Which 31 states are moving to ban geoengineering?
Executive summary
A definitive roster of “31 states moving to ban geoengineering” cannot be confirmed from available reporting; coverage variously counts 22, “at least 25,” and “over 30” states with bills or proposals, and no single public source published an authoritative list of 31 named states [1] [2] [3]. Multiple outlets do, however, repeatedly name a core set of states that have introduced or passed laws restricting solar geoengineering, weather modification, or both — and three states are consistently reported as having enacted outright bans: Florida, Montana, and Tennessee [4] [5] [3].
1. What the reporters agree on: a cluster of states has acted or proposed action
Reporting converges on a widely observed phenomenon: dozens of state legislatures have either introduced bills or debated measures that would prohibit forms of solar geoengineering, weather modification or “chemtrail”-style interventions, with counts ranging from roughly 22 to more than 30 depending on the outlet and the cutoff date [1] [2] [3]. Analysts and NGOs tracking the trend note that some laws target broad categories (any atmospheric intervention), others are narrower (solar radiation modification only), and still others conflate weather modification (cloud seeding) with SRM, producing differences in what’s actually being banned [1] [6].
2. The repeatedly named states — the core list emerging across coverage
Multiple reports and state-by-state itemizations mention a recurring set of states that have introduced geoengineering-related bills in 2024–2025; sources commonly list Kentucky, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Pennsylvania, Minnesota, Arizona, Iowa, Mississippi, North Dakota, South Carolina, Utah, Wyoming, Alabama, Idaho, Indiana, Montana, New Jersey, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Texas, Vermont, West Virginia, Missouri, Maine, Tennessee, and Florida — a cluster of roughly 26–27 states frequently cited across contemporaneous articles [7] [8] [6]. That list is pieced together from reporting and legislative trackers rather than a single consolidated government roll call [7] [8].
3. States that have enacted bans vs. those merely proposing them
Three states appear consistently as having enacted prohibitions on geoengineering or related weather-modification activities: Tennessee , Montana, and Florida (with Florida’s recent bill moving through the legislature in 2025) — while many other states only have bills introduced or committee activity pending [4] [5] [3]. Federal agencies and analysts emphasize that most state measures are uneven in scope and stage: some passed chambers, others remain stalled in committee, and language differs on whether cloud seeding is included or explicitly exempted [6] [3].
4. Why counts differ and why an exact “31-state” list is unreliable in current reporting
Discrepancies stem from differing definitions (do bills banning “solar radiation modification” count the same as bills banning “weather modification” or “release of airborne chemicals”?), evolving legislative calendars, and trackers using different cut-off dates — for example, SRM360 reported 22 states considering bans as of April 2025, E&E News cited “at least 25” states around the same period, and advocacy sites claimed “over 30” measures in 2025, producing inconsistent totals [1] [2] [3]. In short, no single cited source in the reporting corpus published a verifiable list of exactly 31 states, and the situation changed rapidly as legislatures filed, amended, or stalled bills [1] [2] [3].
5. The political and misinformation context shaping these bills
Coverage flags an important context: many of the proposed bans are fueled or informed by long-standing “chemtrail” conspiracies and a broader anti-expert populist strand — factors that help explain the ideological sweep and language of some bills and the uneven legislative quality across states [2] [9]. Observers warn that poorly drafted state prohibitions could unintentionally impede benign scientific research, conflate cloud seeding with theoretical SRM, or simply create patchwork rules that do not address the global governance questions at the heart of geoengineering debates [6] [10].
6. Conclusion — what can be stated confidently
It can be stated with confidence that dozens of U.S. states have debated or proposed legislation to restrict geoengineering or weather modification — with multiple sources naming approximately 26–27 states repeatedly and three states (Florida, Montana, Tennessee) reported as having enacted bans — but the claim that precisely 31 states are “moving to ban geoengineering” is not supported by a single authoritative source among the reporting reviewed and therefore cannot be verified here [7] [4] [1].