Floridians scared of “chemtrails” will soon have a way to voice their concerns about these streaks in the sky.
On May 6, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said he would sign (SB 56), which would prohibit “geoengineering and weather modification activities” in Florida, including cloud seeding. It’s the process of releasing tiny particles into the air to increase precipitation, a practice used in arid parts of the Southwestern United States like Utah to increase the water supply.
The Senate’s bill tracking website showed that the measure still had not been sent to the governor’s desk. He will have “seven consecutive days” to act once he receives it, under the state constitution; lawmakers extended the yearly regular session because they did not reach agreement on the state budget. They’re expected to return to Tallahassee May 12.
“Florida is not a testing ground for geoengineering,” DeSantis posted on X. “We already do not permit this type of activity, but we are going the next step to ensure it does not happen in this state.
“As soon as it reaches my desk, I will be signing the recently passed Senate Bill 56 to prohibit the release of chemicals into our skies to alter the weather or atmosphere. The Free State of Florida means freedom from governments or private actors unilaterally applying chemicals or geoengineering to people or public spaces.”
Even though the federal government has stated it does not modify the weather and that solar geoengineering is “nonexistent,” Florida’s elected officials this session backed legislation that plays into a decades-old conspiracy theory that the government is spreading chemicals in the air, in some cases to control people’s minds.
Contrails on a cool March day are seen over the skies of Melbourne, Florida.
“We have a right to know what is being introduced into our atmosphere and what the potential ramifications are,” added Sen. Ileana Garcia, R-Coral Gables, the bill’s sponsor, at an event with DeSantis in Miami. “We must demand accountability and oversight to ensure that the pursuit of technological solutions do not overcome at the expense of our health, environment and our future.”
Marla Maples, President Donald Trump’s ex-wife, advocated for the bill, Garcia said, and Maples was at the bill signing. At the start of her comments, Garcia appeared to faint after asking for a moment to sit down, but minutes later finished her speech at the lectern.
“We are sending a powerful message to the nation and the world that we prioritize the health of our environment and the right of our citizens to clean, unmanipulated skies,” she said. DeSantis called Garcia “determined” for leading the effort to pass the legislation.
What are ‘chemtrails’?
As previously reported, some believe cloud seeding, contrails and “chemtrails” are all intertwined. (The term contrail is a portmanteau of “condensation” and “trail”; chemtrail is “chemical” and “trail.”)
Contrails are the line-shaped clouds visible behind aircraft engines under certain atmospheric conditions. They happen when hot, humid air from the engines condenses into ice crystals in the cold air, the National Weather Service says. Some, however, believe these are “chemtrails,” or evidence of the government researching solar geoengineering, a theoretical practice which would modify the atmosphere to shade Earth’s surface by reflecting sunlight back into space.
Tennessee became the first state last year to enact a law banning geoengineering. Other states followed suit, including Kentucky and Arizona. Iowa also is considering it.
In Florida, the bill will prohibit: “The injection, release, or dispersion, by any means, of a chemical, a chemical compound, a substance, or an apparatus into the atmosphere within the borders of this state for the express purpose of affecting the temperature, weather, climate, or intensity of sunlight.””
It will also require the Florida Department of Environmental Protection to track complaints and information from residents with concerns about “chemtrails.”
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, or NOAA, has debunked the “chemtrail” conspiracy and other myths, like the government has the possibility to modify hurricanes. “No technology exists that can create, destroy, modify, strengthen or steer hurricanes in any way, shape or form,” NOAA says.
(This story was updated to add new information.)
Ana Goñi-Lessan, state watchdog reporter for the USA TODAY Network – Florida, can be reached at [email protected].
This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: DeSantis to ban weather modification, track ‘chemtrail’ complaints
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