[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 3269 Introduced in Senate (IS)]
<DOC>
116th CONGRESS
2d Session
S. 3269
To set and meet a national goal of net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by
not later than 2050, and for other purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
February 11, 2020
Mr. Carper (for himself, Ms. Baldwin, Mr. Bennet, Mr. Blumenthal, Mr.
Booker, Ms. Cantwell, Mr. Cardin, Mr. Casey, Mr. Coons, Ms. Cortez
Masto, Ms. Duckworth, Mr. Durbin, Mrs. Feinstein, Ms. Hassan, Mr.
Heinrich, Ms. Hirono, Mr. Kaine, Mr. King, Ms. Klobuchar, Mr. Leahy,
Mr. Menendez, Mr. Murphy, Mrs. Murray, Mr. Peters, Ms. Rosen, Mr.
Schatz, Mr. Schumer, Mrs. Shaheen, Ms. Smith, Ms. Stabenow, Mr. Udall,
Mr. Van Hollen, Mr. Warner, and Mr. Wyden) introduced the following
bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Environment
and Public Works
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To set and meet a national goal of net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by
not later than 2050, and for other purposes.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``Clean Economy Act of 2020''.
SEC. 2. NET-ZERO GREENHOUSE GAS EMISSIONS BY NOT LATER THAN 2050.
(a) Definitions.--In this section:
(1) Administrator.--The term ``Administrator'' means the
Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency.
(2) Anthropogenic.--The term ``anthropogenic'', with
respect to greenhouse gas, means emissions and removals that
are--
(A) the direct result of human activities; or
(B) the result of natural processes that have been
affected by human activities.
(3) Net-zero emissions.--The term ``net-zero emissions''
means that, on an annual basis with respect to the United
States, the quantity of anthropogenic greenhouse gases emitted
by sources does not exceed the quantity of anthropogenic sinks
of greenhouse gases, as calculated by the Administrator using
methodologies that are consistent with the recommendations in
the document of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change
entitled ``2019 Refinement to the 2006 Guidelines for National
Greenhouse Gas Inventories'' (or any successor guidelines or
refinements).
(b) Plan for Reduction of Emissions.--The Administrator, acting
pursuant to existing authorities under the Clean Air Act (42 U.S.C.
7401 et seq.) and other existing authorities of the Administrator,
shall adopt and implement a plan--
(1) to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from the United
States that puts the United States on a pathway to achieve net-
zero emissions by not later than 2050; and
(2) to achieve the interim targets established pursuant to
subsection (c)(1)(C).
(c) Requirements.--
(1) In general.--The plan under subsection (b) shall--
(A) achieve rapid greenhouse gas emission
reductions, based on the best available science, to
protect public health and welfare from the effects of
climate change;
(B) be designed--
(i) to build on and reinforce progress by
States, units of local government, and the
private sector to reduce greenhouse gas
emissions;
(ii) to maximize greenhouse gas emission
reductions while minimizing economic costs;
(iii) to reduce and minimize pollution and
cumulative environmental effects in
economically distressed communities,
communities of color, and indigenous
communities, which are often disproportionately
burdened by air, water, and land pollution and
climate risks;
(iv) to maximize the nationwide deployment
of existing and emerging technologies to reduce
greenhouse gas emissions, including--
(I) low- and zero-greenhouse gas
electricity, transportation, and
building technologies;
(II) methane capture and
destruction technologies; and
(III) carbon capture, utilization,
and sequestration technologies and
practices, including direct air
capture;
(v) to prevent domestic carbon leakage;
(vi) to maximize flexibility in reducing
greenhouse gas emissions for entities subject
to regulation under this section;
(vii) to minimize costs of greenhouse gas
emission reductions to consumers, particularly
consumers from low-income households;
(viii) to prioritize infrastructure
investments that--
(I) reduce emissions of greenhouse
gases and other pollutants;
(II) make communities more
resilient to the effects of climate
change; and
(III) use domestic labor and
domestic content, promote job creation
and job growth, and benefit workers and
communities by utilizing project labor
agreements and community benefit
agreements;
(ix) to support early investments and job
creation in energy efficiency and net-zero
emissions technologies--
(I) in low-income communities and
communities of color; and
(II) that reduce greenhouse gas
emissions from--
(aa) the transportation
sector;
(bb) commercial buildings
and homes, including
multifamily homes; and
(cc) the industrial sector;
(x) to help address closed, abandoned, or
underutilized industrial sites and other
sources of legacy pollution, particularly in
low-income communities and communities of
color, and assist with remediation and
reclamation of those sites;
(xi) to help ensure that communities are
more resilient to the effects of climate
change, particularly with respect to the
ability of communities to provide safe drinking
water and other essential public services in
the event of extreme weather events and other
consequences of climate change;
(xii) to minimize impacts on, and provide
assistance to, communities and workers that are
affected by changes in national energy and
industrial practices that may result from
achieving net-zero emissions by not later than
2050; and
(xiii) to include any other actions, as
determined to be appropriate by the
Administrator--
(I) to mitigate the effects of
climate change; and
(II) to help ensure the health,
safety, and livability of all
communities;
(C) include, for each of the years 2025, 2030, and
2040, interim greenhouse gas reduction targets that the
Administrator determines will put the United States on
a pathway to achieve net-zero emissions by not later
than 2050;
(D) include equity treatment and meaningful
involvement of minority populations, low-income
populations, Indian Tribes, and indigenous peoples in
the development, implementation, and enforcement of the
plan; and
(E) ensure that all laborers and mechanics employed
by contractors or subcontractors in the performance of
construction, alteration, or repair work assisted or
supported by the plan are paid wages at rates not less
than those prevailing on similar construction,
alteration, or repair work in the locality as
determined by the Secretary of Labor in accordance with
subchapter IV of chapter 31 of title 40, United States
Code.
(2) Implementation deadline.--The Administrator shall,
after public notice and comment, adopt and begin the
implementation of the plan under subsection (b) not later than
1 year after the date of enactment of this Act.
(3) Authority.--With respect to the labor standards
specified in paragraph (1)(E), the Secretary of Labor shall
have the authority and functions set forth in Reorganization
Plan Numbered 14 of 1950 (64 Stat. 1267; 5 U.S.C. App.) and
section 3145 of title 40, United States Code.
(d) Rulemakings.--The Administrator shall promulgate regulations to
carry out this section as the Administrator determines to be necessary.
(e) Actions by Other Federal Agencies.--
(1) In general.--In coordination with the Administrator,
the Secretary of Energy, the Secretary of the Interior, the
Secretary of Labor, the Assistant Secretary of Commerce for
Economic Development, the Secretary of Agriculture, the
Secretary of Housing and Urban Development, the Secretary of
Transportation, the Secretary of Defense, the Secretary of
Homeland Security, the Secretary of Health and Human Services,
the Secretary of Veterans Affairs, the Chairperson of the
Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board, the
Administrator of General Services, the Administrator of the
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and the heads
of Federal regional commissions shall assist with the
implementation of the plan under subsection (b) by taking
actions using existing authorities of those heads of agencies.
(2) Minimum actions.--At a minimum, the actions required
under paragraph (1) shall--
(A) bolster the ability of the United States to
reduce greenhouse gas emissions and improve economic
competitiveness by ensuring a robust, skilled, and
well-prepared domestic workforce through equitable
access to worker training programs in low- and zero-
greenhouse gas technologies and processes (including
technologies and processes that reduce or sequester
greenhouse gas emissions), including for underemployed,
unemployed, displaced, or dislocated workers, with an
emphasis on programs that include collectively
bargained programs, Registered Apprenticeships that
meet the requirements under parts 29 and 30 of title
29, Code of Federal Regulations (as in effect on
December 1, 2019), historically Black colleges and
universities, land-grant colleges and universities,
Tribal colleges and universities, Hispanic-serving
institutions, community colleges, and union training
centers;
(B) invest in research, development, and deployment
of low- and zero-greenhouse gas technologies and
processes (including technologies and processes that
reduce or sequester greenhouse gas emissions)--
(i) to ensure that the United States
continues to be a leader in those technologies
and processes; and
(ii) to encourage new growth in domestic
industries and sectors that address climate
change (and associated supply chains);
(C) achieve net-zero emissions by not later than
2050 to the maximum extent practicable, consistent with
applicable Federal law in a manner that--
(i) removes policy barriers to labor union
organizing; and
(ii) applies mandatory labor standards,
including prevailing wages, safety, and health
protections;
(D) incentivize reforestation, farming, and other
land management practices on farms, on ranches, and in
forests that--
(i) improve soil health or sequester
carbon; and
(ii) increase resiliency of farms and
ecosystems to the effects of climate change;
(E) encourage the restoration of ecosystems (such
as forests, wetlands, grasslands, and aquatic systems),
particularly on Federal and Tribal land, that--
(i) sequester carbon; and
(ii) improve climate resilience; and
(F) include other actions as appropriate to
mitigate the effects of climate change.
(f) Authorization of Appropriations.--There are authorized to be
appropriated to carry out this section such sums as are necessary for
each of fiscal years 2020 through 2050.
<all>