Hughes’s Weather Modification Ban Spares Government Contracts Already Signed

The text as introduced · 450 words

89R2207 MP-D

By: Hughes
S.B. No. 1154

A BILL TO BE ENTITLED

AN ACT

relating to a prohibition on weather and climate modification

activities by a governmental entity.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:

SECTION 1. Subchapter A, Chapter 301, Agriculture Code, is

amended by adding Section 301.002 to read as follows:

Sec. 301.002. WEATHER OR CLIMATE MODIFICATION BY

GOVERNMENTAL ENTITY PROHIBITED. (a) In this section,

"geoengineering" means the intentional injection, release, or

dispersion, by any means, of chemicals, chemical compounds,

substances, or apparatus into the atmosphere with the express

purpose of affecting temperature, weather, or the intensity of

sunlight.

(b) Notwithstanding any other law, a governmental entity

may not engage in geoengineering, weather modification and control,

or cloud-seeding operations.

SECTION 2. Section 301.057, Agriculture Code, is amended to

read as follows:

Sec. 301.057. [ CONTRACTS AND ] COOPERATIVE AGREEMENTS.

[ (a) ] The Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation may

cooperate with [ public or ] private agencies to promote the purposes

of this chapter.

[ (b) The Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation may

enter into cooperative agreements with the United States or any of

its agencies, with counties and municipalities of this state, or

with any private or public agencies for conducting weather

modification or cloud-seeding operations.

[ (c) The Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation may

represent the state, counties, municipalities, and public and

private agencies in contracting with private concerns for the

performance of weather modification or cloud-seeding operations. ]

SECTION 3. Section 301.102(a), Agriculture Code, is amended

to read as follows:

(a) The Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation by

rule, to the extent it considers exemptions practical, shall

provide for exempting the following activities from the license and

permit requirements of this chapter:

(1) research, development, and experiments conducted

by private [ state and federal agencies, ] institutions of higher

learning[ , ] and bona fide nonprofit research organizations;

(2) laboratory research and experiments;

(3) activities of an emergent nature for protection

against fire, frost, sleet, or fog; and

(4) activities normally conducted for purposes other

than inducing, increasing, decreasing, or preventing precipitation

or hail.

SECTION 4. The following provisions of the Agriculture

Code are repealed:

(1) Section 301.056;

(2) Section 301.058(b); and

(3) Chapter 302.

SECTION 5. The changes in law made by this Act apply only to

a contract entered into on or after the effective date of this Act.

A contract entered into before the effective date of this Act is

governed by the law in effect on the date the contract was entered

into, and the former law is continued in effect for that purpose.

SECTION 6. This Act takes effect September 1, 2025.