Iowa : 2025-2026 Regular Session : STUDY_BILL SSB3010
A bill for an act relating to the prohibition of geoengineering activities, providing penalties, and including effective date provisions.(See SF 2208.)
Sponsor: Sen Technology
Bill Details
A bill for an act relating to the prohibition of geoengineering activities, providing penalties, and including effective date provisions.(See SF 2208.)
GeoLawWatch Bill Summary
The bill creates a new Chapter 708C in the Iowa Code establishing criminal prohibitions on atmospheric modification activities.
Prohibited Activities: All "polluting atmospheric activity," cloud seeding, and weather engineering are prohibited unless otherwise provided by law. Using unmarked or unidentified aircraft, vehicles, or facilities for these activities is separately prohibited.
Definitions cover three main categories: cloud seeding (dispersing chemicals like silver iodide, potassium iodide, or dry ice via aircraft or ground generators); polluting atmospheric activity (deliberate discharge of irritants, contaminants, or substances including electromagnetic fields, sound waves, light pollution, microwaves, and radiation with intent to manipulate weather); and weather engineering (deliberate manipulation of the environment to change weather or climate at any scale).
Enforcement: The Department of Public Safety must immediately issue cease-and-desist orders to suspected violators. These orders carry the weight of court orders.
Penalties: Violations constitute a Class D felony, punishable by up to 5 years' imprisonment and fines of $1,025 to $10,245. Each day of continued violation is treated as a separate offence, allowing penalties to accumulate rapidly.
Effective Date: The bill takes effect immediately upon enactment rather than following standard implementation timelines.
Unusual Provisions: The definition of "polluting atmospheric activity" is exceptionally broad, encompassing electromagnetic fields, sound waves, light pollution, and microwaves when conducted with the intent to alter weather. The mandatory issuance of cease-and-desist orders on mere suspicion is also notable.
History
SSB 3010 was introduced on January 13, 2026, as a proposed committee bill sponsored by Technology Committee Chairperson McClintock. It was immediately referred to the Technology Committee and assigned to a three-member subcommittee (McClintock, Alons, and Knox) the same day. The subcommittee met on January 26 in the Senate Lounge and recommended passage.
The full Technology Committee approved the bill on February 4, 2026, at which point it was renumbered as SF 2208 for formal floor consideration. Study bills in Iowa serve as preliminary vehicles for committee development; renumbering to a Senate File indicates the bill has completed committee work and is now eligible for Senate floor debate. The session runs through April 21, 2026.
- Tue 13 Jan 2026 By COMMITTEE ON TECHNOLOGY
- Tue 13 Jan 2026 Introduced, referred to Technology.
- Tue 13 Jan 2026 Subcommittee: McClintock, Alons, and Knox.
- Wed 21 Jan 2026 Subcommittee Meeting: 01/26/2026 12:00PM Senate Lounge.
- Mon 26 Jan 2026 Subcommittee recommends passage.
- Mon 26 Jan 2026 MEETING Technology Subcommittee
- Wed 04 Feb 2026 Committee report approving bill, renumbered as SF 2208.
Consolidated Bill Text
PROPOSED COMMITTEE ON TECHNOLOGY BILL BY CHAIRPERSON McCLINTOCK
A BILL FOR
An Act relating to the prohibition of geoengineering activities, providing penalties, and including effective date provisions.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF IOWA:
Section 1. NEW SECTION. 708C.1 Definitions.
As used in this chapter:
"Cloud seeding" means a type of weather modification that attempts to change the amount or type of condensation or precipitation by dispersing chemicals, including but not limited to silver iodide, potassium iodide, and dry ice, into the air by means of aircraft or ground generators.
"Department" means the department of public safety.
"Polluting atmospheric activity" means the deliberate discharge of any solid, liquid, gaseous, or thermal irritant, contaminant, or substance, including smoke, vapor, soot, fume, aerosol plume, acid, alkali, chemical, artificially produced electric field, magnetic field, electromagnetic field, electromagnetic pulse, sound wave, sound pollution, light pollution, microwave, and all artificially produced ionizing or nonionizing radiation or waste conducted in the atmosphere that may have harmful consequences upon health, the environment, or agriculture with the intent to manipulate or alter the weather.
"Weather engineering" means the deliberate manipulation or alteration of the environment for the purpose of changing the weather or climate by artificial means, typically involving the deliberate release of polluting emissions in the atmosphere via cloud seeding, for small-scale, large-scale, and global-scale alteration of the environment.
Sec. 2. NEW SECTION. 708C.2 Prohibited acts.
A person shall not engage in polluting atmospheric activity, cloud seeding, or any other type of weather engineering, or use an unmarked or unidentified aircraft or other vehicle or facility to engage in polluting atmospheric activity, cloud seeding, or any other type of weather engineering, unless otherwise provided by law.
Sec. 3. NEW SECTION. 708C.3 Penalties and enforcement.
The department shall immediately issue a cease and desist order to a person suspected of violating section 708C.2. A cease and desist order issued under this section shall have the weight of a court order and any violation shall be punished in accordance with subsection 2.
A person who violates section 708C.2 commits a class "D" felony. A separate offense is committed by the person for each day during which the violation has been conducted, repeated, or continued.
Sec. 4. EFFECTIVE DATE. This Act, being deemed of immediate importance, takes effect upon enactment.