H.R. 7452 — Air Quality Act

This section prohibits knowingly authorizing or conducting weather modification in the United States if the activity involves interstate or foreign commerce (e.g., travel, use of facilities, or communications in commerce), occurs in special U.S. maritime, territorial, aircraft, or possession jurisdictions, or otherwise affects such commerce. It establishes criminal penalties of a fine up to $100,000, imprisonment up to 5 years, or both per violation; civil penalties up to $10,000 per violation assessed by the EPA Administrator in coordination with the FAA Administrator; treats each instance of injection, release, emission, or dispersal as a separate violation; and holds liable public or private entities and their knowing officers, directors, or employees.

This section establishes a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) system for air carriers to report the location and movement of aircraft equipped for weather modification, with reports submitted via telephone, email, mail, or online portal and published on the FAA website. It further establishes an Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) system, developed in consultation with the FAA and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, for the public to report suspected violations of section 2 via similar methods, with reports published on the EPA website; directs the EPA to investigate warranted reports, determine if violations occurred (coordinating as needed with other federal agencies such as the Departments of Agriculture and Interior, FAA, NASA, and NOAA); and requires the EPA to refer confirmed violations to the Attorney General for further action.

This section repeals all federal statutory provisions authorizing or requiring weather modification (i.e., human-induced changes to atmospheric conditions, such as cloud seeding), including any licensing or permitting requirements, and nullifies all federal regulations or executive orders doing the same.

This section prohibits any Federal department or agency, or recipient of Federal funds, from authorizing or conducting research, testing, or experimentation constituting weather modification in the United States, including its territories and possessions.

This section defines terms for purposes of the Act, including (1) "weather modification" as any injection, release, emission, or dispersal of a chemical substance, biological agent, or air pollutant, or conveyance of an apparatus, into the atmosphere that changes its composition or behavior or affects temperature, weather, climate, or sunlight intensity (including geoengineering, cloud seeding, stratospheric aerosol injection, and marine cloud brightening); (2) "geoengineering" as a technological intervention to lower atmospheric temperature or remove gases; (3) "cloud seeding" as altering cloud or storm processes by releasing a substance into the air; (4) "stratospheric aerosol injection" as increasing reflective aerosols in the stratosphere to reflect sunlight; (5) "marine cloud brightening" as adding aerosols over oceans to increase cloud reflectivity; and (6) cross-references existing definitions of "air carrier" (49 U.S.C. §40102), "air pollutant" (Clean Air Act §302(g)), "biological agent" (18 U.S.C. §178), and "chemical substance" (Toxic Substances Control Act §3). It also defines "apparatus" as a device, instrument, or system, and "atmosphere" as the gaseous envelope surrounding the Earth, including U.S. territorial airspace.