Air Quality Act
Sponsored By: Representative Steube
Introduced
Summary
This bill would create a nationwide ban on weather modification in the United States and its territories. It would also repeal federal authorities that allow weather modification and bar federally funded agencies and recipients from researching or testing weather-modification techniques.
Show full summary
- Federal agencies, departments, and any recipient of federal funds would be barred from authorizing or conducting weather-modification research, testing, or experimentation.
- Anyone who knowingly authorizes or conducts weather modification would face criminal penalties up to $100,000 and up to 5 years in prison, and corporate officers or employees can be held liable.
- The Federal Aviation Administration would set up air carrier reporting for aircraft equipped to support weather modification, and the Environmental Protection Agency would run a public reporting and investigation system that could lead to civil fines up to $10,000 per violation and referrals for enforcement.
Your PRIA Score
Personalized for You
How does this bill affect your finances?
Sign up for a PRIA Policy Scan to see your personalized alignment score for this bill and every other piece of legislation we track. We analyze your financial profile against policy provisions to show you exactly what matters to your wallet.
Bill Overview
Analyzed Economic Effects
4 provisions identified: 1 benefits, 3 costs, 0 mixed.
Ban on federally funded weather research
If enacted, the bill would bar any federal agency or recipient of federal funds from authorizing or conducting research, testing, or experiments that constitute weather modification in the United States and its territories. The prohibition would apply notwithstanding other laws and would affect universities, contractors, grantees, and agencies that receive federal money.
Ban on weather modification and repeal
If enacted, the bill would make it illegal to knowingly authorize or conduct weather modification in U.S. jurisdictions. It would define weather modification to include geoengineering, cloud seeding, solar radiation management, stratospheric aerosol injection, and marine cloud brightening. The bill would repeal any federal law, regulation, or Executive Order that authorizes or requires weather modification. The Act would take effect 90 days after enactment.
Fines and prison for weather modification
If enacted, the bill would make it a crime to knowingly authorize or carry out weather modification. Criminal penalties would allow fines up to $100,000 per violation and up to 5 years in prison. The EPA, with the FAA, could also seek civil fines up to $10,000 per violation. Officers, directors, and employees who knowingly authorize violations could be held liable.
Public reporting and aircraft tracking
If enacted, the bill would require EPA, FAA, and NOAA to set up public systems to report suspected weather modification. You could report by phone, email, mail, or online, and agencies would publish reports on their websites. The FAA would require air carriers to report locations and movements of aircraft that could support weather modification. EPA would investigate reports that warrant review and refer violations to the Attorney General.
Sponsors & CoSponsors
Sponsor
Steube
FL • R
Cosponsors
Rutherford
FL • R
Sponsored 3/16/2026
Roll Call Votes
No roll call votes available for this bill.
View on Congress.govTake It Personal
Get Your Personalized Policy View
Start a Free Government Policy Watch to see how policy affects your household, then upgrade to PRIA Full Coverage for year-round monitoring.
Already have an account? Sign in