GeoLawWatch: Tracking Weather & Climate Legislation

Tracking weather modification, cloud seeding, and geoengineering bills in real time across the US.

Geoengineering Bills by State

Bill # Details Effective Status
2023-2024 Regular Session
HB529 Enact Atmosphere Protection Act Died in committee
Ohio's 2024 Atmosphere Protection Act takes an unusual regulatory approach by directing the Ohio EPA to establish public monitoring and reporting systems for solar radiation modification, essentially crowdsourcing detection before issuing cease-and-desist orders. The bill carries harsh penalties but notably limits its scope to SRM only, without addressing cloud seeding. Last update
Tue 21 May 2024
  Note: Remained in Energy and Natural Resources committee
2025-2026 Regular Session Session Adjourn Thu 31 Dec 2026
HB272 Regards food dyes, PFAS, fluoride, and certain substance releases 90 days Introduced
Ohio's HB 272 buries a straightforward prohibition on weather modification within an omnibus consumer protection bill covering PFAS chemicals, food dyes, and water fluoridation. The atmospheric release provision is notably modest compared to Ohio's other pending weather modification bill (HB 290), imposing misdemeanour penalties rather than felony charges, suggesting different legislative philosophies on enforcement severity even within the same chamber. Last update
Wed 14 May 2025
  Status: Held in General Government since May 2025; unlikely to proceed
HB290 Enact the Atmosphere Protection Act 90 days Introduced
Ohio's "Atmosphere Protection Act" imposes some of the harshest penalties in state weather modification legislation—a mandatory 3-year prison term and a minimum $500,000 fine under strict liability, meaning prosecutors need not prove intent. The Legislative Service Commission's own analysis notes uncertainty about what the undefined term "sunlight reflection methods" actually prohibits. Last update
Wed 21 May 2025
  Status: Held in Natural Resources since May 2025