Tennessee bill seeks to ban chemical-based weather modification
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WDEF) — Tennessee lawmakers have introduced a bill that would ban the release of chemicals into the atmosphere to alter temperature, weather or sunlight intensity.
Several news outlets have targeted this bill, claiming it relates to a conspiracy theory about chemtrails. Chemtrails are defined as long-lasting contrails from airplanes created from harmful chemicals or biological agents.
The Tennessee Senate passed SB 2691/HB2063 on Monday, March 18.
The bill is related to environmental preservation, according to lawmakers.
If the bill passes the House, SB 2691 will prohibit “the intentional injection, release, or dispersion, by any means, of chemicals, chemical compounds, substances, or apparatus within the borders of this state into the atmosphere with the express purpose of affecting temperature, weather, or the intensity of the sunlight.”
If passed, it will prohibit actions such as cloud seeding.
According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, cloud seeding is the injection of silver iodide into clouds via pyrotechnics. Cloud seeding is meant to create rainfall or snowfall in clouds that otherwise would not produce precipitation. It is a form of weather modification, introduced in the 1940s and 50s.
The Desert Research Institute in Nevada explains that cloud seeding “can be done from ground-based generators or aircraft.”
Long-term exposure to silver iodide may cause argyria, which turns the skin a gray or blue color, according to the CDC. They do not believe this condition to be otherwise harmful.
Currently, cloud seeding operations are taking place in Nevada, Colorado and California.
The bill will also prohibit types of solar geoengineering, which is meant to combat climate change.
Harvard’s Solar Geoengineering Research Program explains, “Solar geoengineering seeks to reflect a small fraction of sunlight back into space or increase the amount of solar radiation that escapes back into space to cool the planet.”
Their website states there are several solar geoengineering techniques. One of those is stratospheric aerosol scattering.
The NOAA Chemical Sciences Laboratory states that this practice involves injecting sulfur dioxide straight into the atmosphere.
Sulfur dioxide can cause respiratory health issues, the Environmental Protection Agency explains. The EPA states these particles “may penetrate deeply into the lungs and in sufficient quantity can contribute to health problems.”
In June 2023, the Biden Administration released a report on the United States’ research on solar geoengineering.
The bill has been placed on the Agriculture and Natural Resources Committee’s agenda for Wednesday, March 27.
