Legal and Policy Issues Texas regulations concerning weather modification are contained in Chapter 18 of the Texas Water Code, which is commonly known as the Texas Weather Modification Act. It was passed in 1967 by the Texas Legislature. The code sets requirements for operators of these programs. A permit is required for each project. The rules also require that a public hearing be held in the area where a project will be carried out, if 25 people request one.
Special conditions govern the use of weather modification to limit hail damage.
A simple majority vote can cancel a project that has been proposed for their area. There are some cloud seeding operations that do not need licenses and permits. Nationally, there are efforts underway to develop a section of a model water code that will address weather modification. The efforts to develop a revised code are being led by the American Society of Civil Engineers and the Weather Modification Association. The ultimate goal is to identify regulations that have been implemented throughout the U.S. Water managers can then compare their statutes to the model code.