Climate Solutions Act of 2019

I 116TH CONGRESS 1ST SESSION H. R. 330 To reduce greenhouse gas emissions and protect the climate. IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES JANUARY 8, 2019 Mr. TED LIEU of California (for himself, Mr. GOMEZ, Ms. LEE of California, Ms. DELAURO, and Ms. NORTON) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, and in addition to the Committee on Foreign Affairs, for a period to be subsequently de- termined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned A BILL To reduce greenhouse gas emissions and protect the climate. 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; TABLE OF CONTENTS. 3 (a) SHORT TITLE.—This Act may be cited as the 4 ‘‘Climate Solutions Act of 2019’’. 5 (b) TABLE OF CONTENTS.—The table of contents for 6 this Act is as follows: 7 Sec. 1. Short title; table of contents. Sec. 2. Findings; sense of Congress. TITLE I—RENEWABLE ENERGY Sec. 101. National renewable energy standard. VerDate Sep 11 2014 22:58 Jan 18, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6211 E:\BILLS\H330.IH H330 pamtmann on DSKBFK8HB2PROD with BILLS 2 •HR 330 IH TITLE II—ENERGY EFFICIENCY Sec. 201. National energy efficiency standard. TITLE III—SCIENCE-BASED REDUCTIONS Sec. 301. Emission reduction targets. Sec. 302. National academies review. Sec. 303. Regulations. Sec. 304. Savings clause. Sec. 305. Definitions. SEC. 2. FINDINGS; SENSE OF CONGRESS. 1 (a) FINDINGS.—The Congress finds as follows: 2 (1) The United States has the objective of sta- 3 bilizing greenhouse gas concentrations in the atmos- 4 phere at a level that would prevent ‘‘dangerous an- 5 thropogenic interference’’ with the climate system as 6 demonstrated by becoming a party to the 1992 7 United Nations Framework Convention on Climate 8 Change, pledging to China to reduce greenhouse gas 9 emissions to 28 percent of their 2005 levels by 2025, 10 and regulating greenhouse gas emissions from sta- 11 tionary sources, mobile sources, and electrical power 12 suppliers. 13 (2) To achieve this objective, the increase in 14 global mean surface temperature should not exceed 15 2°C (3.6°F) above preindustrial temperature by 16 2100 consistent with the Paris Agreement that en- 17 tered into force in 2016. 18 (3) The risks associated with a temperature in- 19 crease above 2°C (3.6°F) are grave, including the 20 VerDate Sep 11 2014 22:58 Jan 18, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H330.IH H330 pamtmann on DSKBFK8HB2PROD with BILLS 3 •HR 330 IH disintegration of the Greenland ice sheet, which, if 1 it were to melt completely, would raise global aver- 2 age sea level by approximately 23 feet, devastating 3 many of the world’s coastal areas and population 4 centers. 5 (4) A 2018 report by the Intergovernmental 6 Panel on Climate Change demonstrated that limiting 7 the temperature increase to 1.5°C will result in still 8 harmful, but significantly less severe outcomes than 9 a 2°C increase. 10 (5) The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate 11 Change projects that temperatures will rise 1.5°C 12 between 2030 and 2052. In order to limit the tem- 13 perature increase to 1.5°C, global net anthropogenic 14 carbon dioxide emissions must reach net zero by 15 2050. 16 (6) The 2018 National Climate Assessment, au- 17 thored by more than 300 experts and released by the 18 United States Global Change Research Program, 19 makes clear that the present unprecedented rises in 20 global temperature are primarily due to human ac- 21 tivities. The changing climate will devastate all sec- 22 tors of society and disproportionately harm the most 23 vulnerable communities. 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 22:58 Jan 18, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H330.IH H330 pamtmann on DSKBFK8HB2PROD with BILLS 4 •HR 330 IH (7) Serious global warming impacts have al- 1 ready been observed in the United States and world- 2 wide, including— 3 (A) increases in heat waves and other ex- 4 treme weather events; 5 (B) rise in sea level, retreat of glaciers and 6 polar ice; 7 (C) decline in mountain snowpack, in- 8 creased drought (including droughts in the 9 West and South United States) resulting in 10 damage to our economy and property; 11 (D) extreme weather conditions resulting 12 in wildfires, stronger hurricanes, and polar vor- 13 tex occurrences resulting in further damage to 14 property and our economy; 15 (E) damage to our environment such as 16 ocean acidification, extensive coral bleaching, 17 migrations, and shifts in the yearly cycles of 18 plants and animals; and 19 (F) effects on human population, including 20 population displacement and adverse health ef- 21 fects such as the spread of infectious diseases 22 and climate-related conditions such as asthma. 23 (8) Scientists project that under a midrange es- 24 timate of global warming, by 2050, roughly 25 per- 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 22:58 Jan 18, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H330.IH H330 pamtmann on DSKBFK8HB2PROD with BILLS 5 •HR 330 IH cent of animal and plant species will be committed 1 to extinction. 2 (9) After remaining steady from 2014 to 2016, 3 global carbon dioxide emissions increased 1.6 per- 4 cent in 2017. 5 (10) Decisive action is needed to minimize the 6 many dangers posed by global warming. 7 (11) The timing of such action is critical, given 8 that greenhouse gases can persist in the atmosphere 9 for more than a century. 10 (12) With less than 5 percent of the world pop- 11 ulation, the United States emits approximately 15 12 percent of the world’s total greenhouse gas emissions 13 and must be a leader in addressing global warming. 14 (13) The State of California, the 5th largest 15 economy in the world, has shown that renewable en- 16 ergy standards and greenhouse gas emissions regula- 17 tion can reduce greenhouse gas emissions while fos- 18 tering significant economic growth. 19 (14) Existing energy efficiency and clean, re- 20 newable energy technologies can reduce global warm- 21 ing pollution, while saving consumers money, reduc- 22 ing our dependence on oil, enhancing national secu- 23 rity, cleaning the air, and protecting pristine places 24 from drilling and mining. 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 22:58 Jan 18, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00005 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H330.IH H330 pamtmann on DSKBFK8HB2PROD with BILLS 6 •HR 330 IH (b) SENSE OF CONGRESS.—It is the sense of the 1 Congress that the United States should participate in ne- 2 gotiations under the 1992 United Nations Framework 3 Convention on Climate Change and honor its commit- 4 ments therefrom with the objective of securing and con- 5 tinuing United States participation in agreements, includ- 6 ing the Paris Agreement that the United States accepted 7 on September 3, 2016, and took effect on November 4, 8 2016, that— 9 (1) establish mitigation commitments by all 10 countries that are major emitters of greenhouse 11 gases, consistent with the principle of common but 12 differentiated responsibilities; 13 (2) achieve reductions in global greenhouse gas 14 emissions at a pace and level sufficient to avoid dan- 15 gerous interference with the Earth’s climate; and 16 (3) advance and protect the economic and na- 17 tional security interests of the United States. 18 TITLE I—RENEWABLE ENERGY 19 SEC. 101. NATIONAL RENEWABLE ENERGY STANDARD. 20 Title VI of the Public Utility Regulatory Policies Act 21 of 1978 is amended by adding at the end the following: 22 ‘‘SEC. 610. NATIONAL RENEWABLE ENERGY STANDARD. 23 ‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall promulgate 24 regulations requiring that— 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 22:58 Jan 18, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00006 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H330.IH H330 pamtmann on DSKBFK8HB2PROD with BILLS 7 •HR 330 IH ‘‘(1) beginning in calendar year 2020, the per- 1 centage of electric energy generated from renewable 2 sources that is sold at the retail level in the United 3 States shall increase each year; and 4 ‘‘(2) in calendar year 2035 and each subse- 5 quent calendar year, such percentage shall not be 6 less than 100 percent of the total electric energy 7 sold at the retail level in the United States. 8 ‘‘(b) CONSULTATION.—The Secretary shall carry out 9 this section in consultation with the Administrator of the 10 Environmental Protection Agency. 11 ‘‘(c) RULE OF CONSTRUCTION.—Nothing in this sec- 12 tion shall be construed to preempt or limit State actions 13 to enhance renewable energy generation or energy effi- 14 ciency.’’. 15 TITLE II—ENERGY EFFICIENCY 16 SEC. 201. NATIONAL ENERGY EFFICIENCY STANDARD. 17 (a) IN GENERAL.—Title VI of the Public Utility Reg- 18 ulatory Policies Act of 1978, as amended by section 101 19 of this Act, is further amended by adding at the end the 20 following: 21 ‘‘SEC. 611. NATIONAL ENERGY EFFICIENCY STANDARD. 22 ‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall promulgate 23 regulations in accordance with this section setting end- 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 22:58 Jan 18, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00007 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H330.IH H330 pamtmann on DSKBFK8HB2PROD with BILLS 8 •HR 330 IH user savings targets for retail electric energy and natural 1 gas suppliers. 2 ‘‘(b) CONSULTATION.—The Secretary shall carry out 3 this section in consultation with the Administrator of the 4 Environmental Protection Agency. 5 ‘‘(c) REQUIREMENTS.—With respect to targets under 6 subsection (a): 7 ‘‘(1) The targets shall require each supplier to 8 secure annual savings of a set percentage of the sup- 9 plier’s most recent year’s sales to retail customers. 10 ‘‘(2) The savings shall be achieved through end- 11 use efficiency improvements at customer facilities. 12 ‘‘(3) The targets— 13 ‘‘(A) for retail electric energy suppliers 14 shall increase gradually from 0.25 percent of 15 sales in 2020 to 1.5 percent of sales in 2025 16 and each year thereafter through 2030; and 17 ‘‘(B) for retail natural gas suppliers shall 18 increase gradually from 0.25 percent of sales in 19 2020 to 0.5 percent of sales in 2025 and each 20 year thereafter through 2030. 21 ‘‘(4) The targets are cumulative. Each year’s 22 savings shall be achieved in addition to the previous 23 years’ savings. 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 22:58 Jan 18, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00008 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H330.IH H330 pamtmann on DSKBFK8HB2PROD with BILLS 9 •HR 330 IH ‘‘(d) REQUIRED PERCENTAGES AFTER 2030.—The 1 Secretary may, upon petition or upon the Secretary’s own 2 initiative, increase the required percentage of end-user 3 savings for years after 2030. 4 ‘‘(e) MARKET-BASED TRADING SYSTEM.—The Sec- 5 retary shall allow suppliers to achieve the targets under 6 subsection (a) through a market-based trading system. 7 ‘‘(f) RULE OF CONSTRUCTION.—Nothing in this sec- 8 tion shall be construed to preempt or limit State actions 9 to enhance renewable energy generation or energy effi- 10 ciency.’’. 11 (b) CONFORMING AMENDMENT.—The table of con- 12 tents for the Public Utility Regulatory Policies Act of 13 1978 is amended by inserting after the item relating to 14 section 608 the following: 15 ‘‘Sec. 609. Rural and remote communities electrification grants. ‘‘Sec. 610. National renewable energy standard. ‘‘Sec. 611. National energy efficiency standard.’’. TITLE III—SCIENCE-BASED 16 REDUCTIONS 17 SEC. 301. EMISSION REDUCTION TARGETS. 18 Not later than 2 years after the date of enactment 19 of this Act, the Administrator of the Environmental Pro- 20 tection Agency (in this title referred to as the ‘‘Adminis- 21 trator’’) shall promulgate annual emission reduction tar- 22 gets for each of calendar years 2030 through 2050, so as 23 VerDate Sep 11 2014 22:58 Jan 18, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00009 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H330.IH H330 pamtmann on DSKBFK8HB2PROD with BILLS 10 •HR 330 IH to ensure that the quantity of United States greenhouse 1 gas emissions— 2 (1) in 2035, is at least 40 percent below the 3 quantity of such emissions in 1990; and 4 (2) in 2050, is at least 80 percent below the 5 quantity of such emissions in 1990. 6 SEC. 302. NATIONAL ACADEMIES REVIEW. 7 Not later than 5 years after the date of the enact- 8 ment of this Act, and every 5 years thereafter, the Admin- 9 istrator shall enter into an arrangement with the National 10 Academies (or, if the National Academies decline to enter 11 into such arrangement, another appropriate entity) under 12 which the National Academies, acting through the Na- 13 tional Academy of Sciences and the National Research 14 Council, will submit a report to the Administrator and the 15 Congress on the prospects for avoiding dangerous anthro- 16 pogenic interference with the climate system and the 17 progress made to date. Each such report shall— 18 (1) evaluate whether the emission reduction tar- 19 gets promulgated pursuant to section 301 and the 20 policies to reduce United States greenhouse gas 21 emissions under this Act, the amendments made by 22 this Act, and other provisions of law, including the 23 Clean Air Act (42 U.S.C. 7401 et seq.), are likely 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 22:58 Jan 18, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00010 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H330.IH H330 pamtmann on DSKBFK8HB2PROD with BILLS 11 •HR 330 IH to be sufficient to avoid dangerous climate change, 1 taking into account the actions of other nations; and 2 (2) if the National Academies concludes that 3 such targets and policies are not likely to be suffi- 4 cient to avoid dangerous climate change— 5 (A) identify the needed amount of further 6 reductions in atmospheric greenhouse gas con- 7 centrations; and 8 (B) recommend additional United States 9 and international actions to further reduce at- 10 mospheric greenhouse gas concentrations. 11 SEC. 303. REGULATIONS. 12 (a) IN GENERAL.—The Administrator shall— 13 (1) not later than 7 years after the date of en- 14 actment of this Act, promulgate final regulations to 15 implement the emission reduction targets under sec- 16 tion 301; and 17 (2) not less than every 5 years thereafter— 18 (A) review such regulations, taking into ac- 19 count the reports under section 302; and 20 (B) revise such regulations as necessary to 21 implement such emission reduction targets. 22 (b) RULEMAKING ON RECOMMENDATIONS OF NA- 23 TIONAL ACADEMIES.—If any report under section 302 in- 24 cludes a recommendation under section 302(2)(B) for reg- 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 22:58 Jan 18, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00011 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H330.IH H330 pamtmann on DSKBFK8HB2PROD with BILLS 12 •HR 330 IH ulatory action by a Federal department or agency, and 1 such regulatory action is within the authority of such de- 2 partment o [Text truncated for display. Full text available on Congress.gov.]