On August 28, I received a string of messages about the Joint Agriculture Committee meeting in Casper.
What should have been a discussion on Wyoming’s water future turned into a debate over “chem trails,” a conspiracy theory claiming that airplanes are spraying chemicals to control the weather or even harm people.
The meeting wasn’t a fringe gathering, but the convening of the Ag Committee of the Wyoming Legislature, the very group of people who should be conducting serious business to support agriculture in Wyoming.
But instead of a critical policy discussion, we got internet conspiracies.
The Colorado River Basin is at a near-crisis point with water levels dropping, reservoirs shrinking, and the river getting drier.
In an effort to stretch water supplies, all seven Colorado River Basin states, including Wyoming, have instituted “cloud seeding” efforts, a process of dispersing microscopic particles of silver iodide into clouds by plane or ground-based means to boost snow production from clouds.
But rather than building on this proven tool, Rep. Schmid brought a proposal to the Joint Ag Committee to ban cloud seeding in Wyoming for 10 years.
In the past, he has argued that cloud seeding is unsafe and could be harming Big Horn Sheep populations in the Wind River Mountains.
However, experts from Wyoming Water Development testified that silver iodide levels are undetectable above natural background amounts and pose no risk.
Studies in Wyoming and neighboring states also show that cloud seeding does increase precipitation and is cost-effective.
What started as a serious discussion about strengthening Wyoming’s snowpack in a water-hungry basin quickly veered off course and unraveled into talk of chem trails.
Freedom Caucus members, their allies in the Senate, and their chosen “experts” testified that crisscrossed jet trails were proof of chemicals being sprayed to dim the sun.
In reality, these so-called chem trails are nothing more than jet contrails, mainly water vapor, and a conspiracy theory that scientists have repeatedly debunked.
Yet, without any real facts, the Joint Ag Committee forged ahead with bill draft requests to ban both cloud seeding and chem trails in Wyoming, despite objections by Senator Crago and Representatives Eklund, Provenza, Banks, and Davis.
This is the Ag Committee, and their job is to help Wyoming agriculture.
So, how does banning cloud seeding help replenish our reservoirs?
How does chasing conspiracy theories help a single rancher or farmer?
It doesn’t.
What it does do is turn cloud seeding into collateral damage in a much bigger war the Freedom Caucus is waging against reason, common sense, and our basic ability to discern the truth.
Cloud seeding isn’t a silver bullet for Wyoming’s water challenges.
Still, it is a practical, science-based tool and certainly NOT a Trojan Horse sent by the government to poison wildlife or humanity.
Albert Sommers served in the Wyoming House of Representatives for District 20 from 2013 - 2024 and was Speaker of the House from 2022-2023.
