The civic record
Read. Follow. Verify.South Dakota Prohibits Weather Modification Activities and Establishes Fines and Monitoring Funds
Last action · February 2, 2026: Withdrawn at the Request of the Prime SponsorSponsors: Bobbi Andera and 9 others
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What This Bill Proposed
South Dakota House Bill 1181 prohibits releasing chemicals, chemical compounds, or substances such as aluminum, barium, strontium, sulfur dioxide, or chaff containing into the atmosphere for the express purpose of modifying the weather, sunlight intensity, or temperature. The measure creates the weather and climate modification monitoring fund, establishes civil penalties of at least one hundred thousand dollars plus ten thousand dollars per day for violations, and requires public and private airport operators to report certain aircraft configurations.
Enforces civil penalties starting at one hundred thousand dollars for weather modification activities and establishes reporting mandates for airport operators and out-of-state businesses.
Who It Would Have Affected
Groups the bill's text would have affected, as described in the record. Being affected is not a position for or against it.
operators of public and private airports
Airport operators must report quarterly to the Department of Transportation regarding aircraft equipped to disperse air contaminants.
businesses intending to disperse substances from outside the state
Businesses with an in-state facility that intend to modify weather from outside the state's borders must provide a chemical list to the Secretary of State.
Key Facts
You don't have to trust us. Each fact below is taken straight from the official document - click any one to see the exact passage, highlighted in the original.
Frequently Asked Questions
What substances are explicitly prohibited from being released into the atmosphere under this bill?
What are the penalties for violating the weather modification prohibition?
Are agricultural dusting planes affected by the airport reporting requirement?
What else do you want to know?
News Coverage
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Votes, people, money & the original sourceWhere This Stands
This bill did not become law - Withdrawn.
Procedural history
2 actions- Feb 2, 2026HouseWithdrawn at the Request of the Prime Sponsor
- Jan 28, 2026HouseIntroducedFirst read in House and referred to
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
Connected Entities
Sources
sdlegislature.gov
Analysis Score
0–100- Significance20Lowered because this bill did not pass (its text scored 65)
- Controversy75Intensity of disagreement among stakeholders
- Entertainment25Compellingness for a non-policy-wonk reader
- Buzz50Current news / social attention level
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