Republicans consider prohibiting weather engineering in Iowa

DES MOINES, Iowa (KGAN) — The House is moving forward with a bill that would ban cloud seeding in Iowa.

That is the process of releasing particles into the atmosphere to alter the weather.

FILE – A pedestrian navigates a snow-covered sidewalk on Jan. 9, 2024 in Iowa City, Iowa. (Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images)

For example, the company Rainmaker does cloud seeding to “end water scarcity” by inducing rain or snow.

There’s no evidence of widespread use in Iowa but GOP lawmakers said its already happening in other states.

“I think without any sort of clear oversight or regulation that would be a mistake,” State Rep. Jeff Shipley said. “From the public feedback that I’ve gotten, the public is very interested in many aspects of this topic and they just want a complete prohibition and maybe in years in the future we could revisit this topic, the technology is a little bit more developed. If Iowa does encounter problems with drought or things of that nature, maybe we could revisit this topic.”

Both chambers are moving forward with their own proposals however, both bills would charge someone with a class D felony if they violated the provision.

According to Rainmaker’s website, they can’t make clouds but can increase local rain or snowfall.

“Currently, Rainmaker seeds with silver iodide, a well-researched compound that has been used for decades in cloud seeding programs in Utah, Idaho, Wyoming, California, and other locations,” Rainmaker’s website states. “To date, no research demonstrates any negative effect of silver iodide from cloud seeding on human health or the natural environment.”