restricting the use of weather modification technologies to declared emergencies.
What changed between versions
The trigger for cloud seeding changed from requiring a governor's declared state of emergency for catastrophic drought (with specific criteria about risk to water supply, agriculture, public health, or economic stability) to simply requiring the state be in extreme or exceptional drought as categorized by the U.S. Drought Monitor for at least 90 days.
The environmental review is no longer a fixed 14-day process conducted by the state. Instead, the entity seeking to conduct cloud seeding must perform the review and submit it to DES, which gains the power to reject the activity if it determines harm would result.
A new Section IV requires DES to submit an annual report by April 1 to the governor, speaker of the house, and senate president detailing any cloud seeding activities from the prior calendar year (no report needed if none occurred).
The original language requiring DES to 'maintain oversight of all cloud seeding activities to ensure compliance with regulations and assess effectiveness' was removed entirely.
The public notice requirement's trigger changed from activities 'brought forth by the governor upon recommendation of DES or other agencies' to simply 'any cloud seeding activities,' broadening when notice is required.
