Tennessee is trying to ban 'chemtrails' from planes based on a wild conspiracy theory

• A Tennessee state bill is trying to ban chemtrails and references a conspiracy theory.
• The trails released by aircraft are formed of water vapor and linger in high humidity.
• The wording of the bill means it could actually lower climate emissions.

Lawmakers in Tennessee are trying to ban chemtrails in a bill based on a conspiracy theory.

SB 2691 passed in the Senate on Monday, according to The Tennessean. It has not yet advanced in the house.

The chemtrail conspiracy theory claims that commercial aircraft spray chemicals into the atmosphere for malign purposes.

This is referenced in the state's bill, which claims the federal government "may conduct geoengineering experiments by intentionally dispersing chemicals into the atmosphere."

A 2017 study polled 1,000 Americans and found that 10% of them believe the conspiracy theory is "completely" true.

In reality, the trails produced by jets, called contrails, are made of water vapor.

Because the water vapor is so hot when it comes out of a plane's engine, it cools down in the atmosphere. At high altitudes where the humidity is in the right place for condensation, it forms contrails.

So contrails don't appear from every plane because atmospheric conditions can vary, and have to be just right for condensation to occur.

When the humidity is higher, the contrails linger in the sky for longer — which causes more alarm among the conspiracy theorists.

The state bill could actually end up lowering climate emissions, as pointed out by The Air Current's Jon Ostrower.

The bill says: "The intentional injection, release, or dispersion, by any means, of chemicals, chemical compounds, substances, or apparatus within the borders of this state into the atmosphere with the express purpose of affecting temperature, weather, or the intensity of the sunlight is prohibited."