TALLAHASSEE, Florida — A state Senate committee Tuesday advanced a bill that bans suspected weather modification activities after hearing from the CEO of a cloud-seeding company who wants to begin working in Florida.
Details: Augustus Doricko, CEO and founder of Rainmaker Technology, said his California company has been working in more arid Western states and is concerned about the ramifications of a ban in Florida.
The legislation, FL SB56 (25R), would repeal sections of existing state law related to weather modification licensing and would label the activity a criminal misdemeanor. Supporters say the legislation is needed to halt the spraying of chemicals in the atmosphere to reverse climate change, which some scientists label as a conspiracy theory.
Doricko said cloud-seeding to produce rain for farmers is different from injecting chemicals into the atmosphere and suggested Florida could investigate or regulate that activity without banning his company’s work.
