Cloud Seeding - Ballot Initiative Petition

05/23/2024 - We are now ready for the final signatures to place the initiative on the May 2026 election ballot. 

This is a significant achievement we have reached together. 

For the benefit of all citizens, here is a link to the Idaho Code detailing the process for county ballot initiatives: 

34-1801C.  INITIATIVE AND REFERENDUM PROCEDURES FOR COUNTIES. 

During the proposal stages, here are a few of the critical steps that we are executing:

1. The lead petitioners write the proposed ballot initiative petition.

2. The petitioners gathered at least 20 signatures from qualified voters and turned in the proposed ballot initiative petition to the county clerk. This step was completed on 04/01/2024.

3. The county clerk reviews and approves the first 20 signatures. Once approved, the text of the ballot initiative is given to the county prosecuting attorney for legal review and to prepare wording for a ballot.

4. The prosecuting attorney communicates with the petitioners with any questions or advice. Once completed, the prosecuting attorney issues a certificate to the county clerk with an advisory opinion. The due date was 04/29/2024. The completion date was 04/29/2024.

5. The petitioners receive the prosecuting attorney's advisory opinion, make changes to the petition based on it, and submit the final proposed version back to the clerk. The prosecuting attorney then prepares the short and long titles for the ballot initiative. The due date was 05/14/2024. The completion date was 05/08/2024.

6. The petitioners review the short and long titles prepared by the prosecuting attorney and must agree to accept them or submit them back for updates.

7. The petitioners have agreed to the short and long titles. We will begin gathering signatures sometime in the coming months. We are currently in this stage.

The above stages, in their entirety, were on a very tight timeline for the initiative to be on the November 2024 ballot. We are beyond the May 9, 2024, 5 pm deadline to make the November 2024 ballot. However, we are well-prepared to continue the ballot initiative process, as guided by the Secretary of State's Office staff, to place it on the May 2026 election ballot. We will continue educating citizens on the issue and will begin gathering final signatures at some future date when necessary. 

The intent remains the same: Remove Clark County government as the middleman in cloud-seeding, other than giving a yearly cash donation to the Upper Snake River Valley Cloud-Seeding Project, just like Bonneville, Madison, Jefferson, Fremont, Bingham, and Power counties and to ensure Clark County government is no longer paying for the cloud-seeding liability insurance and assuming significant financial risk associated with cloud-seeding. 

Regardless of the outcome of this petition, CLOUD SEEDING WILL CONTINUE. We have never suggested otherwise. Remember, with remote-controlled generators and aircraft, Idaho Power began cloud-seeding in 2008 in Clark County and the rest of the Upper Snake River Valley. Nothing about this petition changes that. Also, Let It Snow, Inc. can and should continue manual generator cloud-seeding. We only ask they continue with a new boss (High Country RC&D) and self-secure private liability insurance with the help of donations made to High Country RC&D. If you would like to donate to the cloud-seeding efforts managed by High Country RC&D, go here. 

Stay tuned!