Unsubstantiated ‘chemtrail’ conspiracy theories lead to legislation proposed in US statehouses

BATON ROUGE La AP As Louisiana Rep Kimberly Landry Coates stood before her colleagues in the state s Legislature she warned that the bill she was presenting might seem strange or even crazy Several lawmakers laughed with disbelief and others listened intently as Coates described situations that are often noted in discussions of chemtrails a decades-old conspiracy theory that posits the white lines left behind by aircraft in the sky are releasing chemicals for any number of reasons specific of them nefarious As she urged lawmakers to ban the unsubstantiated practice she communicated skeptics to start looking up at the sky I m really worried about what is going on above us and what is happening and we as Louisiana citizens did not give anyone the right to do this above us the Republican announced Louisiana is the latest state taking inspiration from a wide-ranging conspiratorial narrative mixing it with facts to create rule Tennessee Gov Bill Lee signed a similar measure into law last year and one in Florida has passed both the House and the Senate More than a dozen other states from New York to Arizona have introduced their own law Such bills being crafted is indicative of how misinformation is moving beyond the online world and into citizens plan Elevating unsubstantiated theories or outright falsehoods into the legislative arena not only erodes democratic processes according to experts it provides credibility where there is none and takes away support from actual issues that need to be addressed Every bill like this is kind of symbolic or is introduced to appease a very vocal group but it can still cause real harm by signaling that these conspiracies deserve this level of legal attention commented Donnell Probst interim executive director of the National Association for Media Literacy Instruction Louisiana s bill which is awaiting Republican Gov Jeff Landry s signature prohibits anyone from intentionally injecting releasing applying or dispersing chemicals into the atmosphere with the purpose of affecting the temperature weather atmosphere or intensity of sunlight It also requires the Department of Environmental Quality to collect reports from anyone who believes they have observed such exercises While certain lawmakers have targeted real weather modification techniques that are not widespread or still in their infancy others have pointed to dubious evidence to sponsorship decree Discussion about weather control and banning chemtrails has been hoisted into the spotlight by high-profile political authorities including Soundness Secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr and U S Rep Marjorie Taylor Greene Just now Marla Maples the ex-wife of President Donald Trump spoke in backing of Florida s decree She commented she was motivated to start digging after seeing a rise in Alzheimer s Questioned jokingly by a Democratic state senator if she knew anyone in the federal cabinet who could help on the issue Maples smiled and revealed I sure do Chemtrails vs contrails Chemtrail conspiracy theories which have been widely debunked and include a myriad of suggests are not new The publication of a Air Force record on the practicable future benefits of weather modification is often cited as an early driver of the narrative Specific say that evidence of the proposes is happening right before the publics eyes alleging that the white streaks stretching behind aircrafts reveal chemicals being spread in the air for everything from setting manipulation to mind control Ken Leppert an associate professor of atmospheric science at the University of Louisiana Monroe announced the streaks are authentically primarily composed of water and that there is no malicious intent behind the thin clouds He says the streaks are formed as exhaust is emitted from aircrafts when the humidity is high and air temperature is low and that ship engines produce the same phenomenon A fact sheet about contrails published by multiple authorities agencies including NASA and the Environmental Protection Agency explains that the streaks left behind by planes do not pose fitness risks to humans However the trails which have been produced since the earliest days of jet aviation do impact the cloudiness of Earth s atmosphere and can therefore affect atmospheric temperature and setting Scientists have overwhelmingly agreed that evidence or evidence cited as proof of chemtrails could be explained through other factors including well-understood physics and chemistry associated with aircraft contrails and atmospheric aerosols according to a survey published in the journal Environmental Research Letters In the survey of chemists and geochemists announced they were not aware of evidence proving the existence of a secret large-scale atmospheric plan It s pure myth and conspiracy Leppert disclosed Cloud seeding While plenty of of the arguments lawmakers have used to assistance the chemtrails narrative are not based in fact others misrepresent actual scientific endeavors such as cloud seeding a process by which an artificial material usually silver iodide is used to induce precipitation or to clear fog It s maybe really weak control of the weather but it s not like we re going to move this cloud here move this hurricane here or anything like that Leppert announced Parker Cardwell an employee of a California-based cloud seeding company called Rainmaker testified before lawmakers in Louisiana and required that an amendment be made to the act to avoid impacts to the industry The practice is an imprecise undertaking with mixed results that isn t widely used especially in Louisiana which has important natural rainfall According to Louisiana s Department of Agriculture and Forestry a cloud seeding permit or license has never been issued in the state Geoengineering While presenting Louisiana s bill last week Coates disclosed her research unveiled charts and graphics from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration on spraying the air with heavy metals to reflect sunlight back into space to cool the Earth The Consolidated Appropriations Act of directed the Office of Science and Instrument Program with help from NOAA to develop an initial governance framework and research plan related to solar radiation modification or SRM A resulting document which Coates holds up in the House session focuses on viable future actions and does not reflect decisions that had already been made SRM refers to deliberate large-scale actions intended to decrease global average surface temperatures by increasing the reflection of sunlight away from the Earth according to NOAA It is a type of geoengineering Research into the viability of countless methods and prospective unintended consequences is ongoing but none have certainly been deployed Taking focus In current years misinformation and conspiratorial narratives have become more common during the debates and committee testimonies that are a part of Louisiana s lawmaking process And while legislators say Louisiana s new bill doesn t really have teeth opponents say it still takes away time and focus from significant work and more pressing topics State Rep Denise Marcelle a Democrat who opposed Louisiana s bill pointed to other issues ailing the state which has selected of the highest incarceration poverty crime and maternal mortality rates I just feel like we owe the people of Louisiana much more than to be talking about things that I don t see and that aren t real she announced Associated Press writers Kate Payne in Tallahassee Florida and Jack Dura in Bismarck North Dakota contributed to this story Source