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prohibit weather and climate modification activities and provide a penalty therefor.

South Dakota would ban weather and climate modification activities—such as injecting chemicals into the atmosphere to change weather, sunlight, temperature, or climate—and impose penalties on violators. The bill creates a new fund financed by fines from violators, with the Department of Agriculture and Natural Resources using half the money to monitor and enforce the ban and the other half going to the Department of Transportation for related administrative costs.

prohibit geoengineering in this state.

South Dakota would make it illegal for anyone to engage in geoengineering—defined as large-scale efforts to remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere or reflect sunlight away from Earth to combat climate change. Violating this prohibition would be a Class 6 felony, the most serious criminal charge in the state.

prohibit weather and climate modification activities and provide a penalty therefor.

This bill creates a new law prohibiting people from releasing chemicals or substances into the atmosphere with the intent to modify weather, climate, or sunlight intensity. Violators would face civil penalties, with the collected fines split between the Department of Agriculture and Natural Resources (for monitoring and enforcement) and the Department of Transportation (for related administrative costs). The bill establishes a special fund to pay for monitoring, investigating complaints, and ensuring compliance with the weather modification ban.

authorize the assumption of certain responsibilities and the waiver of sovereign immunity in connection with certain actions under federal environmental law.

South Dakota's Department of Transportation may now take over certain federal environmental review responsibilities for highway projects from the federal government under federal law. By doing so, the state waives its legal immunity from being sued in federal court over how it handles these environmental duties. The state also agrees to pay any damages, attorney fees, and court costs if it loses a lawsuit related to these environmental responsibilities, using money from the state highway fund.

impose a one-year moratorium on the construction or expansion of hyperscale data centers.

South Dakota would temporarily ban new hyperscale data centers (large facilities that use 50 megawatts or more of electricity) from being built or expanded in the state through June 30, 2027. The moratorium also applies to smaller data centers if their expansion would make them reach hyperscale size. This one-year pause gives the state time to study the impact of these energy-intensive facilities before allowing new construction or major expansions to proceed.