[Congressional Bills 113th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 2911 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

113th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                S. 2911

 To establish a task force to review policies and measures to promote, 
  and to develop best practices for, reduction of short-lived climate 
                  pollutants, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                           September 18, 2014

Mr. Murphy (for himself, Ms. Collins, Mrs. Feinstein, Mr. Sanders, Mr. 
 Coons, Ms. Klobuchar, Mr. Menendez, Mr. Whitehouse, Mr. Merkley, Mr. 
  King, and Ms. Warren) introduced the following bill; which was read 
  twice and referred to the Committee on Environment and Public Works

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
 To establish a task force to review policies and measures to promote, 
  and to develop best practices for, reduction of short-lived climate 
                  pollutants, and for other purposes.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Super Pollutants Act of 2014''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

    Congress makes the following findings:
            (1) Short-lived climate pollutants account for 40 percent 
        of global warming currently impacting the atmosphere, even 
        though such pollutants account for a much smaller percentage of 
        warming agents by weight.
            (2) Reducing short-lived climate pollutant emissions 
        could--
                    (A) prevent more than 2,000,000 premature deaths 
                each year, according to the United Nations Environment 
                Programme (UNEP);
                    (B) prevent more than 30,000,000 tons of crop 
                losses each year, according to UNEP;
                    (C) cut the rate of sea level rise by 25 percent, 
                according to the National Center for Atmospheric 
                Research and the Scripps Institution of Oceanography;
                    (D) cut the rate of warming by up to 0.6 degrees 
                Celsius by 2050, according to UNEP; and
                    (E) significantly contribute toward the overall 
                global target of holding increased warming below 2 
                degrees Celsius.
            (3) The United States is one of the world's largest 
        consumer of hydrofluorocarbons and is providing significant 
        innovation in the development of low global warming potential 
        (low-GWP) alternatives.
            (4) The United States could serve as a leader and exemplar 
        of responsibly phasing down hydrofluorocarbon production and 
        consumption.
            (5) The Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the 
        Ozone Layer has been an extraordinarily successful model for 
        protecting the stratospheric ozone layer and achieving 
        significant climate protection co-benefits. Since the treaty 
        was signed in 1987, there has been a 98 percent reduction in 
        ozone-depleting substances.
            (6) The interagency Strategy to Reduce Methane Emissions, 
        released in March 2014, outlines a proactive agenda for 
        reducing methane leakage and waste throughout the United States 
        economy.

SEC. 3. DEFINITIONS.

    In this Act:
            (1) High-GWP hfc.--The term ``high-GWP HFC'' means high 
        global warming potential hydrofluorocarbons.
            (2) Short-lived climate pollutant.--The term ``short-lived 
        climate pollutant'' means--
                    (A) black carbon;
                    (B) methane; and
                    (C) high-GWP HFC.

SEC. 4. INTERAGENCY TASK FORCE ON SHORT-LIVED CLIMATE POLLUTANT 
              MITIGATION.

    (a) Establishment.--Not later than 90 days after the date of the 
enactment of this Act, the President shall establish the Interagency 
Task Force on Short-Lived Climate Pollutant Mitigation (referred to in 
this section as the ``Task Force'').
    (b) Members.--The Task Force shall include the head of all relevant 
Federal agencies (or their designated representatives), including the 
Department of Agriculture, the Department of Commerce, the Department 
of Defense, the Department of Energy, the Department of the Interior, 
the Department of State, the United States Agency for International 
Development, the Department of Transportation, the Environmental 
Protection Agency, and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric 
Administration.
    (c) Duties.--The Task Force shall--
            (1) review the policy recommendations made by the 
        Interagency Climate Change Adaptation Task Force, the 
        Interagency Strategy to Reduce Methane Emissions, the March 
        2012 report to Congress on Black Carbon, and the Council on 
        Climate Preparedness and Resilience;
            (2) incorporate any appropriate proposals or 
        recommendations made by the entities or reports referred to in 
        paragraph (1) that are relevant to short-lived climate 
        pollutants into the Task Force's action plan;
            (3) identify relevant Federal programs that are or could be 
        addressing the reduction of short-lived climate pollutants in 
        the United States and worldwide;
            (4) identify overlapping and duplicative programs 
        addressing short-lived climate pollutants that would benefit 
        from consolidation and streamlining;
            (5) identify gaps and serious deficiencies in United States 
        programs targeted at short-lived climate pollutants, including 
        those that can be achieved through a combination of assessment, 
        scientific research, monitoring, and technological development 
        activities;
            (6) not later than 18 months after the date of the 
        enactment of this Act, submit a report to Congress on the 
        findings and recommendations resulting from the activities 
        described in paragraphs (1) through (5); and
            (7) in developing recommendations, consult with affected 
        stakeholders in private industry.
    (d) Emission Reduction Plans.--Not later than 180 days after the 
date of the enactment of this Act, each Federal agency shall submit a 
report to the appropriate congressional committees that includes--
            (1) the agency's plans for meeting the goals set forth in 
        section 2 of Executive Order 13514 (October 5, 2009) to reduce 
        hydrofluorocarbons, methane, and related indirect emissions, 
        including tropospheric ozone, by the Federal Government; and
            (2) specific plans to purchase cleaner alternatives to 
        high-GWP HFC whenever feasible and to transition over time to 
        equipment that uses safer and more sustainable alternatives to 
        high-GWP HFC.

SEC. 5. REDUCTION OF BLACK CARBON EMISSIONS.

    (a) Comprehensive Plan.--
            (1) In general.--Through the United States membership in 
        the International Maritime Organization, the Secretary of 
        State, in consultation with the Secretary of Transportation, 
        the Secretary of Commerce, the Administrator of the 
        Environmental Protection Agency, and the Commandant of the 
        Coast Guard, shall develop a comprehensive plan to reduce black 
        carbon emissions from international shipping through--
                    (A) a clean freight partnership;
                    (B) the inclusion of limits on black carbon; and
                    (C) efforts that include protection of access to 
                critical fuel shipments and emergency needs of coastal 
                communities.
            (2) Roadmap.--A principal objective of the plan developed 
        pursuant to paragraph (1) should be the creation, in 
        coordination with the Department of Transportation, of a 
        roadmap toward helping countries reduce fine-particle emissions 
        (PM2.5) in the shipping sector through--
                    (A) the installation of advanced emissions 
                controls; and
                    (B) the reduction of sulfur content in fuels.
    (b) Black Carbon Emissions Reduction Goals.--In advance of and upon 
assuming the Chair of the Arctic Council, the Secretary of State 
should--
            (1) lead an effort to reduce black carbon through an 
        Arctic-wide aspirational black carbon goal; and
            (2) encourage observers of the Arctic Council (including 
        India and China) to adopt national black carbon emissions 
        reduction goals.
    (c) Climate and Clean Air Coalition.--Through the United States 
membership in the Climate and Clean Air Coalition to Reduce Short Lived 
Climate Pollutants (referred to in this section as the ``Coalition''), 
the Secretary of State is encouraged--
            (1) to work with the Coalition to craft specific financing 
        mechanisms for the incremental cost of international black 
        carbon mitigation activities; and
            (2) to request that the Coalition produce a report of black 
        carbon mitigation financing options.
    (d) Black Carbon Mitigation Activities.--
            (1) Prioritization.--The Administrator of the United States 
        Agency for International Development shall prioritize black 
        carbon mitigation activities as part of aid distribution 
        activities and give special emphasis to projects that produce 
        substantial environmental and public health benefits, including 
        support for clean-burning cookstoves and fuels.
            (2) Emissions reductions.--The Secretary of State, in 
        collaboration with the Environmental Protection Agency and the 
        Department of Transportation, should further aid international 
        efforts to reduce black carbon emissions from diesel trucks, 2-
        stroke engines, diesel generators, and industrial processes by 
        providing technical assistance--
                    (A) to help developing nations lower the sulfur 
                content of their diesel fuels;
                    (B) to expand access to diesel particulate filters;
                    (C) to provide vehicle manufacturers with low-
                emission engine designs;
                    (D) to work with the Global Alliance for Clean 
                Cookstoves to help developing nations establish 
                thriving markets for clean and efficient cooking 
                solutions; and
                    (E) to develop other mitigation activities, 
                including energy efficiency alternatives for generators 
                and industrial processes.

SEC. 6. GLOBAL REDUCTIONS IN HIGH-GWP FLUORINATED GASES.

    (a) Sense of Congress.--
            (1) Actions by environmental protection agency.--It is the 
        sense of Congress that the Administrator of the Environmental 
        Protection Agency should--
                    (A) amend any regulations issued under section 608 
                of the Clean Air Act (42 U.S.C. 7671g)--
                            (i) to include hydrofluorocarbons; and
                            (ii) to expand initiatives relating to the 
                        recovery and reclamation of hydrofluorocarbons.
                    (B) cooperate with the Secretary of Energy in 
                considering modifications to the Energy Star program 
                established under section 324A of the Energy Policy and 
                Conservation Act (42 U.S.C. 6294a) to recognize 
                refrigerant systems that--
                            (i) achieve best-in-class energy efficiency 
                        savings; and
                            (ii) utilize low global warming potential 
                        refrigerants and foam-blowing agents; and
                    (C) remove high global warming potential 
                hydrofluorocarbons from the Significant New 
                Alternatives Policy Program authorized under section 
                612(c) of the Clean Air Act (42 U.S.C. 7671k(c)) for 
                applications in which the Administrator has identified 
                other alternatives that--
                            (i) are currently or potentially available; 
                        and
                            (ii) reduce the overall risk to human 
                        health and the environment.
            (2) Sense of the senate.--It is the sense of the Senate 
        that an amendment to the Montreal Protocol on Substances that 
        Deplete the Ozone Layer should ensure a smooth, technically 
        feasible transition away from high-GWP HFC.
    (b) Study on High-GWP HFC Alternatives.--Not later than 2 years 
after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Energy 
and the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency, in 
collaboration with the National Institute of Standards and Technology, 
shall evaluate the availability of high-GWP HFC alternatives and submit 
a report to Congress that--
            (1) identifies--
                    (A) the standards or regulatory barriers that are 
                preventing the use of alternatives to high-GWP HFC in 
                the United States that are in widespread use in other 
                countries;
                    (B) which standards or regulations need to be 
                revised; and
                    (C) what actions will be necessary to revise such 
                standards or regulations; and
            (2) sets forth a plan for revising the standards referred 
        to in paragraph (1) in the shortest possible time frame.
    (c) Prohibition of HCFC-22 Air Conditioning Condensing Equipment.--
            (1) Amendment.--Section 605 of the Clean Air Act (42 U.S.C. 
        7671d) is amended by adding at the end the following:
    ``(e) HCFC-22 Air Conditioning Condensing Equipment.--Effective 1 
year after the date of the enactment of the Super Pollutants Act of 
2014, it shall be unlawful for any person to manufacture any uncharged 
hydrochlorofluorocarbon-22 air conditioning condensing equipment for 
residential use.''.
            (2) Rulemaking.--Not later than 180 days after the date of 
        the enactment of this Act, the Administrator of the 
        Environmental Protection Agency shall promulgate regulations--
                    (A) to carry out the amendment made by paragraph 
                (1); and
                    (B) to reduce the allocation of HCFC-22 consumption 
                allowances commensurate with anticipated decreased 
                demand resulting from the prohibition of uncharged 
                condensing equipment under sections 605(e) of the Clean 
                Air Act, as added by paragraph (1).
    (d) R-134a Automotive Air Conditioning Servicing and Recharge 
Kits.--
            (1) Study.--The Administrator of the Environmental 
        Protection Agency shall conduct a study to determine whether 
        the sale of R-134a automotive air conditioning recharge kits to 
        consumers represents an environmentally significant source of 
        high-GWP HFC emissions.
            (2) Report.--Not later than 1 year after the date of the 
        enactment of this Act, the Administrator shall submit a report 
        to Congress that contains the results of the study conducted 
        pursuant to paragraph (1).

SEC. 7. REDUCTION OF METHANE LEAKAGE.

    (a) Technical Guidance.--The Secretary of State, the Secretary of 
Energy, the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency, and 
the Secretary of Commerce shall--
            (1) provide other countries with technical guidance on 
        containment of emissions from gas drilling, landfills, coal 
        mining, and agriculture when engaging with other governments, 
        including trade delegations, under the auspices of Department 
        of State's Global Shale Gas Initiative; and
            (2) collaborate with--
                    (A) the World Bank's Global Gas Flaring Reduction 
                Partnership; and
                    (B) the Environmental Protection Agency's Global 
                Methane Initiative, Natural Gas STAR Program, and other 
                voluntary reduction programs.
    (b) Gas Pipeline Infrastructure.--
            (1) Study.--
                    (A) In general.--The Federal Energy Regulatory 
                Commission, consistent with existing authority, shall 
                conduct a study of methods utilized at facilities 
                subject to the Commission's jurisdiction to reduce 
                leaks and venting across natural gas facilities.
                    (B) Issues to be examined.--In conducting the study 
                required under this paragraph, the Commission shall 
                examine--
                            (i) how the Commission's treatment of just 
                        and reasonable rates for interstate 
                        transmission could be reformed to incent 
                        pipeline operators to recover fugitive methane 
                        emissions;
                            (ii) how the Commission could coordinate 
                        with other agencies, including the Department 
                        of Energy, the Environmental Protection Agency, 
                        and the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety 
                        Administration, to ensure the development of 
                        rigorous and technically sound standards; and
                            (iii) whether new pipeline systems are 
                        being engineered to meet the highest achievable 
                        standards for leak avoidance prior to being 
                        granted a construction certificate.
            (2) Report.--Not later than 1 year after the date of the 
        enactment of this Act, the Commission shall submit a report to 
        Congress that contains the results of the examination conducted 
        pursuant to paragraph (1).
            (3) Inspection and maintenance program.--The Administrator 
        of the Environmental Protection Agency shall establish a 
        directed inspection and maintenance program that focuses on--
                    (A) identifying the types of equipment throughout 
                the production value chain that are most likely to have 
                high leak rates; and
                    (B) efforts on replacing or monitoring those types 
                of equipment.
    (c) Financing Conditions.--The U.S. Export-Import Bank and the 
Overseas Private Investment Corporation, when evaluating gas and oil-
related projects for financial support, should condition financing for 
such projects upon--
            (1) the deployment of the best technology, methods, and 
        management practices for detecting and repairing leaks of 
        methane throughout the oil and gas production, processing, 
        transportation, and distribution system;
            (2) the minimization of venting and inefficient or 
        unnecessary flaring; and
            (3) the deployment of best technology, methods, and 
        management practices for reducing emissions of other air 
        pollution, especially volatile organic compounds and hazardous 
        air pollutants.
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