The civic record
Read. Follow. Verify.Maryland bans weather engineering and establishes felony penalties for atmospheric chemical releases
Last action · February 10, 2026: Hearing 3/03 at 1:00 p.m.Sponsor: Johnny Mautz
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What This Bill Would Do
Maryland prohibits any person from releasing chemicals or apparatuses into the atmosphere to alter weather, temperature, climate, or sunlight intensity, taking effect October 1, 2026. Violators face felony charges with fines up to $100,000, while participating aircraft operators face up to $5,000 in fines or 5 years in imprisonment.
Creates criminal liability and reporting mechanisms for atmospheric modifications, directing all collected penalty funds into the Bay Restoration Fund.
Who It Would Affect
Groups the bill's text would affect if enacted, as described in the record. Being affected is not a position for or against it.
Aircraft operators
Participating aircraft operators or controllers face felony charges, fines up to $5,000, imprisonment up to 5 years, or both for engaging in weather engineering activities.
Department of the Environment
Must establish a method for evaluating public reports of weather engineering and investigate reports deemed in need of further review.
Maryland Department of Emergency Management
Must consult with the Department of the Environment on establishing reporting evaluation methods and investigating reports.
Key Facts
- Prohibits injecting, releasing, or dispersing any chemical compound, substance, or apparatus into the atmosphere to affect temperature, weather, climate, or sunlight intensity.
- Requires the Department of the Environment, in consultation with the Maryland Department of Emergency Management, to establish a reporting evaluation method and investigate reports.
- Establishes that a general violator of the weather engineering prohibition is guilty of a felony and subject to a fine up to $100,000.
- Establishes that a participating aircraft operator or controller is guilty of a felony subject to a fine up to $5,000, imprisonment up to 5 years, or both.
Show all 7 facts
- Mandates that each violation constitutes a separate offense.
- Requires all fine revenue collected under this subtitle to be deposited into the Bay Restoration Fund.
- Sets the effective date of the Act as October 1, 2026.
Frequently Asked Questions
What actions are prohibited under this bill?
How can a resident report observed weather engineering activities?
Where do the collected fines go?
What else do you want to know?
News Coverage
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Votes, people, money & the original sourceWhere This Stands
Currently filed. The next step in the legislative lifecycle is Committee.
Procedural history
2 actions- Feb 10, 2026SenateHearing 3/03 at 1:00 p.m.
- Feb 6, 2026SenateIntroducedFirst Reading Education, Energy, and the Environment
Version history
Only one version on file - nothing to compare yet. As later stages (committee substitute, engrossed, enrolled) are captured, the redline appears here.
View official text →Lobbying Activity
No state lobbying filings in our records match this bill. Federal lobbying reports (LDA) cover Congress, so they are not listed on state bills.
Full breakdown
Who this bill affects and the strongest case for and against it, written only from the bill’s own text.
Sponsors
Discoveries
Patterns POLISCOPE noticed across the record. These are observations to investigate, not conclusions.
Penalty Revenue Routed to Bay Restoration Fund
Fines collected from criminal violations under this weather engineering ban are specifically earmarked for deposit into the Bay Restoration Fund established under § 9-1605.2.
Connected Entities
Sources
mgaleg.maryland.gov
Analysis Score
0–100- Significance75How much this matters to a regular citizen
- Controversy80Intensity of disagreement among stakeholders
- Entertainment30Compellingness for a non-policy-wonk reader
- Buzz65Current news / social attention level
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