Senate Study Bill 3010 - Introduced SENATE FILE _____ BY (PROPOSED COMMITTEE ON TECHNOLOGY BILL BY CHAIRPERSON McCLINTOCK) A BILL FOR An Act relating to the prohibition of geoengineering 1 activities, providing penalties, and including effective 2 date provisions. 3 BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF IOWA: 4 TLSB 5362XC (3) 91 sb/js
S.F. _____ Section 1. NEW SECTION . 708C.1 Definitions. 1 As used in this chapter: 2 1. “Cloud seeding” means a type of weather modification 3 that attempts to change the amount or type of condensation 4 or precipitation by dispersing chemicals, including but not 5 limited to silver iodide, potassium iodide, and dry ice, into 6 the air by means of aircraft or ground generators. 7 2. “Department” means the department of public safety. 8 3. “Polluting atmospheric activity” means the deliberate 9 discharge of any solid, liquid, gaseous, or thermal irritant, 10 contaminant, or substance, including smoke, vapor, soot, 11 fume, aerosol plume, acid, alkali, chemical, artificially 12 produced electric field, magnetic field, electromagnetic field, 13 electromagnetic pulse, sound wave, sound pollution, light 14 pollution, microwave, and all artificially produced ionizing or 15 nonionizing radiation or waste conducted in the atmosphere that 16 may have harmful consequences upon health, the environment, or 17 agriculture with the intent to manipulate or alter the weather. 18 4. “Weather engineering” means the deliberate manipulation 19 or alteration of the environment for the purpose of changing 20 the weather or climate by artificial means, typically 21 involving the deliberate release of polluting emissions in the 22 atmosphere via cloud seeding, for small-scale, large-scale, and 23 global-scale alteration of the environment. 24 Sec. 2. NEW SECTION . 708C.2 Prohibited acts. 25 A person shall not engage in polluting atmospheric activity, 26 cloud seeding, or any other type of weather engineering, or 27 use an unmarked or unidentified aircraft or other vehicle or 28 facility to engage in polluting atmospheric activity, cloud 29 seeding, or any other type of weather engineering, unless 30 otherwise provided by law. 31 Sec. 3. NEW SECTION . 708C.3 Penalties and enforcement. 32 1. The department shall immediately issue a cease and desist 33 order to a person suspected of violating section 708C.2. A 34 cease and desist order issued under this section shall have the 35 -1- LSB 5362XC (3) 91 sb/js 1/ 2
S.F. _____ weight of a court order and any violation shall be punished in 1 accordance with subsection 2. 2 2. A person who violates section 708C.2 commits a class “D” 3 felony. A separate offense is committed by the person for each 4 day during which the violation has been conducted, repeated, 5 or continued. 6 Sec. 4. EFFECTIVE DATE. This Act, being deemed of immediate 7 importance, takes effect upon enactment. 8 EXPLANATION 9 The inclusion of this explanation does not constitute agreement with 10 the explanation’s substance by the members of the general assembly. 11 This bill relates to geoengineering by creating penalties 12 and enforcement procedures for persons engaging in such 13 practices. A person who engages in polluting atmospheric 14 activity, cloud seeding, or weather engineering with the intent 15 to manipulate or alter the weather commits a class “D” felony. 16 A class “D” felony is punishable by confinement for no more 17 than five years and a fine of at least $1,025, but not more 18 than $10,245. Each day the person violates this restriction 19 is treated as a separate offense. Additionally, if these 20 practices are suspected, the department of public safety (DPS) 21 is authorized to issue the suspected person a cease and desist 22 letter having the weight of a court order. 23 The bill takes effect upon enactment. 24 -2- LSB 5362XC (3) 91 sb/js 2/ 2