[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 5435 Introduced in House (IH)]

<DOC>






116th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 5435

 To require the Secretary of the Interior and the Chief of the United 
States Forest Service to meet certain targets for the reduction of the 
         emission of greenhouse gases, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                           December 16, 2019

 Mr. Grijalva (for himself, Ms. Haaland, Mr. Levin of California, Mr. 
 Sablan, Ms. DeGette, Mr. McEachin, and Mr. Lowenthal) introduced the 
    following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Natural 
   Resources, and in addition to the Committees on Agriculture, and 
Education and Labor, 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 Secretary of the Interior and the Chief of the United 
States Forest Service to meet certain targets for the reduction of the 
         emission of greenhouse gases, 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 AND TABLE OF CONTENTS.

    (a) Short Title.--This Act may be cited as the ``American Public 
Lands and Waters Climate Solution Act of 2019''.
    (b) Table of Contents.--The table of contents for this Act is the 
following:

Sec. 1. Short title and table of contents.
Sec. 2. Public lands energy and climate policy.
Sec. 3. Public lands greenhouse gas reduction targets and requirements.
Sec. 4. Online publication of greenhouse gas emissions.
Sec. 5. Public lands greenhouse gas reduction strategic plan.
Sec. 6. Revenues for transition assistance.
Sec. 7. Economic revitalization for fossil fuel dependent communities.
Sec. 8. Office of Climate Change Mitigation and Planning.
Sec. 9. Definitions.

SEC. 2. PUBLIC LANDS ENERGY AND CLIMATE POLICY.

    It is the policy of the United States that--
            (1) the United States should aggressively reduce greenhouse 
        gas emissions from United States public lands and oceans and 
        strive to achieve net-zero emissions as soon as possible;
            (2) public lands should be managed to reduce greenhouse gas 
        emissions and co-pollutant emissions and to respond to 
        unavoidable impacts of climate change through increased 
        resilience of ecosystems and wildlife habitats in accordance 
        with the principles of multiple use and sustained yield;
            (3) the protection of ocean ecosystems is vital to 
        promoting ocean health and increasing resilience to climate 
        change, and conservation of United States marine resources is 
        one of the best ways to remove carbon dioxide from the 
        atmosphere;
            (4) energy development decisions on public lands and oceans 
        should be guided by the goals of--
                    (A) protecting human well-being, biodiversity, and 
                the environment;
                    (B) avoiding the most harmful impacts of climate 
                change; and
                    (C) promoting a rapid, sustainable, just, and 
                equitable transition to a clean energy economy; and
            (5) environmental justice communities are more vulnerable 
        to the effects of emissions from public lands and oceans and 
        often have the least resources to respond; thus, they should be 
        meaningfully engaged in government decision making as our 
        Nation reduces emissions from public lands and oceans and 
        builds its climate resilience against the effects of those 
        emissions.

SEC. 3. PUBLIC LANDS GREENHOUSE GAS REDUCTION TARGETS AND REQUIREMENTS.

    (a) Fossil Fuel Leasing Pause.--Notwithstanding other mineral 
leasing laws, the Secretary shall not hold new lease sales for coal, 
oil, or gas for one year after enactment of this Act, and until the 
Secretary--
            (1) certifies, in accordance with all applicable laws, that 
        additional fossil fuel leasing on public lands is not 
        inconsistent with achieving net-zero greenhouse gas emissions 
        from public lands by 2040; and
            (2) releases the first Public Lands Greenhouse Gas 
        Reduction Strategic Plan as required under section 5.
    (b) Emission Reduction Targets.--The Secretary and the Chief shall 
reduce net emissions associated with the extraction and end-use 
combustion of fossil fuels produced from public lands in the United 
States to meet the following targets:
            (1) A reduction of net emissions of not less than 35 
        percent of the baseline identified in subsection (c) by January 
        1, 2025.
            (2) A reduction of net emissions of not less than 60 
        percent of the baseline identified in subsection (c) by January 
        1, 2030.
            (3) A reduction of net emissions of not less than 80 
        percent of the baseline identified in subsection (c) by January 
        1, 2035.
            (4) Net-zero emissions by January 1, 2040.
    (c) Baseline Inventory of Public Lands Greenhouse Gas Emissions and 
Sinks.--The Secretary and the Chief shall use the 2014 estimate of 
greenhouse gas emissions and sinks as identified by the United States 
Geological Survey in Scientific Investigations Report 2018-5131, 
``Federal Lands Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Sequestration in the 
United States: Estimates for 2005-14'', published on November 23, 2018, 
as the baseline when acting to meet the targets established in 
subsection (b).
    (d) Study Examining Avoided Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Carbon 
Sequestration.--
            (1) In general.--Not later than 30 days after the date of 
        enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall make appropriate 
        arrangements with the National Academies under which the 
        National Academies shall conduct a study that examines how the 
        executive branch, including the Department of the Interior, the 
        Department of Agriculture, the United States Forest Service, 
        the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and the 
        Executive Office of the President can meet the net emission 
        reduction targets under subsection (b) by--
                    (A) reducing total emissions;
                    (B) deploying renewable energy projects on public 
                lands;
                    (C) increasing carbon capture, storage, 
                utilization, and sequestration on public lands through 
                both nature-based and technological solutions, except 
                the National Academies shall not consider ocean 
                fertilization or climate engineering actions that 
                involve increasing carbon storage of ocean ecosystems 
                through technological means;
                    (D) increasing carbon storage of federally managed 
                wetlands, mangroves, tidal marshes, and seagrass 
                meadows; and
                    (E) any other technically feasible actions.
            (2) Deadline.--The National Academies shall complete such 
        study not later than 18 months after the date of enactment of 
        this Act.
            (3) Recommendations.--Following completion of such study, 
        the National Academies shall provide recommendations for 
        administrative actions and legislation that can help meet the 
        net emission reduction targets established under subsection 
        (b).
    (e) Verification.--
            (1) Requirements.--The Director of the United States 
        Geological Survey shall, in consultation with the National 
        Academies, establish the methodology for verification of the 
        reduction in net emissions.
            (2) Determination.--By June 1 of each year following a 
        target year specified in subsection (b)--
                    (A) the Director of the United States Geological 
                Survey shall determine if the Secretary and the Chief 
                have met the emission reduction targets identified in 
                subsection (b); and
                    (B) shall make such determination and any data 
                supporting such determination available on the public 
                online dashboard required by section 5(g).
    (f) Enforcement.--
            (1) No new fossil fuel permits or lease sales.--If the 
        Director of the United States Geological Survey determines that 
        net emissions from public lands have exceeded the targets in 
        the Strategy, the Secretary shall not approve new fossil fuel 
        permits and shall not hold new fossil fuel lease sales until a 
        certification and public notice by such Director that net 
        emissions are below the target level for the most recent 
        calendar year.
            (2) Certification.--The Secretary shall submit to the 
        Committee on Energy and Natural Resources in the Senate and the 
        Committee on Natural Resources in the House of Representatives 
        a certification within 30 days of each statutory deadline for 
        the required emission reductions. Notice of the certification 
        shall be published in the Federal Register on or before the 
        date the certification is due to Congress.
            (3) Judicial enforcement.--Any interested party can seek 
        judicial review in Federal district court for failure to 
        complete the required certification by the statutory deadline.
    (g) Environmental Justice Communities.--
            (1) In general.--When taking any action to meet the 
        emission reduction targets established in subsection (b), the 
        Secretary and the Chief shall--
                    (A) prioritize reductions of greenhouse gas 
                emissions and co-pollutants that will affect an 
                environmental justice community; and
                    (B) ensure that such action does not result in a 
                net increase of co-pollutant emissions or otherwise 
                have a disparate impact on an environmental justice 
                community.
            (2) Identification of environmental justice communities.--
        The Secretary, in consultation with other relevant agencies, 
        shall establish by regulation criteria for identifying 
        environmental justice communities for the purposes of paragraph 
        (1).

SEC. 4. ONLINE PUBLICATION OF GREENHOUSE GAS EMISSIONS.

    (a) In General.--The Secretary shall make freely available on a 
public website, with respect to the previous year--
            (1) information that describes for each fossil fuel 
        operation that is subject to the mineral leasing laws or title 
        III or V of the Federal Land Policy and Management Act of 1976 
        (30 U.S.C. 1761 et seq.), regardless of size, including 
        production, storage, gathering, processing, transportation, and 
        handling operations--
                    (A) the aggregate amount of each fossil fuel, by 
                type and by State, produced on Federal leases; and
                    (B) for gas reported, the portion and source of 
                such amount that was released or disposed of by each of 
                venting, flaring, and fugitive release; and
            (2) information that describes the amount and sources of 
        energy, in delivered megawatt hours, produced from operating 
        solar, wind, and geothermal projects on public lands under 
        lease for the production of renewable energy.
    (b) Format.--Information made available under this section shall be 
presented in a format that--
            (1) translates such amounts and portions into emissions of 
        metric tons of greenhouse gases expressed in carbon dioxide 
        equivalent using both the 20-year and 100-year Global Warming 
        Potential-weighted emission values;
            (2) for energy produced from solar, wind, and geothermal 
        projects, includes an estimate of the net emissions that would 
        result from production of the same amount of energy from new 
        fossil fuel-fired facilities; and
            (3) can be downloaded in a machine readable format.
    (c) Data Publication Frequency.--The data made available under this 
section shall be updated at least annually.

SEC. 5. PUBLIC LANDS GREENHOUSE GAS REDUCTION STRATEGIC PLAN.

    (a) Requirement To Publish Greenhouse Gas Reduction Strategy.--The 
Secretary and the Chief, working with the heads of other Federal 
agencies as the Secretary and Chief determine appropriate, shall 
jointly develop and publish once every 4 years a Public Lands 
Greenhouse Gas Reduction Strategy. Each Strategy shall include--
            (1) actions designed to reduce net emissions to meet the 
        targets described in section 3(b); and
            (2) annual net emission reduction targets for intervening 
        years.
    (b) Public Comment Period.--At least 6 months before the date of 
publication of the Strategy, the Secretary and the Chief shall jointly 
publish a draft Strategy which shall be open for public comment for 60 
days.
    (c) Updates to Greenhouse Gas Reduction Strategy.--The Secretary 
and the Chief may jointly update the Strategy at any time between 4-
year periods if the changes include modifications to the targets 
described in section 3(b) that the Secretary and the Chief jointly 
determine will result in lower net emissions compared to the original 
such targets.
    (d) Consultations Required.--In developing the Strategy, the 
Secretary and the Chief shall consult with--
            (1) the Secretary of Energy with regard to energy 
        transmission, storage, and distribution infrastructure in the 
        United States, technology deployment, and the renewable energy 
        resource potential on public lands;
            (2) the Director of the United States Geological Survey 
        with regard to the estimated net emissions associated with the 
        extraction and end-use combustion of fossil fuels produced from 
        public lands, the source of the emissions, and the carbon 
        sequestration potential of those lands;
            (3) the Administrator of the Environmental Protection 
        Agency with regard to--
                    (A) carbon capture and geologic storage; and
                    (B) the implications for and the impacts on 
                environmental justice communities; and
            (4) the Administrator of the National Oceanic and 
        Atmospheric Administration with regard to strategies to protect 
        and strengthen the carbon sequestration potential of ocean and 
        coastal ecosystems.
    (e) Input.--In developing the Strategy, the Secretary and the Chief 
shall solicit the input of--
            (1) State and local governments and federally recognized 
        Indian Tribes; and
            (2) scientists and technical experts within the United 
        States Global Change Research Program and other government and 
        independent science and policy experts.
    (f) Considerations.--In developing the Strategy, the Secretary and 
the Chief shall consider the following:
            (1) The recommendations proposed by the National Academies 
        pursuant to section 3(d).
            (2) The relative resiliency of United States communities, 
        including the proportion of State budgets directly derived from 
        Federal energy revenues, and if available, any plans to replace 
        such lost revenue, to the phase out of fossil fuels and the 
        varying abilities of communities to cope with any changes that 
        would be mandated by this Strategy.
            (3) Ways to support workers in the fossil fuel sector and 
        related industries that rely on the fossil fuel supply-chain 
        for economic and job security.
            (4) The need to stop current, prevent future, and repair 
        historic oppression of indigenous peoples, communities of 
        color, migrant communities, deindustrialized communities, 
        depopulated rural communities, the poor, low-income workers, 
        women, the elderly, the unhoused, people with disabilities, 
        LGBTQ people, and youth.
            (5) How achieving the net emission reduction targets may 
        help meet other policy priorities and goals of both the 
        Department of the Interior and other departments and agencies, 
        including increasing economic competitiveness, increasing the 
        number of high-quality jobs in the United States, strengthening 
        national security, and creating a Nation resilient to impacts 
        of climate change.
            (6) The impacts of climate change on resources managed by 
        the Department of the Interior and the Forest Service, 
        including the National Park System, wildlife habitat, ocean and 
        marine ecosystems, and water supplies.
            (7) The impacts of climate change on recreation on public 
        lands and the outdoor recreation economy.
            (8) Impacts on United States communities where fossil fuel-
        fired generating facilities and fossil fuel processing 
        facilities are located and are likely to shutdown.
            (9) Actions and steps that can be taken to mitigate 
        projected unavoidable impacts of climate change.
            (10) How improvements to Federal oil and gas permitting and 
        leasing procedures may result in a reduction of net emissions 
        from public lands.
            (11) The potential net emission reduction and climate 
        resilience benefits of reclaiming abandoned mine land, plugging 
        and properly abandoning orphaned wells, and conducting other 
        land reclamation and natural resource restoration activities.
            (12) How the remediation and decommissioning of Forest 
        Service roads can increase the health and carbon sequestration 
        potential of ecosystems and increase the resilience of public 
        lands to climate change.
            (13) The co-benefits of natural carbon sequestration 
        projects, including increases in shade, green space, and 
        healthy wetlands, and the importance of prioritizing these 
        projects in environmental justice communities.
    (g) Publication of Contents of Final Strategy on Online 
Dashboard.--The Secretary shall publish the contents of each final 
Strategy on an online public dashboard, which shall include--
            (1) the progress made toward meeting the greenhouse gas 
        reduction targets established in section 3;
            (2) the annual net emission reduction targets identified by 
        the Secretary and the Chief under subsection (a)(2), and any 
        subsequent updates made to such annual targets;
            (3) the actions the Secretary and the Chief have taken and 
        intend to take to achieve the net emission reduction targets;
            (4) all public comments received during the 60-day comment 
        period required by subsection (b); and
            (5) responses from the Secretary and the Chief to all 
        comments from State or Tribal governments received during such 
        comment period, including an explanation of why any such 
        recommendations received by the Secretary were not implemented.

SEC. 6. REVENUES FOR TRANSITION ASSISTANCE.

    (a) Mineral Leasing Revenue.--The Mineral Leasing Act (30 U.S.C. 
181 et seq.) is amended--
            (1) in section 7, by striking ``12 \1/2\'' and inserting 
        ``18.75'';
            (2) in section 17--
                    (A) by striking ``12.5'' each place such term 
                appears and inserting ``18.75''; and
                    (B) by striking ``12 \1/2\'' each place such term 
                appears and inserting ``18.75'';
            (3) in section 31(e), by striking ``16\2/3\'' each place 
        such term appears and inserting ``25'';
            (4) in section 17, by striking ``Lease sales shall be held 
        for each State where eligible lands are available at least 
        quarterly and more frequently if the Secretary of the Interior 
        determines such sales are necessary.''; and
            (5) in section 35--
                    (A) by striking ``All'' and inserting ``(1) All''; 
                and
                    (B) by adding at the end the following:
            ``(2) Notwithstanding paragraph (1), any funds collected as 
        a result of the amendments made by section 6(a) of the American 
        Public Lands and Waters Climate Solution Act of 2019 shall be 
        distributed consistent with the manner provided in section 6(d) 
        of such Act.''.
    (b) Conservation of Resources Fees.--There is established a 
Conservation of Resources Fee of $4 per acre per year on producing 
Federal onshore and offshore oil and gas leases.
    (c) Speculative Leasing Fee.--There is established a Speculative 
Leasing Fee of $6 per acre per year for Federal oil and gas 
nonproducing leases on and offshore.
    (d) Deposit.--
            (1) All funds collected pursuant to subsections (b) and (c) 
        shall be deposited in the Federal Energy Transition Economic 
        Development Assistance Fund established in section 7.
            (2) Fifty percent of funds collected as a result of the 
        amendments made by this section shall be deposited in the 
        Federal Energy Transition Economic Development Assistance Fund 
        established in section 7.
            (3) Fifty percent of funds collected as a result of the 
        amendments made by this section shall be returned to the States 
        where production occurred.
    (e) Adjustment for Inflation.--The Secretary shall, by regulation 
at least once every four years, adjust each fee created by this section 
to reflect any change in the Consumer Price Index (all items, United 
States city average) as prepared by the Department of Labor.

SEC. 7. ECONOMIC REVITALIZATION FOR FOSSIL FUEL DEPENDENT COMMUNITIES.

    (a) Establishment of Federal Energy Transition Economic Development 
Assistance Fund.--There is established in the Treasury of the United 
States a fund, to be known as the ``Federal Energy Transition Economic 
Development Assistance Fund''. Such fund consists of amounts deposited 
under section 6.
    (b) Distribution of Funds.--Of the amounts deposited into the 
Fund--
            (1) 35 percent shall be distributed by the Secretary to 
        States in which extraction of fossil fuels occurs on public 
        lands, based on a formula reflecting existing production and 
        extraction in each such State;
            (2) 35 percent shall be distributed by the Secretary to 
        States based on a formula reflecting the quantity of fossil 
        fuels historically produced and extracted in each such State on 
        public lands before the date of enactment of this Act; and
            (3) 30 percent shall be allocated to a competitive grant 
        program pursuant to subsection (d).
    (c) Use of Funds.--
            (1) In general.--Funds distributed by the Secretary to 
        States under paragraphs (1) and (2) of subsection (b) may be 
        used for--
                    (A) environmental remediation of lands and waters 
                impacted by fossil fuel extraction and mining;
                    (B) building partnerships to attract and invest in 
                the economic future of historically fossil fuel 
                dependent communities;
                    (C) increasing capacity and other technical 
                assistance fostering long-term economic growth and 
                opportunity in historically fossil fuel dependent 
                communities;
                    (D) guaranteeing pensions and retirement security 
                and providing a bridge of wage support until a 
                displaced worker either finds new employment or reaches 
                retirement;
                    (E) severance payments for displaced workers; or
                    (F) carbon sequestration projects in natural 
                systems on public lands and private agricultural lands.
    (d) Competitive Grant Program.--The Secretary shall establish a 
competitive grant program to provide funds to eligible entities for the 
purposes described in paragraph (2).
            (1) Eligible entities.--Local, State, and Tribal 
        governments, development districts (as such term is defined in 
        section 382E of the Consolidated Farm and Rural Development Act 
        (7 U.S.C. 2009aa-4)), nonprofits, labor unions, and 
        institutions of higher education (as such term is defined in 
        section 101 of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 
        1001)).
            (2) Eligible use of funds.--The Secretary may award grants 
        from amounts in the Fund for the purposes listed in subsection 
        (c) and for--
                    (A) existing job retraining and apprenticeship 
                programs for impacted workers or for programs designed 
                to promote economic development in communities affected 
                by a downturn in fossil fuel extraction and mining;
                    (B) developing projects that diversify local and 
                regional economies, create jobs in new or existing non-
                fossil fuel industries, attract new sources of job-
                creating investment, and provide a range of workforce 
                services and skills training; and
                    (C) the development and support of a clean energy--
                            (i) certificate program at a labor 
                        organization; or
                            (ii) a major or minor program at an 
                        institution of higher education, as such term 
                        is defined in section 101 of the Higher 
                        Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1001).
            (3) Priority to displaced workers.--In awarding grants 
        under this subsection, the Secretary shall place a priority on 
        assisting displaced workers in the fossil fuel mining and 
        extraction industries.
    (e) Just Transition Advisory Committee.--
            (1) Establishment.--Not later than 180 days after the date 
        of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall establish an 
        advisory committee to be known as the ``Just Transition 
        Advisory Committee''.
            (2) Chair.--The Director of the Office of Climate Change 
        Mitigation and Planning, established in section 8, shall Chair 
        the Advisory Committee.
            (3) Duties.--The Advisory Committee shall--
                    (A) advise, assist, and support the Secretary in 
                the management and allocation of funds available under 
                subsection (b) and in the establishment and 
                administration of the Competitive Grant Program under 
                subsection (d); and
                    (B) develop procedures to ensure that States and 
                applicants eligible to participate in the competitive 
                grant program established pursuant to subsection (d) 
                are notified of availability of Federal funds pursuant 
                to this Act.
            (4) Membership.--The total membership of the Advisory 
        Committee shall not exceed 24 members and the Advisory 
        Committee shall be composed of the following members appointed 
        by the Director of the Office of Climate Change Mitigation and 
        Planning:
                    (A) A representative of the Assistant Secretary of 
                Commerce for Economic Development.
                    (B) A representative of the Secretary of Labor.
                    (C) A representative of the Under Secretary for 
                Rural Development.
                    (D) Two individuals with professional economic 
                development or workforce retraining experience.
                    (E) An equal number of representatives from each of 
                the following:
                            (i) Labor unions.
                            (ii) Nonprofit environmental organizations.
                            (iii) Environmental justice organizations.
                            (iv) Fossil fuel transition communities.
                            (v) Public interest groups.
                            (vi) Indian Tribes.
            (5) Termination.--The Just Transition Advisory Committee 
        shall not terminate except by an Act of Congress.
    (f) Limitation on Use of Funds.--
            (1) Administrative costs.--Not more than 7 percent of the 
        amounts in the Fund may be used for administrative costs 
        incurred in implementing this Act.
            (2) Limitation on funds to a single entity.--Not more than 
        5 percent of the amounts in the Fund may be awarded to a single 
        eligible entity.
            (3) Calendar year limitation.--At least 15 percent of the 
        amount in the Fund must be spent in each calendar year.
    (g) Wage Rate Requirements.--The Secretary shall require each 
recipient of funds under this section to meet the prevailing wage 
requirements under chapter IV of chapter 31 of part A of subtitle II of 
title 40, United States Code (commonly referred to as the ``Davis-Bacon 
Act''), with respect to any laborer or mechanic employed using such 
funds, including those employed by contractors or subcontractors.
    (h) Use of American Iron, Steel, and Manufactured Goods.--None of 
the funds appropriated or otherwise made available by this Act may be 
used for a project for the construction, alteration, maintenance, or 
repair of a public building or public work unless all of the iron, 
steel, and manufactured goods used in the project are produced in the 
United States unless such manufactured good is not produced in the 
United States.
    (i) Submission to Congress.--The Secretary shall submit to the 
Committees on Appropriations and Energy and Natural Resources of the 
Senate and to the Committees on Appropriations and Natural Resources in 
the House of Representatives, with the annual budget submission of the 
President, a list of projects, including a description of each project, 
that received funding under this section in the previous calendar year.

SEC. 8. OFFICE OF CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION AND PLANNING.

    (a) Establishment of Office of Climate Change Mitigation and 
Planning.--The Secretary shall establish an Office of Climate Change 
Mitigation and Planning (referred to in this section as the 
``Office''), which shall oversee implementation of this Act. The Office 
shall be under the direction of the Director of Climate Change 
Mitigation and Planning (referred to in this section as the 
``Director'') who shall report directly to the Secretary.
    (b) Director of Climate Change Mitigation and Planning.--
            (1) Appointment.--The Director shall be appointed by the 
        President to administer the provisions of this Act.
            (2) Compensation.--The Director shall be paid at a rate 
        determined by the Secretary to be appropriate for the position, 
        but not less than the rate provided for Level V of the 
        Executive Schedule under section 5316 of title 5, United States 
        Code.
    (c) Functions.--The duties of the Office are to implement this Act 
and to--
            (1) oversee the tracking of all greenhouse gas emission 
        sources and sinks on public lands;
            (2) coordinate across the Federal Government to ensure the 
        net emission targets are met; and
            (3) oversee and manage the distribution of funds as 
        required by section 7.
    (d) Staff and Consultants.--
            (1) Staff.--The Director may employ such staff as the 
        Director determines appropriate. The Director may request staff 
        assistance from within the Department of the Interior and any 
        office or Bureau thereof as the Director deems necessary.
            (2) Contracts.--To the extent and in such amounts as may be 
        provided in advance by appropriations Acts, the Director may 
        enter into contracts and other arrangements with public 
        agencies and with private persons and organizations for 
        consulting services and make such payments as necessary to 
        carry out the provisions of this section.

SEC. 9. DEFINITIONS.

    In this Act:
            (1) Advisory committee.--The term ``Advisory Committee'' 
        means the Just Transition Advisory Committee established by 
        section 7.
            (2) Chief.--The term ``Chief'' means the Secretary of 
        Agriculture acting through the Chief of the United States 
        Forest Service.
            (3) Co-pollutant.--The term ``co-pollutant'' means air 
        pollutants, as defined by the Environmental Protection Agency, 
        including volatile organic compounds and hazardous air 
        pollutants that may be commingled and coemitted with greenhouse 
        gases.
            (4) Environmental justice community.--The term 
        ``environmental justice community'' means a geographically 
        distinct community with significant representation of 
        communities of color, low-income communities, or Tribal and 
        indigenous communities that experience or are at risk of 
        experiencing significantly higher and more adverse human health 
        or environmental effects.
            (5) Disparate impact.--The term ``disparate impact'' means 
        an impact that, though appearing neutral, actually has the 
        effect of subjecting persons to discrimination because of their 
        race, color, or national origin.
            (6) Displaced worker.--The term ``displaced worker'' means 
        an individual who, due to efforts to reduce net emissions from 
        public lands or as a result of a downturn in fossil fuel 
        mining, extraction, or production, has suffered a reduction in 
        employment or economic opportunities.
            (7) Flaring.--The term ``flaring'' means the intentional 
        and controlled burning of gas that occurs in the course of oil 
        and gas or coal operations.
            (8) Fossil fuel.--The term ``fossil fuel'' means coal, 
        petroleum, natural gas, tar sands, oil shale, or any derivative 
        of coal, petroleum, or natural gas.
            (9) Fossil fuel transition communities.--The term ``fossil 
        fuel transition communities'' means communities in which the 
        economic contribution of fossil fuel mining, extraction, or 
        production-related activity on public lands has significantly 
        declined or that have historically relied on fossil fuel 
        mining, extraction, or production-related activity on public 
        lands for a substantial portion of its economy.
            (10) Fugitive release.--The term ``fugitive release'' means 
        the unintentional and uncontrolled release of gas into the 
        atmosphere in the course of oil and gas or coal operations.
            (11) Fund.--The term ``Fund'' means the Federal Energy 
        Transition Economic Development Assistance Fund.
            (12) Global warming potential-weighted emission.--The term 
        ``Global Warming Potential-weighted emission'' means the ratio 
        of the time-integrated radiative forcing from the instantaneous 
        release of 1 kilogram of a trace substance relative to that of 
        1 kilogram of carbon dioxide, measured in metric tons of carbon 
        dioxide equivalent for each greenhouse gas according to the 
        most recent, and any subsequent, decisions by the 
        Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change regarding global 
        warming potentials.
            (13) Greenhouse gas.--The term ``greenhouse gas'' means--
                    (A) carbon dioxide;
                    (B) methane;
                    (C) nitrous oxide;
                    (D) hydrofluorocarbons;
                    (E) perfluorocarbons;
                    (F) sulfur hexafluoride; or
                    (G) any other anthropogenically emitted gas that is 
                determined by the Administrator of the Environmental 
                Protection Agency, after notice and comment, to 
                contribute to global warming to a non-negligible 
                degree.
            (14) LGBTQ.--The term ``LGBTQ'' means lesbian, gay, 
        bisexual, transgender, and queer or questioning.
            (15) Multiple use.--The term ``multiple use'' has the same 
        meaning given such term in section 103 of the Federal Land and 
        Policy Management Act of 1976 (43 U.S.C. 1702).
            (16) National academies.--The term ``National Academies'' 
        means the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and 
        Medicine.
            (17) Net biome productivity.--The term ``net biome 
        productivity'' means the absolute change in carbon stored 
        within terrestrial ecosystems on an annual basis. The net biome 
        productivity is determined by subtracting terrestrial ecosystem 
        carbon losses associated with land use and land-use change and 
        disturbance from the net ecosystem productivity as described in 
        United States Geological Survey Scientific Investigations 
        Report 2018-5131.
            (18) Net emissions.--The term ``net emissions'' means the 
        total greenhouse gas emissions associated with the extraction 
        and end-use combustion of fossil fuels produced from United 
        States public lands in a year as measured by the United States 
        Geological Survey and reduced in the same year by--
                    (A) the total avoided emissions from generation of 
                renewable energy on public lands as determined by using 
                the Environmental Protection Agency's AVoided Emissions 
                and geneRation Tool, or a similar Environmental 
                Protection Agency calculation for the national average 
                of carbon dioxide equivalent associated with United 
                States electricity generation as of January 1, 2020;
                    (B) the net biome productivity of public lands at 
                the end of each target year;
                    (C) the total amount of new geologically 
                sequestered carbon on public lands in each target year; 
                and
                    (D) other carbon captured by negative emissions 
                technologies and sequestered, as determined by the 
                Secretary and Chief in each target year.
            (19) Nonproducing lease.--The term ``nonproducing lease'' 
        means any lease where oil or natural gas is produced for less 
        than 90 days in a calendar year.
            (20) Public land.--The term ``public land'' means any land 
        and interest in land owned by the United States within the 
        several States and administered by the Secretary or the Chief, 
        without regard to how the United States acquired ownership, 
        including lands located on the Outer Continental Shelf but 
        excluding lands held in trust for an Indian or Indian Tribe.
            (21) Secretary.--The term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary 
        of the Interior, unless the context requires otherwise.
            (22) Strategy.--The term ``Strategy'' means the Federal 
        Greenhouse Gas Reduction Strategy required to be developed and 
        published under section 3.
            (23) Sustained yield.--The term ``sustained yield'' has the 
        same meaning given such term in section 103 of the Federal Land 
        and Policy Management Act of 1976 (43 U.S.C. 1702).
            (24) Venting.--The term ``venting'' means the intentional 
        and controlled release of gas into the atmosphere in the course 
        of oil, gas, or coal operations.
                                 <all>