Arizona : 2026 Regular Session : BILL SB1278
Solar radiation management; prohibition; enforcement.
Sponsor: Sen David Farnsworth
Bill Details
Solar radiation management; prohibition; enforcement.
GeoLawWatch Bill Summary
SB1278 creates a new section 49-119 within Title 49 (Environment) of the Arizona Revised Statutes. It is a narrowly targeted bill that prohibits only solar radiation management activities, which it defines as the modification or attempted modification of atmospheric reflectivity that modifies the amount or intensity of sunlight reaching the Earth. This is a significant narrowing from the 2025 predecessor bills (SB1432 and HB2056), which sought to ban all forms of geoengineering, including cloud seeding, weather modification, and electromagnetic radiation.
Prohibition: No person may intentionally inject, release, or dispense, or cause the injection, release, or dispensation of any material within Arizona's borders for solar radiation management. The "notwithstanding any other law" preface establishes this prohibition as overriding any conflicting state authority.
Grant funding ban: Political subdivisions of Arizona, including public universities and any private entity receiving public monies, are prohibited from providing any grants for the development of solar radiation management technologies. This provision targets research funding and could affect programs at Arizona State University and the University of Arizona studying stratospheric aerosol injection or other SRM techniques.
Citizen complaint mechanism: Any Arizona resident may file a complaint with the Attorney General alleging a violation. Complaints must include the resident's name and contact information, the dates of the alleged violation, a description of the alleged violation, including location, method, and substances used (if known), and any supporting evidence or documentation.
Attorney General enforcement: The AG is required to investigate all credible complaints and may independently investigate any conduct that the AG has reasonable suspicion of violating the section. The AG may file an action in the superior court.
Remedies: If a court finds a violation, it must award injunctive relief and reasonable attorney fees to the prevailing party. The court may also award other relief it finds necessary.
No criminal penalties: Unlike the 2025 predecessor bills, which included class 4 felony charges and a minimum $500,000 civil penalties per violation per day, SB1278 contains no criminal penalties whatsoever. Enforcement is entirely civil, through injunctions and attorney fees.
Notable absences: The bill does not affect Arizona's existing weather-control and cloud-modification licensing regime under Title 45, Chapter 9 (A.R.S. sections 45-1601 through 45-1605). Cloud seeding operations licensed by the Arizona Department of Water Resources remain lawful. The bill also drops the 2025 bills' provisions on electromagnetic radiation, two-hour emergency response requirements, public monitoring mandates, and citizen deputization.
Fiscal impact: The Senate Fact Sheet states there is no anticipated fiscal impact to the state General Fund.
History
SB1278 was introduced in the Arizona Senate on January 27, 2026 and assigned to both the Natural Resources and Rules committees. It cleared Natural Resources on February 3 with a 5-2 vote (one member absent), was deemed proper for consideration by Rules on February 9, and was placed on the consent calendar. Both the majority and minority caucuses recommended passage on February 10. The bill passed the Committee of the Whole on February 25 and was approved on third reading the same day by a 16-11 vote, with three senators absent, and was then transmitted to the House.
However, on March 3, Senator Kavanagh moved that the Senate request the House return SB1278 for reconsideration. The House agreed to the request by voice vote, and the Senate moved to reconsider the third reading. This recall effectively sidelined SB1278 in favour of its companion bill HB2042, which the Senate passed on the same day using a substitution procedure.
- Tue 27 Jan 2026 Introduced in Senate and read first time
- Tue 27 Jan 2026 Assigned to Senate NR Committee
- Tue 27 Jan 2026 Assigned to Senate RULES Committee
- Wed 28 Jan 2026 Senate read second time
- Tue 03 Feb 2026 Senate NR Committee action: Do Pass, voting: (5-2-1-0)
- Tue 03 Feb 2026 MEETING Senate Natural Resources Committee Meeting
- Mon 09 Feb 2026 Senate RULES Committee action: Proper For Consideration, voting: (0-0-0-0)
- Mon 09 Feb 2026 Senate consent calendar
- Tue 10 Feb 2026 Senate majority caucus: Do pass
- Tue 10 Feb 2026 Senate minority caucus: Do pass
- Wed 25 Feb 2026 Senate Committee of the Whole action: Do Pass
- Wed 25 Feb 2026 Senate third reading PASSED voting: (16-11-3-0)
- Wed 25 Feb 2026 Transmit to House
- Tue 03 Mar 2026 Senator Kavanagh moved that the Senate request the House of Representatives return SB 1278 which was passed by the Senate and transmitted to the House of Representatives on February 25, 2026 for the purpose of reconsideration. Motion carried.
- Tue 03 Mar 2026 House miscellaneous motion: Motion by Representative Carbone that the House accede to the request of the Senate to return SB1278 for further reconsideration. Motion Passed by vv.
- Tue 03 Mar 2026 Transmit to Senate
- Tue 03 Mar 2026 Senate motion to reconsider third reading
Consolidated Bill Text
solar radiation management; prohibition; enforcement.
State of Arizona
Senate
Fifty-seventh Legislature
Second Regular Session
2026
SENATE BILL 1278
AN ACT
AMENDING TITLE 49, CHAPTER 1, ARTICLE 1, ARIZONA REVISED STATUTES, BY ADDING SECTION 49-119; RELATING TO THE ENVIRONMENT.
Be it enacted by the Legislature of the State of Arizona:
Section 1. Title 49, chapter 1, article 1, Arizona Revised Statutes, is amended by adding section 49-119, to read:
49-119. Solar radiation management; prohibition; enforcement; definition
A. Notwithstanding any other law, a person may not intentionally inject, release or dispense or cause the injection, release or dispensation of any material within the borders of this state for solar radiation management.
B. A political subdivision of this state, including any public university or any private entity that receives public monies, may not provide any grants for the development of solar radiation management technologies.
C. Any resident of this state may submit a complaint to the attorney general alleging a violation of this section. Complaints must state the following:
1. The name and contact information of the resident who submits the complaint.
2. The date or dates the alleged violation occurred.
3. A description of the alleged violation and the location, method and substances or compounds used, if known.
4. Any applicable supporting evidence or documentation.
D. The attorney general shall investigate all credible complaints submitted to the department of law pursuant to this section.
E. The attorney general may investigate any conduct that the attorney general has reasonable suspicion to believe violates this section.
F. The attorney general may file an action in the superior court alleging a violation of this section. If the court finds a violation, the superior court shall award injunctive relief and reasonable attorney fees to the prevailing party. The superior court may award other relief as the court finds necessary.
G. For the purposes of this section, "solar radiation management" means the modification or attempted modification of atmospheric reflectivity that modifies the amount or intensity of sunlight that reaches the earth.
Supplementary documents
ARIZONA STATE SENATE
Fifty-Seventh Legislature, Second Regular Session
FACT SHEET FOR S.B. 1278
solar radiation management; prohibition; enforcement
Assigned to NR -- For Committee
Purpose
Prohibits a person from intentionally injecting, releasing or dispensing or causing the injection, release or dispensation of any material within Arizona for solar radiation management, which is the modification or attempted modification of atmospheric reflectivity that modifies the amount or intensity of sunlight that reaches the Earth.
Background
Current statute prohibits any person or public or private corporation, other than the federal or state government or their agencies from conducting weather control or cloud modification operations or attempting to artificially produce rainfall without first obtaining a license from the Arizona Department of Water Resources (ADWR). At the time of applying for the license, the applicant must pay a $100 fee and file an application in the form prescribed by the Director of ADWR. An application for a license to conduct such operations must include: 1) the name and address of the applicant; 2) the names of the operating personnel; 3) the scientific qualifications of all operating or supervising personnel; 4) a statement of all other contracts completed or in process of completion at the time the application is made; 5) the methods of operation the licensee will use and the description of the aircraft, ground and meteorological services to be utilized; and 6) the names of the contracting parties within Arizona (A.R.S. sections 45-1601 and 45-1603).
There is no anticipated fiscal impact to the state General Fund associated with this legislation.
Provisions
- Prohibits a person from intentionally injecting, releasing or dispensing or causing the injection, release or dispensation of any material within Arizona for solar radiation management.
- Defines solar radiation management as the modification or attempted modification of atmospheric reflectivity that modifies the amount or intensity of sunlight that reaches the Earth.
- Prohibits a political subdivision of Arizona, including any public university or any private entity that receives public monies, from providing any grants for the development of solar radiation management technologies.
- Allows any resident of Arizona to submit a complaint to the Attorney General (AG) alleging a solar radiation management violation that states:
- the name and contact information of the resident who submits the complaint;
- the date or dates the alleged violation occurred;
- a description of the alleged violation and the location, method and substances or compounds used, if known; and
- any applicable supporting evidence or documentation.
- Requires the AG to investigate all credible complaints submitted to the AG's Office.
- Allows the AG to investigate any conduct that the AG has reasonable suspicion to believe violates the prohibition of solar radiation management.
- Allows the AG to file an action in the superior court alleging a solar radiation management violation.
- Requires the superior court to award injunctive relief and reasonable attorney fees to the prevailing party if the court finds a violation.
- Allows the superior court to award other relief as the court finds necessary.
- Becomes effective on the general effective date.
Prepared by Senate Research
January 30, 2026
SB/NRG/hk