Bill > SB665

This bill, titled "Protecting environment and humans from geoengineering and weather modification experiments," aims to safeguard West Virginia's environment and its citizens by prohibiting activities like geoengineering and weather modification within the state's borders. Geoengineering is defined broadly as the intentional manipulation of the environment through the release of substances or apparatus into the atmosphere to affect temperature, weather, climate, or sunlight intensity, and includes practices such as aerosol injection (releasing particles into the stratosphere), solar radiation modification (reflecting sunlight), and cloud seeding (introducing substances to induce precipitation). The bill asserts that these activities endanger human health, the environment, agricultural operations, and could disrupt aviation, state security, and the economy. It also states that West Virginia citizens do not consent to federal or international actions that release polluting emissions into the state's atmosphere through these means. The bill mandates that the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) investigate credible reports of geoengineering, issue orders to cease such activities, and pursue penalties. It also requires the DEP to notify federal agencies if geoengineering has been approved by them and to prohibit foreign states or international bodies from engaging in geoengineering within the state. The bill encourages public monitoring and reporting of potential geoengineering incidents and outlines significant penalties for violations, including substantial daily civil penalties and felony charges for knowingly engaging in geoengineering, with fines up to $25,000 and imprisonment for up to five years, and a minimum civil penalty of $500,000 for knowing violations.

Agriculture and Natural Resources

http://www.wvlegislature.gov/Bill_Status/Bills_history.cfm?input=665&year=2026&sessiontype=RS&btype=bill