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On February 11, 2025, more than 75 concerned citizens gathered in room 102 at the Iowa state capital for the House Environmental Protection Sub-Committee hearing regarding House File 191 (now HF927 see below) proposed legislation from Iowa District 87 (Van Buren County) State Representative Jeff Shipley. [As of March 24, 2025 the House bill has been renamed to HF

The proposed bill opens with: “An Act relating to the intentional emission of air contaminants into the atmosphere.” The room was packed wall to wall with people of all ages, including mothers with their young infant children. These citizens were there to support Shipley’s bill to be passed out of this subcommittee onto the broader committee funnel to hopefully make it to the House floor for debate and passage. The effort had been broadly supported by ClearSkiesIowa.com founders who generated more than 1,700 petitions online and hand-signed from across Iowa. The subcommittee is made up of Republicans Sam Wengryn (District 42/Decatur County) and Craig Johnson (District 67/Buchanan County) and Democrat Ken Croken (District 97/Scott County). After listening patiently to more than a dozen citizens state their concerns and support for this effort to outlaw geoengineering, or aerial spraying of contaminants in Iowa, Croken was the only “No” vote to move the bill to the larger committee.

For transcripts of speakers Shipley, McGreevy and Kroken, see the article:
Uphold Your Oaths of Office and Protect Iowans’ Property Rights by Criminalizing Geoengineering

[Publisher’s Note: This article linked above first appeared in the Reader’s March 2025 issue #1031 monthly print edition on March 6, 2025. That same day the full House Environmental Protection commitee voted to recommend to the House “Do Pass” with 11 yays and 5 nos, 1 excused.

HF191 was subsequently retitled to HF927. On March 24, 2025, Representative Shipley stated in an email “Rep Wengryn and I just filed this amendment language to HF927. https://www.legis.iowa.gov/legislation/BillBook?ga=91&ba=H-1167. Basically we delete the language directing the environmental protection commission to adopt rules, and instead just declare the intentional emission to air contaminants a felony. We also added more language explicitly prohibiting the federal government. Lastly we call for a study committee for the DNR to figure out how they can detect substances associated with these practices and discuss cloud seeding impact on Iowa agriculture.” ]