IB Union Calendar No. 503 117TH CONGRESS 2D SESSION H. R. 2780 [Report No. 117–686, Part I] To provide for climate change planning, mitigation, adaptation, and resilience in the United States Territories and Freely Associated States, and for other purposes. IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES APRIL 22, 2021 Mr. GRIJALVA (for himself, Mr. SABLAN, Mr. SAN NICOLAS, Ms. PLASKETT, Mr. SOTO, and Ms. VELA´ZQUEZ) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Natural Resources, and in addition to the Committees on Energy and Commerce, Transportation and Infrastruc- ture, and Science, Space, and Technology, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provi- sions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned DECEMBER 30, 2022 Additional sponsors: Ms. TLAIB, Mrs. NAPOLITANO, Mr. COHEN, Mr. MCEACHIN, Ms. BROWNLEY, Mr. TORRES of New York, Ms. STANSBURY, and Mr. NEGUSE VerDate Sep 11 2014 21:07 Dec 30, 2022 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6652 E:\BILLS\H2780.RH H2780 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 2 •HR 2780 RH DECEMBER 30, 2022 Reported from the Committee on Natural Resources with an amendment [Strike out all after the enacting clause and insert the part printed in italic] DECEMBER 30, 2022 Committees on Energy and Commerce, Transportation and Infrastructure, and Science, Space, and Technology discharged; committed to the Com- mittee of the Whole House on the State of the Union and ordered to be printed [For text of introduced bill, see copy of bill as introduced on April 22, 2021] A BILL To provide for climate change planning, mitigation, adapta- tion, and resilience in the United States Territories and Freely Associated States, and for other purposes. VerDate Sep 11 2014 21:07 Dec 30, 2022 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6652 E:\BILLS\H2780.RH H2780 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 3 •HR 2780 RH Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa- 1 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 2 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 3 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Insular Area Climate 4 Change Act’’. 5 SEC. 2. TABLE OF CONTENTS. 6 The table of contents for this Act is as follows: 7 Sec. 1. Short title. Sec. 2. Table of contents. Sec. 3. Definitions. Sec. 4. Findings. TITLE I—GENERAL PROVISIONS Sec. 101. Insular Area Climate Change Interagency Task Force. Sec. 102. Non-Federal cost-share waiver. Sec. 103. Coral reefs prize competitions. TITLE II—DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR Sec. 201. Office of Insular Affairs Technical Assistance Program. Sec. 202. Runit Dome report and monitoring activities. TITLE III—NATIONAL OCEANIC AND ATMOSPHERIC ADMINISTRATION Sec. 301. Climate Change Insular Research Grant Program. Sec. 302. Coastal management technical assistance and report. Sec. 303. National Weather Service technical assistance and grants. Sec. 304. Ocean and Coastal Mapping Integration Act. TITLE IV—DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY Sec. 401. Office of Insular Area Energy Policy and Programs. Sec. 402. Comprehensive energy plans. Sec. 403. Energy Efficient Product Rebate Program. Sec. 404. Renewable Energy Grant Program. Sec. 405. Offshore wind for the territories. Sec. 406. State Energy Program non-Federal cost-share waiver. TITLE V—ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY Sec. 501. Definitions. Sec. 502. Insular Area National Program Office. Sec. 503. Insular Area Sustainable Infrastructure Grant Program. Sec. 504. Insular Area Renewable Energy Grant Program. Sec. 505. Insular Area Technical Assistance Program. VerDate Sep 11 2014 21:07 Dec 30, 2022 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6213 E:\BILLS\H2780.RH H2780 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 4 •HR 2780 RH TITLE VI—EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT Sec. 601. Community disaster loans repayment cancellation. Sec. 602. Disaster relief non-Federal cost-share waiver. SEC. 3. DEFINITIONS. 1 In this Act, the following definitions apply: 2 (1) ADAPTATION.—The term ‘‘Adaptation’’ 3 means the capacity of natural and human systems to 4 adjust to climate change or its impacts in a matter 5 that will reduce damage or take advantage of any 6 beneficial aspects. 7 (2) FREELY ASSOCIATED STATES.—The term 8 ‘‘Freely Associated States’’ means the Republic of the 9 Marshall Islands, the Federated States of Micronesia, 10 and the Republic of Palau. 11 (3) INSULAR AREAS.—The term ‘‘Insular Areas’’ 12 means the territories and Freely Associated States. 13 (4) MITIGATION.—The term ‘‘Mitigation’’ means 14 measures and initiatives that would limit or reduce 15 greenhouse gas emissions. 16 (5) RESILIENCE.—The term ‘‘Resilience’’ means 17 the capacity of natural and human systems to resist, 18 assimilate, and recover from the effects of climate 19 change in an efficient and timely manner, maintain- 20 ing or restoring basic structures and essential func- 21 tions. 22 VerDate Sep 11 2014 21:07 Dec 30, 2022 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6203 E:\BILLS\H2780.RH H2780 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 5 •HR 2780 RH (6) RENEWABLE ENERGY.—The term ‘‘renewable 1 energy’’ means energy that has been derived from 2 Earth’s natural resources that are not finite or ex- 3 haustible, including solar, wind, hydroelectric, geo- 4 thermal, and ocean (thermal and mechanics). 5 (7) RENEWABLE ENERGY SYSTEM.—The term 6 ‘‘renewable energy system’’ includes off-grid or stand- 7 alone systems, microgrids, nano grids, and virtual 8 power plants systems based on renewable energy 9 sources, including storage and other related ancillary 10 equipment. These may also be referred to as ‘‘eligible 11 projects’’. Waste to energy are not considered as eligi- 12 ble projects. 13 (8) TERRITORIES.—The term ‘‘territories’’ means 14 American Samoa, the Commonwealth of the Northern 15 Mariana Islands, Guam, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin 16 Islands of the United States. 17 (9) TERRITORY.—The term ‘‘territory’’ means 18 American Samoa, the Commonwealth of the Northern 19 Mariana Islands, Guam, Puerto Rico, or the Virgin 20 Islands of the United States. 21 SEC. 4. FINDINGS. 22 Congress finds as follows: 23 VerDate Sep 11 2014 21:07 Dec 30, 2022 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00005 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6203 E:\BILLS\H2780.RH H2780 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 6 •HR 2780 RH (1) The Insular Areas are topographically and 1 environmentally diverse and treasured by millions of 2 individuals who call them home. 3 (2) The territories in the Caribbean (Puerto Rico 4 and the Virgin Islands of the United States) and the 5 territories in the Pacific (American Samoa, the Com- 6 monwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, and 7 Guam) face many of the same climate change-related 8 challenges. Freely Associated States face similar cli- 9 mate change-related vulnerabilities. 10 (3) Insular Areas are experiencing sea level rise, 11 coastal erosion, and increasing storm impacts that 12 threaten lives, critical infrastructure, ecosystems, and 13 livelihood security. 14 (4) Temperature increases are likely to further 15 create and intensify the length of droughts, reduce 16 water supply, impact public health, and increase de- 17 mand of freshwater in Insular Areas. In addition, 18 temperature increases will drive coral reefs to extinc- 19 tion, eliminating a natural barrier against storm 20 surge, increasing destruction of infrastructure, and 21 threatening lives of the inhabitants of the islands. 22 (5) In 2017, two major storms, Hurricane Irma 23 and Hurricane Maria, impacted Puerto Rico and the 24 Virgin Islands of the United States. Hurricane Maria 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 21:07 Dec 30, 2022 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00006 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6203 E:\BILLS\H2780.RH H2780 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 7 •HR 2780 RH caused thousands of deaths in Puerto Rico and the 1 Virgin Islands of the United States and significant 2 damage to their infrastructure, including Puerto 3 Rico’s energy system. Hurricane Maria destroyed 4 millions of trees in Puerto Rico and the Virgin Is- 5 lands of the United States, which has significantly 6 increased erosion and sediment transport. As a result, 7 reservoirs have lost significant storage capacity and 8 coral reefs are severely impacted. 9 (6) In 2018, Typhoon Yutu impacted the Com- 10 monwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands and 11 Guam, causing catastrophic destruction in those terri- 12 tories. 13 TITLE I—GENERAL PROVISIONS 14 SEC. 101. INSULAR AREA CLIMATE CHANGE INTERAGENCY 15 TASK FORCE. 16 (a) ESTABLISHMENT OF TASK FORCE.—Not later than 17 90 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, the fol- 18 lowing shall jointly establish the ‘‘Insular Area Climate 19 Change Interagency Task Force’’ (hereafter in this section 20 referred to as the ‘‘Task Force’’): 21 (1) The Secretary of the Interior. 22 (2) The Secretary of Energy. 23 (3) The Secretary of State. 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 21:07 Dec 30, 2022 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00007 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6203 E:\BILLS\H2780.RH H2780 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 8 •HR 2780 RH (4) The Secretary of Housing and Urban Devel- 1 opment. 2 (5) The Secretary of Agriculture. 3 (6) The Secretary of Commerce. 4 (7) The Administrator of the Federal Emergency 5 Management Agency. 6 (8) The Administrator of the Environmental 7 Protection Agency. 8 (b) CHAIRPERSON.—The Task Force shall be chaired 9 by the Administrator of the Federal Emergency Manage- 10 ment Agency. 11 (c) DUTIES.—The Task Force shall— 12 (1) evaluate all Federal programs regarding 13 ways to provide greater access to Federal programs 14 and equitable baseline funding in relation to States, 15 to territories for climate change planning, mitigation, 16 adaptation, and resilience; 17 (2) identify statutory barriers to providing terri- 18 tories greater access to Federal programs and equi- 19 table baseline funding; and 20 (3) provide recommendations related to climate 21 change in Insular Areas, in consultation with local 22 governments and non-governmental organizations in 23 Insular Areas with expertise on climate change. 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 21:07 Dec 30, 2022 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00008 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6203 E:\BILLS\H2780.RH H2780 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 9 •HR 2780 RH (d) COMPREHENSIVE REPORT.—Not later than 1 year 1 after the establishment of the Task Force, the Task Force, 2 in consultation with Insular Areas governments, shall issue 3 a comprehensive report that— 4 (1) identifies Federal programs that have an im- 5 pact on climate change planning, mitigation, adapta- 6 tion, and resilience, but exclude territories in regard 7 to eligibility, funding, and assistance, or do not pro- 8 vide equitable baseline funding in relation to States; 9 and 10 (2) provides advice and recommendations related 11 to climate change in Insular Areas, such as new sug- 12 gested Federal programs or initiatives. 13 (e) PUBLICATION; PUBLIC AVAILABILITY.—The Ad- 14 ministrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency 15 shall ensure that the report required under subsection (d) 16 is— 17 (1) submitted to the Committees on Energy and 18 Commerce and Natural Resources of the House of 19 Representatives, and Energy and Natural Resources 20 of the Senate; 21 (2) published in the Federal Register for public 22 comment for a period of at least 60 days; and 23 VerDate Sep 11 2014 21:07 Dec 30, 2022 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00009 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6203 E:\BILLS\H2780.RH H2780 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 10 •HR 2780 RH (3) made available on a public website along 1 with any comments received during the public com- 2 ment period required under paragraph (2). 3 SEC. 102. NON-FEDERAL COST-SHARE WAIVER. 4 Section 501 of the Omnibus Territories Act of 1977 5 (48 U.S.C. 1469a), is amended by adding at the end the 6 following: 7 ‘‘(e) Notwithstanding any other provision of law, in 8 the case of the Insular Areas, any department or agency 9 shall waive any requirement for non-Federal matching 10 funds under $750,000 (including in-kind contributions) re- 11 quired by law to be provided by those jurisdictions.’’. 12 SEC. 103. CORAL REEFS PRIZE COMPETITIONS. 13 (a) PRIZE COMPETITIONS.—The Director of the Office 14 of Science and Technology Policy shall work with the head 15 of each Federal agency represented on the U.S. Coral Reef 16 Task Force established under Executive Order 13089 (63 17 Fed. Reg. 32701) to establish prize competitions, in accord- 18 ance with section 24 of the Stevenson-Wydler Technology 19 Innovation Act of 1980 (15 U.S.C. 3719), that promote 20 coral reef research and conservation in the Insular Areas. 21 (b) WAIVER OF MATCHING REQUIREMENT.—Section 22 204(b) of the Coral Reef Conservation Act of 2000 (16 23 U.S.C. 6403(b)) is amended— 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 21:07 Dec 30, 2022 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00010 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6203 E:\BILLS\H2780.RH H2780 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 11 •HR 2780 RH (1) by striking the enumerator and heading for 1 paragraph (2) and inserting the following: 2 ‘‘(2) WAIVERS.— 3 ‘‘(A) NEED AND BENEFIT.—’’; and 4 (2) by adding at the end of paragraph (2) the 5 following: 6 ‘‘(B) SUSTAINING CORAL REEF MANAGE- 7 MENT AND MONITORING.—The Secretary shall 8 waive all of the matching requirement under 9 paragraph (1) for grants to implement State and 10 territorial coral reef conservation cooperative 11 agreements to sustain coral reef management 12 and monitoring in Florida, Hawaii, American 13 Samoa, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mar- 14 iana Islands, Guam, Puerto Rico, and the Vir- 15 gin Islands of the United States.’’. 16 TITLE II—DEPARTMENT OF THE 17 INTERIOR 18 SEC. 201. OFFICE OF INSULAR AFFAIRS TECHNICAL ASSIST- 19 ANCE PROGRAM. 20 (a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary of the Interior, act- 21 ing through the Office of Insular Affairs Technical Assist- 22 ance Program, shall provide technical assistance for climate 23 change planning, mitigation, adaptation, and resilience to 24 Insular Areas under the jurisdiction of such Program. 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 21:07 Dec 30, 2022 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00011 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6203 E:\BILLS\H2780.RH H2780 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 12 •HR 2780 RH (b) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There is 1 authorized to be appropriated to the Secretary of the Inte- 2 rior to carry out this section $5,000,000 for each of the fis- 3 cal years 2022 through 2026. 4 SEC. 202. RUNIT DOME REPORT AND MONITORING ACTIVI- 5 TIES. 6 (a) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 1 year after the date 7 of enactment of this Act, the Secretary of the Interior shall 8 submit to the Committees on Natural Resources and Energy 9 and Commerce of the House of Representatives, and to the 10 Committee on Energy and Natural Resources of the Senate, 11 a report, prepared by independent experts not employed by 12 the U.S. gover [Text truncated for display. Full text available on Congress.gov.]