Want to have some fun at your holiday family gathering this year? Ask your fellow party-goers what they think about cloud seeding. Are those lines in the sky merely contrails, or signs of weather modification, or some sort of atmospheric experimentation?

You’ll soon find a variety of answers, speculation, opinion, and theory — from genuine concern to dismissive chuckling. Each practice above is real, though. Each is a different animal — used with a different goal in mind. For many people, those lines in the sky are merely a passing interest, perhaps sparking some entertaining discussion and speculation. But what if those lines aren’t so harmless and innocent? When the health of millions is at stake, we deserve to know the benefits and real consequences.

What We Must Know

Many Idahoans don’t realize that some of these practices and programs are funded and authorized at the state level, while others are federal programs. Even more concerning are private endeavors that require no government oversight. The amount of legitimate science associated with each experiment varies widely and in some cases is nearly non-existent. Even where science makes claims of safety and efficacy, violations of bodily autonomy, the lack of informed consent, and infringements on private property rights are unacceptable. We must stop all trespasses on the inherent rights of the people. 

Since 1951, cloud seeding has been spewing chemicals into Idaho’s skies. There was no state-level approval or oversight until the Idaho Legislature authorized the program in 2021 by adding §42-4301 to Idaho law. This means the experimental cloudseeding program operated for 70 years without any consent or transparency to the people.

Even since the program gained oversight in 2021, there is very little evidence that cloud seeding produces any significant amount of added water for Idaho’s watershed or agricultural industry. Further, we have even less assurance there are no health consequences from the chemicals used in the process.

Idaho Power has been conducting cloud seeding operations in Idaho since 2003. Here, they explain the equipment used and the areas they focus on.

“Q: Where does Idaho Power currently conduct cloud seeding?
A: In the Central Mountains, which includes the Payette, Boise and Wood River basins, our program operates 32 remote ground-based generators and two airplanes… Idaho Power provides meteorological data and weather forecasting to guide seasonal cloud seeding operations throughout all basins associated with the program.”

Further, “Idaho Power seeds clouds by introducing additional ice nuclei (silver iodide) into winter storms. The additional ice nuclei increase precipitation from passing winter storm systems. If a storm has abundant water (vapor or small liquid droplets) and appropriate temperatures, the conditions may be optimal for cloud seeding to increase precipitation.”

You can see the careful wording used. “IF a storm has abundant water,” and “the conditions MAY be optimal…” Idaho Power cannot make definitive statements about the actual results of these experiments. Also, there is no way to prove whether the behavior of a storm system was affected by the program, or whether nature’s course was all that was realized.

The legal definition of cloud seeding in Idaho is “all acts undertaken to artificially distribute or create nuclei in cloud masses for the purposes of inducing precipitation, cloud forms, or other meteorological parameters.” This code section authorizes the state water resource board to administer the program, saying it “may sponsor or develop local or statewide cloud seeding programs and may contract any individual or organization for consultation and assistance in developing cloud seeding programs or in furthering research related to cloud seeding.”

The law goes on to say, “The act of cloud seeding pursuant to a project funded in whole or in part by the state of Idaho or authorized by the state water resource board shall not be the basis of any claim of liability, including but not limited to trespass or public or private nuisance, and shall not require any state or local permits.”

Again, take note of the very vague language used. The water resource board, “may contract ANY individual or organization for consultation and assistance in developing cloud seeding programs or in furthering research related to cloud seeding.” Also, notice how Idaho law preemptively establishes that cloud seeding shall never be considered a nuisance, and that no permits are required. Why does that need to be in law?

So, although the Legislature has now acknowledged the practice, the controlling statute is so loose it amounts to a gross lack of oversight for a practice potentially affecting all Idahoans. There is little attention paid to balancing claimed benefits against potential consequences. Further, we should all be troubled by a law specifically precluding legal liability for those conducting these experiments on Idaho’s ecosystem, wildlife, water, and population. 

Let’s look at another troubling matter. Idaho law has long had a provision on protecting domestic water, for obvious reasons. In the 2021 legislative session, that was repealed. The section contained the following language:

“Any person or persons, corporation or corporations, or officers of a municipality, owning or maintaining any plant or public water system as defined in rules of the department, for the supply to the inhabitants of this state, or any part thereof, of water for domestic purposes shall protect the same and keep it free from all impurities and all other foreign substances which tend to injure the health of the ultimate consumers of such water, whether such impurities or foreign substances are chemical or bacterial.”

Perhaps it was merely a coincidence that these two things happened in the same session? Or perhaps there is a connection between loose legislative approval with nearly zero oversight for an experimental program (cloud seeding) and the removal of statutory protection for our domestic water.

While these programs introducing chemicals into Idaho’s skies and ecosystems will require multiple steps to ensure full transparency and informed consent, asserting our sovereignty requires our Legislature to demand the cessation of all federal sky-spraying programs within our state. 

We must also initiate efforts to repeal the laws and rules that allow these experiments in Idaho. Idaho Power (and according to state law, “ANY individual or organization”) can conduct this type of activity without a permit, without proof of safety or efficacy, without environmental impact studies, without oversight, and without legal liability for causing possible injury and harm to our atmosphere, our water, our crops, our wildlife, our aquifer, and our people. That’s a chilling and disturbing policy.

Like the song from the Hollies in 1974 says, “...all I need is the air that I breathe;” and dare we add, “clean air”? The Idaho Freedom Foundation calls for the repeal of the cloud seeding statutes and restoration of domestic water protections, and calls on the Idaho Legislature to stand against any and all experimental and dangerous spraying of chemicals across our skies.