Bill > SB632

This bill, titled the Creating Atmospheric Intervention Oversight and Public Safety Act, establishes strict regulations and prohibitions on activities that intentionally alter the atmosphere over West Virginia, viewing the atmosphere as a vital public resource essential for health, safety, agriculture, and economic well-being. It defines "atmospheric modification" broadly to include methods like stratospheric aerosol injection (releasing particles into the upper atmosphere), cloud seeding (introducing substances to encourage precipitation), and directed-energy heating (using energy sources to raise atmospheric temperatures), and declares these activities pose unquantified risks. The bill asserts West Virginia's sovereign duty to protect its citizens and natural resources, prohibiting any entity, including artificial intelligence systems, from conducting or assisting in such modifications without state consent, and empowers the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) in conjunction with the Attorney General and law enforcement to investigate violations, collect evidence, and enforce the law. It also outlines penalties, including significant civil fines and felony charges for malicious actors, establishes a public online database for transparency, protects whistleblowers who report violations, and creates an "Atmospheric Oversight Fund" to finance these efforts, while also authorizing the Governor to negotiate interstate compacts to address transboundary atmospheric modification.

Agriculture and Natural Resources

http://www.wvlegislature.gov/Bill_Status/Bills_history.cfm?input=632&year=2026&sessiontype=RS&btype=bill