[Congressional Record Volume 168, Number 157 (Wednesday, September 28, 2022)]
[Senate]
[Pages S5476-S5480]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

  SA 5970. Mr. COONS (for himself, Ms. Murkowski, Mr. Bennet, Ms. 
Rosen, Mr. Cassidy, Ms. Collins, Mrs. Shaheen, Mr. Padilla, Mr. Kaine, 
and Mr. Graham) submitted an amendment intended to be proposed to 
amendment SA 5499 submitted by Mr. Reed (for himself and Mr. Inhofe) 
and intended to be proposed to the bill H.R. 7900, to authorize 
appropriations for fiscal year 2023 for military activities of the 
Department of Defense, for military construction, and for defense 
activities of the Department of Energy, to prescribe military personnel 
strengths for such fiscal year, and for other purposes; which was 
ordered to lie on the table; as follows:

       At the appropriate place in subtitle G of title X, insert 
     the following:

     SEC. 10__. NATIONAL CLIMATE ADAPTATION AND RESILIENCE 
                   STRATEGY.

       (a) Definitions.--In this section:
       (1) Adaptation.--The term ``adaptation'' means an 
     adjustment in a natural or human system in response to a new 
     or changing environmental condition, including such an 
     adjustment associated with climate change, that exploits 
     beneficial opportunities or moderates negative effects.
       (2) Adaptive capacity.--The term ``adaptive capacity'' 
     means the ability of a system--
       (A) to adjust to climate vulnerabilities to moderate 
     potential damage or harm;
       (B) to take advantage of new, and potentially beneficial, 
     opportunities; or
       (C) to cope with change.
       (3) Cascading climate hazards.--The term ``cascading 
     climate hazards'' means a series

[[Page S5477]]

     of successive environmental hazards triggered by an initial 
     hazard that is driven or exacerbated by climate change, such 
     that the impacts to vulnerable systems are amplified.
       (4) Chief resilience officer.--The term ``Chief Resilience 
     Officer'' means the Chief Resilience Officer of the United 
     States appointed by the President under subsection (b)(1)(A).
       (5) Climate change.--The term ``climate change'' means 
     changes in average atmospheric and oceanic conditions that 
     persist over multiple decades or longer and are natural or 
     anthropogenic in origin, including--
       (A) both increases and decreases in temperature;
       (B) shifts in precipitation;
       (C) shifts in ecoregion or biome geography and phenology, 
     as applicable;
       (D) changing risk from certain types of rapid-onset climate 
     hazards and slow-onset climate hazards; and
       (E) changes to other features of the climate system.
       (6) Climate information.--The term ``climate information'' 
     means information, data, or products that enhance knowledge 
     and understanding of climate science, risk, conditions, 
     vulnerability, or impact, including--
       (A) climate data products;
       (B) historic or future climate projections or scenarios;
       (C) climate risk or vulnerability information;
       (D) data or information related to climate adaptation and 
     mitigation; and
       (E) other best available climate science.
       (7) Compound climate hazards.--The term ``compound climate 
     hazards'' means 2 or more environmental hazards driven or 
     exacerbated by climate change that occur simultaneously or 
     successively, such that the impacts to vulnerable systems are 
     amplified.
       (8) Council.--The term ``Council'' means the Partners 
     Council on Climate Adaptation and Resilience established by 
     subsection (c)(1).
       (9) Federal agency.--The term ``Federal agency'' has the 
     meaning given the term ``Executive agency'' in section 105 of 
     title 5, United States Code.
       (10) Freely associated state.--The term ``Freely Associated 
     State'' means--
       (A) the Federated States of Micronesia;
       (B) the Republic of the Marshall Islands; and
       (C) the Republic of Palau.
       (11) Frontline communities.--The term ``frontline 
     communities'' means human communities that--
       (A) are highly vulnerable to climate change or exposed to 
     climate risk;
       (B) experience the earliest, most adverse impacts of 
     climate change; and
       (C) may have a reduced ability to adapt to climate change 
     due to a lack of resources, political power, or adaptive 
     capacity.
       (12) Implementation plan.--The term ``Implementation Plan'' 
     means the Implementation Plan jointly developed by the Chief 
     Resilience Officer and the Working Groups under subsection 
     (e)(2).
       (13) Indian tribe.--The term ``Indian Tribe'' has the 
     meaning given the term in section 4 of the Indian Self-
     Determination and Education Assistance Act (25 U.S.C. 5304).
       (14) National climate assessment.--The term ``National 
     Climate Assessment'' means the assessment delivered to 
     Congress and the President pursuant to section 106 of the 
     Global Change Research Act of 1990 (15 U.S.C. 2936).
       (15) Natural infrastructure.--The term ``natural 
     infrastructure'' means infrastructure that--
       (A) uses, restores, or emulates natural ecological, 
     geological, or physical processes; and
       (B)(i) is created through the action of natural physical, 
     geological, biological, and chemical processes over time;
       (ii) is created by human design, engineering, and 
     construction to emulate or act in concert with natural 
     processes; or
       (iii) involves the use of plants, soils, and other natural 
     features, including through the creation, restoration, or 
     preservation of natural areas using materials appropriate to 
     the region to manage stormwater and runoff, to attenuate 
     flooding and storm surges, to manage erosion and saltwater 
     intrusion, and for other related purposes.
       (16) Non-federal partner.--The term ``non-Federal partner'' 
     means a member of a unit of State, local, or territorial 
     government, the government of an Indian Tribe, the government 
     of a Freely Associated State, a private sector entity, or 
     another individual or organization not affiliated with the 
     Federal Government.
       (17) Operations report.--The term ``Operations Report'' 
     means the National Climate Adaptation and Resilience 
     Operations Report jointly developed by the Chief Resilience 
     Officer and the Working Groups under subsection (d).
       (18) Rapid-onset climate hazard.--The term ``rapid-onset 
     climate hazard'' means an abrupt environmental hazard driven 
     or exacerbated by climate change that occurs quickly or 
     unexpectedly and triggers impacts that materialize rapidly 
     and interact with conditions of exposure and vulnerability to 
     result in a disaster.
       (19) Represented agency.--The term ``represented agency'' 
     means each Federal agency from which the Chief Resilience 
     Officer appoints a member to a Working Group under subsection 
     (b)(2)(D)(ii)(II).
       (20) Resilience.--The term ``resilience'' means the 
     capacity of a social, physical, economic, or environmental 
     system to cope with an environmental hazard event, trend, or 
     disturbance that is driven or exacerbated by climate change 
     by responding or reorganizing in ways that maintain, to the 
     greatest extent practicable, the essential function, 
     identity, and structure of the system and ensure that, in the 
     event of a rapid-onset climate hazard or a slow-onset climate 
     hazard, basic human needs are met, while also maintaining the 
     capacity for adaptation and transformation.
       (21) Risk.--
       (A) In general.--The term ``risk'' means the potential for 
     consequences in a situation in which--
       (i) something of value is at stake; and
       (ii) the outcome is uncertain.
       (B) Inclusion.--The term ``risk'' includes the potential 
     for consequences described in subparagraph (A) that is 
     evaluated as the product obtained by multiplying--
       (i) the probability of a hazard occurring; by
       (ii) the consequence that would result if the hazard 
     occurred.
       (22) Slow-onset climate hazard.--
       (A) In general.--The term ``slow-onset climate hazard'' 
     means an environmental hazard driven or exacerbated by 
     climate change that evolves gradually through time due to 
     incremental change or because of an increasing frequency or 
     intensity of recurring climate impacts.
       (B) Inclusions.--The term ``slow-onset climate hazard'' 
     includes hazards such as--
       (i) sea level rise;
       (ii) desertification;
       (iii) biodiversity loss or the alteration of or shift in 
     habitat range of individual species or entire biomes;
       (iv) increasing temperatures;
       (v) ocean acidification;
       (vi) saltwater intrusion;
       (vii) soil salinization;
       (viii) drought and water scarcity;
       (ix) reduced snow pack;
       (x) sea ice retreat;
       (xi) glacial ice retreat;
       (xii) permafrost thaw; and
       (xiii) coastal and river bank erosion.
       (23) Strategy.--The term ``Strategy'' means the National 
     Climate Adaptation and Resilience Strategy required to be 
     developed jointly by the Chief Resilience Officer and the 
     Working Groups under subsection (e)(1).
       (24) Territorial government.--The term ``territorial 
     government'' means the government of a territory (as defined 
     in section 602(g) of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 
     802(g))).
       (25) Vulnerability.--The term ``vulnerability'' means the 
     propensity or predisposition of a human individual or 
     community or physical, biological, or socioeconomic system to 
     be susceptible to and adversely affected by the impacts of 
     climate change.
       (26) Working group.--The term ``Working Group'' means a 
     National Climate Adaptation and Resilience Working Group 
     established by the Chief Resilience Officer under subsection 
     (b)(2).
       (b) Chief Resilience Officer and National Climate 
     Adaptation and Resilience Working Groups.--
       (1) Chief resilience officer.--
       (A) In general.--Not later than 120 days after the date of 
     enactment of this Act, the President shall identify or 
     appoint a Chief Resilience Officer of the United States to 
     serve in the Executive Office of the President.
       (B) Duties.--The Chief Resilience Officer shall--
       (i) serve the President by directing a whole-of-government 
     effort to build resilience to climate change vulnerabilities 
     in the United States (as described in the National Climate 
     Assessment or other relevant analyses identified by the Chief 
     Resilience Officer) in collaboration with existing Federal 
     initiatives and interagency adaptation efforts;
       (ii) establish Working Groups in accordance with paragraph 
     (2) to facilitate interagency coordination with respect to 
     climate resilience and adaptation; and
       (iii) at the end of a presidential administration, delegate 
     the duties of the Chief Resilience Officer to the Executive 
     Secretary of the Working Groups designated under paragraph 
     (2)(F)(i)(I) until a new Chief Resilience Officer is 
     appointed.
       (C) Compensation.--The Chief Resilience Officer shall be 
     compensated by the Federal Government at level III of the 
     Executive Schedule in subchapter II of chapter 53 of title 5, 
     United States Code.
       (2) Working groups.--
       (A) Establishment.--
       (i)  In general.--Subject to clause (ii), the Chief 
     Resilience Officer shall establish the minimum number of 
     National Climate Adaptation and Resilience Working Groups 
     that is necessary to carry out the duties and purposes 
     described in subparagraph (C).
       (ii) Limitation.--The Chief Resilience Officer shall not 
     establish more than 5 Working Groups.
       (B) Focus.--Each Working Group shall focus on a topic or 
     series of related topics with respect to climate adaptation 
     and resilience, as determined by the Chief Resilience 
     Officer.
       (C) Duties and purpose.--Each Working Group shall, under 
     the leadership of the Chief Resilience Officer, with respect 
     to the focus of the Working Group--
       (i) coordinate a whole-of-government plan to build 
     resilience to the applicable climate change vulnerabilities 
     described in the National Climate Assessment or other 
     relevant

[[Page S5478]]

     analyses identified by the Chief Resilience Officer;
       (ii) assist in the development of the applicable portions 
     of--

       (I) the Operations Report;
       (II) the Strategy; and
       (III) the Implementation Plan; and

       (iii) assist in the standardization across represented 
     agencies of, with respect to climate change, the term 
     ``resilience'' to promote greater consistency in Federal 
     resilience leadership.
       (D) Structure.--
       (i) Chairperson.--

       (I) In general.--Subject to a designation under subclause 
     (III), the Chief Resilience Officer shall serve as 
     chairperson of each Working Group.
       (II) Temporary chairperson.--The President or the Chief 
     Resilience Officer may designate another staff member or 
     member of a Working Group to act temporarily as the 
     chairperson of that Working Group in the absence of the Chief 
     Resilience Officer.
       (III) Designated agency chairperson.--The Chief Resilience 
     Officer may designate as chairperson of a Working Group the 
     head of a represented agency that serves on that Working 
     Group.

       (ii) Membership.--In establishing a Working Group, the 
     Chief Resilience Officer shall--

       (I) identify each Federal agency with operations or 
     organizational units that are relevant to the focus of the 
     Working Group; and
       (II) appoint 1 member of each Federal agency identified 
     under subclause (I) to represent that Federal agency on the 
     Working Group.

       (iii) Requirement.--In appointing a member of a Working 
     Group under clause (ii)(II), the Chief Resilience Officer 
     shall, to the maximum extent practicable, appoint the head of 
     the portion of the represented agency that is most relevant 
     to the focus of the Working Group.
       (iv) Duties of members.--Each member of a Working Group--

       (I) shall attend meetings of the Working Group; and
       (II) work to support the duties of the Working Group.

       (E) Meetings.--
       (i) In general.--Each Working Group shall meet not less 
     frequently than once every 180 days.
       (ii) Quorum.--\3/4\ of the members of a Working Group shall 
     constitute a quorum of the Working Group.
       (iii) Remote participation.--A member of a Working Group 
     may participate in a meeting of that Working Group through 
     teleconference or similar means.
       (F) Support personnel.--
       (i) Executive secretary.--

       (I) In general.--The Chief Resilience Officer shall 
     designate a permanent employee of a represented agency to 
     serve as Executive Secretary of the Working Groups.
       (II) Employment.--The employee designated as Executive 
     Secretary under subclause (I) shall remain an employee of the 
     agency, department, or program from which the employee was 
     appointed.

       (ii) Necessary assistance.--To carry out the purposes of 
     each Working Group, as described in subparagraph (C), each 
     represented agency with a member on the Working Group shall 
     furnish necessary assistance to that Working Group, such as--

       (I) a detail of employees to the Working Group to perform 
     such functions, consistent with the purposes of the Working 
     Group described in subparagraph (C), as the Chief Resilience 
     Officer may assign, including support staff for the Executive 
     Secretary appointed under clause (i)(I); and
       (II) on request of the Chief Resilience Officer, 
     undertaking special studies for the Working Group as may be 
     appropriate to carry out the functions of the Working Group.

       (c) Partners Council on Climate Adaptation and 
     Resilience.--
       (1) Establishment.--There is established a council, to be 
     known as the ``Partners Council on Climate Adaptation and 
     Resilience''.
       (2) Mission and function.--The Council shall work to 
     improve the climate adaptation and resilience operations of 
     the Federal Government by providing recommendations through 
     the Chief Resilience Officer, including those recommendations 
     contained in the report required under paragraph (3), that 
     identify how the Federal Government can better support non-
     Federal partners with equitable resources, technical 
     assistance, improved policies, and other assistance to help 
     frontline communities build resilience to climate change.
       (3) Report.--Not later than 16 months after the date of 
     enactment of this Act, and every 3 years thereafter, the 
     Council, acting through the Chief Resilience Officer, shall 
     submit to the President and the Working Groups a report that 
     includes--
       (A) an analysis of the deficiencies or gaps in the climate 
     resilience operations of the Federal Government that reduce 
     or fail to increase the capacity of non-Federal partners to 
     adapt to climate change;
       (B) an identification of the resources, including Federal 
     funding, necessary for non-Federal partners to adequately 
     adapt to climate change; and
       (C) recommendations with respect to how the Federal 
     Government could better support efforts by non-Federal 
     partners to expeditiously address vulnerabilities associated 
     with climate change and build climate resilience.
       (4) Chair and vice-chair.--The Chief Resilience Officer 
     shall serve as chairperson of the Council and shall appoint a 
     vice-chairperson from among the members of the Council 
     appointed pursuant to paragraph (5).
       (5) Membership.--
       (A) In general.--In addition to the Chief Resilience 
     Officer, the Council shall consist of not more than 23 
     members appointed by the Chief Resilience Officer.
       (B) Appointment.--
       (i) In general.--The Chief Resilience Officer shall appoint 
     members of the Council who can support the Working Groups by 
     articulating how the Federal Government can better support 
     State governments, local governments, territorial 
     governments, the governments of Indian Tribes, the 
     governments of Freely Associated States, nonprofit 
     organizations, or private sector entities to build resilience 
     to climate change.
       (ii) Non-federal partner members.--The Chief Resilience 
     Officer shall appoint 20 non-Federal partner members of the 
     Council as follows:

       (I) 12 members who are employees of State governments, 
     local governments, territorial governments, the governments 
     of Indian Tribes, or the governments of Freely Associated 
     States, of which--

       (aa) not fewer than 2 shall be employees of a State 
     government;
       (bb) not fewer than 2 shall be employees of a unit of local 
     government;
       (cc) not fewer than 2 shall be employees of the government 
     of an Indian Tribe; and
       (dd) not fewer than 2 shall be employees of a territorial 
     government or the government of a Freely Associated State; 
     and

       (II) 8 members who represent nongovernmental organizations 
     and the private sector, of which--

       (aa) 3 shall represent nongovernmental organizations;
       (bb) 3 shall represent the private sector; and
       (cc) 2 shall represent academic institutions.
       (iii) Represented agency members.--The Chief Resilience 
     Officer may, with the consent of those representatives, 
     appoint not more than 3 representatives of represented 
     agencies to the Council that the Chief Resilience Officer 
     determines would promote dialogue useful for implementation 
     of the duties of the Council while keeping the size of the 
     Council manageable.
       (iv) Selection.--To the maximum extent practicable, the 
     Chief Resilience Officer shall seek to select members of the 
     Council who--

       (I) possess first-hand, lived experience of climate 
     vulnerability in the United States, including direct 
     experience working with, or as members of, frontline 
     communities; and
       (II) represent a diversity of--

       (aa) perspectives;
       (bb) demographics;
       (cc) geographies;
       (dd) political affiliations; and
       (ee) institution sizes, including representatives of both 
     small and large units of government and businesses.
       (v) Term.--Members appointed to the Council shall serve a 
     single term of not more than 3 years, except that--

       (I) of the initial members appointed to the Council, the 
     Chief Resilience Officer shall appoint--

       (aa) \1/2\ of the members to serve for a term of 18 months; 
     and
       (bb) \1/2\ of the members to serve a term of 3 years; and

       (II) the Chief Resilience Officer may extend the term of 
     any member of the Council by a period of not more than 1 year 
     on a one-time basis, if the Chief Resilience Officer 
     determines it necessary to support the work of the Council.

       (vi) Vacancies.--

       (I) In general.--A vacancy in the Council shall be filled 
     in the same manner in which the original selection was made.
       (II) Appointment of new members.--After the expiration of 
     the term for which a member of the Council is appointed, the 
     member may continue to serve until a successor is appointed.

       (6) Meetings.--
       (A) In general.--The Council shall meet not less frequently 
     than once every 180 days.
       (B) Quorum.--\3/4\ of the members of the Council shall 
     constitute a quorum of the Council.
       (C) Remote participation.--A member of the Council may 
     participate in a meeting of the Council through 
     teleconference or similar means.
       (7) Applicability of faca.--Section 14 of the Federal 
     Advisory Committee Act (5 U.S.C. App.) shall not apply to the 
     Council.
       (d) National Climate Adaptation and Resilience Operations 
     Report.--Not later than 16 months after the date of enactment 
     of this Act, and every 3 years thereafter, the Chief 
     Resilience Officer and the Working Groups shall jointly and 
     simultaneously submit to the President and Congress a 
     National Climate Adaptation and Resilience Operations Report 
     that includes--
       (1) a summary of the existing climate resilience operations 
     of each represented agency that includes--
       (A) the roles and responsibilities of each represented 
     agency in building national resilience to the climate 
     vulnerabilities described in the National Climate Assessment 
     or other analyses relevant to each represented agency;
       (B) the major findings and conclusions from climate 
     adaptation plans or risk or vulnerability assessments 
     prepared by each represented agency;

[[Page S5479]]

       (C) the mechanisms by which each represented agency 
     supports the resilience efforts of non-Federal partners, such 
     as by providing funding, resources, and technical assistance; 
     and
       (D) an assessment of how each represented agency is working 
     to ensure equitable adaptation outcomes; and
       (2) a cross-agency analysis of the resilience operations 
     identified under paragraph (1) that--
       (A) identifies--
       (i) the challenges, barriers, or disincentives for the 
     Federal Government to build resilience to climate change in 
     the United States;
       (ii) the inconsistencies in goals, priorities, or 
     strategies underlying climate resilience operations and 
     policy across represented agencies that may inhibit effective 
     interagency coordination to support national climate 
     resilience, including--

       (I) the areas of necessary differences in those goals, 
     priorities, or strategies; and
       (II) the justifications for those inconsistencies;

       (iii) areas of overlap or redundant use of resources 
     between or among represented agencies, including 
     recommendations to eliminate any unnecessary or unintentional 
     redundancy;
       (iv) gaps or deficiencies in resilience operations and 
     policy that need to be addressed in the context of the 
     Strategy;
       (v) opportunities for greater collaboration between or 
     among represented agencies to improve Federal Government 
     resilience operations and policy; and
       (vi) opportunities for greater collaboration between the 
     Federal Government and non-Federal partners to build local-
     level adaptive capacity and resilience; and
       (B) includes a review and summary of all available Federal 
     funding from represented agencies that is specifically 
     allocated for climate adaptation activities to be undertaken 
     by non-Federal partners, including--
       (i) a summary of Federal funding available in 
     appropriations accounts and subaccounts;
       (ii) disparities between the supply and demand for 
     adaptation funding available to non-Federal partners; and
       (iii) existing mechanisms to ensure Federal funding 
     allocations are being directed to frontline communities with 
     the greatest level of vulnerability.
       (e) National Climate Adaptation and Resilience Strategy.--
       (1) Strategy.--
       (A) In general.--Not later than 2 years after the date of 
     enactment of this Act, the Chief Resilience Officer and the 
     Working Groups shall jointly submit and simultaneously to the 
     President and Congress a National Climate Adaptation and 
     Resilience Strategy.
       (B) Updates.--Not later than the date that is 3 years after 
     the date on which the Chief Resilience Officer and the 
     Working Groups jointly and simultaneously submit the Strategy 
     to the President and Congress under subparagraph (A), and 
     every 3 years thereafter, the Chief Resilience Officer and 
     the Working Groups shall jointly submit an updated version of 
     the Strategy to the President and Congress to account for--
       (i) new science related to climate change, resilience, and 
     adaptation;
       (ii) relevant changes in Federal Government structure, 
     congressional authorities, or appropriations; and
       (iii) any other necessary improvements or changes 
     identified by the Chief Resilience Officer.
       (C) Purpose and scope.--The Strategy shall describe 
     strategies for the Federal Government, in partnership with 
     non-Federal partners, to address the vulnerabilities of the 
     United States to climate change described in the National 
     Climate Assessment or other relevant analyses identified by 
     the Chief Resilience Officer to ensure that--
       (i) the United States has an overarching strategic vision 
     to respond to climate change that--

       (I) identifies national climate resilience goals and guides 
     national climate adaptation efforts;
       (II) facilitates the incorporation of the climate 
     resilience goals identified under subclause (I) into relevant 
     national programs, operations, and strategies;
       (III) develops proactive, long-term, scenario-based 
     strategies to plan for and respond to current and future 
     climate impacts to human communities, natural resources and 
     public land, and infrastructure and other physical assets;
       (IV) emphasizes forward-thinking adaptation strategies, 
     including predisaster mitigation, that seek to overcome 
     repeated climate impacts to vulnerable systems and 
     communities;
       (V) prioritizes climate resilience efforts to support the 
     most vulnerable human communities and the most urgent 
     national resilience challenges, as determined by the Chief 
     Resilience Officer in consultation with the Working Groups;
       (VI) avoids unnecessary redundancies and inefficiencies in 
     the national planning for and response to climate change; and
       (VII) recognizes the vulnerability of natural systems to 
     climate change and underscores the importance of promoting 
     ecosystem resilience to preserve the intrinsic value of 
     nature and support ecosystem services relied on by human 
     beings;

       (ii) Federal investments in Federal and non-Federal 
     infrastructure and assets promote climate resilience to the 
     maximum extent practicable; and
       (iii) the adaptive capacity and resilience of State 
     governments, local governments, territorial governments, the 
     governments of Indian Tribes, and governments of Freely 
     Associated States are maximized to the maximum extent 
     practicable.
       (D) Council recommendations.--In developing the Strategy, 
     the Chief Resilience Officer and Working Groups shall 
     consider the recommendations of the Council.
       (E) Inclusions.--In addition to the overarching strategies 
     developed in accordance with subparagraph (C), the Strategy 
     shall include information with respect to the following:
       (i) Direct federal government response to climate change.--

       (I) Addressing the limitations, redundancies, and 
     opportunities for improved resilience operations of the 
     Federal Government that are identified in the Operations 
     Report.
       (II) Better preparing the United States for the adverse 
     impacts experienced or anticipated to be experienced as a 
     result of--

       (aa) rapid-onset climate hazards;
       (bb) slow-onset climate hazards;
       (cc) compound climate hazards; and
       (dd) cascading climate hazards.

       (III) Educating, engaging, or developing the skills of the 
     workforce of the represented agencies with respect to topics 
     related to climate change vulnerability and resilience to 
     promote effective Federal resilience operations.
       (IV) An identification of opportunities and appropriate 
     circumstances for represented agencies to better utilize 
     natural infrastructure as an adaptation strategy.

       (ii) Support of non-federal partners' response to climate 
     change.--

       (I) Methods for represented agencies to better collaborate 
     and work directly with non-Federal partners to increase the 
     resilience and adaptive capacity of State governments, local 
     governments, territorial governments, the governments of 
     Indian Tribes, the governments of Freely Associated States, 
     and other non-Federal partners.
       (II) Educating non-Federal partners about the availability 
     of Federal funding opportunities identified in the Operations 
     Report under subsection (d)(2)(B), including the development 
     of a centralized, cross-agency portal that allows non-Federal 
     partners to easily identify and apply for appropriate Federal 
     funding opportunities for the specific resilience needs of 
     those non-Federal partners.
       (III) Clarifying, simplifying, and harmonizing the planning 
     requirements and application processes for State governments, 
     local governments, territorial governments, the governments 
     of Indian Tribes, and the governments of Freely Associated 
     States to access Federal funds for climate adaptation and 
     resilience efforts across represented agencies.
       (IV) Identifying under-resourced communities and 
     communities with low adaptive capacity and resilience and to 
     directly support those communities in applying for Federal 
     funds for climate adaptation and resilience efforts.
       (V) Supporting the retreat or relocation of human 
     communities in areas that are at increasing risk from climate 
     change, in particular from slow-onset climate hazards, 
     including strategies to better manage equitable property 
     buyouts, managed retreat, or relocation options for 
     communities in those areas.

       (iii) Climate information.--

       (I) Increasing the accessibility and utility of climate 
     information that is produced, published, or hosted by the 
     Federal Government, including strategies to better 
     collaborate across the represented agencies and work with 
     non-Federal partners--

       (aa) to provide the high-quality, locally relevant climate 
     information and, where practicable and useful, transparent 
     and replicable downscaled climate projections that are 
     necessary to support local-level adaptation efforts;
       (bb) to establish improved methods of communicating climate 
     risk and other relevant climate information;
       (cc) to better educate non-Federal partners about the 
     available resources for climate information; and
       (dd) to assist non-Federal partners in selecting and using 
     appropriate climate information or related tools.

       (II) Standardized procedures to synthesize, align, and 
     update climate information produced, published, or hosted by 
     the Federal Government to create arrays of standardized 
     national, regional, and, where applicable, local climate 
     information for adaptation planning.
       (III) An assessment of the necessity and utility of 
     developing or improving a centralized clearinghouse and 
     dedicated Federal program for climate information to better 
     provide climate information to end users.
       (IV) Developing the centralized clearinghouse or dedicated 
     Federal program described in subclause (III), if such an 
     effort is determined to be necessary by the Chief Resilience 
     Officer.

       (iv) Resilience metrics and indicators.--At the discretion 
     of the Chief Resilience Officer, developing or improving 
     resilience metrics and indicators to assist the Federal 
     Government and non-Federal partners--

       (I) to the maximum extent practicable, to consistently 
     measure the resilience of human communities, natural systems, 
     and physical assets to climate change;
       (II) to set baselines and targets to measurably increase 
     climate resilience over time; and

[[Page S5480]]

       (III) to better monitor and assess the effectiveness of 
     various resilience-building activities after implementation.

       (v) Funding climate adaptation.--

       (I) Helping to prioritize Federal funding expenditures for 
     adaptation and resilience in consideration of the greatest 
     vulnerabilities.
       (II) Creating financial incentives for adaptation and 
     resilience efforts.
       (III) A review of the cost-benefit analysis methodologies 
     and discount rates used by represented agencies for all 
     Federal investments, including a review of the implications 
     of those methodologies and discount rates for climate 
     adaptation and resilience.
       (IV) Recommendations to improve the methodologies described 
     in subclause (III) to reflect--

       (aa) the added value of resilience planning and 
     construction methodologies over the lifetime of a project or 
     unit of infrastructure;
       (bb) the benefits of natural infrastructure investments;
       (cc) the potential value of retreat and relocation as 
     adaptation solutions; and
       (dd) to what extent existing cost-benefit analysis 
     methodologies lead to inequitable outcomes or outcomes that 
     increase climate vulnerability.
       (vi) Social equity.--

       (I) Ensuring that the costs, benefits, and risks resulting 
     from climate resilience efforts, including funding 
     allocations, the methodologies for determining funding 
     allocations, and existing and future policies, are equitably 
     distributed among sectors of society, types of communities, 
     and geographies.
       (II) Ensuring that federally supported climate resilience 
     efforts are--

       (aa) designed in consultation with the communities that 
     will be affected by those efforts; and
       (bb) centered on the needs of those communities.

       (III) To the greatest extent practicable, integrating 
     social equity considerations across all aspects of the 
     Strategy.

       (2) Implementation plan.--Concurrently with the Strategy 
     and each update of the Strategy, the Chief Resilience Officer 
     and the Working Groups shall jointly and simultaneously 
     submit to the President and Congress an Implementation Plan 
     that describes how represented agencies intend to carry out 
     the Strategy, which shall include--
       (A) a description of the roles and responsibilities of each 
     represented agency in carrying out each element of the 
     Strategy described in paragraph (1);
       (B) a plan to enter into such interagency agreements 
     between and among represented agencies, partnerships with 
     non-Federal entities, and other agreements for coordination 
     between and among the Federal Government and non-Federal 
     partners as may be necessary to facilitate a unified national 
     plan to build resilience to climate change; and
       (C) the use of any relevant metrics and indicators 
     described in paragraph (1)(E)(iv).
       (3) Assessment.--Not later than 2 years following the 
     completion of each Strategy under paragraph (1)(A) and each 
     Implementation Plan, the Comptroller General of the United 
     States shall simultaneously submit to the President and 
     Congress a report that assesses--
       (A) the extent to which the Strategy and Implementation 
     Plan have been carried out by the Federal Government, which 
     shall be judged, as appropriate, based on any metrics and 
     indicators developed to track progress in increasing 
     resilience under paragraph (1)(E)(iv);
       (B) the effectiveness of the actions taken under the 
     Strategy and Implementation Plan and the resulting outcomes 
     of those actions in building national resilience to climate 
     change; and
       (C) the progress made towards the development of an 
     effective whole-of-government effort to build resilience to 
     the climate vulnerabilities described in the National Climate 
     Assessment or other relevant analyses identified by the Chief 
     Resilience Officer, including recommendations for additional 
     steps necessary to reach this goal.
       (4) Public comment.--The Chief Resilience Officer shall--
       (A) publish draft and final versions of the Strategy and 
     Implementation Plan, and each update to the Strategy and 
     Implementation Plan; and
       (B) through publication in the Federal Register, solicit 
     comments from the public on the draft versions of the 
     documents published under subparagraph (A) for a period of 60 
     days, which the Chief Resilience Officer and the Working 
     Groups shall consider before submitting final versions of the 
     Strategy and Implementation Plan, and updates to the Strategy 
     and Implementation Plan, to the President and Congress.
       (f) Sunset.--This section ceases to be effective on the 
     date that is the earlier of--
       (1) the date on which the Comptroller General of the United 
     States submits to the President and Congress the third 
     assessment report under subsection (e)(3); and
       (2) the date that is the last day of fiscal year 2033.
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