By Paul Bean
A bill to ban geoengineering was reviewed Wednesday in the Vermont House Environment Committee.
”I am a farmer. And I have seen the different challenges we have faced with precipitation. I don’t believe we need more precipitation In Vermont,” said Representative Gregg Burt (R-Cabot), the main sponsor of bill H.217, an act relating to prohibiting geoengineering.
Rep. Burt cited some of his concerns on geoengineering: “I don’t think it would create more predictably if anything it would be less predictable…the chemicals being used are also dangerous and some of them contain chaff and PFAS chemicals.”
“I have received a call from a representative of a cloud seeding company called Rainmaker…The fact that it’s [this bill] getting phone calls from reps of rainmaker, it is at our doorstep, it’s not here yet.. But when something is in place it’s much harder to stop than when it’s already banned.”
Rainmaker, a cloud seeing company based in California, also sent a two page document to the committee explaining the differences between cloud seeding and geoengineering.
However, the Vermont bill specifically includes language on cloud seeding because as Burt stated, Vermont doesn’t need more rain.
Rainmaker’s 24 year old CEO, Augustus Doricko, has been touring legislatures around giving testimony on cloud seeding, defending his company’s technology and effectively killing geoengineering bills.
Most recently he’s been giving testimony in the Florida legislature which I wrote a detailed commentary for Our Geoengineering Age Substack, picking apart his testimony.
Rep. John Bartholomew questioned the definition of the word “geoengineering” and wondered if the definition in the bill included projects that would include carbon sequestration. Rep. Burt informed said this bill is explicitly targeting atmospheric activity and manipulation at a larger scale.
“It’s exciting to see new technology,” Rep. Sara Austin said. It would be helpful to have more scientific data on the harm that’s being done. More substantiated verifiable data, because I think it might be possible they could do something not harmful. Something less harmful that could potentially address climate change”
VDC will follow up with continued coverage and updates on H.217. The author, VDC’s Social Media Director, is also affiliated with Our Geoengineering Age.