Bill > HB1181

This bill establishes new regulations and penalties concerning weather and climate modification activities in South Dakota. It creates a "weather and climate modification monitoring fund" to cover expenses related to monitoring, investigating complaints, and enforcing penalties for prohibited activities, with funds coming from fines and other designated sources. The bill explicitly prohibits individuals or entities from releasing specific substances like aluminum, barium, strontium, sulfur dioxide, or chaff containing perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances into the atmosphere for the purpose of altering weather or climate, and imposes a minimum civil penalty of $100,000 per violation, plus $10,000 for each continuing day. The Department of Agriculture and Natural Resources will administer the fund and investigate suspected violations, establishing an online form for public reporting of such activities, and will also develop rules for investigating potential violations and monitoring compliance. Additionally, operators of public and private airports must quarterly report any aircraft equipped with devices commonly used for dispersing substances into the atmosphere, with exceptions for aerial applicators of herbicides or pesticides, and these reports will be forwarded to the Department of Agriculture and Natural Resources for potential violation referrals. The bill also mandates that grant agreements with public airports include these reporting requirements starting July 1, 2026, and the South Dakota Aeronautics Commission will create the necessary reporting forms and templates for these agreements. Finally, any business operating outside the state that intends to modify weather or climate by releasing substances into the atmosphere must provide the Secretary of State with a list of those substances.

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https://sdlegislature.gov/#/Session/Bill/26489