California Cloud-Seeding Drone Test Sparks Uproar in Alaska
- A California tech company produced 19 million gallons of water in the sky near Homer, Alaska, on August 23, triggering a sharp local backlash from residents and elected...
- conducted a training run using a drone roughly the size of a lawn mower to disperse approximately 375 grams of silver iodide into a supercooled cloud near the...
- Despite Rainmaker obtaining necessary regulatory approvals and notifying state officials prior to the flight, local leaders reported learning about the test only after it occurred.
Sky-High Test Triggers Alaskan Outcry
A California tech company produced 19 million gallons of water in the sky near Homer, Alaska, on August 23, triggering a sharp local backlash from residents and elected officials, according to reporting by the Anchorage Press.
Rainmaker Technology Corp. conducted a training run using a drone roughly the size of a lawn mower to disperse approximately 375 grams of silver iodide into a supercooled cloud near the head of Kachemak Bay. Company chief executive Augustus Doricko stated that the operation achieved its goal of inducing precipitation over a three-hour window. The firm aims to alleviate water scarcity in drought-stricken areas of the Lower 48, such as Utah’s Great Salt Lake and the Colorado River.
Blind-Sided Leaders Demand Answers
Despite Rainmaker obtaining necessary regulatory approvals and notifying state officials prior to the flight, local leaders reported learning about the test only after it occurred. Kenai Peninsula Borough Mayor Peter Micciche criticized the lack of local coordination, noting that residents were caught completely off guard.
The fact that these guys are literally dropping materials on constituents without any notification or checklist of what should occur prior to the flight is clearly a gap in responsible lawmaking.
Peter Micciche, Mayor of the Kenai Peninsula Borough
Cease-And-Desist Letters and Public Opposition
State Representative Sarah Vance, a Republican representing the Homer area, described the test as generating one of the largest outpourings of local opposition. Vance sent a cease-and-desist letter to Rainmaker requesting that the firm halt operations in her district and demanding a public open house.
Company Defense and Environmental Stance
Chief Executive Augustus Doricko defended the safety of the silver iodide used during the operation, noting that the resulting increase in ground silver concentrations falls orders of magnitude below the Environmental Protection Agency drinking water threshold of 100 parts per billion. Doricko emphasized that the company views its mission as ecological conservation.
In a certain sense, I am running a conservation company, or at least a company that’s trying to make our ecosystems and our farms healthier, and more green. So, it would be pretty ridiculous if I was using something that acted to the contrary of that.
Augustus Doricko, Chief Executive of Rainmaker Technology Corp.
Regulatory Gaps Highlighted by Officials
While Mayor Micciche stated he was not personally concerned about the chemical makeup of silver iodide, he maintained that dropping materials from an unmanned aircraft over populated municipal territory without prior notice or public comment remains an inadequate regulatory process.