Proposed Bills on: Climate Science Research

H.R. 6:   Renewable Fuels, Consumer Protection, and Energy Efficiency Act of 2007. This is the omnibus Senate energy bill for 2007. It contains a variety of provisions intended to promote the development and deployment of biofuels, energy efficiency, carbon capture and storage, environmentally sustainable public buildings, and includes a measure to increase the corporate average fuel economy (CAFE) standard. This summary will focus on those provisions most directly relevant to climate change.

· Among other provisions, the bill establishes a renewable fuel standard, to reach 36 billion gallons by 2022, with 21 billion of those gallons to be from advanced biofuels. The bill mandates that renewable fuels produced from facilities that commence operations after enactment shall achieve at least 20% reduction in life cycle greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, compared to gasoline. The bill also directs the Presidnet to establish criteria for a system of voluntary labeling of renewable fuels based on life cycle greenhouse gas emissions.

· The bill directs the President to establish a program to provide grants for research support to facilitate the development of sustainable markets and technologies to use woody biomass and other low carbon fuels, including research into methods of assessing and certifying the impacts of low-carbon fuels with respect to reductions in lifecycle GHG emissions, among other impacts.

· The bill also directs the Secretary of Energy to establish a grant program to encourage the production of advanced biofuels. It requires the Secretary to award grants to the proposals for advanced biofuels with the greatest reduction in lifecycle GHG emissions compared to the comparable vehicle fuel lifecycle emissions in calendar year 2007, with at least a 50% such reduction needed to be eligible.

· The bill amends the Clean Air Act to direct the Administrator of the EPA to work with the EPA to conduct 2 studies on the effects of increased domestic use of renewable fuels under this act, including an assessment and quantification of significant changes in GHG emissions, among others.

· Among other provisions, the bill directs the Secretary of Energy to conduct an applied research program for plug-in electric drive vehicle technology, including development of control systems optimized for reducing greenhouse gas emissions; it also directs the Secretary to establish a competitive program to provide grants for demonstrations of plug-in hybrid electric vehicles. As part of the criteria, applicants are required to record GHG emissions.

· The bill also amends the Energy Policy Act of 2005 to establish an Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Worker Training. It directs the Secretary of Energy to establish a competitive grant program for States to administer renewable energy and energy efficiency workforce development programs, and requires the Secretary to give priority to those States whose programs will be in line with meeting national and State goals for reducing GHG emissions, among other goals.

· The bill requires the Secretary of the Interior to develop a national assessment of the quantity of carbon stored in and released from terrestrial ecosystems, including from human-caused and natural fires, and the annual flux of GHGs in and out of terrestrial ecosystems. As part of the assessment, the Secretary must determine the processes that control the flux of GHGs in and out of terrestrial ecosystems; estimate the potential for increasing carbon sequestration in natural and managed terrestrial ecosystems; develop near-term and long-term adaptation strategies or mitigation strategies that can be employed to enhance the sequestration of carbon in terrestrial ecosystems, to reduce emissions of GHGs, and to adapt to climate change.

· The bill also requires the Secretary of the Interior to develop a method for measuring, monitoring, quantifying, and monetizing covered GHG emissions and reductions, including methods for allocating and managing offsets or credits.

· The bill directs the Secretary of Transportation to increase Corporate Average Fuel Economy regulations to achieve a combined standard for passenger cars and light trucks of at least 35 miles per gallon by 2020. For model years 2021 through 2031, the Secretary would have to establish the "maximum feasible" standard for the fleet. In establishing the maximum feasible standard, the bill directs the Secretary to consider the emissions of GHGs over the lifecycle of the fuel and the resulting costs to human health, the economy, and the environment.

· The bill amends the Energy Policy Act of 2005 to establish a program to promote and fund carbon capture and storage research, development, and demonstration. It authorizes a total of $1.425 billion for various of activities related to carbon capture and storage, including: fundamental science and engineering research; field testing of carbon dioxide sequestration in operating and depleted oil and gas fields, and geological formations including saline formations and unmineable coal seams; not less than 7 large-volume sequestration tests involving at least 1 million tons of carbon dioxide per year in a diversity of geological formations across the United States; and an assessment of the national capacity for carbon dioxide storage. The bill also directs the Secretary of Energy to establish a competitive grant program for the demonstration of carbon capture and storage from industrial sources.

· The bill also requires the Administrator of the EPA to establish a competitive grant demonstration program for projects to capture and store or use the carbon dioxide emitted from the Capitol power plant as a result of burning coal.

· In addition, the bill requires the Secretary of the Interior to develop a national assessment of the quantity of carbon stored in and released from terrestrial ecosystems, including from human-caused and natural fires, and the annual flux of GHGs in and out of terrestrial ecosystems. As part of the assessment, the Secretary must determine the processes that control the flux of GHGs in and out of terrestrial ecosystems; estimate the potential for increasing carbon sequestration in natural and managed terrestrial ecosystems; develop near-term and long-term adaptation strategies or mitigation strategies that can be employed to enhance the sequestration of carbon in terrestrial ecosystems, to reduce emissions of GHGs, and to adapt to climate change.

· The bill also requires the Secretary of Commerce to establish within NOAA a program of scientific research on abrupt climate change, and authorizes up to $10 million between 2009 and 2014.

· Finally, the bill expresses the sense of Congress that “[d]evelopment of renewable energy through sustainable practices will help lead to a reduction in greenhouse gas emissions and enhance international development.

Sponsor: Rep. Nick Rahall (D-WV) (198 Cosponsors)

 

S. 1227:   Clean Coal Act of 2007 ( Cosponsors)

 

S. 1389:   Climate Change Education Act. This bill would direct the Director of the National Science Foundation (NSF) to establish a Climate Change Education Program. The Program would include: a national information campaign to promote technologies, programs, and incentives related to energy conservation, renewable energy, and greenhouse gas reduction; and a competitive grant program to fund the creation of educational materials related to climate science and climate change. Sponsor: Sen. Barack Obama (D-IL) (3 Cosponsors)

 

S. 1579:   Coastal Zone Enhancement Reauthorization Act of 2007. Among other provisions amending the Coastal Zone Management Act of 1972, this bill authorizes coastal states, in preparing and carrying out its coastal management, to conduct assessments, mapping, modeling, and forecasting of the effects of climate change on the coastal zone. Sponsor: Sen. Olympia Snowe (R-ME) (2 Cosponsors)

 

S. 1581:   Federal Ocean Acidification Research and Monitoring (FOARAM) Act of 2007. This bill would establish an Interagency Committee on Ocean Acidification whose role is to oversee the creation of a plan designed to improve the understanding of the role of increased ocean acidification on marine ecosystems, including the effects of anthropogenic atmospheric carbon dioxide on ocean chemistry. In its finding section, the bill cites the oceans’ role in helping mitigate the effects of global warming by absorbing atmospheric carbon dioxide. Sponsor: Sen. Frank Lautenberg (D-NJ) (1 Cosponsors)

 

S. 1696:   Department of the Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2008. Among other provisions, this bill appropriates $10 million to the EPA for the purpose of providing competitive grants for research into, among other purposes, developing strategies to mitigate climate change. In addition, the bill states the sense of the Senate Appropriations Committee that “a robust climate change management research program will be essential for the Forest Service to sustain forest health and biodiversity and protect a wide range of natural resources,” and appropriates $2.5 million to expand the Forest Service’s climate science research program; the Committee directs the agency to use these funds to develop forest management techniques that adapt to and mitigate the effects of climate change. The bill also appropriates $2.275 to the EPA to fund research activities in support of future rulemaking activities on greenhouse gas (GHG) regulation. It also appropriates $2 million to the EPA to use its existing authority under the Clean Air Act to develop and publish a rule requiring mandatory reporting of GHG emissions above appropriate thresholds in all sectors of the economy; the bill further directs the EPA to publish a final rule no later than December 31, 2008, and to include in its rule reporting of emissions resulting from upstream production and downstream sources. Sponsor: Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) ( Cosponsors)

 

S. 2191:  

NOTE:  For a full range of Pew Center resources for Lieberman-Warner, including in depth analysis, a longer summary,  a complete timeline, and links to relevant external documents and media, please click here

The Lieberman-Warner Climate Security Act (L-W CSA). This bill would establish a cap-and-trade program within the United States requiring a 70% reduction in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from covered sources, which represent over 80% of total U.S. emissions. The bill as amended also includes complementary policies, such as a low carbon fuel standard and provisions aimed at enhancing energy efficiency. Taken together, the bill’s sponsors believe these provisions will reduce overall U.S. GHG emissions roughly 63% by 2050.

The L-W CSA divides the six GHGs into two categories: Group I (carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, sulfur hexafluoride, and perfluorocarbons) and Group II (hydrofluorcarbons). For all GHGs, the bill uses the common unit of measurement CO₂ equivalent (CO₂e)—the quantity of GHGs that the U.S. EPA has determined makes the same contribution to global warming as one metric ton of CO₂. The L-W CSA would create two separate caps, one covering facilities that produce HFCs and the other covering facilities that:

·  Use more that 5,000 tons of coal annually;

·  Process, produce, or import natural gas;

·  Produce or import petroleum or coal-based fuel that when combusted will emit a Group I GHG;

· Produce for sale or distribution or import more than 10,000 CO₂e of chemicals that are group I GHGs, assuming no capture or permanent sequestration

· Emit as a by-product of HCFC production more than 10,000 CO₂e of HFCs

Overall, the two caps combined are expected to cover over 80% of total U.S. GHG emissions, although some process related emissions are not covered.

The cap on facilities producing HFCs would start in 2010 at 300 million metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent (MMTCO₂e) and decline to 90 MMTCO₂e by 2037, remaining at that level through 2050. Emissions from all other covered facilities would be capped at 5775 MMTCO₂e in 2012, with this cap decreasing annually to 1732 MMTCO₂e in 2050. The two caps combined would result in roughly a 19% reduction from 2005 levels in 2020 and a 70% reduction from 2005 levels by 2050.

Beginning in 2012 and continuing through 2030, the L-W CSA would provide transition assistance in the form of free allowances to electric power generators (19%), manufacturers (10%), fuel producers or importers (2%), HFC producers and importers (2%), and rural electric cooperatives (1%). In addition, 5% of the total emission allowance account will be allocated to early actors from 2012-2017 and 4% for carbon, capture and sequestration activities from 2012-2030. Approximately 30.5% of the total allowance account will be set aside from 2012-2050 for other entities, including states, load-serving entities, farms and forests, coal mines, and others. Starting in 2012, 26.5% of allowances would be auctioned (including 5% for an early auction to be held shortly after enactment), with the proceeds going to energy technology deployment, low-and middle-income energy consumers, adaptation efforts in the U.S., and programs to support energy independence and national security. Over time, the auction will grow so that by 2031, 69.5% of the allowances would be auctioned and the revenue used for these purposes.

The L-W CSA allows covered facilities to satisfy up to 15% of their compliance obligation with specific domestic offsets. An additional 15% can be covered using international emission allowances. Unlimited banking is allowed and owners and operators of covered facilities can borrow up to 15% of their annual compliance obligation from future years. The L-W CSA also creates a Carbon Market Efficiency Board to monitor the carbon trading market and implement specific cost relief measures, including increased borrowing and use of offsets.

The L-W CSA includes a review of the commitments of other major-emitting nations to reduce their GHG emissions. Eight years after enactment the President is authorized to require importers of GHG emission-intensive products from countries that have not taken action comparable to the U.S. to submit credits equal to those required of domestic manufactures.

Sponsor: Sen. Joseph I. Lieberman (I-CT) (9 Cosponsors)

11/1/07: Reported by the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works Subcommittee on Private Sector and Consumer Solutions to Global Warming by 4-3; 12/5/08: Reported by the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works by 11-8.

 

 

S. 2284:   Flood Insurance Reform and Modernization Act of 2007. This bill would amend the National Flood Insurance Act of 1968 to, among other provisions, include within the National Flood Mapping Program of the National Flood Insurance Program: information from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the United States Geological Survey (USGS) relating to the best available climate science and the potential for future inundation from sea level rise, increased precipitation, and increased intensity of hurricanes due to global warming. Sponsor: Sen. Christopher J. Dodd (D-CT) ( Cosponsors) 10/17/07—Reported by the Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs by voice vote. 5/13//08—Incorporated into H.R. 3121 as an amendment, which passed the Senate 92-6 on 5/13/08.

 

S. 2307:  

Global Change Research Improvement Act of 2007. This bill would amend the Global Change Research Act of 1990 to direct the Chairman of the Federal Coordinating Council on Science, Engineering, and Technology to develop a 10-year strategic plan for the United States Global Climate Change Research Program. The bill also requires the President to establish an interagency committee to ensure cooperation and coordination of all Federal research activities pertaining to human-induced or natural changes in the global environment, including global climate change. The bill establishes an Integrated Program Office within the Office of Science and Technology Policy for the Global Climate Change Research Program. It also requires the Secretary of Commerce to establish a National Climate Service within the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). The Service would include a national center and a network of regional and local facilities for operational climate monitoring and prediction.

Sponsor: Sen. John F. Kerry (D-MA) (1 Cosponsors) 12/4/07: Reported by the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation by voice vote.  

 

S. 280:   Climate Stewardship and Innovation Act of 2007. The Act establishes a market-driven system of tradable greenhouse gas (GHG) allowances, administered by the Environmental Protection Agency, to begin in 2012. The Act would divide the economy into sectors—electricity, transportation, industry, and commercial—each subject to separate, sector-wide emissions cap, while allowing inter-sector trading. Allowances would be equal to a maximum of 6.13 million metric tons of CO2e after 2011, reducing to 5.239 million metric tons after 2019, 4.1 million after 2029, and 2.096 after 2049; the quantities of these allowances could be reduced, depending on the GHG emissions of the rest of the economy and emitters not subject to the cap. The bill would also establish a national GHG database and registry, as well as a Climate Change Credit Corporation, a non-profit corporation with a board appointed by the President of the United States. This corporation would be allocated a portion of tradable allowances, and be able to buy and sell other allowances, and is directed to use the proceeds from its trading activities to reduce costs borne by consumers as a result of the GHG reduction requirements of the Act. The Act also contains provisions to encourage the innovation and deployment of advanced, climate-friendly technologies; it also directs the Secretary of Commerce to conduct research on the impact of climate change on low-income populations around the world, and the costs of mitigating those impacts. Sponsor: Sen. Joseph I. Lieberman (I-CT) (9 Cosponsors)

 

S. 2970:  

Climate Change Drinking Water Adaptation Research Act. This bill would direct the EPA Administrator to—in cooperation with the Secretaries of Commerce, Energy, and Interior—establish and provide funding for a program of directed and applied research to assist suppliers of drinking water in adapting to the effects of climate change. The bill requires that the program be conducted through a nonprofit water research foundation, and be sponsored by drinking water utilities;it does not specify a particular foundation, nor detail the method of sponsorship. The bill would authorize $25 million for each fiscal year from 2009 through 2019.

Sponsor: Sen. Harry Reid (D-NV) (1 Cosponsors)

 

S. 3036:  

The Lieberman-Warner Climate Security Act of 2008
 

NOTE:  For a full range of Pew Center resources for this bill, including in depth analysis, a longer summary,  a complete timeline, and links to relevant external documents and media, please click here


·         The Act, if enacted into law, would establish a market-based cap-and-trade program for greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in the United States, and establish other measures to reduce GHG emissions.

·         This is the first cap-and-trade legislation to proceed to the Senate floor through regular order—that is, through the committee process. A previous version of this bill, then titled S.2191, was passed 11-8 by the Senate Environment and Public Works (EPW) Committee in December 2007. The version that will debated on the Senate floor has been extensively revised from the version passed by the EPW committee.

·         An estimated 87% of U.S. GHG emissions would be subject to the bill’s cap-and-trade program. Those required to submit emissions allowances under the program include: coal-fired power plants and other entities that use more than 5,000 metric tons of coal, natural gas processors and importers, petroleum processors and refiners, manufacturers and importers of more than 10,000 metric tons of GHGs (as measured in CO2 equivalents), and any entity that emits more than 10,000 metric tons (CO2e) of HFCs as a byproduct of the manufacture of hydrochlorofluorocarbons (HCFCs).  The bill establishes a separate cap-and-trade system for HFCs produced or imported (including those in products and equipment).

·         The cap-and-trade program would reduce GHG emissions from covered sectors by 4% below 2005 levels by 2012; 19% below 2005 levels by 2020; and 71% below 2005 levels by 2050.

·         The bill would allocate 75.5% of all allowances for free in 2012— including 18% to power plants, 11% to manufacturers, 2% to petroleum refiners, and 0.75% to natural gas processors (transitioning to zero in 2031); 12.75% to electricity and natural gas local distribution companies for the benefit of energy consumers, and 15% to states, etc. The proportion of allowances auctioned would increase from 24.5% in 2012 to 58.75% by 2032.

·         The bill would establish numerous measures to contain the cost of the cap-and-trade program, including allowing the use of domestic and international offsets, and the banking and borrowing of allowances; establishing a Carbon Market Efficiency Board empowered with certain cost-relief powers; and establishing a “cost-containment auction” of a fixed quantity of allowances each year that will initially be offered only to those with compliance obligations and within a certain price range. The bill also establishes a working group that will create regulations designed to protect the market from fraud and manipulation.

·         The bill would provide funds to compensate low-income energy consumers and assist in worker transition.

·         The bill would provide funding and incentives for development and deployment of geological carbon capture and sequestration (CCS) technology, with a goal of constructing 5-10 commercial coal-burning electricity facilities using CCS.

·         The bill would also provide funds for:  renewable energy; increasing the energy efficiency of buildings, appliances, manufacturing; research into low-carbon electricity generation and advanced energy projects; increasing the use and manufacture of hybrid and advanced vehicles; and increasing the production of cellulosic biofuels. It also includes a low-carbon fuel standard.

·         The bill would provide funds for the states for mass transit projects, and wildlife conservation and adaptation projects, among others.

·         The bill has a number of international provisions, including a measure that would require importers of certain commodities from countries that do not have GHG control programs to submit special allowances, as well as funds for assisting vulnerable communities abroad, promoting international technology development, and conserving forests and wildlife in other countries.

 

Sponsor: Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-CA) ( Cosponsors) 6/2/08: Cloture on the motion to proceed to the bill invoked by the Senate by 74-14; 6/6/08: the Senate failed to invoke cloture to close debate on the bill by 48-36.

 

S. RES. 30:  

Expressing the sense of the Senate regarding the need for the United States to participate in international climate change negotiations to protect the country’s economic and national security interests, establish mitigation commitments by all countries that are major GHG emitters, establish international mechanisms to minimize the cost of efforts by participating countries and achieve a significant long-term reduction in global GHG emissions.

(25 Cosponsors)

 

H. Res. 735:   A resolution congratulating Vice President Al Gore and the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change on receiving the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize and recognizing their important work to increase awareness about and evidence of the dangers of global warming. Among other provisions, the resolution also encourages Congress and the President to enact important climate change legislation to substantially reduce the contributions of the United States to global greenhouse emissions. Sponsor: Rep. Michael Honda (D-CA) (42 Cosponsors)

 

H. Res. 739:  

A resolution honoring Albert Arnold Gore Jr. and the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, winners of the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize. The preamble language cites Vice President Gore's studies with climate scientist Roger Revelle, and recognizes that the IPCC "develops the scientific consensus necessary for humankind to address the challenges set forth by this crisis." Among other provisions, the resolution also declares that the United States House of Representatives affairs that human-induced climate change is "an urgent problem that must be confronted by all people of the world; and the United States House of Representatives accepts as its own challenge and calls upon citizens of the United States to find ways to reduce the emission of greenhouse gases that contribute to changing of Earth's climate, the peace, security and prosperity of this Nation and world demanding it."

Sponsor: Rep. Jim Cooper (D-TN) ( Cosponsors)

 

H.R. 1507:   Salmon Economic Analysis and Planning Act. Among other provisions, the bill directs the Secretary of Commerce and the National Academy of Sciences to conduct scientific analysis of Federal salmon protection restoration and recovery actions, and to include in that analysis an identification of the effect of global climate change on ocean conditions and hydrological conditions in the Snake and Columbia Rivers and their salmon and steelhead-bearing tributaries; as well as an examination of how such global climate change effects might affect the Federal recovery actions of naturally spawning, wild salmon and steelhead populations. Sponsor: Rep. Jim McDermott (D-MA) (65 Cosponsors)

 

H.R. 1728:   Global Warming Education Act. The Act would authorize that National Science Foundation to establish a Global Warming Education Program. Sponsor: Rep. Michael Honda (D-CA) (17 Cosponsors)

 

H.R. 1867:   National Science Foundation Authorization Act of 2007. In authorizing appropriations for the National Science Foundation (NSF) for FY 2008, this bill, among other provisions, instructs the Director of the NSF to support activities to create informal educational materials, exhibits, and multimedia presentations relevant to global warming, climate science and greenhouse gas (GHG) reduction strategies. The bill also instructs the Director to support the development of such materials for K-12 education, as part of Discovery Research K-12 activities. Sponsor: Rep. Brian Baird (D-WA) (21 Cosponsors)

 

H.R. 1975:   Northern Rockies Ecosystem Protection Act. Among other purposes, this bill designates certain National Forest System, National Park System, and Bureau of Land Management-administered public lands as components of a National Wilderness Preservation System, a National Wild and Scenic River System, and National Wildland Restoration and Recovery Areas. In the title establishing the National Wildland Restoration and Recovery System, the bill finds that “Recovery activities are required to reverse severe damage to native fish and wildlife populations and water quality in these areas and to facilitate the dispersal of species in response to climate change,” and mandates that “All lands within the Recovery System shall be managed so as to restore their native vegetative cover and reduce or eliminate invasive non-native species, facilitate native species diversity to the extent possible with climate change…” Sponsor: Rep. Carolyn Maloney (D-NY) (110 Cosponsors)

 

H.R. 21:   Oceans Conservation, Education, and National Strategy for the 21^st Century Act, which would, among other things, establish a national policy for America’s oceans, strengthen the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and establish a national and regional ocean governance structure. The bill cites global climate change as a major threat to marine ecosystem health. Sponsor: Rep. Sam Farr (D-CA) (3 Cosponsors)

 

H.R. 2144:   Farm, Nutrition, and Community Investment Act of 2007. Among other provisions, this bill would amend the Agricultural Risk Protection Act of 2000 by directing the Secretary of Agriculture to provide grants to certain universities in order to conduct research on carbon cycle, renewable energy, and climate change; and the bill authorizes $15 million a year for fiscal years 2008 through 2013 for the purpose. The bill also amends the Farm Security and Rural Investment Act of 2002 to establish grants for cellulosic ethanol projects, a farm and ranch energy efficiency rebate program, and authorizes funds for research in alternative uses for biofuel byproducts. In addition, the bill amends the Public Utility Regulatory Policies Act of 1978 to direct each electric utility to make available upon request net metering to any electric consumer that the electric utility serves. Sponsor: Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D-CT) (31 Cosponsors)

 

H.R. 2337:   Energy Policy Reform and Revitalization Act of 2007. Among other provisions, this bill requires the Secretary of the Interior to develop a methodology for assessing the nation’s capacity to store carbon dioxide in geologic formations. It also requires the Secretary to conduct an assessment of the amount of carbon stored in terrestrial, aquatic, and coastal ecosystems, including estuaries; and to determine the potential for increasing carbon storage in natural ecosystems.

In addition, the bill mandates the creation of the National Resources Management Council on Climate Change to address the impacts of climate change on Federal lands, the ocean environment, and the Federal water infrastructure. It requires the Secretary of the Interior to promulgate a national strategy for assisting wildlife populations and their habitats in adapting to the impacts of global warming. The bill also directs the Secretary of Commerce to develop and implement a national strategy to predict, plan for, and mitigate the impacts on ocean and coastal ecosystems from global warming, relative sea level rise and ocean acidification; and ensure the recovery, resilience, and health of ocean and coastal ecosystems. The bill also authorizes $250 million to establish a National Integrated Coastal and Ocean Observation System to improve the nation’s ability to measure, track, explain, and predict events related directly and indirectly and indirectly to weather and climate change. Sponsor: Rep. Nick Rahall (D-WV) (7 Cosponsors)

 

H.R. 2338:   Global Warming Wildlife Survival Act. Among other provisions, this bill states that it is the policy of the Federal Government to assist wildlife populations in adapting to and surviving the effects of global warming. The bill directs the Secretary of the Interior to, within two years of enactment, promulgate a national strategy for mitigating the impacts of global warming on wildlife populations in the United States. It also directs the Secretary to establish the National Global Warming and Wildlife Science Center within the United States Geological Survey. Sponsor: Rep. Norm Dicks (D-WA) (2 Cosponsors)

 

H.R. 2428:   Biofuels Research Initiative Act of 2007. This bill amends the Farm Security and Rural Investment Act of 2002 to direct the Secretary of Agriculture to provide grants to consortiums of land grant universities for bioenergy and biomass research; and one of the qualifying criteria for such grants is environmental assessment, including a climate change assessment of bioenergy production systems. Sponsor: Rep. Chet Edwards (D-TX) ( Cosponsors)

 

H.R. 250:   National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Act which would, among other things, provide funding to study the earth’s climate and enhance our ability to predict and respond to climate variability and change. Sponsor: Rep. Vernon Ehlers (R-MI) (1 Cosponsors)

 

H.R. 2537:  

Beach Protection Act of 2008. Among other provisions to amend the Federal Water Pollution Control Act, this bill would direct the Administrator of the EPA to conduct a study on the long-term impact of climate change on pollution of coastal recreation waters.

Sponsor: Rep. Frank PalloneJr. (D-NJ) (39 Cosponsors)

10/31/07: Reported by the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure by voice vote; 4/16/08: Passed the House by voice vote.

 

H.R. 2641:   Energy and Water Development and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2008. Among other provisions, this bill, according to the accompanying committee report, appropriates $150 million to the Department of Energy for research into climate change, including modeling, monitoring radiation in the atmosphere, and long-term experiments on the impact of increased CO₂ levels on forests and other ecosystems. The bill also appropriates $1.9 billion for climate-friendly, energy efficiency and renewable energy programs including: solar energy, biofuels (including cellulosic ethanol), vehicle technology, energy efficient buildings, weatherization grants, hydropower, and geothermal energy. In addition, the bill appropriates $639.2 million for funding for a Next Generation Nuclear Power Plant at the Idaho National Laboratory. Sponsor: Rep. Peter Visclosky (D-IN) ( Cosponsors)

 

H.R. 2643:   Department of the Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2008. Among other provisions, the bill declares that “it is the sense of the Congress that there should be enacted a comprehensive and effective national program of mandatory, market-based limits and incentives on emissions of greenhouse gases.” The bill appropriates $266 million for basic research on climate change to the Department of the Interior (through the USGS), the EPA, and the U.S. Forest Service. It also appropriates $50 million to establish a commission on climate change adaptation and mitigation. In addition, the bill appropriates $2 million to develop regulations to reduce GHG emissions, pursuant to the Supreme Court’s ruling in Massachusetts v. EPA. Sponsor: Rep. Norman Dicks (D-WA) ( Cosponsors)

 

H.R. 2698:  

Federal Aviation Research and Development Reauthorization Act of 2007. Among other purposes, this bill would direct the Administrator of the Federal Aviation Administration to establish a research initiative, in coordination with NASA and the United States Climate Science Program, to assess the impact of aviation on the climate and, if warranted to evaluate approaches to mitigate that impact.

Sponsor: Rep. Mark Udall (D-CO) (2 Cosponsors) 6/14/08: Reported by the House Committee on Science and Technology Subcommittee on Science and Technology by voice vote; 6/22/07: Reported by the House Committee on Science and Technology by voice vote.

 

H.R. 2701:   Transportation Energy Security and Climate Change Mitigation Act of 2007. This bill, among other provisions, mandates the establishment of a Center for Climate Change and Environment within the Department of Transportation, which would plan, coordinate, and implement department-wide initiatives and research to reduce transportation-related energy use, mitigate the effects of climate change, and address the impacts of climate change on transportation and infrastructure. The bill also directs the Administrator of the EPA to have the National Academy of Sciences identify the potential impacts of climate change on the nation’s water resources, watersheds, and water quality. It also directs the Secretary of the Army to ensure that water resources projects and studies carried out by the Army Corps of Engineers account for potential effects of climate change; and directs the Administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency to conduct a study of the increase in demand for the Agency’s services due to natural disasters that can be reasonably attributed to climate change. The bill also contains numerous provisions intended to make public and commercial transportation, and federal buildings, more energy-efficient. Sponsor: Rep. James Oberstar (D-MN) (15 Cosponsors)

 

H.R. 2809:   New Apollo Energy Act of 2007. This bill contains many provisions intended to promote new energy technologies, and includes a variety of measures intended to reduce American greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Among other provisions, it instructs the National Institute of Building Sciences to establish standards for the construction of new commercial and residential buildings that will reduce CO₂ emissions, compared to emissions from similar buildings in 2003, by 40% by 2010 and by 70% by 2020. The bill also directs the Administrator of the EPA to promulgate low carbon fuel performance standards for fuels and aircraft, similar to those proposed by Rep. Inslee in H.R. 2215. In addition, the bill authorizes the Secretary of Energy to make loan guarantees for commercial demonstration projects of low carbon renewable fuels. The bill also amends the Clean Air Act to instruct the Administrator of the EPA to promulgate regulations to require each manufacturer of automobiles for sale in the United States to reduce the average GHG emissions per vehicle mile. It also directs the Secretary of Commerce to work through NOAA to carry out a program of scientific research on abrupt climate change. Sponsor: Rep. Jay Inslee (D-WA) (23 Cosponsors)

 

H.R. 3036:   No Child Left Inside Act of 2007. Among various provisions that would amend the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 regarding environmental education, the bill would authorize the Secretary of Education to award competitive grants for, among other purposes, preparing children to understand the challenge of climate change. Sponsor: Rep. John P. Sarbanes (D-MD) (39 Cosponsors)

 

H.R. 3093:   Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2008. Among other sums, this bill appropriates $1.9 billion for climate-change related activities, which is $164 million above the President’s request. Included in this funding is $3 million to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) for research supercomputing to support the assessment of abrupt climate change; $20 million for competitive climate research grants; $1.3 million for the U.S. Global Climate Observing System; and  $10 million to the Economic Development Assistance programs within the Department of Commerce to establish a Global Climate Change Mitigation Incentive Fund, to support policies and strategies which contribute to “green” construction and resource conservation. Sponsor: Rep. Alan B. Mollohan (D-WV) ( Cosponsors) 7/26/07: Passed the House by 281-142; 10/16/07: Passed the Senate by 75-19;  12/17/07: Incorporated into H.R. 2764, the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2008, which passed the Senate on 12/18/07 by 76-17, the House on 12/19/07 by 272-142, and was signed by the President on 12/26/07.

 

H.R. 3221:   New Direction for Energy Independence, National Security, and Consumer Protection Act. This is the House of Representatives’ energy bill for 2007. The following summary includes only the provisions most pertinent to climate change.

· Among other provisions, the bill makes a Congressional declaration that it shall be United States policy to engage in international climate negotiations with the objective of creating a new instrument that will come into force by the time that the first commitment period under the Kyoto Protocol ends in 2012. Such an instrument will, at a minimum, require binding mitigation commitments from all major emitting countries. The title also mandates the creation of an Office on Global Climate Change within the State Department.

· The bill also authorizes funds to promote research in solar energy, biofuels, marine renewable energy, and geothermal energy, and authorizes funds for carbon capture and storage research, development, and demonstration.

· In addition, it directs the President to “establish an interagency committee to ensure cooperation and coordination of all Federal research activities” pertaining to human-induced or natural changes in the global environment, including global climate change.

· The bill contains provisions which direct each federal agency to annually inventory and report its GHG emissions, and requires the EPA to promulgate annual greenhouse gas (GHG) reduction targets for the total emissions of all agencies taken as a whole, for each fiscal year from 2010 through 2050.

· The bill also sets GHG emissions standards for federal vehicle fleets, based on the California Code of Regulations, and requires the Secretary of Energy to establish new efficiency standards for federal buildings.

· The bill requires the Secretary of the Interior to develop a methodology for assessing the nation’s capacity to store carbon dioxide in geologic formations. It also requires the Secretary to conduct an assessment of the amount of carbon stored in terrestrial, aquatic, and coastal ecosystems, including estuaries; and to determine the potential for increasing carbon storage in natural ecosystems.

· It also requires the Secretary of the Interior to create the National Resources Management Council on Climate Change to address the impacts of climate change on Federal lands, the ocean environment, and the Federal water infrastructure. It requires the Secretary to promulgate a national strategy for assisting wildlife populations and their habitats in adapting to the impacts of global warming. The title also directs the Secretary of Commerce to develop and implement a national strategy to predict, plan for, and mitigate the impacts on ocean and coastal ecosystems from global warming, relative sea level rise and ocean acidification; and ensure the recovery, resilience, and health of ocean and coastal ecosystems.

· The title also authorizes $250 million to establish a National Integrated Coastal and Ocean Observation System to improve the nation’s ability to measure, track, explain, and predict events related directly and indirectly and indirectly to weather and climate change.

· The Transportation and Infrastructure section of this bill, among other provisions, mandates the establishment of a Center for Climate Change and Environment within the Department of Transportation, which would plan, coordinate, and implement department-wide initiatives and research to reduce transportation-related energy use, mitigate the effects of climate change, and address the impacts of climate change on transportation and infrastructure. The title also directs Secretary of Transportation and the Administrator of the EPA to report to Congress on low-cost solutions to reducing congestion and transportation-related energy use and mitigating the effects of climate change.

· The Energy and Commerce section of this bill contains a number of energy efficiency provisions, among them: improving the schedule for consensus standards, updating appliance test procedures, new efficiency standards for lighting, residential boilers, industrial motors, washing machines, and dishwashers. The title also establishes new efficiency standards for power supplies and transformers for consumer electronic equipment.

· In addition, the bill mandates the creation of an Office of High-Performance Green Buildings, and sets out increased efficiency standards for federal buildings, as well as increased efficiency standards for state residential and commercial building codes. It also authorizes grants to support state implementation of green building codes.

· The title also provides technical assistance and a revolving fund for implementing combined heat and power (CHP) systems and sustainable energy infrastructure. Finally, the title contains a number of provisions promoting creation of a Smart Grid, and mandates the promulgation of a National Action Plan for Demand Response.

· The tax provisions of this bill expand and extend tax credits and deductions for renewable energy, energy efficient appliance credit for a variety of appliances produced after 2007, energy-efficient commercial buildings deduction for five years (through December 31, 2013), and allows electric utilities to depreciate smart electric meters over a five year period. In addition, the bill orders the Secretary of the Treasury and the National Academy of Sciences to review the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to identify the types of and specific tax provisions that have the largest effects on carbon and other greenhouse gas emissions and to estimate the magnitude of those effects.

Sponsor: Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) (18 Cosponsors)

 

H.R. 5770:  

To provide for a study by the National Academy of Sciences of potential impacts of climate change on water resources and water quality. This bill would require the Administrator of the EPA to enter into an arrangement with the National Academy of Science to produce a study on potential impacts of climate change on water resources and water quality.

Sponsor: Rep. John Hall (D-NY) (9 Cosponsors)

6/4/08: Reported by the House Committee on Transportation by voice vote.

 

This bill is similar to Section 704 of H.R. 2701, sponsored by Rep. James Oberstar (D-MN), which was reported by the House Committee on Transportation by voice vote on 6/20/07. H.R. 2701 was subsequently incorporated into H.R. 3221, which was passed by the House by 241-172 on 8/4/07. However, the Section 704 language of H.R. 2701 was removed during the negotiation process between the House and Senate that ultimately produced H.R. 6, the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007, which was signed by the President on 12/19/07.

 

H.R. 5902:  

Getting Youth Re-invested in Environmental Education Now (GREEN) Act. This bill would direct the Secretary of Education to make competitive grants to states and local educational agencies to develop environmental justice curricula and co-op programs for students attending middle and high schools that may be disproportionately affected by climate change, pollution, and other environmental issues. In addition, in its findings section, the bill states that environmental justice education is essential for, among reasons, producing students who are prepared to address imminent climate change issues that affect them locally.

Sponsor: Rep. Yvette Clark (D-NY) (3 Cosponsors)

 

H.R. 6186:  

Investing in Climate Action and Protection (iCAP) Act. This bill would amend the Clean Air Act to establish a cap-and-trade system for greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, and for other purposes.

 The bill would regulate carbon dioxide (CO₂), methane (CH₄), nitrous oxide (N₂O), sulfur hexaflouride (SF₆), hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs), and perfluorocarbons (PFCs). The bill would also regulate nitrogen trifluoride (NF₃), which is a GHG not covered by the Kyoto Protocol, and, in addition, would regulate any other anthropogenic gas the Administrator of the EPA determines to have a global warming potential equal to or greater than carbon dioxide. According to the bill’s authors, the legislation would cover 94% of U.S. GHG emissions—87% through cap-and-trade.

 The cap-and-trade program would reduce covered emissions to 2005 levels by 2012, to 20% below 2005 levels by 2020, and to 85% below 2005 levels by 2050.The cap-and-trade program would cover emissions from: fossil fuel-fired power plants that emit more than 10,000 carbon dioxide equivalents (CO₂e) a year; industrial facilities that emit more than 10,000 CO₂e a year; producers or importers of petroleum or coal-based fuels, the combustion of which will produce more than 10,000 CO₂e a year; natural gas local distribution companies (LDCs) who deliver natural gas that will produce more than 10,000 CO₂e  a year when combusted; producers or importers of more than 10,000 CO₂e a year of HFCs, PFCs, SF₆, or NF₃, or any other fluorinated gas that is designated by the Administrator as a GHG; and “commercial-scale” geological carbon sequestration sites to cover any leakage.

In addition to the cap-and-trade program, the act will cover an additional 7% of U.S. GHG emissions through financial incentives to farmers and forest managers to reduce GHG emissions and increase storage as well as performance standards for coal mines, landfills, wastewater treatment operations, and large animal feeding operations that emit more than 10,000 CO₂e a year. The bill would direct the Administrator to publish and subject to regular review a list of such sources not later than 90 days after enactment, and establish the relevant performance standards not later than 2 years after that.

The bill would also set mandatory performance standards for coal-fired power plants with a generating capacity of 25 megawatts or more, and which derive more than 50% of annual fuel input from coal or petroleum coke. Plants which commence construction on or after January 1, 2009, would be required to capture and sequester 85% of their CO2 emissions. Plants which commence operation before January 1, 2020, would have to be in compliance with the performance standard by either January 1, 2016, or four years after they commence operation, whichever is later.  

The bill would auction 94% of all allowances in 2012, transitioning to a 100% auction in 2020.

Allowance auctions would begin in 2010. The bill would establish a number of funds in the U.S. Treasury, and deposit in them the following percentages of revenues from allowance auctions from 2010-2019. Dollar amounts listed in the following table are the bill’s author’s estimates. 

 

Fund	2010-2019		2020-2050		2012-2050
	% of allowance value	Est. annual funding ($ billions)	% of allowance value	Est. annual funding ($ billions)	Est. cumulative funding ($ billions)
General Fund of the Treasury	51	110	48	110	4,290
Climate Trust Rebate Fund	7.5		7
Low-Carbon Technology Fund	12.5	24	12.5	25	963
National Energy Efficiency Fund	12.5	24	12.5	25	963
Agriculture and Forestry Carbon Fund	4.5	8	5	10	378
Climate Change Worker Transition Fund	1.5	3	2	4	147
National Climate Change Adaptation Fund	2	7	2.5	9	332
Natural Resource Conservation Fund	1.5		2
International Forest Protection Fund	1.5	3	2	4	147
International Clean Technology Fund	3.5	7	4	8	301
International Climate Change Adaptation Fund	2	4	2.5	5	185

 

 

Funds from the General Fund of the Treasury and the Climate Trust Rebate Fund would be used for refundable tax credits and rebates to compensate consumers for higher energy prices resulting from the bill. Cash rebates would be directed at low-income households and will be distributed through the Electronic Benefits Transfer system used for food stamps. All households earning under $110,000 would be eligible for some benefit, with benefit levels phasing out gradually for households earning $70,000 to $110,000.

In addition to auctions, 6% of allowances would be allocated to energy-intensive, trade-exposed industries each year from 2012-2019.

Entities would be able to fully bank allowances. Entities would also be able to borrow allowances from future years, and would be required to pay back borrowed allowances within 5 years, at an interest rate of 10% per year.

Entities would be able to meet up to 15% of their compliance obligation with EPA-approved domestic offsets, and an additional 15% of their compliance obligation with EPA-approved international emission allowances or offsets. Eligible domestic offset projects would be limited to: agricultural projects that reduce GHGs resulting from enteric fermentation or manure management in soils, or that increase biological sequestration of carbon through afforestation or reforestation; projects which reduce fugitive GHGs from petroleum and natural gas systems in the US; and projects that reduce GHG emissions from coal mines (agricultural and coal mine projects are only eligible if they are not subject to the performance standards discussed above). The bill would direct the Administrator to promulgate regulations for eligible international offset projects; forestry or land use projects, and projects involving the destruction of HFCs, would not be eligible.

The bill would establish an Office of Carbon Market Oversight (OCMO) within the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission. The OCMO would have the authority to oversee the carbon market to prevent fraud and market manipulation. 

The bill would establish a system of international reserve allowances to begin in 2020. If the President determines that a given country has not taken “comparable” action to reduce its GHG emissions, the President would be authorized to require importers of energy-intensive, trade-exposed primary goods from those countries to purchase and submit special international reserve allowances. These allowances would not be able to be used for compliance in the regular cap-and-trade system, and proceeds from the sale of these allowances would be used to supplement the International Clean Technology Fund established by the bill.

The bill contains a provision that would permit Cali