IN-DEPTH: Amid Ridicule From Democrats, Tennessee Passes Legislation Banning Geoengineering

Mr. Fritts said the legislation is needed because federal proposals to enact geoengineering operations have been set in motion.

Planes leaving vapor trails that don't dissipate but spread into cloud cover. Courtesy of Matt McGregor

To make a point about not wasting the time of Tennessee citizens on what he described as a conspiracy theory, Rep. John Clemmons, a Democrat, proposed an amendment to a bill prohibiting geoengineering that would also protect the mythological Sasquatch.

This amendment led to a lengthy discussion among Tennessee lawmakers on Monday in which Mr. Clemmons called Senate Bill 2691—sponsored by Republican Rep. Monty Fritts— “a very nonimportant piece of legislation” that “shouldn’t be taken seriously.”