A new bill at the Legislature could lead to state-funded cloud seeding projects that aim to increase sources for rural water.
Cloud seeding is the practice of putting tiny particles, usually salts, into the atmosphere to increase precipitation chances.
The practice has offered mixed results, with the U.S. Government Accountability Office issuing a 2024 report noting the benefits of the practice are unproven.
The measure from Republican Rep. Gail Griffin would allow the Water Infrastructure Finance Authority to pay for cloud seeding efforts by allowing it to pursue snowpack augmentation as a water resource project.
The bill faces an uphill battle, as GOP lawmakers in recent years have made multiple efforts to ban the cloud seeding practice.
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