Latest news with #SenateBill46
Axios
18 hours ago
- Politics
- Axios
Louisiana among at least 12 states seeking "chemtrail" ban
Louisiana state lawmakers have sent a bill to Gov. Jeff Landry's desk seeking to ban "chemtrails." Why it matters: They don't exist. Zoom in: Though Louisiana Sen. Mike Fesi's bill doesn't specifically use the term "chemtrails," lawmakers used it during discussion of the legislation before giving it their OK, Fox 8 reports. Fesi's bill bans the intentional release of any chemical into the state's atmosphere "for the express purpose of affecting the temperature, weather, climate, or intensity of sunlight." That language is typically associated with chemtrail conspiracy theories. The big picture: "Chemtrails" is the term for a conspiracy theory that began in the 1990s, which says the white lines left behind by some aircraft are chemical releases. The theories began circulating in the 1990s, but kicked back up again in the post-pandemic rush of online misinformation, the BBC says. Reality check:"'Chemtrails" are not real. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency says so. Scientists say so. An increasing number of investigative journalistic accounts say so," according to researchers Dustin Tingley and Gernot Wagner, writing in a peer-reviewed study. Rather, what folks on the ground are seeing are called "contrails," Tingley and Wagner say, which are "made up of water vapor [and] have been a byproduct of aviation ever since humans began to fly using jet engines." What they're saying: " I'm really worried about what is going on above us and what is happening, and we as Louisiana citizens did not give anyone the right to do this above us," Rep. Kimberly Landry Coates said as she shared her support for the bill, according to the AP. Coates acknowledged the legislation might "seem strange." "With so many unknowns around geoengineering and atmospheric interventions, we're taking a stand for transparency, public health, and natural balance," Fesi said to the Times-Picayune in a statement. "Senate Bill 46 ensures that decisions about our air and climate are made responsibly."
Gizmodo
7 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.
