Gov. Ron DeSantis has signed controversial legislation that bans weather geoengineering and prohibits what conspiracy theorists call “chemtrails.”
The bill, sponsored by Republican Sen. Ileana Garcia, will require the Department of Environmental Protection to track and investigate complaints from residents about suspected weather modification or suspicious activity.
Beginning Oct. 1, operators of publicly owned airports must also submit monthly reports to the Florida Department of Transportation on any aircraft equipped to disperse substances with climate-altering capabilities. Any airport failing to do so would lose state funding.
“The purpose of this bill is to separate fact from fiction,” Garcia said as she supported studying the extent of existing weather modification. She argued the legislation wasn’t meant to perpetuate conspiracy theories, but add scrutiny to possibly disprove them altogether.
The bill also repeals regulations allowing cloud seeding.
Those caught breaking the law could face a $100,000 fine and a five-year sentence under a third-degree felony.
Democrats denounced the bill this Legislative Session, saying it was grounded on an irrational fear.
“This bill is feeding into conspiracy theories, and I think it’s important that we do not legislate under that type of pressure but that we legislate on science, we legislate on fact, we legislate not on fear but on information,” said Rep. Anna Eskamani, an Orlando Democrat, during the debate earlier this year.
Chemtrails conspiracy theories began circulating in the late ’90s after the U.S. Air Force published a report about weather modification.
Garcia argued her legislation was needed because she said evidence exists that proves weather modification is a long-standing and ongoing practice. She also said her office has received phone calls from residents complaining of unexplained weather phenomena and various health maladies.
“We don’t have a lot of regulations regarding airspace. We place a huge amount of emphasis on water quality control, and I think we should do the same with our air quality,” she said.
SB 56 address weather modification was one of the 13 bills DeSantis signed Friday afternoon.
–Gabrielle Russon, Florida Politics
