Florida Gov. DeSantis to ban weather modification, track 'chemtrail' complaints
Yesterday, Governor Ron DeSantis announced he would sign Senate Bill 56, legislation that would ban "geoengineering and weather modification activities" in Florida, including cloud seeding. Cloud seeding involves dispersing tiny particles into the atmosphere to stimulate rainfall—an approach used in some dry regions of the Southwestern U.S. to boost water supplies.
Despite federal agencies stating they do not engage in weather modification and describing solar geoengineering as "nonexistent," Florida lawmakers this session supported a bill aligned with a long-standing conspiracy theory claiming the government releases chemicals into the air, sometimes to control human behavior.
Some conspiracy theorists link cloud seeding, contrails, and "chemtrails" as part of the same narrative. According to the National Weather Service, Contrails are the line-shaped clouds that form behind aircraft under specific atmospheric conditions, caused by water vapor from jet engines freezing into ice crystals, However, some people believe these contrails are actually "chemtrails"—evidence of secret government experiments with solar geoengineering, a speculative method of reflecting sunlight away from Earth to cool the planet.
The bill also directs the Florida Department of Environmental Protection to collect complaints and data from residents concerned about "chemtrails."
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has repeatedly debunked the "chemtrail" theory and related misinformation.
Proposed NASA budget would slash government's moon program
President Trump has released his budget proposal for NASA. If it passes the space agency’s mission will take a major shift in priorities.
Crewed lunar exploration would get billions of dollars, and a plan will be enacted to focus on Mars programs.
This could mean layoffs on the Space Coast for thousands of employees who work on NASA’s Artemis Program.
The plan could cut the lunar Gateway program and phase out the Space Launch System rocket and Orion capsule.
The Trump Administration’s 2026 NASA budget proposal would make several funding shifts towards the aim of beating China back to the moon.
Around $647 million would be added to NASA’s human space exploration budget compared to last year.
The proposal would eliminate the Gateway space station that would orbit the moon and phase out the SLS rocket and Orion capsule, and shift towards commercializing missions.
The proposal also takes half a billion dollars in ISS funding, as NASA prepares to move to commercial space stations.
Congress has the final say on approving the 2026 budget.
Environmental advocates call for more electric school buses in Pinellas County
Environmentalists are calling for a renewed focus on electric school buses saying it could improve air quality and children’s health.
Lorna Perez with Moms Clean Air Force says emissions from cars on the road can be harmful.
The leaders are calling on Congress to invest in cleaner, cheaper energy, specifically investments in electric school buses.
And Ali DySard with the Environmental Defense Fund says the issue has received bipartisan support.
“It’s not a Republican or a Democratic initiative - electric school buses are great for Florida, great for our local air,”
Governor Ron DeSantis’s Department of Environmental Protection purchased over 200 electric buses in 2022 statewide.
Portuguese Man O War is back
Beachgoers need to be on the lookout for Portuguese Man O War in the surf and on the sand. The Portuguese man-of-war is a colonial marine organism, often mistaken for a jellyfish.
It has a purple or blue balloon-like float resembling an 1800s Portuguese battleship.
Although not deadly to humans, the painful sting can cause an allergic reaction.
More: www.floridatoday.com
