| |
| |
|
|
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. |