Latest news with #KimberlyLandryCoates
Gizmodo
3 days ago
- Climate
- Gizmodo
Lousiana House Passes Legislation to Fight Weather-Controlling ‘Chemtrails'
Tinfoil hats are back out amongst Louisiana legislators. Last week, lawmakers in the House passed a bill to ban 'chemtrails' in the state. What are those, exactly? Oh, you know. The white lines left behind by aircraft that conspiracists insist are chemicals released by the government or other agencies for potentially nefarious purposes. People's primary concern with chemtrails used to center around using chemicals to control people. Lately, though, conspiracists have honed in on chemtrails as part of a plot to control the weather. Louisiana's Senate Bill 46 aims to solve that by prohibiting the intentional dispersement of chemicals for the 'express purpose of modifying weather, temperature, climate, or sunlight.' As of now, there aren't any actual fines involved with the ban. However, the bill would require the Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality to record chemtrail sightings and send data to the state's Air National Guard. Thankfully, lawmakers were thoughtful enough to include exceptions to the ban for specific activities like firefighting. While defending the bill, Rep. Kimberly Landry Coates told fellow lawmakers that 'multiple people. Multiple groups, contractors,' are involved with the conspiracy. When asked by Rep. Candace Newell (D) what chemicals Coates has evidence of, she responded, 'Barium. There is a few, some with long words that I can't pronounce.' Unfortunately for forward-thinking lawmakers like Coates, chemtrails have long been debunked as a bogus conspiracy theory. In 2016, a survey of leading atmospheric scientists 'categorically rejected the existence of a secret spraying program.' Instead, these white streaks are simply contrails formed when emissions from aircraft engines interact with water vapor at high altitudes. Basically, as the Environmental Protection Agency summarized, contrails happen under certain conditions 'for the same reason that we can see our breath on a cold day.' Chemtrail conspiracies have existed for decades. However, MAGA enthusiasts helped drive its resurgence and give it further credibility in official discourse. Last August, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. responded to a tweet about a 'chemtrail pilot whistleblower', writing, 'We are going to stop this crime.' And during a town hall interview with Dr. Phill in April, Kennedy responded to a woman's comment about chemtrails by pushing blame onto another agency and vowing to do everything in his power to stop them. In addition to Louisiana, lawmakers in several other states, including Florida and Pennsylvania, introduced legislation targeting chemicals and geoengineering. Although it may seem silly, these laws may hinder efforts to address climate change. While defending SB46, Coates specifically accused the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration of sending chemicals into clouds to reflect sunlight and cool the Earth. 'Wild and wacky ideas, with no basis in truth, are being raised and argued as if they were true — often with little or no media push-back,' Mark Shanahan, a professor at University of Surrey in the United Kingdom, told Newsweek. 'The president sets the tone and so far, Donald Trump has encouraged and enabled the circus of craziness. While US government is more about ratings than effectiveness, this disconnect from reality is set to continue.' SB46 passed Louisiana's House with a vote of 58-32.
Newsweek
3 days ago
- Science
- Newsweek
Map Shows States Trying to Ban 'Chemtrails'
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. At least eight states have introduced legislation about so-called "chemtrails"—a conspiracy about chemicals being released into the atmosphere by aircrafts. Newsweek has created a map showing the states that are considering legislations surrounding this unsubstantiated phenomenon. Why It Matters Chemtrail conspiracy theorists claim that the government or other groups are using aircrafts to release chemicals or metals into the atmosphere, visible in the white lines that aircrafts leave behind in the sky. People have claimed these are used for a range of things from weather modification to mind control. According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the white lines observed behind aircraft are contrails—condensation trails—that form when hot exhaust from jets meets cold air at high altitudes. The EPA states these are a natural result of flight and pose no risk to weather patterns. Some flights do not produce them as they require specific humidity and temperature conditions. Federal agencies, including the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), have publicly denied undertaking or planning any weather modification experiments such as those described by chemtrail conspiracy theorists. What To Know At least eight states have introduced bills regarding chemtrails. In Louisiana, Republican state Representative Kimberly Landry Coates defended a bill to ban chemtrails, which last week passed the state House of Representatives 58-32. The measure also directs the Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality to record reported chemtrail sightings and pass complaints on to the Louisiana Air National Guard. In Florida, GOP state Senator Ileana Garcia introduced legislation in December 2024 to prohibit weather modification activities in the state. In May 2025, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis said he would sign the law. In April 2024, Tennessee lawmakers passed a bill banning the release of chemicals into the air, however, the bill did not explicitly mention chemtrails. There are other bills under consideration in Kentucky, where a bill seeks to ban "any form of geoengineering activities" including polluting the atmosphere and Minnesota where a House bill introduced in March aims to ban weather-modifying substances. In Rhode Island, a Senate bill would ban certain weather engineering activities and in New Hampshire a bill proposes banning the release of polluting emissions. In South Dakota, a Senate bill also would ban polluting emissions and in Texas, state Representative Wesley Virdell introduced an anti-chemtrail bill. What People Are Saying Mark Shanahan who teaches American politics at the University of Surrey in the United Kingdom told Newsweek that the legislation on chemtrails showed a "disconnect from reality." "The norm in mature democracies is that voters elect skilled representatives who act in our best interest, and thus for very many decades potential legislators have striven to prove their intellect, their balance and their ability to weigh evidence," he said. "But that changed with Trump's election to a situation where politics is much more about celebrity than credibility and cranks from the margins of political ideas are now lauded front and centre. Whether it's RFK [Robert F. Kennedy Jr.] at Health, or [Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene] MTG in the House, wild and wacky ideas, with no basis in truth, are being raised and argued as if they were true - often with little or no media push-back. The president sets the tone, and so far, Donald Trump has encouraged and enabled the circus of craziness. While US government is more about ratings than effectiveness, this disconnect from reality is set to continue." GOP Louisiana state Representative Kimberly Landry Coates: "This bill is to prevent any chemicals above us in the air, specifically to modify the weather." Florida state Senator Ileana Garcia previously told Newsweek: "The bill essentially repeals outdated provisions related to various aspects of the weather modification law, including definitions, licensing requirements, and the processes surrounding the application and issuance of licenses." Robert F Kennedy Jr. on X in August about chemtrails: "We are going to stop this crime." An airplane leaves contrails in the blue sky on March 6, 2024, in Germany. An airplane leaves contrails in the blue sky on March 6, 2024, in Germany. Photo by: Robert Michael/picture-alliance/dpa/AP Images What RFK Jr Has Said About Chemtrails Conspiracy Theory Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) Robert F. Kennedy Jr. hosted chemtrail activist Dane Wigington on his podcast in March 2023. The episode was titled "Are Chemtrails Real?" In the episode, Kennedy Jr. said he began to consider the issue of chemtrails when he and actor Woody Harrelson saw contrails from a plane transform into clouds. He asked Wiginton questions about the theory, asking him, "What proof do we have that chemtrails are happening?" and "How come we don't see more whistleblowers coming out?" Kennedy Jr. also speculated as to whether chemtrails are causing "accumulations of aluminum, even in places in very, very remote parts of the earth." Wigington said planes are spraying aluminum into the environment, adding: "What we're seeing in our skies are not condensation trails. In almost all cases they are sprayed particulate trails." Kennedy Jr. said it was "kind of frightening to think that somebody may be putting large amounts of bioavailable aluminum into the environment, spraying it in microscopic particulates from airplanes." Scientists surveyed in a 2016 study by Carnegie Science, University of California Irvine rejected the claim that excess environmental aluminum was the result of spraying. Most rejected that aluminum concentrations have increased at all. Of the experts who thought that aluminum concentrations might have increased, the increase was primarily attributed to changes in industrial, agricultural, or natural processes. Marjorie Taylor Greene's Weather 'Control' Comment After Hurricane Helene swept across the Southeastern U.S., killing at least 227 people, last year, Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene, a Georgia Republican, wrote on X, formerly Twitter: "Yes they can control the weather. It's ridiculous for anyone to lie and say it can't be done." The congresswoman didn't specify who "they" were. She then posted an image of Helene overlaid on an electoral map, suggesting that the hurricane's path had been intentionally set in motion to target Republican-leaning counties. The map appeared to have been created by Matt Wallace, a crypto influencer and conspiracy theorist with over 2 million followers on X. Greene's posts quickly went viral, with one receiving a user-generated community note on X that clarified existing "weather control" technology is limited to small-scale cloud seeding and cannot generate large storms or hurricanes. What Happens Next? Whether or not other states try to pass similar legislation remains to be seen as legislative sessions continue.
Int'l Business Times
3 days ago
- Politics
- Int'l Business Times
Louisiana Republican Points to 'Big White Lines' From Planes as Proof Government Is Manipulating Weather
A bill aimed at banning so-called "chemtrails" advanced in the Louisiana House of Representatives on May 29, with State Rep. Kimberly Landry Coates (R-Ponchatoula) citing the appearance of "big white lines" in the sky as evidence of government-led weather manipulation. Coates defended the bill, SB46, by claiming that aircraft are dispersing chemicals that she said alter weather patterns, WVUE reported. "This bill is to prevent any chemicals above us in the air, specifically to modify the weather," she said on the House floor. Reuters Despite overwhelming scientific consensus that these lines — condensation trails, commonly known as contrails — are harmless byproducts of aircraft exhaust interacting with cold air, Coates and other lawmakers insist they are evidence of a broader government conspiracy. "I've seen the documents with at least nine federal agencies," Coates claimed, when asked who she believes is responsible. She did not offer additional details on the nature of the documents or name the federal agencies. As to which chemicals are being dispersed, Coates cited nanoparticles or aluminum and barium, along with "some with long words I can't pronounce." Contrary to Coates' assertions, the Environmental Protection Agency and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) have repeatedly denied use of weather modification programs or chemical agents in the sky. The bill passed with a 58-32 vote, along with amendments requiring the Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality to log resident complaints about "chemtrails" and share the data with the Louisiana Air National Guard. Penalties for violators were removed from the bill, with Coates saying enforcement should wait until state agencies "understand chemtrails better." "When you look up in the air, you watch for the big white lines across the sky," Coates told Democratic Rep. C. Denise Marcelle (D-Baton-Rouge), saying she sees them on a weekly basis. The bill now heads back to the Senate for concurrence on the House amendments. Florida, Alabama, and Tennessee have also brought forward legislation based on similar unsubstantiated conspiracy theories involving chemtrails, geoengineering, and weather modification. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy applauded the efforts of states "to ban geoengineering our climate by dousing our citizens, our waterways and landscapes with toxins." "This is a movement every MAHA needs to support," Kennedy wrote on X. "HHS will do its part." Originally published on Latin Times
