steve Gander & Rep Joe McDonald & Rep Walter Hudson & Rep Jim Joy & Rep Keith Allen & Rep Mike Wiener & Rep Ben Davis
Bill Details
Prior law prohibiting weather modification reenacted, and criminal penalties provided.
Bill summary (AI generated)
Minnesota House File 2310 (2025-2026) I. Policy and State Authority • Policy Goal: The legislature deems it necessary to ensure public safety, human health, and environmental welfare by protecting citizens against weather modification. • Sovereign Right Claim: The state claims its sovereign right to protect its residents and their health and welfare within state boundaries and in the airspace above those boundaries. II. Key Definitions (Section 3) The bill provides specific definitions for terms used within the chapter: • Weather: This term is broadly defined to include the atmosphere, clouds, temperature, barometric pressure, wind, rain, lightning, hail, sleet, fog, frost, and intensity of sunlight. • Modification (Weather Modification): This means the performance or attempted performance of, or activity in connection with, the intentional placement, injection, release, or dispersion (by any means) of a chemical, chemical compound, substance, or apparatus into the atmosphere or clouds. • Purpose of Modification: The activity is done for the purpose of producing or attempting to produce a modifying effect on the composition, motion, or resulting behavior of the weather. This explicitly includes cloud or atmosphere seeding. • Person: The definition of "person" is expansive, covering firms, associations, companies, public or private corporations, trusts, and federal, county, city, or other public agencies. III. Prohibition and Penalties • Prohibition: A person must not engage or attempt to engage in weather modification within the state's sovereign boundaries or in the airspace above the state's boundaries. • Penalty: Any person violating this chapter is guilty of a misdemeanor. • Continuous Offense: Each day that the violation continues constitutes a separate offense. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Contextual Note: Unlike the previous bills (HF4687 and SF4630) which aimed to prohibit specific geoengineering activities (like Stratospheric Aerosol Injection) and carried a felony penalty of $500,000, HF2310 focuses on the general reenactment of prior law prohibiting weather modification, defining the violation as a misdemeanor. This approach broadly bans intentional modification of weather, including practices like cloud seeding and altering the intensity of sunlight.
History
The bill was filed in November 2024 and began its legislative journey by being assigned to several committees, including Environment and Natural Resources and Appropriations. It received a committee substitute from Environment and Natural Resources, then was moved to the Appropriations Committee, which also has the responsibility of reviewing and making adjustments to financial aspects of legislation. The bill had its first reading on March 13, 2025, and is currently still active, awaiting further committee discussions and potential votes. The next steps will involve a review by the Appropriations Committee, where members may debate and propose further amendments before it can advance to the full legislative assembly for a vote.
- Thu 13 Mar 2025 Introduction and first reading, referred to Environment and Natural Resources Finance and Policy
Bill text (Transcribed)
Minnesota : 2025-2026 Regular Session : BILL HF2310
Prior law prohibiting weather modification reenacted, and criminal penalties provided.
State of Minnesota
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
H. F. No. 2310 NINETY-FOURTH SESSION
03/13/2025 Authored by Altendorf, Mekeland, Jacob, Murphy, Backer and others
A bill for an act relating to environment; reenacting prior law prohibiting weather modification; providing criminal penalties; proposing coding for new law in Minnesota Statutes, chapter 42.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA:
Section 1. [42.15] POLICY.
The legislature finds it necessary for the state to ensure public safety, human health, and environmental welfare by protecting citizens against weather modification.
Sec. 2. [42.16] SOVEREIGN RIGHT CLAIMED BY STATE.
For the best interest of its residents, the state claims its sovereign right to ensure public safety, human health, and environmental welfare and to protect its citizens within state boundaries and in the airspace above state boundaries.
Sec. 3. [42.17] DEFINITIONS.
(a) For purposes of this chapter, the terms defined in this section have the meanings given.
(b) "Modification" means performance or attempted performance of or an activity or attempted activity in connection with the intentional placement, injection, release, or dispersion, by any means, of a chemical, a chemical compound, a substance, or an apparatus into the atmosphere or clouds within the atmosphere, including cloud or atmosphere seeding, for the purpose of producing or attempting to produce a modifying effect to the composition, motion, or resulting behavior of the weather.
(c) "Person" means a person; firm; association; organization; partnership; company; public or private corporation; trust; or federal, county, city, or other public agency.
(d) "Weather" includes but is not limited to the atmosphere, clouds within the atmosphere, temperature, barometric pressure, intensity of sunlight, wind, rain, lightning, hail, sleet, fog, and frost.
Sec. 4. [42.18] PROHIBITION.
Notwithstanding any other law to the contrary, a person must not engage or attempt to engage in weather modification within the state's sovereign boundaries or in the airspace above the state's boundaries.
Sec. 5. [42.19] PENALTY.
A person violating this chapter is guilty of a misdemeanor, and each day that the violation continues is a separate offense.
Prior law prohibiting weather modification reenacted, and criminal penalties provided.
State of Minnesota
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
H. F. No. 2310 NINETY-FOURTH SESSION
03/13/2025 Authored by Altendorf, Mekeland, Jacob, Murphy, Backer and others
A bill for an act relating to environment; reenacting prior law prohibiting weather modification; providing criminal penalties; proposing coding for new law in Minnesota Statutes, chapter 42.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA:
Section 1. [42.15] POLICY.
The legislature finds it necessary for the state to ensure public safety, human health, and environmental welfare by protecting citizens against weather modification.
Sec. 2. [42.16] SOVEREIGN RIGHT CLAIMED BY STATE.
For the best interest of its residents, the state claims its sovereign right to ensure public safety, human health, and environmental welfare and to protect its citizens within state boundaries and in the airspace above state boundaries.
Sec. 3. [42.17] DEFINITIONS.
(a) For purposes of this chapter, the terms defined in this section have the meanings given.
(b) "Modification" means performance or attempted performance of or an activity or attempted activity in connection with the intentional placement, injection, release, or dispersion, by any means, of a chemical, a chemical compound, a substance, or an apparatus into the atmosphere or clouds within the atmosphere, including cloud or atmosphere seeding, for the purpose of producing or attempting to produce a modifying effect to the composition, motion, or resulting behavior of the weather.
(c) "Person" means a person; firm; association; organization; partnership; company; public or private corporation; trust; or federal, county, city, or other public agency.
(d) "Weather" includes but is not limited to the atmosphere, clouds within the atmosphere, temperature, barometric pressure, intensity of sunlight, wind, rain, lightning, hail, sleet, fog, and frost.
Sec. 4. [42.18] PROHIBITION.
Notwithstanding any other law to the contrary, a person must not engage or attempt to engage in weather modification within the state's sovereign boundaries or in the airspace above the state's boundaries.
Sec. 5. [42.19] PENALTY.
A person violating this chapter is guilty of a misdemeanor, and each day that the violation continues is a separate offense.