What This Bill Does
This bill changes how the government cleans up hazardous waste sites by requiring consideration of climate change impacts. The bill amends the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act of 1980, a federal law that addresses contaminated sites.
Who It Affects
The President and federal agencies responsible for overseeing hazardous waste cleanup at contaminated sites.
Key Provisions
• Hazardous waste cleanup plans must now account for threats to human health and the environment from local natural disasters and extreme weather, including any way that climate change may make these disasters and weather worse (Sec. 2)
• When reviewing whether a cleanup plan is still working properly, the President must assess whether the chosen cleanup method will remain effective after considering natural disasters and extreme weather, including any changes to these due to climate change (Sec. 2)
What Changes
The law will require federal cleanup efforts to consider how natural disasters, extreme weather and climate change impacts may affect contaminated sites during and after cleanup work.
Important Definitions
None defined in this bill text.
I
118TH CONGRESS
1ST SESSION H. R. 1444
To amend the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and
Liability Act of 1980 to provide for the consideration of climate change,
and for other purposes.
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
MARCH 8, 2023
Mr. CLEAVER
(for himself, Ms. KAMLAGER-DOVE, Ms. BROWN, Ms.
BARRAGA´N, Ms. SEWELL, Ms. TLAIB, Ms. LEE of California, and Ms.
TOKUDA) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Com-
mittee on Energy and Commerce, and in addition to the Committee on
Transportation and Infrastructure, for a period to be subsequently deter-
mined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions
as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned
A BILL
To amend the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Com-
pensation, and Liability Act of 1980 to provide for the
consideration of climate change, and for other purposes.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
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tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,
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SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
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This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Preparing Superfund
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for Climate Change Act of 2023’’.
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•HR 1444 IH
SEC. 2. CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION.
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Section 121 of the Comprehensive Environmental Re-
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sponse, Compensation, and Liability Act of 1980 (42
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U.S.C. 9621) is amended—
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(1) in subsection (b)(1), in the fifth sentence—
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(A) in the matter preceding subparagraph
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(A), by striking ‘‘account:’’ and inserting ‘‘ac-
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count—’’;
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(B) in subparagraph (F), by striking
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‘‘and’’ at the end;
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(C) in subparagraph (G), by striking the
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period at the end and inserting ‘‘; and’’; and
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(D) by inserting after subparagraph (G)
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the following:
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‘‘(H) the potential threat to human health
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and the environment associated with local nat-
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ural disasters and extreme weather hazards, in-
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cluding any projected exacerbation or change in
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those disasters and hazards due to climate
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change.’’; and
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(2) in subsection (c), by inserting after the first
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sentence the following: ‘‘The President shall include
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in the review an assessment of whether the selected
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remedial action remains protective after taking into
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account local natural disasters and extreme weather
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hazards, including any projected exacerbation or
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•HR 1444 IH
change in those disasters and hazards due to climate
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change.’’.
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Æ
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