On December 31, 2025, Representative Rob Chase prefiled HB 2222, marking the debut of Washington’s first comprehensive ban on geoengineering and weather modification. This unexpected and controversial bill, proposing felony penalties for changing the atmosphere, marks a sharp and urgent policy shift. It prompts the central question: What drove Washington—a state previously dedicated to land-based energy policy—to abruptly shift its focus to controlling its skies?

In 2025, Washington Focused on the Ground, Not the Sky

In 2025, Washington prioritised land-based energy, pausing new geoengineering bills to fund a multi-year geothermal study at Mount Baker, Mount St. Helens, and the Wind River valleys. This strategy reflects a governing philosophy known as the "Washington Way"—a model that mandates deep stakeholder consultation and respects tribal sovereignty as a core legal requirement.

However, HB 2222 collided with this tradition when its sudden pivot toward atmospheric control sparked an immediate backlash. This local outcry mirrored the 2021 SCoPEx controversy in Sweden, where the Saami Council successfully blocked Harvard’s geoengineering experiments. In both cases, indigenous leaders argued that atmospheric manipulation bypasses the established "Way" of seeking broad social consent and honouring the sacred relationship between the land and the sky.

A Hidden University Experiment Triggered a Legislative Uproar

The direct catalyst for HB 2222 was a scientific controversy involving the University of Washington (UW)'s Marine Cloud Brightening (MCB) Program, which practices solar radiation management. When the program launched an experiment in Alameda, California, in April 2024 involving sea-salt aerosol sprayers, the Alameda City Council shut it down two months later due to a "profound lack of transparency." This action by city officials, who learned about the experiment through a news report rather than from researchers, sparked broader scrutiny and concern.

The situation escalated on July 27, 2025, when internal University of Washington documents, first reported by Slashdot via E&E News, revealed the researchers’ complete roadmap. The leaked records showed that the Alameda test was merely a prelude to a multimillion-dollar experiment. This plan proposed covering 3,900 square miles—an area the size of Puerto Rico. The researchers captured the project's massive scale in their own words: “At such scales,” the proposal noted, “meaningful changes in clouds will be readily detectable from space.” These revelations alarmed lawmakers, triggering a sudden pivot from geothermal research to atmospheric regulation.

Washington Joins a Growing Movement for 'Atmospheric Sovereignty'

Washington's HB 2222 does not exist in a vacuum. It is part of a broader national trend in which states are moving to assert control over their skies in the absence of a comprehensive federal or international governance framework. In 2025 alone, 33 states introduced bills to ban or restrict geoengineering activities. Several states have already enacted such laws, with Tennessee leading in 2024, followed by Florida and Louisiana in 2025.

This wave of new laws stems from a demand for "atmospheric sovereignty." As reported by the Louisiana Illuminator, State Representative Kim Coates captured this sentiment during a committee hearing, questioning whether researchers had the right to use "our overhead airspace." The "chemtrail" conspiracy theory propels this movement, driving recent legislative action like Washington’s HB 2222, which explicitly bans "chemtrail events.

These state-level actions coincided with rising federal concern. In July 2025, Congress introduced the "Clear Skies Act" (H.R. 4403), aiming to ban weather modification nationwide. The EPA updated its geoengineering FAQ the next month to address controversy around secret experiments. By September, the issue was a major topic at a House Oversight hearing titled "Playing God with the Weather—A Disastrous Forecast," which examined the lack of rules for globally impactful technology.

What's Next for HB 2222

Filing HB 2222 on New Year’s Eve was a strategic choice, designed to ensure it would be a top priority for the 2026 legislative session. However, this timing also poses obstacles, especially because the session lasts only 60 days, making it challenging to pass complex or controversial laws quickly.

The bill’s main rules are broad and strict. It would ban any activity meant to change temperature, weather, or sunlight. The main points are:

• Harsh Penalties: Sets Class C and Class B felony charges for breaking the law.
• Substantial Fines: Fines can be as high as $1,000,000 for each offence.
• Public Oversight: Establishes a system for citizens to report observed violations.
• Civil Action: Gives citizens the right to sue individuals they believe broke the law.

Notably, the bill also repeals many existing Washington state laws (Revised Code of Washington, or RCW) on weather modification, directly replacing the state’s old legal rules in this area in response to concerns raised by the recent controversy.

A State Suddenly Takes Action

HB 2222 illustrates Washington’s abrupt shift from deliberate, land-based energy strategy to urgent decisions over the atmosphere, sparked by secrecy in university research. The bill’s main argument centres on who should control the air above the state—Washington’s lawmakers or outside researchers.

As 2026 begins, HB 2222 forces a choice: Should Washington lead in controlling climate interventions, or defend its natural sky from outside influence? The outcome will define the state’s political future.