Climate Security Intelligence Act of 2019

I 116TH CONGRESS 1ST SESSION H. R. 3110 To amend the National Security Act of 1947 to establish a Climate Security Intelligence Center within the Office of the Director of National Intel- ligence, and for other purposes. IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES JUNE 5, 2019 Mr. HECK (for himself, Mr. SCHIFF, Mr. WELCH, Mr. HIMES, and Mr. CAR- SON of Indiana) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence A BILL To amend the National Security Act of 1947 to establish a Climate Security Intelligence Center within the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, and for other purposes. 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 ‘‘Climate Security Intel- 4 ligence Act of 2019’’. 5 SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 6 Congress finds the following: 7 VerDate Sep 11 2014 04:15 Jun 12, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H3110.IH H3110 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42 with BILLS 2 •HR 3110 IH (1) The evidence for human-induced climate 1 change is clear and undeniable. 2 (2) According to the 2019 Worldwide Threat 3 Assessment of the U.S. Intelligence Community, cli- 4 mate change will fuel competition for resources, and 5 cause economic distress and social discontent 6 through 2019 and beyond. 7 (3) In 2016, the National Intelligence Council 8 found that ‘‘climate change and its resulting effects 9 are likely to pose wide-ranging national security 10 challenges for the United States and other countries 11 over the next 20 years.’’. 12 (4) The intelligence community, the Depart- 13 ment of Defense, the Department of State, inter- 14 national organizations, and national security experts 15 have all concluded that the impacts of climate 16 change pose a significant risk to the national secu- 17 rity of the United States. 18 (5) The impacts of climate change— 19 (A) threaten the national security infra- 20 structure of the United States both domestically 21 and abroad; 22 (B) negatively impact the readiness and 23 operations of the Armed Forces; and 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 04:15 Jun 12, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H3110.IH H3110 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42 with BILLS 3 •HR 3110 IH (C) contribute to the conditions that lead 1 to subnational, national, regional, and global in- 2 stability. 3 (6) The intelligence community has previously 4 analyzed, studied, and engaged in public-private 5 partnerships to improve understanding about the ef- 6 fects of climate change on national security, how- 7 ever, such efforts were undertaken in a sporadic 8 manner due to inconsistent policy commitment to 9 such efforts. 10 (7) The United States needs to be fully pre- 11 pared to respond to the threats to and harmful im- 12 pacts on national security from climate change, but 13 is not at the present time. 14 SEC. 3. CLIMATE SECURITY INTELLIGENCE CENTER. 15 (a) ESTABLISHMENT.—Title I of the National Secu- 16 rity Act of 1947 (50 U.S.C. 3021 et seq.) is amended by 17 adding at the end the following new section: 18 ‘‘SEC. 120. CLIMATE SECURITY INTELLIGENCE CENTER. 19 ‘‘(a) ESTABLISHMENT.—There is within the Office of 20 the Director of National Intelligence a Climate Security 21 Intelligence Center. 22 ‘‘(b) DIRECTOR OF CLIMATE SECURITY INTEL- 23 LIGENCE CENTER.—There is a Director of the Climate 24 Security Intelligence Center, who shall be the head of the 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 04:15 Jun 12, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H3110.IH H3110 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42 with BILLS 4 •HR 3110 IH Climate Security Intelligence Center, and who shall be ap- 1 pointed by the Director of National Intelligence. 2 ‘‘(c) DUTIES OF CENTER.—The duties of the Climate 3 Security Intelligence Center shall be as follows: 4 ‘‘(1) To serve as the primary organization with- 5 in the intelligence community for— 6 ‘‘(A) analyzing climate security threats and 7 the climate influence of the United States; and 8 ‘‘(B) identifying and disseminating climate 9 intelligence indications and warnings. 10 ‘‘(2) To assess and identify best practices in the 11 analysis of climate security, including identifying 12 publicly available information and clandestinely col- 13 lected intelligence that enables such analysis. 14 ‘‘(3) To assess and identify best practices with 15 respect to prior efforts of the intelligence community 16 to analyze climate security, including— 17 ‘‘(A) the Measurements of Earth Data for 18 Environmental Analysis program of the Central 19 Intelligence Agency; 20 ‘‘(B) the Center on Climate Change and 21 National Security of the Central Intelligence 22 Agency; and 23 ‘‘(C) climate security-related activities of 24 the Director of National Intelligence. 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 04:15 Jun 12, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H3110.IH H3110 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42 with BILLS 5 •HR 3110 IH ‘‘(4) To use the best practices identified under 1 paragraphs (2) and (3) to inform the work of the 2 Climate Security Intelligence Center. 3 ‘‘(5) To consult, as appropriate, with other ele- 4 ments of the intelligence community and Federal 5 agencies to avoid duplication of existing efforts. 6 ‘‘(6) To perform such other duties as the Direc- 7 tor of National Intelligence shall specify. 8 ‘‘(d) REPORT.—Not later than 18 months after the 9 date of the enactment of the Climate Security Intelligence 10 Act of 2019, and every two years thereafter, the Climate 11 Security Intelligence Center shall submit to the congres- 12 sional intelligence committees and the Director of Na- 13 tional Intelligence a report on the activities conducted by 14 the Center for the period covered by the report. 15 ‘‘(e) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 16 ‘‘(1) The term ‘climate security’ means the ef- 17 fects of climate change on the following: 18 ‘‘(A) The national security of the United 19 States. 20 ‘‘(B) Infrastructure that enhances the na- 21 tional security of the United States, including— 22 ‘‘(i) military installations, Department 23 of Defense facilities, intelligence commu- 24 nity facilities, and other physical facilities 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 04:15 Jun 12, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00005 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H3110.IH H3110 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42 with BILLS 6 •HR 3110 IH that contribute to or otherwise support op- 1 erations of the intelligence community or 2 the Department of Defense; and 3 ‘‘(ii) critical infrastructure of the 4 United States (as defined in subsection (e) 5 of the Critical Infrastructures Protection 6 Act of 2001 (42 U.S.C. 5195c(e))). 7 ‘‘(C) Subnational, national, regional, and 8 global politics, governance, and political sta- 9 bility. 10 ‘‘(D) The security of allies and partners of 11 the United States. 12 ‘‘(E) Ongoing or potential political vio- 13 lence, including unrest, rioting, guerrilla war- 14 fare, insurgency, terrorism, rebellion, revolution, 15 civil war, and interstate war. 16 ‘‘(2) The term ‘climate influence of the United 17 States’ means the global influence and leadership of 18 the United States with respect to the climate policies 19 of other countries, international organizations, and 20 transnational groups. 21 ‘‘(3) The term ‘climate intelligence indications 22 and warnings’ mean climate security developments 23 with the potential to— 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 04:15 Jun 12, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00006 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H3110.IH H3110 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42 with BILLS 7 •HR 3110 IH ‘‘(A) imminently and substantially alter 1 the political stability or degree of human secu- 2 rity in a state or region; or 3 ‘‘(B) threaten the United States, the mili- 4 tary, political, or economic interests of allies or 5 coalition partners of the United States, or citi- 6 zens of the United States abroad.’’. 7 (b) CONFORMING AMENDMENT.—Section 103(c) of 8 the National Security Act of 1947 (50 U.S.C. 3025(c)) 9 is amended— 10 (1) by redesignating paragraph (14) as para- 11 graph (15); and 12 (2) by inserting after paragraph (13) the fol- 13 lowing new paragraph: 14 ‘‘(14) The Climate Security Intelligence Cen- 15 ter.’’. 16 (c) CLERICAL AMENDMENT.—The table of contents 17 for the National Security Act of 1947 is amended by in- 18 serting after the item relating to section 119B the fol- 19 lowing new item: 20 ‘‘Sec. 120. Climate Security Intelligence Center.’’. (d) EFFECTIVE DATE.—The amendments made by 21 this section shall take effect 180 days after the date of 22 the enactment of this Act. 23 Æ VerDate Sep 11 2014 04:15 Jun 12, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00007 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6301 E:\BILLS\H3110.IH H3110 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42 with BILLS