Conspiracy

'Chemtrails' crackdown: 8 US states move to ban illicit sky spraying

By T.K. Randall
June 11, 2025

Image: Contrails
Credit: Adrian Pingstone Arpingstone / (PD) What started out as a baseless conspiracy theory has since turned into an increasingly widespread legislative movement that has now spread to eight US states (with possibly more on the way).

The 'chemtrails' conspiracy began back in the 1990s when a theory emerged suggesting that the vapor trails of high-altitude aircraft that can often be seen criss-crossing the sky are actually trails of chemicals being deliberately sprayed by the government for shadowy, nefarious purposes.

While several possible agendas have been put forward ranging from chemical or biological weapons testing to weather modification, no conclusive evidence that these trails are anything sinister has ever been forthcoming.

Nonetheless, in recent years both Tennessee and Florida have introduced legislation to make such activities illegal, or more specifically, to outlaw the "injection, release, or dispersion, by any means, of a chemical, a chemical compound, a substance or apparatus into the atmosphere for the express purposes of affecting the temperature, weather, climate, or intensity of sunlight."

While critics have argued that these bills are a waste of time, several more states - including Louisiana, Texas, Kentucky, Minnesota and North Dakota - are also now looking to introduce their own equivalent legislation.But there is at least some reason to be cautious about what is being sprayed in the sky.

Timothy Tangherlini - a professor at the Berkeley School of Information - cites Agent Orange (a herbicide used during the Vietnam war) as a prime example.

"There are certain things that were sprayed by airplanes that did have a massive impact on the environment and on people's health," he said.

"Fast-forward 50 years, there's a deep suspicion of the government and things that fly."

Whether even more states will decide to introduce their own legislation to combat such practices, however, remains to be seen.

Source: The Guardian

Tags: Chemtrails