[Congressional Bills 115th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 2858 Introduced in House (IH)]

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115th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 2858

 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 HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                              June 8, 2017

 Mr. Peters (for himself, Mr. Curbelo of Florida, Mr. Cartwright, Mr. 
 Delaney, Mr. Lowenthal, Mr. Lipinski, Mr. Coffman, and Mr. Carbajal) 
 introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on 
                          Energy and Commerce

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 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 Pollutant Emissions Reduction 
Act of 2017'' or the ``SUPER Act of 2017''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS AND PURPOSE.

    (a) Findings.--Congress makes the following findings:
            (1) Carbon dioxide emissions are estimated to account for 
        40 to 45 percent of anthropogenic radiative forcing (or manmade 
        global warming), while the remainder is driven by non-carbon 
        dioxide climate pollutants, primarily short-lived climate 
        pollutants. These short-lived climate pollutants, or ``super 
        pollutants'', have shorter atmospheric lifespans than carbon 
        dioxide, but cause about 25 to 2000 times more warming per ton 
        over a 25- to 100-year period, and in many cases the emissions 
        are growing much faster than carbon dioxide.
            (2) Several of the short-lived climate pollutants are also 
        potent air pollutants that harm human health and reduce crop 
        yields. Reducing these pollutants can save thousands of lives 
        every year in the United States and prevent millions of 
        premature deaths from air pollution worldwide, while also 
        increasing agricultural production.
            (3) International efforts to address short-lived climate 
        pollutants are underway, including the Climate and Clean Air 
        Coalition to Reduce Short-Lived Climate Pollutants, led by the 
        Department of State and the United Nations Environment 
        Programme, the Global Methane Initiative, and the recently 
        finalized Kigali Amendment to the Montreal Protocol on 
        Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer. The Kigali Amendment, 
        agreed to by 197 countries in October 2016, could mitigate 80 
        billion metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent emissions by 
        2050, avoiding up to 0.5C warming by the end of the century.
            (4) Many of the technologies to reduce short-lived climate 
        pollutants already exist, but in some cases, adoption of such 
        technologies has been slow. Most alternatives to the super 
        pollutant HFCs are invented and produced by American companies 
        and many American companies that previously used super 
        pollutants are introducing alternatives in domestic and export 
        markets. The appliances that use alternatives to HFCs and 
        enhance energy efficiency are also designed in the United 
        States. United States leadership and innovation in development 
        of new technologies to replace super pollutants is expected to 
        result in job growth and benefits for the United States 
        economy.
            (5) The Federal Government has a number of programs and 
        initiatives that aim to, or the outcomes of which, reduce 
        emissions of short-lived climate pollutants, but these programs 
        are scattered across multiple agencies and there is 
        insufficient coordination to maximize reductions of these 
        pollutants. In February 2012, the Government Accountability 
        Office published an annual report, ``Opportunities to Reduce 
        Duplication, Overlap and Fragmentation, Achieve Savings, and 
        Enhance Revenue'', which examined the efficiency and efficacy 
        of Government programs, including those that address diesel 
        emissions that contain black carbon, a short-lived climate 
        pollutant.
            (6) Executive Order 13514 requires Federal agencies to 
        develop plans for reducing hydrofluorocarbons and methane, but 
        few agencies have focused on these compounds in their annual 
        Strategic Sustainability Performance Plans. Executive Order 
        13693 directs Federal agencies to take into account 
        environmental and sustainability factors in Federal acquisition 
        processes, including in the purchase of products using high-
        global warming potential hydrofluorocarbons. In May 2016, the 
        Department of Defense, General Services Administration, and 
        National Aeronautics and Space Administration finalized and 
        published a rule to amend the Federal Acquisition Regulation 
        (FAR), Rule 81 FR 30429, directing Federal agencies to procure, 
        when feasible, alternatives to high-global warming potential 
        hydrofluorocarbons. The rule also encourages improved 
        refrigerant management and the use of reclaimed (instead of 
        virgin) hydrofluorocarbons as examples of sustainable 
        procurement under the FAR.
            (7) Because of their short atmospheric lifetimes, reducing 
        global emissions of short-lived climate pollutants can quickly 
        cut the rate of global temperature rise in half, by 2050, and 
        help stabilize global temperatures below 2C above pre-
        industrial temperatures by 2100, when combined with reductions 
        of global emissions of carbon dioxide. Such reduction in short-
        lived climate pollutants is possible with the use of currently 
        available technologies. Without short-lived climate pollutant 
        mitigation, warming can exceed 2C within 35 years. Cutting 
        short-lived climate pollutants along with carbon dioxide can 
        also reduce the rate of projected global sea-level rise by half 
        and total sea-level rise by a third. Steps to reduce short-
        lived climate pollutants are likely to have air quality and 
        public health benefits as well.
    (b) Purpose.--The purpose of this Act is to--
            (1) coordinate and optimize the Federal Government's 
        existing efforts to address short-lived climate pollutants;
            (2) reduce overlap and duplication of such efforts; and
            (3) encourage Federal operations, programs, policies, and 
        initiatives to reduce short-lived climate pollutants by--
                    (A) ensuring that the coordinated Federal programs 
                are effective and forward-looking in their efforts to 
                control short-lived climate pollutants;
                    (B) ensuring coordination of such Federal 
                operations, programs, policies, and initiatives with 
                State, local, regional, tribal, and industry efforts; 
                and
                    (C) supporting such State, local, regional, tribal, 
                and industry efforts.

SEC. 3. TASK FORCE ON SUPER POLLUTANTS.

    (a) Establishment.--Not later than 90 days after the date of the 
enactment of this Act, the President shall establish the ``Task Force 
on Super Pollutants'' (referred to in this section as the ``Task 
Force'').
    (b) Duties.--The Task Force shall--
            (1) review existing and potential policies and measures 
        that promote reduction of short-lived climate pollutants, in 
        part by identifying and evaluating programs and activities of 
        the Federal Government that contribute, or could contribute, to 
        such reduction;
            (2) identify and recommend specific existing Federal 
        programs and activities evaluated under paragraph (1) that are 
        unnecessarily duplicative and can be consolidated to achieve 
        greater efficiency and effectiveness;
            (3) identify gaps where programs do not exist, and 
        recommend focused programs and activities to fill these gaps to 
        achieve reductions of short-lived climate pollutants, with an 
        emphasis on industry standards and public-private partnerships 
        where possible;
            (4) identify and highlight programs and activities where 
        reductions in short-lived climate pollutants can continue to 
        spur innovation and job creation in the private sector and 
        increase United States competitiveness in the global market for 
        new technologies to replace those using short-lived climate 
        pollutants;
            (5) identify, compile, evaluate, and develop best practices 
        for reductions of short-lived climate pollutants, including 
        by--
                    (A) identifying and evaluating both domestic and 
                international best practices and standards practiced 
                and set by governments, industry in each sector listed 
                in subsection (c)(5), standards bodies, and other 
                relevant institutions; and
                    (B) identifying and evaluating cost-effective 
                mitigation projects, strategies, and policies at the 
                State, local, and tribal level, with the greatest 
                potential for reduction of short-lived climate 
                pollutants; and
            (6) not later than 18 months after the date of enactment of 
        this Act, submit to Congress a report on the findings and 
        recommendations developed under paragraphs (1) through (5), 
        including quantification of cumulative emission reductions 
        achievable for each short-lived climate pollutant through 
        implementation of Task Force recommendations.
    (c) Members.--The Task Force established under subsection (a) shall 
include representatives of--
            (1) all relevant Federal agencies, including--
                    (A) the Secretary of Energy;
                    (B) the Administrator of the Environmental 
                Protection Agency;
                    (C) the Secretary of the Interior;
                    (D) the Secretary of Transportation;
                    (E) the Secretary of Agriculture;
                    (F) the Secretary of State;
                    (G) the Secretary of Commerce; and
                    (H) the Secretary of Health and Human Services;
            (2) relevant offices and councils within the Executive 
        Office of the President, including--
                    (A) the Office of Management and Budget;
                    (B) the Office of Science and Technology Policy; 
                and
                    (C) the Council on Environmental Quality;
            (3) State, local, and tribal governments or associations;
            (4) academic and non-governmental organizations with 
        expertise in short-lived climate pollutants; and
            (5) relevant industry organizations, representing at least 
        the following sectors:
                    (A) Energy supply and transmission, including 
                fossil fuels.
                    (B) Solid waste.
                    (C) Transportation.
                    (D) Chemical manufacturing and user industries.
                    (E) Agriculture.
                    (F) Wastewater.
                    (G) Buildings.
                    (H) Other sectors as determined appropriate by the 
                President.
    (d) Definition.--In this Act, the term ``short-lived climate 
pollutant'' means any of the following:
            (1) Black carbon.
            (2) Methane.
            (3) Hydrofluorocarbons.
            (4) Tropospheric ozone and its precursors.
            (5) Emissions from banks of ozone-depleting substances.
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