[House Report 116-85]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]


116th Congress   }                                       {      Report
                        HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
 1st Session     }                                       {      116-85

======================================================================



 
   TO REQUIRE A REPORT ON THE EFFECTS OF CLIMATE CHANGE ON THE COAST 
                     GUARD, AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES

                                _______
                                

  May 24, 2019.--Committed to the Committee of the Whole House on the 
              State of the Union and ordered to be printed

                                _______
                                

 Mr. DeFazio, from the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, 
                        submitted the following

                              R E P O R T

                        [To accompany H.R. 1322]

      [Including cost estimate of the Congressional Budget Office]

    The Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, to whom 
was referred the bill (H.R. 1322) to require a report on the 
effects of climate change on the Coast Guard, and for other 
purposes, having considered the same, report favorably thereon 
without amendment and recommend that the bill do pass.

                                CONTENTS

                                                                   Page
Purpose of Legislation...........................................     2
Background and Need for Legislation..............................     2
Hearings.........................................................     2
Legislative History and Consideration............................     2
Committee Votes..................................................     3
Committee Oversight Findings.....................................     4
New Budget Authority and Tax Expenditures........................     4
Congressional Budget Office Cost Estimate........................     4
Performance Goals and Objectives.................................     5
Duplication of Federal Programs..................................     5
Congressional Earmarks, Limited Tax Benefits, and Limited Tariff 
  Benefits.......................................................     5
Federal Mandates Statement.......................................     5
Preemption Clarification.........................................     5
Advisory Committee Statement.....................................     6
Applicability to Legislative Branch..............................     6
Section-by-Section Analysis of the Legislation...................     6
Changes in Existing Law Made by the Bill, as Reported............     6

                         PURPOSE OF LEGISLATION

    The purpose of H.R. 1322 is to direct the Coast guard to 
submit a report on vulnerabilities of Coast Guard installations 
and mission capabilities resulting from the impacts of climate 
change over the next 20 years.

                  BACKGROUND AND NEED FOR LEGISLATION

    The impacts of change on near coastal areas is a major 
concern for the Coast Guard, which has hundreds of properties 
and units located along the water's edge. Some of these 
facilities may be directly affected by the impacts of climate 
change, such as sea level rise, storm surge, high winds, and 
severe flooding. It is important for the Coast Guard and 
Congress to understand the Coast Guard's climate change 
vulnerabilities.

                                HEARINGS

    Pursuant to section 103(i) of H. Res. 6, 116th Cong. 
(2019), the Full Committee held the following hearing to 
develop or consider H.R. 1322:
    On February 26, 2018, the Committee held a hearing entitled 
``Examining How Federal Infrastructure Policy Could Help 
Mitigate and Adapt to Climate Change.'' Witnesses included: Dr. 
Daniel Sperling, Board Member, California Air Resources Board; 
Mr. Ben Prochazka, Vice President, Electrification Coalition; 
Ms. Vicki Arroyo, Executive Director, Georgetown Climate 
Center; Mr. James M. Proctor, II, Senior Vice President and 
General Counsel, McWane, Inc., testifying on behalf of the 
Build Strong Coalition; Mr. Kevin DeGood, Director, 
Infrastructure Policy, Center for American Progress; Ms. Lynn 
Scarlett, Vice President, Policy and Government Affairs, The 
Nature Conservancy; and Dr. Whitley J. Saumweber, Director, 
Stephenson Ocean Security (SOS) Project, Center for Strategic 
and International Studies. Topics discussed included impacts of 
climate change on Coast Guard facilities and operations in the 
Arctic.

                 LEGISLATIVE HISTORY AND CONSIDERATION

    H.R. 1322 was introduced in the House on February 22, 2019, 
by Mr. Sean Patrick Maloney of New York and Mr. Anthony Brown 
of Maryland, and referred to the Committee on Transportation 
and Infrastructure. Within the Committee, H.R. 1322 was 
referred to the Subcommittee on Coast Guard and Maritime 
Transportation.
    The Subcommittee on Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation 
was discharged from further consideration of H.R. 1322 on March 
27, 2019.
    The Full Committee met in open session to consider H.R. 
1322 on March 27, 2019, and ordered the measure to be reported 
favorably to the House without amendment by voice vote, with a 
quorum present.
    The Committee took the following actions:
          An amendment offered by Mr. Perry, (#1); At the end 
        of section 1, add a new subsection entitled ``(d) Use 
        of Products From the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate 
        Change.''; was NOT AGREED TO by a record vote of 22 
        yeas and 33 nays (Roll Call Vote No. 1).

                            COMMITTEE VOTES

    Clause 3(b) of rule XIII of the Rules of the House of 
Representatives requires each committee report to include the 
total number of votes cast for and against on each record vote 
on a motion to report and on any amendment offered to the 
measure or matter, and the names of those members voting for 
and against.
    An amendment offered by Mr. Perry, (#1); At the end of 
section 1, add a new subsection entitled ``(d) Use of Products 
From the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.''; was NOT 
AGREED TO by a record vote of 22 yeas and 33 nays (Roll Call 
Vote No. 1). The vote was as follows:

                     ONE HUNDRED SIXTEENTH CONGRESS

                          ROLL CALL VOTE NO. 1

    On agreeing to amendment #1 offered by Mr. Perry to H.R. 
1322.
    Not Agreed to: 22 yeas and 33 nays.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
               Representative                   Yea      Nay            Representative            Yea      Nay
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Mr. DeFazio, Chair..........................  .......       X   Mr. Graves of MO, Ranking            X   .......
                                                                 Member.
Ms. Norton..................................  .......       X   Mr. Young.....................       X   .......
Ms. Johnson of TX...........................  .......       X   Mr. Crawford..................       X   .......
Mr. Cummings................................  .......  .......  Mr. Gibbs.....................       X   .......
Mr. Larsen of WA............................  .......       X   Mr. Webster of FL.............       X   .......
Mrs. Napolitano.............................  .......       X   Mr. Massie....................       X   .......
Mr. Lipinski................................  .......       X   Mr. Meadows...................       X   .......
Mr. Cohen...................................  .......       X   Mr. Perry.....................       X   .......
Mr. Sires...................................  .......       X   Mr. Davis of IL...............  .......  .......
Mr. Garamendi...............................  .......  .......  Mr. Woodall...................  .......  .......
Mr. Johnson of GA...........................  .......  .......  Mr. Katko.....................  .......       X
Mr. Carson of IN............................  .......       X   Mr. Babin.....................       X   .......
Ms. Titus...................................  .......       X   Mr. Graves of LA..............  .......       X
Mr. Sean Patrick Maloney of NY..............  .......       X   Mr. Rouzer....................       X   .......
Mr. Huffman.................................  .......  .......  Mr. Bost......................       X   .......
Ms. Brownley of CA..........................  .......       X   Mr. Weber of TX...............       X   .......
Ms. Wilson of FL............................  .......       X   Mr. LaMalfa...................       X   .......
Mr. Payne...................................  .......  .......  Mr. Westerman.................       X   .......
Mr. Lowenthal...............................  .......       X   Mr. Smucker...................       X   .......
Mr. DeSaulnier..............................  .......       X   Mr. Mitchell..................       X   .......
Ms. Plaskett................................  .......  .......  Mr. Mast......................  .......       X
Mr. Lynch...................................  .......  .......  Mr. Gallagher.................  .......       X
Mr. Carbajal................................  .......       X   Mr. Palmer....................       X   .......
Mr. Brown of MD.............................  .......       X   Mr. Fitzpatrick...............  .......  .......
Mr. Espaillat...............................  .......       X   Miss Gonzalez-Colon of PR.....  .......  .......
Mr. Malinowski..............................  .......       X   Mr. Balderson.................       X   .......
Mr. Stanton.................................  .......       X   Mr. Spano.....................       X   .......
Ms. Mucarsel-Powell.........................  .......       X   Mr. Stauber...................       X   .......
Mrs. Fletcher...............................  .......  .......  Mrs. Miller...................       X   .......
Mr. Allred..................................  .......       X   Mr. Pence.....................       X   .......
Ms. Davids of KS............................  .......       X
Ms. Finkenauer..............................  .......       X
Mr. Garcia of IL............................  .......       X
Mr. Delgado.................................  .......       X
Mr. Pappas..................................  .......       X
Mrs. Craig..................................  .......       X
Mr. Rouda...................................  .......       X
 
                                                                Vote Total:...................      22       33
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

                      COMMITTEE OVERSIGHT FINDINGS

    With respect to the requirements of clause 3(c)(1) of rule 
XIII of the Rules of the House of Representatives, the 
Committee's oversight findings and recommendations are 
reflected in this report.

               NEW BUDGET AUTHORITY AND TAX EXPENDITURES

    Clause 3(c)(2) of rule XIII of the Rules of the House of 
Representatives does not apply where a cost estimate and 
comparison prepared by the Director of the Congressional Budget 
Office under section 402 of the Congressional Budget Act of 
1974 has been timely submitted prior to the filing of the 
report and is included in the report. Such a cost estimate is 
included in this report.

               CONGRESSIONAL BUDGET OFFICE COST ESTIMATE

    With respect to the requirement 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 has 
received the enclosed cost estimate for H.R. 1322 from the 
Director of the Congressional Budget Office:

                                     U.S. Congress,
                               Congressional Budget Office,
                                    Washington, DC, April 25, 2019.
Hon. Peter A. DeFazio,
Chairman, Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure,
House of Representatives, Washington, DC.
    Dear Mr. Chairman: The Congressional Budget Office has 
prepared the enclosed cost estimate for H.R. 1322, a bill to 
require a report on the effects of climate change on the Coast 
Guard, and for other purposes.
    If you wish further details on this estimate, we will be 
pleased to provide them. The CBO staff contact is Megan 
Carroll.
            Sincerely,
                                                Keith Hall,
                                                          Director.
    Enclosure.

    [GRAPHIC(S) NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT]
    

    H.R. 1322 would require the Coast Guard (USCG) to report to 
the Congress, within one year, on the agency's potential 
vulnerability to climate-related hazards. For example, the bill 
would require the USCG to identify the 10 installations that 
are most vulnerable to risks of rising sea tides, increased 
flooding, droughts, desertification, wildfires, thawing 
permafrost, or any other risks identified by the Commandant. 
The bill would require the USCG to report on potential means of 
mitigating such risks to those installations and, more broadly, 
to discuss how climate-related changes affect the agency's 
operations, particularly with regard to humanitarian 
assistance.
    Using information from the USCG, CBO expects that 
implementing H.R. 1322 would not significantly affect the 
federal budget. Based on the historical cost of similar 
efforts, CBO estimates that any change in federal spending to 
complete the required report--which would be subject to 
appropriation--would not exceed $500,000.
    The CBO staff contact for this estimate is Megan Carroll. 
The estimate was reviewed by H. Samuel Papenfuss, Deputy 
Assistant Director for Budget Analysis.

                    PERFORMANCE GOALS AND OBJECTIVES

    With respect to the requirement of clause 3(c)(4) of rule 
XIII of the Rules of the House of Representatives, the 
performance goal and objective of this legislation is to 
determine the Coast Guard installations most vulnerable to the 
impacts of climate change over the next 20 years.

                    DUPLICATION OF FEDERAL PROGRAMS

    Pursuant to clause 3(c)(5) of rule XIII of the Rules of the 
House of Representatives, the Committee finds that no provision 
of H.R. 1322 establishes or reauthorizes a program of the 
federal government known to be duplicative of another federal 
program, a program that was included in any report from the 
Government Accountability Office to Congress pursuant to 
section 21 of Public Law 111-139, or a program related to a 
program identified in the most recent Catalog of Federal 
Domestic Assistance.

   CONGRESSIONAL EARMARKS, LIMITED TAX BENEFITS, AND LIMITED TARIFF 
                                BENEFITS

    In compliance with clause 9 of 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(e), 9(f), or 9(g) of the rule 
XXI.

                       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 (Public Law 104-4).

                        PREEMPTION CLARIFICATION

    Section 423 of the Congressional Budget Act of 1974 
requires the report of any Committee on a bill or joint 
resolution to include a statement on the extent to which the 
bill or joint resolution is intended to preempt state, local, 
or tribal law. The Committee finds that H.R. 1322 does not 
preempt any state, local, or tribal law.

                      ADVISORY COMMITTEE STATEMENT

    No advisory committees within the meaning of section 5(b) 
of the Federal Advisory Committee Act were created by this 
legislation.

                  APPLICABILITY TO LEGISLATIVE BRANCH

    The Committee finds that the legislation does not relate to 
the terms and conditions of employment or access to public 
services or accommodations within the meaning of section 
102(b)(3) of the Congressional Accountability Act (Public Law 
104-1).

             SECTION-BY-SECTION ANALYSIS OF THE LEGISLATION

Sec. 1. Report on effects of climate change on Coast Guard

    This section requires the Commandant of the Coast Guard to 
submit a report to Congress on the vulnerabilities of Coast 
Guard installations and requirements resulting from climate 
change over the next 20 years. Section 335 of the National 
Defense Authorization Act of 2018 (Pub. L. 115-91) includes a 
similar requirement for the four other Armed Forces.

         CHANGES IN EXISTING LAW MADE BY THE BILL, AS REPORTED

    As reported by the Committee, H.R. 1322 makes no changes in 
existing law.

                                  [all]