Geoengineering Bills by State
2026 Regular Session
Adjourned Session ended Apr 15, 2026
Governor: Larry Rhoden
| Bill # | Details | Effective | Status | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
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2014 Regular Session
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| HB1064 | Repeal certain obsolete provisions and references concerning weather modification programs. | Passed | ||
| A decade before South Dakota considered banning weather modification entirely, the legislature quietly removed the authority for counties to levy dedicated taxes for cloud seeding programs—not prohibiting the activity, but eliminating one funding pathway as obsolete. |
Last update Mon 3 Mar 2014 |
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2024 Regular Session
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| SB215 | Prohibit the intentional release of polluting emissions into the atmosphere by cloud seeding, weather modification, excessive electromagnetic radio frequency and microwave radiation and providing enforcement and penalties for violations. | Died in chamber | ||
| South Dakota's 2024 geoengineering bill would have deputised county sheriffs as atmospheric enforcement agents with authority to ground aircraft, invoke the National Guard, and issue cease-and-desist orders against federal operations—while establishing two-hour emergency response requirements for citizen reports of excessive electromagnetic radiation. |
Last update Thu 8 Feb 2024 |
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2026 Regular Session
Session Adjourn Wed 15 Apr 2026
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| HB1181 | Prohibit weather and climate modification activities and provide a penalty therefor. | 1 Jul 2026 | Withdrawn | |
| South Dakota's HB 1181 takes a notably comprehensive approach by creating a dedicated enforcement fund, requiring quarterly aircraft inspections at all airports, and extending jurisdiction to businesses merely headquartered in the state, even when operations occur elsewhere. The $100,000 minimum fine plus $10,000 daily penalties represents one of the steeper civil penalty structures among similar state proposals. |
Last update Mon 2 Feb 2026 |
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| HB1271 | Prohibit weather and climate modification activities and provide a penalty therefor. | 1 Jul 2026 | Moved to 41st | |
| South Dakota's HB 1271 creates a comprehensive prohibition on atmospheric modification, with substantial civil penalties ($100,000 minimum plus $10,000/day), funded through a self-sustaining enforcement mechanism in which collected fines pay for monitoring activities. The bill is notable for requiring all airports to file quarterly reports on aircraft equipped with dispersal equipment and for attempting to reach businesses operating from outside state borders through the Secretary of State disclosure requirements. |
Last update Tue 10 Feb 2026 |
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| Note: Deferred to 41st day by House Agriculture and Natural Resources committee | ||||
| HB1294 | Prohibit geoengineering in this state. | Moved to 41st | ||
| South Dakota's HB 1294 is a bare-bones geoengineering prohibition—just six lines of text making it a felony, with no enforcement infrastructure, no funding, and a narrow definition that specifically targets climate change countermeasures rather than weather modification generally. |
Last update Thu 12 Feb 2026 |
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| Note: House Agriculture and Natural Resources moved to 41st day | ||||
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