New Texas Bill Would Ban Geoengineering, Weather Modification Activities: SB 1154

But existing contracts are unaffected.

A new bill, Texas Senate Bill 1154, sponsored by Senator Bryan Hughes (R-Mineola), aims to ban governmental weather and climate modification activities, commonly referred to as geoengineering.

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Tennessee Governor Bill Lee (R) signed similar legislation into law in April 2024, though the state claims Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) laws prevent them from enforcing the rule.

Weather-manipulating trails are still being released from airplanes over Tennessee, despite the bill becoming law.

The Texas legislation will need to address this federal roadblock, possibly citing the 10th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution to assert state sovereignty over powers not explicitly granted to the federal government.

It would also need to address the possibility that the sun- and sky-blcking trails are caused by jet emissions, not independent spray apparatuses.

Otherwise, it will be as ineffective as Tennessee’s efforts.

The new Texas bill defines geoengineering as “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.”

Introduced on February 6, 2025, SB 1154 explicitly states, “Notwithstanding any other law, a governmental entity may not engage in geoengineering, weather modification and control, or cloud-seeding operations.”

SB 1154 significantly amends existing law by limiting the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation (TDLR).

Specifically, the bill now states, “The Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation may cooperate with private agencies to promote the purposes of this chapter,” explicitly repealing provisions that allowed TDLR to “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.”

Notably, SB 1154 includes a significant provision exempting past contracts from these new restrictions, stating:

“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.”

The bill maintains exemptions for “research, development, and experiments conducted by private institutions of higher learning and bona fide nonprofit research organizations,” explicitly removing previous exemptions extended to state and federal agencies.

Additionally, the bill repeals Chapter 302 and Sections 301.056 and 301.058(b) of the Agriculture Code, which previously governed weather modification licensing and state participation in weather modification projects.

SB 1154 has been referred to the Natural Resources Committee and, if passed, will become effective on September 1, 2025.

This legislation reflects similar actions in other states and represents increasing scrutiny over government involvement in weather modification practices, although the exemption for existing contracts raises concerns about its immediate practical impact.

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