Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Senate committee hears push to end North Dakota weather‑modification programs
Summary
Lawmakers heard competing testimony for and against Senate Bill 2106, which would prohibit county participation in cloud seeding. Supporters cited county votes and alleged lack of demonstrated benefit; program representatives and state staff cited independent studies, training and economic analyses that they said show benefits.
Senator Todd Beard, sponsor of Senate Bill 2106, asked the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee on the bill to end weather modification programs that counties operate in North Dakota.
Beard said the measure would restore a direct public voice on whether cloud seeding should occur in a county. "Watching these citizens fight for the right to vote on this issue and having to spend $1,000 of dollars in personal funds to fight the weather modification machine should make you question what does local..." Beard told the committee.
The bill drew extended testimony at the committee hearing from farmers and residents who said counties have repeatedly voted to abandon cloud seeding and that the program has not shown measurable benefit. "I think it is a good thing to make this a misdemeanor and make it illegal," Roger Nasham, a Ward County farmer who led a successful petition drive, told the committee. Nasham corrected earlier figures given…
Already have an account? Log in
Subscribe to keep reading
Unlock the rest of this article — and every article on Citizen Portal.
- Unlimited articles
- AI-powered breakdowns of topics, speakers, decisions, and budgets
- Instant alerts when your location has a new meeting
- Follow topics and more locations
- 1,000 AI Insights / month, plus AI Chat
