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[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 8527 Introduced in House (IH)]
<DOC>
118th CONGRESS
2d Session
H. R. 8527
To provide for the establishment of a Climate Justice Working Group to
help guide the Nation's just and equitable transition towards a clean,
climate-resilient, zero-emission economy, and for other purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
May 23, 2024
Ms. Clarke of New York (for herself, Ms. Barragan, Ms. Moore of
Wisconsin, Ms. Velazquez, Ms. Meng, Mr. Jackson of Illinois, Ms. Blunt
Rochester, Mr. Huffman, Mr. Espaillat, Ms. Matsui, and Mr. Goldman of
New York) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the
Committee on Energy and Commerce, and in addition to the Committee on
Natural Resources, 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 provide for the establishment of a Climate Justice Working Group to
help guide the Nation's just and equitable transition towards a clean,
climate-resilient, zero-emission economy, 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 ``Climate Justice Act of 2024''.
SEC. 2. CLIMATE JUSTICE WORKING GROUP.
(a) Establishment.--Not later than 60 days after the date of
enactment of this Act, the President shall establish an advisory
committee, to be known as the Climate Justice Working Group, to advise
on the Nation's just and equitable transition towards a clean, climate-
resilient, zero-emission economy.
(b) Membership.--
(1) Total number.--The Working Group shall be comprised of
no fewer than 22 members.
(2) Qualifications.--The members of the Work Group shall
have significant expertise or experience in matters relating
to--
(A) climate change and environmental pollution; and
(B) the impacts of climate change and environmental
pollution on frontline and disadvantaged communities.
(3) Appointment.--The members of the Working Group shall be
appointed by the President and shall include at a minimum the
following representatives:
(A) Eight representatives from frontline community-
based organizations with experience with, and a history
of, advocacy regarding environmental justice or climate
justice and equity issues. The representatives
appointed pursuant to this subparagraph shall include
at least one from each of a coastal community, a rural
community, an urban community, and a Tribal community.
(B) One representative from the Environmental
Protection Agency.
(C) One representative from the Department of
Transportation.
(D) One representative from the Department of the
Interior.
(E) One representative from the Department of
Energy.
(F) One representative from the Department of
Housing and Urban Development.
(G) One representative from the Federal Emergency
Management Agency.
(H) One public health representative from the
Department of Health and Human Services.
(I) One representative from the Council on
Environmental Quality.
(J) Two representatives from local government.
(K) Two representatives from State government.
(L) Two representatives from Tribal government.
(c) Duties.--
(1) In general.--The Working Group shall advise and provide
recommendations to the President and Federal agencies on or
relating to the just and equitable creation and implementation
of goals and initiatives to transition towards a clean,
climate-resilient, zero-emission economy, including through
reduction of greenhouse gas emissions and copollutants.
(2) Core functions.--
(A) Criteria and metrics.--The Working Group, in
consultation with relevant Federal agencies,
interagency councils, White House offices, and advisory
councils, shall establish a robust set of criteria and
metrics to identify climate-burdened communities for
the purposes of informing relevant Federal initiatives
to geographically map the location of disadvantaged or
vulnerable communities and of achieving a just and
equitable transition towards a clean, climate-
resilient, zero-emission economy. Such criteria and
metrics shall be established based on geographic,
public health, environmental hazard, and socioeconomic
considerations, including such considerations as--
(i) a disproportionate prevalence of
negative health conditions;
(ii) cumulative environmental pollution and
other hazards that can lead to negative public
health effects;
(iii) proximity to existing environmental
pollution and degradation, polluting
facilities, waste sites, or natural resource
extraction sites;
(iv) vulnerability to the impacts of
climate change such as flooding, drought, storm
surges, and urban heat island effects;
(v) vulnerability to displacement due to
the impacts of climate change or other
socioeconomic forces;
(vi) access to green space;
(vii) historical and present-day
discrimination on the basis of race, ethnicity,
gender, national origin, immigration status, or
other demographic factors;
(viii) historical or present-day experience
of economic transition, deindustrialization, or
chronic underinvestment;
(ix) income and wealth;
(x) rent burden;
(xi) home ownership;
(xii) educational attainment;
(xiii) linguistic isolation; and
(xiv) such other considerations as the
Working Group considers appropriate.
(B) Guiding principles.--The Working Group, in
consultation with relevant Federal agencies,
interagency councils, White House offices, and advisory
councils, shall establish guiding principles and
recommendations for ensuring that, with respect to
climate-burdened communities, all Federal goals and
initiatives involving greenhouse gas emissions,
copollutant reductions, and the allocation of Federal
investments related to achieving a clean, climate-
resilient, zero-emission economy--
(i) prioritize and directly benefit such
communities;
(ii) do not produce new or exacerbate
existing disproportionate health,
environmental, or socioeconomic burdens in such
communities; and
(iii) include meaningful public
consultation and engagement with members of
such communities.
(C) Community engagement.--In carrying out
subparagraphs (A) and (B), the Working Group shall
initiate and carry out public engagement, particularly
with residents and stakeholders from disadvantaged and
front-line communities, to ensure that the public has
input into the criteria and metrics under subparagraph
(A) and the guiding principles and recommendations
under subparagraph (B).
(D) Draft report.--Before finalizing the criteria
and metrics under subparagraph (A) and the guiding
principles and recommendations under subparagraph (B),
the Working Group shall--
(i) publish a draft report containing a
list of the proposed criteria and metrics and
guiding principles and recommendations;
(ii) make such draft report available on an
easily accessible public website; and
(iii) deliver such draft report to the
Committee on Energy and Commerce of the House
of Representatives and the Committee on
Environment and Public Works of the Senate.
(E) Public input.--
(i) Comment period.--After publishing the
draft report under subparagraph (D), the
Working Group shall provide a period of at
least 120 days for the submission of public
comment on the draft report.
(ii) Public hearings.--During such 120-day
period, the Working Group shall hold at least
four public hearings on the draft report in
different geographic regions of the United
States.
(iii) Meaningful opportunities.--The
Working Group shall ensure there are meaningful
opportunities for public comment on the draft
report from all segments of the population that
might be impacted by the criteria and metrics
under subparagraph (A) and the guiding
principles and recommendations under
subparagraph (B), including persons living in
areas that may be identified as climate-
burdened communities under such criteria and
metrics.
(F) Outreach.--During the 120-day period for public
comment under subparagraph (E)(i), and as soon as
practicable, the Working Group, in coordination with
relevant Federal entities, shall perform targeted
outreach to all segments of the population that might
be impacted by the criteria and metrics under
subparagraph (A) and the guiding principles and
recommendations under subparagraph (B) in order to
inform such persons about the draft report and ways to
provide meaningful input on the finalization of the
report.
(G) Final report.--Once public input has been
sufficiently taken into account, and not later than 1
year after publication of the draft report under
subparagraph (D), the Working Group shall--
(i) publish a final report containing the
criteria and metrics under subparagraph (A) and
the guiding principles and recommendations
under subparagraph (B), including in a
downloadable report made available on an easily
accessible public website; and
(ii) deliver such final report to the
Committee on Energy and Commerce of the House
of Representatives, the Committee on
Environment and Public Works of the Senate, and
the President.
(d) Federal Experts.--In carrying out this Act, the Working Group
may call upon experts at Federal agencies and White House offices to
provide testimony and advice.
(e) Meetings.--The Working Group shall meet not less than annually
to review and provide guidance on Federal goals and initiatives for the
Nation's just and equitable transition towards a clean, climate-
resilient, zero-emission economy, including to review and modify as
necessary any of the criteria and metrics established pursuant to
subsection (c)(2)(A), or the guiding principles and recommendations
established pursuant to subsection (c)(2)(B).
(f) Compensation and Expenses.--Any nonfederally employed member of
the Working Group, when attending meetings of the Working Group or when
otherwise engaged in the business of the Working Group, shall receive--
(1) compensation at a rate fixed by the Secretary, not
exceeding the daily equivalent of the current rate of basic pay
in effect for GS-15 of the General Schedule under section 5332
of title 5, United States Code, including travel time; and
(2) travel or transportation expenses under section 5703 of
title 5, United States Code.
(g) Applicability of Federal Advisory Committee Act.--
(1) In general.--Subject to paragraph (2), chapter 10 of
part I of title 5, United States Code (commonly referred to as
the ``Federal Advisory Committee Act'') shall apply to the
Working Group.
(2) Termination.--The termination requirements under
section 1013 of title 5, United States Code, shall not apply to
the Working Group.
(h) Definitions.--In this section:
(1) The term ``frontline community-based organization''
means a local nonprofit advocacy organization that represents
frontline communities that are most vulnerable to the impacts
of climate change or burdened by environmental pollution.
(2) The term ``Working Group'' means the Climate Justice
Working Group established pursuant to subsection (a).
SEC. 3. IMPLEMENTATION BY FEDERAL AGENCIES OF CRITERIA, METRICS,
GUIDING PRINCIPLES, AND RECOMMENDATIONS.
No later than 90 days after the completion of the final report
under section 2(c)(2)(G), the President shall--
(1) direct all relevant Federal agencies, White House
offices, Federal interagency councils, and other relevant
Federal entities--
(A) to incorporate the criteria and metrics under
section 2(c)(2)(A) to identify climate-burdened
communities, including for the purpose of informing any
relevant initiatives to geographically map the location
of disadvantaged or vulnerable communities, including
by using--
(i) the Environmental Protection Agency's
EJScreen tool; and
(ii) the Council on Environmental Quality's
Climate and Economic Justice Screening Tool;
and
(B) to incorporate the guiding principles and
recommendations under section 2(c)(2)(B) into plans,
strategies, and programs to the maximum extent
possible, including for the purpose of prioritizing
investment and directing programmatic resources towards
climate-burdened communities, including through the
Justice40 Initiative; and
(2) issue to the Committee on Energy and Commerce of the
House of Representatives and the Committee on Environment and
Public Works of the Senate, and make available to the public, a
report specifying--
(A) the steps taken to comply with subparagraphs
(A) and (B) of paragraph (1); and
(B) how the Climate Justice Working Group will
continue to be utilized and involved in upcoming
Federal planning and initiatives related to supporting
a just and equitable transition towards a clean,
climate-resilient, zero-emission economy.
<all>
Introduced in House
Introduced in House
Referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, and in addition to the Committee on Natural Resources, 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.
Referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, and in addition to the Committee on Natural Resources, 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.
Referred to the Subcommittee on Environment, Manufacturing, and Critical Materials.
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