E&E News: Moderate Democrats Release Climate Legislative Wish List
A group of moderate Democrats is putting the weight of their coalition behind several bills they believe will help the nation reach net-zero emissions by 2050.
The House New Democrat Coalition today will formally endorse 11 measures that would address climate change by relying on decarbonization and other approaches for shifting toward a more sustainable economy.
The latest proposals build on a climate framework the coalition outlined last August that relied on carbon pricing and other market-based approaches (Greenwire, Aug. 7, 2019).
"Our approach would harness the balanced powers of the government and markets to make progress on one of the greatest threats to future generations in ways that can achieve support across a wide political spectrum," said Rep. Don Beyer (D-Va.), co-chair of the New Democrat Coalition Climate Change Task Force.
Beyer added that the group hopes some of the bills could be part of the legislative recommendations due from the House Select Committee on the Climate Crisis later this month.
The coalition's proposals are less aggressive than the progressive Green New Deal, but with more than 100 lawmakers in the group, they have broad support and a better shot at eventually being enacted.
Among the bills is H.R. 5544, sponsored by Rep. Paul Tonko (D-N.Y.), which would crack down on hydrofluorocarbons, a class of superpollutants that possess significantly more heat-trapping power in the atmosphere than carbon dioxide.
It's due to be marked up today by the Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Environment and Climate Change, which Tonko chairs.
A similar proposal attached to an energy policy bill brought down the entire package in the Senate earlier this week. It would likely move more easily in the Democratic-controlled House.
Other bills include:
- H.R. 5221, by Rep. Donald McEachin (D-Va.), which would set a national goal to achieve net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050 and direct federal agencies to draw up plans to meet the target. It already has the backing of more than 150 Democrats and will be the underpinning of any House climate bill.
- H.R. 3623, by Rep. Sean Casten (D-Ill.), which would require companies to disclose greenhouse gas emissions, fossil fuel assets and climate risks. It passed the Financial Services Committee last year.
- H.R. 2986, by Rep. Bill Foster (D-Ill.), which would establish a five-year strategic plan for Department of Energy research into energy storage technologies across multiple offices, including a grant program for demonstration projects. It passed the House Science, Space and Technology Committee earlier this year.
- H.R. 2164, by Rep. Julia Brownley (D-Calif.), which would require any buses purchased with Federal Transit Administration dollars to achieve net-zero emissions by fiscal 2030.
- H.R. 3597, by Rep. Ben McAdams (D-Utah), which would boost solar research at the Energy Department by authorizing $270 million in fiscal 2020, climbing to $328 million by fiscal 2024. It passed the Science, Space and Technology Committee last year.
- H.R. 2718, by Rep. Derek Kilmer (D-Wash.), which would make it easier for state and local governments to issue bonds for green infrastructure projects.
- H.R. 2088, by Rep. Greg Stanton (D-Ariz.), which would reauthorize the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant Program at a funding level of $3.5 billion a year from fiscal 2020 to 2025. It was approved by the Energy and Commerce Committee last year.
- H.R. 1317, by Rep. Harley Rouda (D-Calif.), which would expand federal research at the National Science Foundation and National Institute of Standards and Technology for coastal communities affected by extreme weather, including on improved building codes and structures.
- H.R. 5514, by Rep. Ann Kuster (D-N.H.), would allow for more federal loans to communities doing energy efficiency development projects.
- H. Res. 828, sponsored by Rep. Suzan DelBene (D-Wash.), which would require the Trump administration to restart and conclude World Trade Organization negotiations over the Environmental Goods Agreement.
Energy and Commerce Democrats released legislation in recent weeks on climate change, but environmental groups say it's not enough. The Select Committee on the Climate Crisis is also working on recommendations (E&E Daily, March 9).
By: George Cahlink
Source: E&E News
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