[Congressional Bills 114th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 3748 Introduced in House (IH)]

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114th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 3748

To require the Director of the Congressional Budget Office to calculate 
              a carbon score for each bill or resolution.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                            October 9, 2015

  Mr. Huffman (for himself, Mr. Pocan, Ms. Matsui, and Mr. Lowenthal) 
 introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on 
Rules, and in addition to the Committee on the Budget, for a period to 
      be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for 
consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the 
                          committee concerned

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
To require the Director of the Congressional Budget Office to calculate 
              a carbon score for each bill or resolution.

    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 ``Carbon Pollution Transparency Act of 
2015''.

SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS.

    In this Act:
            (1) Carbon score.--The term ``carbon score'' means the 
        projected net greenhouse gas emissions that would result--
                    (A) from the enactment and implementation of a bill 
                or resolution; and
                    (B) if the amounts authorized to be appropriated, 
                or otherwise made available, in the bill or resolution 
                were fully appropriated.
            (2) Director.--The term ``Director'' means the Director of 
        the Congressional Budget Office.
            (3) Greenhouse gas.--The term ``greenhouse gas'' has the 
        meaning given the term in section 211(o)(1) of the Clean Air 
        Act (42 U.S.C. 7545(o)(1)).
            (4) Net greenhouse gas emissions.--The term ``net 
        greenhouse gas emissions'' means the net quantity of all 
        greenhouse gases emitted into the atmosphere, including 
        emissions by sources and removals by sinks, where the total 
        quantity of emissions for each gas is expressed as a carbon 
        dioxide equivalent.

SEC. 3. CARBON SCORE.

    (a) In General.--In carrying out section 402 of the Congressional 
Budget Act of 1974 (2 U.S.C. 653), the Director shall include in the 
analysis submitted to the appropriate committee of Congress the carbon 
score of each public bill or resolution.
    (b) Net Greenhouse Gas Emissions Baseline.--In calculating the 
carbon score under subsection (a), the Director shall base any 
calculation of the increase or decrease of the level of greenhouse gas 
emissions on a comparison with the level of greenhouse gas emissions 
occurring under current law.
    (c) Scope of Calculated Emissions.--In calculating the carbon score 
under subsection (a), the Director shall consider all likely changes in 
net greenhouse gas emissions, including--
            (1) any changes to net greenhouse gas emissions that would 
        directly result from activities required to carry out the bill 
        or resolution; and
            (2) any changes to net greenhouse gas emissions that 
        would--
                    (A) indirectly result from activities required to 
                carry out the bill or resolution; and
                    (B) not otherwise have occurred.
    (d) Established Best Practices.--In calculating the carbon score 
under subsection (a), the Director shall, to the maximum extent 
practicable, use established best practices for estimating emissions, 
such as--
            (1) lifecycle analysis; and
            (2) internationally recognized methodologies (such as 
        guidelines from the International Panel on Climate Change).
    (e) Timeline.--The Director shall calculate the carbon score under 
subsection (a) on the same timeline as the Director carries out the 
analysis under section 402 of the Congressional Budget Act of 1974 (2 
U.S.C. 653).

SEC. 4. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.

    There are authorized to be appropriated to the Director such sums 
as are necessary to develop the expertise and capacity required to 
carry out the analyses required under section 3.
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