The Washington PostDemocracy Dies in Darkness

GOP lawmakers are fueling a conspiracy theory without mentioning ‘chemtrails’

The baseless ‘chemtrails’ accusation is going increasingly mainstream

March 27, 2024 at 6:30 a.m. EDT
The contrail of a Sunwing Airlines airplane flying over New York on Jan. 12. (Gary Hershorn/Getty Images)
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Republican state lawmakers are going after a new threat they say could cause harm to the environment — and playing into a baseless claim at the same time.

In a Tennessee bill passed by the state Senate last week, lawmakers targeted geoengineering, an experimental — and controversial — practice not yet in use that could help cool the planet amid climate change.