[House Report 116-375]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
116th Congress } { Report
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
2d Session } { 116-375
======================================================================
DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY CLIMATE CHANGE RESEARCH ACT
_______
January 10, 2020.--Committed to the Committee of the Whole House on the
State of the Union and ordered to be printed
_______
Mr. Thompson of Mississippi, from the Committee on Homeland Security,
submitted the following
R E P O R T
[To accompany H.R. 4737]
[Including cost estimate of the Congressional Budget Office]
The Committee on Homeland Security, to whom was referred
the bill (H.R. 4737) to amend the Homeland Security Act of 2002
to require the Under Secretary for Science and Technology of
the Department of Homeland Security to research and evaluate
existing Federal research regarding approaches to mitigate
climate change on homeland security to identify areas for
further research within the Department, research and develop
approaches to mitigate the consequences of climate change on
homeland security, and for other purposes, having considered
the same, report favorably thereon with an amendment and
recommend that the bill as amended do pass.
CONTENTS
Page
Purpose and Summary.............................................. 3
Background and Need for Legislation.............................. 3
Hearings......................................................... 4
Committee Consideration.......................................... 5
Committee Votes.................................................. 5
Committee Oversight Findings..................................... 5
C.B.O. Estimate, New Budget Authority, Entitlement Authority, and
Tax Expenditures............................................... 5
Federal Mandates Statement....................................... 7
Statement of General Performance Goals and Objectives............ 7
Duplicative Federal Programs..................................... 7
Congressional Earmarks, Limited Tax Benefits, and Limited Tariff
Benefits.......................................................
Advisory Committee Statement.....................................
Applicability to Legislative Branch..............................
Section-by-Section Analysis of the Legislation................... 7
Changes in Existing Law Made by the Bill, as Reported............ 8
The amendment is as follows:
Strike all after the enacting clause and insert the
following:
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``Department of Homeland Security
Climate Change Research Act''.
SEC. 2. CLIMATE CHANGE PLANNING, RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT, AND
PROTECTION AND PREPAREDNESS.
(a) In General.--Title III of the Homeland Security Act of 2002 is
amended by adding at the end the following new section:
``SEC. 321. CLIMATE CHANGE RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT.
``(a) In General.--The Under Secretary for Science and Technology--
``(1) shall evaluate existing Federal research regarding
approaches to mitigate the consequence of climate change on
homeland security to identify areas for additional research and
development pursuant to paragraph (2) with respect to--
``(A) any connection between climate change and
homeland security, including how the resulting
competition for resources, economic distress, and
social discontent has contributed to, among other
outcomes, acts of terrorism;
``(B) the degree to which climate change is reflected
in terrorism preparedness and emergency planning and
policies, including with respect to preparedness,
response to, and recovery from natural disasters; and
``(C) the degree to which the Federal funding
structure to respond to major disaster declarations and
emergency declarations is adequately structured to meet
the demands of responding to and recovering from acts
of terrorism and natural disasters that are aggravated
by climate change; and
``(2) shall, to the extent practicable, conduct research and
development on approaches to mitigate the consequences of
climate change on homeland security in response to finding
pursuant to paragraph (1).
``(b) Scope.--The scope of the research and development under
subsection (a)(2) shall include the following:
``(1) Any connection between climate change and homeland
security, including how the resulting competition for
resources, economic distress, and social discontent can
contribute to, among other outcomes, acts of terrorism.
``(2) The degree to which climate change is reflected in
terrorism preparedness and emergency planning and policies,
including with respect to preparedness, response to, and
recovery from natural disasters.
``(3) The degree to which the Federal funding structure to
respond to major disaster declarations and emergency
declarations is adequately structured to meet the demands of
responding to and recovering from acts of terrorism and natural
disasters that are aggravated by climate change.
``(c) Consultation.--In carrying out this section, the Under
Secretary for Science and Technology shall consult with the heads of
other relevant agencies and departments of the Federal Government,
first responders, and relevant owners and operators of critical
infrastructure.
``(d) Climate Change Defined.--The term `climate change' refers to
detectable changes in one or more climate system components that is
directly or indirectly attributed to--
``(1) human activity; and
``(2) altering the composition of the global atmosphere.''.
(b) Clerical Amendment.--The table of contents in section 1(b) of the
Homeland Security Act of 2002 is amended by inserting after the item
relating to section 320 the following new item:
``Sec. 321. Climate change research and development.''.
SEC. 3. REPORT TO CONGRESS.
Not later than one year after the date of the enactment of this
Act and annually thereafter for three years, the Under Secretary for
Science and Technology of the Department of Homeland Security shall
submit to the Committee on Homeland Security of the House of
Representatives and the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental
Affairs of the Senate a report on any research and development
activities carried out pursuant to section 321 of the Homeland Security
Act of 2002, as added by this Act.
Purpose and Summary
H.R. 4737, the ``Department of Homeland Security Climate
Change Research Act,'' would direct the Department of Homeland
Security (the Department or DHS)'s Science and Technology
Directorate to assess current Federal research regarding the
connection between climate change and homeland security to
identify research gaps and, to the extent practical, conduct
additional research to fill identified gaps. In addition to
focusing on how climate change can result in competition for
resources, economic distress, and social discontent, the
research shall consider the degree to which climate change is
reflected in terrorism preparedness, and how Federal spending
is affected for disasters that are aggravated by climate
change. Under this measure, DHS would also be required, to the
extent practical, to develop approaches to mitigate the
consequences of climate change on homeland security. For three
years after enactment of H.R. 4737, DHS would be required to
submit annual reports to Congress on the Department's
activities in furtherance of the implementation of this
measure.
Background and Need for Legislation
Since the 19th Century, the Earth has warmed roughly 1.8
degrees Fahrenheit and is predicted to warm to 2.7 degrees by
2030.\1\ In 2018, the U.S. Global Change Research Program, a
Federal program responsible for coordinating Federal climate
research, found that it is extremely likely that ``. . . human
activities, especially emissions of greenhouse gases, are the
dominant cause of the observed warming since the mid-20th
century. For the warming over the last century, there is no
convincing alternative explanation supported by the extent of
the observational evidence.''\2\
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\1\``This is why fighting climate change is so urgent.'' The
Environmental Defense Fund. Accessed September 9, 2019. https://
www.edf.org/climate/why-fighting-climate-change-so-urgent.
\2\ USGCRP, 2017: Climate Science Special Report: Fourth National
Climate Assessment, Volume I [Wuebbles, D.J., D.W. Fahey, K.A. Hibbard,
D.J. Dokken, B.C. Stewart, and T.K. Maycock (eds.)]. U.S. Global Change
Research Program, Washington, DC, USA. https://
science2017.globalchange.gov/.
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Climate change has national security implications. In 2015,
the Department of Defense released a report entitled the
``National Security Implications of Climate-Related Risks and a
Changing Climate.''\3\ In it, the Defense Department states:
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\3\``National Security Implications of Climate-Related Risks and
Changing Climate.'' The Department of Defense. July 23, 2015. Accessed
August 26, 2019. https://archive.defense.gov/pubs/150724-congressional-
report-on-national-implications-of-climate-change.pdf.
A changing climate increases the risk of instability
and conflict overseas . . . The Department of Defense
sees climate change as a present security threat, not
strictly a long-term risk. We are already observing the
impacts of climate change in shocks and stressors to
vulnerable nations and communities, including in the
United States, and in the Arctic, Middle East, Africa,
and South America. Case studies indicate that in
addition to exacerbating existing risks from other
factors (e.g. social, economic, and political fault
lines), climate induced stress can generate new
vulnerabilities (e.g.) water scarcity and thus
contribute to instability and conflict even in a
situation not previously considered at risk.\4\
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\4\Ibid.
Further, the FY 2018 National Defense Authorization Act, as
signed by President Trump, stated that ``[a]s global
temperatures rise, droughts and famines can lead to more failed
states, which are breeding grounds of extremist and terrorist
organizations.''\5\ A University of California-Berkley study
concluded that ``[d]roughts and famines, floods, wildfires, and
other events caused at least in part by climate change lead to
instability that extremist groups can take advantage of to
create conflict.''\6\ Parts of the world are already starting
to see this dynamic play out.
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\5\National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2018. Public
Law 115-91. 1283 Stat. 131. December 12, 2017.
\6\Benson, Thor. ``The Cities at Risk of Climate-Driven Conflict.''
CityLab. March 21, 2018. Accessed August 26, 2019. https://
www.citylab.com/environment/2018/03/the-cities-at-risk-of-climate-
driven-conflict/555410/.
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In Iraq, ISIS targeted for recruitment farmers whose crops
were lost to drought and other weather events.\7\ In 2018, U.S.
officials ``expressed concern about ISIS and al Qaeda
affiliates in the Sahel region [of Africa]'' engaged in
recruitment, which some experts believe stem from increased
water instability in the region caused by climate change.\8\ A
year earlier, National Geographic published a report on how
terrorist recruiters operated successfully in the region. It
explained how, in 2009, a terrorist recruiter targeted ``the
most shabbily dressed farmers'' with promises of ``easy
riches'' and help feeding their families in return for joining
the terrorist organization and then, in subsequent years,
``[w]ith every flood or bout of extreme heat or cold, the
jihadists would reappear'' and the farmers, ``in no state to
navigate the extra challenges of climate change,'' were
recruited.\9\ That is how ``the most environmentally damaged
Sunni Arab villages quickly emerged as some of the deep-
pocketed jihadists' foremost recruiting grounds.''\10\
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\7\Gerretsen, Isabelle. ``How climate change is fueling
extremism.'' CNN. March 10, 2019. Accessed September 9, 2019. https://
www.cnn.com/2019/03/06/world/climate-change-terrorism-extremism-africa-
middle-east-intl/index.html.
\8\Ibid.
\9\Schwartzstein, Peter. ``Climate Change and Water Woes Drove Isis
Recruiting in Iraq.'' National Geographic. November 14, 2017. Accessed
September 9, 2019. https://www.nationalgeographic.com/news/2017/11/
climate-change-drought-drove-isis-terrorist-recruiting-iraq/.
\10\Ibid.
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While the Department of Defense has analyzed this through
the lens of defense, there is a need for climate change to be
analyzed through the homeland security lens, as it has
implications for terrorism preparedness and emergency planning.
Hearings
For the purposes of section 103(i) of H. Res 6. of the
116th Congress, the following hearing was used to develop H.R.
4737:
On April 9, 2019, the Committee held a
hearing entitled ``Assessing the Homeland Security
Impacts of a Changing Climate.'' The Committee received
testimony from Dr. Astrid Caldas, Senior Climate
Scientist, Union of Concerned Scientists; Mr. Timothy
Manning, Senior Advisor to the Pacific Disaster Center
and the President and CEO of Berglind-Manning l.c.; Ms.
Kristie Trousdale, Deputy Director, Children's
Environmental Health Network; and Chief Dan Eggleston,
President and Chairman of the Board, International
Association of Fire Chiefs.
Committee Consideration
The Committee met on October 23, 2019, with a quorum being
present, to consider H.R. 4737 and ordered the measure to be
reported to the House with a favorable recommendation, with an
amendment, by unanimous consent.
The following amendment was offered and agreed to by
unanimous consent:
An amendment offered by Mr. Rogers.
Page 2, line 13, strike ``shall''.
Page 2, line 14, strike ``research and'' and insert
``shall''.
Page 3, line 11, insert ``, to the extent practicable,''
after ``shall''.
Page 4, strike the proposed subsection (e).
Add at the end the following:
SEC. 3. REPORT TO CONGRESS.
Not later than one year after the date of the enactment
of this Act and annually thereafter for three years, the Under
Secretary for Science and Technology of the Department of
Homeland Security shall submit to the Committee on Homeland
Security of the House of Representatives and the Committee on
Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs of the Senate a
report on any research and development activities carried out
pursuant to section 321 of the Homeland Security Act of 2002,
as added by this Act.
Committee Votes
Clause 3(b) of rule XIII of the Rules of the House of
Representatives requires the Committee to list the recorded
votes on the motion to report legislation and amendments
thereto.
No recorded votes were requested during consideration of
H.R. 4737.
Committee Oversight Findings
In compliance with clause 3(c)(1) of rule XIII of the Rules
of the House of Representatives, the Committee advises that the
findings and recommendations of the Committee, based on
oversight activities under clause 2(b)(1) of rule X of the
Rules of the House of Representatives, are incorporated in the
descriptive portions of this report.
Congressional Budget Office Estimate New Budget Authority, Entitlement
Authority, and Tax Expenditures
With respect to the requirements of clause 3(c)(2) of rule
XIII of the Rules of the House of Representatives and section
308(a) of the Congressional Budget Act of 1974 and with respect
to requirements of clause (3)(c)(3) of rule XIII of the Rules
of the House of Representatives and section 402 of the
Congressional Budget Act of 1974, the Committee adopts as its
own the estimate of the estimate of new budget authority,
entitlement authority, or tax expenditures or revenues
contained in the cost estimate prepared by the Director of the
Congressional Budget Office.
U.S. Congress,
Congressional Budget Office,
Washington, DC, December 11, 2019.
Hon. Bennie G. Thompson,
Chairman, Committee on Homeland Security,
House of Representatives, Washington, DC.
Dear Mr. Chairman: The Congressional Budget Office has
prepared the enclosed cost estimate for Department of Homeland
Security Legislation.
If you wish further details on this estimate, we will be
pleased to provide them. The CBO staff contact is Kim Cawley.
Sincerely,
Phillip L. Swagel,
Director.
Enclosure.
On October 23, 2019, the House Committee on Homeland
Security ordered reported the following bills:
H.R. 2932, the Homeland Security for Children
Act, which would direct the Department of Homeland
Security (DHS) to consider the needs of children during
its strategic planning activities (such as preparation
for natural disasters);
H.R. 3787, the DHS Countering Unmanned
Aircraft Systems Coordinator Act, which would direct
DHS to designate one of its officials to coordinate the
department's efforts to combat threats from unmanned
aircraft systems (or drones);
H.R. 4737, the Department of Homeland
Security Climate Change Research Act, which would
direct DHS to assess and potentially expand upon
existing federal research projects that examine ways to
mitigate the effects of climate change on homeland
security programs; and
DHS is currently carrying out activities similar to those
required by the bills listed above, and any new activities
required under the legislation would not require substantial
action by the department. Thus, CBO estimates that implementing
each bill would not have a significant cost; any spending would
be subject to the availability of appropriated funds.
The CBO staff contact for this estimate is Kim Cawley. The
estimate was reviewed by H. Samuel Papenfuss, Deputy Assistant
Director for Budget Analysis.
Federal Mandates Statement
The Committee adopts as its own the estimate of Federal
mandates prepared by the Director of the Congressional Budget
Office pursuant to section 423 of the Unfunded Mandates Reform
Act.
Duplicative Federal Programs
Pursuant to clause 3(c) of rule XIII, the Committee finds
that H.R. 4737 does not contain any provision that establishes
or reauthorizes a program known to be duplicative of another
Federal program.
Performance Goals and Objectives
Pursuant to clause 3(c)(4) of rule XIII of the Rules of the
House of Representatives, the objective of H.R. 4737 is to
require the Department of Homeland Security to assess the
current Federal research regarding the connection between
climate change and homeland security to identify research gaps
and, to the extent practical, conduct additional research to
fill those gaps. The goal of H.R. 4737 is to ensure the Federal
Government has a full picture of how climate change may be
affecting homeland security and researches approaches to
mitigate any such effects.
Advisory on Earmarks
In compliance with rule XXI of the Rules of the House of
Representatives, this bill, as reported, contains no
congressional earmarks, limited tax benefits, or limited tariff
benefits as defined in clause 9(d), 9(e), or 9(f) of the rule
XXI.
Section-by-Section Analysis of the Legislation
Section 1. Short title
This section provides that this bill may be cited as the
``Department of Homeland Security Climate Change Research
Act.''
Sec. 2. Climate change planning, research and development, and
protection and preparedness.
This section directs DHS's Science and Technology
Directorate to evaluate the current Federal research regarding
the connection between climate change and homeland security to
identify research gaps and, to the extent practical, conduct
additional research to fill those gaps. The research is to
focus on how climate change can result in competition for
resources, economic distress, and social discontent, the degree
to which climate change is reflected in terrorism preparedness,
and how Federal spending is affected for disasters that are
aggravated by climate change. DHS is also required, to the
extent practical, to develop approaches to mitigate the
consequences of climate change on homeland security.
Sec. 3. Report to Congress
This section requires DHS, for three years after enactment,
to submit an annual report on research and development related
to this Act.
Changes in Existing Law Made by the Bill, as Reported
In compliance with clause 3(e) of rule XIII of the Rules of
the House of Representatives, changes in existing law made by
the bill, as reported, are shown as follows (new matter is
printed in italic and existing law in which no change is
proposed is shown in roman):
HOMELAND SECURITY ACT OF 2002
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE; TABLE OF CONTENTS.
(a) Short Title.--This Act may be cited as the ``Homeland
Security Act of 2002''.
(b) Table of Contents.--The table of contents for this Act is
as follows:
Sec. 1. Short title; table of contents.
* * * * * * *
TITLE III--SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY IN SUPPORT OF HOMELAND SECURITY
* * * * * * *
Sec. 321. Climate change research and development.
* * * * * * *
TITLE III--SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY IN SUPPORT OF HOMELAND SECURITY
* * * * * * *
SEC. 321. CLIMATE CHANGE RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT.
(a) In General.--The Under Secretary for Science and
Technology--
(1) shall evaluate existing Federal research
regarding approaches to mitigate the consequence of
climate change on homeland security to identify areas
for additional research and development pursuant to
paragraph (2) with respect to--
(A) any connection between climate change and
homeland security, including how the resulting
competition for resources, economic distress,
and social discontent has contributed to, among
other outcomes, acts of terrorism;
(B) the degree to which climate change is
reflected in terrorism preparedness and
emergency planning and policies, including with
respect to preparedness, response to, and
recovery from natural disasters; and
(C) the degree to which the Federal funding
structure to respond to major disaster
declarations and emergency declarations is
adequately structured to meet the demands of
responding to and recovering from acts of
terrorism and natural disasters that are
aggravated by climate change; and
(2) shall, to the extent practicable, conduct
research and development on approaches to mitigate the
consequences of climate change on homeland security in
response to finding pursuant to paragraph (1).
(b) Scope.--The scope of the research and development under
subsection (a)(2) shall include the following:
(1) Any connection between climate change and
homeland security, including how the resulting
competition for resources, economic distress, and
social discontent can contribute to, among other
outcomes, acts of terrorism.
(2) The degree to which climate change is reflected
in terrorism preparedness and emergency planning and
policies, including with respect to preparedness,
response to, and recovery from natural disasters.
(3) The degree to which the Federal funding structure
to respond to major disaster declarations and emergency
declarations is adequately structured to meet the
demands of responding to and recovering from acts of
terrorism and natural disasters that are aggravated by
climate change.
(c) Consultation.--In carrying out this section, the Under
Secretary for Science and Technology shall consult with the
heads of other relevant agencies and departments of the Federal
Government, first responders, and relevant owners and operators
of critical infrastructure.
(d) Climate Change Defined.--The term ``climate change''
refers to detectable changes in one or more climate system
components that is directly or indirectly attributed to--
(1) human activity; and
(2) altering the composition of the global
atmosphere.
* * * * * * *