Bill > H7422

This bill, titled "The Rhode Island Clean Air Preservation Act," establishes a comprehensive regulatory framework to prohibit various forms of atmospheric experimentation deemed polluting, including solar radiation management (SRM), which involves releasing substances to reduce sunlight reaching Earth, and weather modification techniques like cloud seeding, which disperses chemicals to alter precipitation. The act defines these activities broadly to encompass any deliberate atmospheric experiment or intervention by humans, artificial intelligence (AI), or machines that could harm health, the environment, wildlife, or agriculture, and specifies a wide range of potential "atmospheric contaminants" such as aerosols, chemicals, and electromagnetic radiation. It mandates that the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management (DEM) Division of Law Enforcement (DLE) and the State Police (RISP) investigate suspected violations, issue cease-and-desist orders with the weight of a court order, and potentially involve the Rhode Island Air National Guard (RI ANG) in interdicting and documenting violations, with penalties for non-compliance including significant fines and imprisonment, and the act is set to take effect on August 1, 2026.