S 2307
110th CONGRESS
1st Session
S. 2307
To amend the Global Change Research Act of 1990, and for other
purposes.
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
November 5, 2007
Mr. KERRY (for himself and Mrs. SNOWE) introduced the following bill;
which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science,
and Transportation
A BILL
To amend the Global Change Research Act of 1990, 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 `Global Change Research Improvement Act
of 2007'.
SEC. 2. TABLE OF CONTENTS.
The table of contents for this Act is as follows:
TITLE I--AMENDMENT OF THE GLOBAL CHANGE RESEARCH ACT OF 1990
Sec. 101. Amendment of Global Change Research Act of 1990.
Sec. 102. Changes to findings and purpose.
Sec. 103. Changes in definitions.
Sec. 104. Change in committee name and structure.
Sec. 105. Change in National Global Change Research Plan.
Sec. 106. Integrated Program Office.
Sec. 107. Budget coordination.
Sec. 108. Research grants.
Sec. 109. Evaluation of information.
Sec. 110. Repeal of obsolete provision.
Sec. 111. Ice sheet study and report.
Sec. 112. Hurricane frequency and intensity study and report.
Sec. 113. Scientific communications.
Sec. 114. Aging workforce issues program.
Sec. 115. Authorization of appropriations.
TITLE II--NATIONAL CLIMATE SERVICE
Sec. 201. Amendment of National Climate Program Act.
TITLE III--TECHNOLOGY ASSESSMENT
Sec. 301. National Science and Technology Assessment Service.
TITLE IV--CLIMATE CHANGE TECHNOLOGY
Sec. 401. NIST greenhouse gas functions.
Sec. 402. Development of new measurement technologies.
Sec. 403. Enhanced environmental measurements and standards.
Sec. 404. Technology development and diffusion.
Sec. 405. Authorization of appropriations.
TITLE V--ABRUPT CLIMATE CHANGE
Sec. 501. Abrupt climate change research program.
Sec. 502. Purposes of program.
Sec. 503. Abrupt climate change defined.
Sec. 504. Authorization of appropriations.
TITLE I--AMENDMENT OF THE GLOBAL CHANGE RESEARCH ACT OF 1990
SEC. 101. AMENDMENT OF GLOBAL CHANGE RESEARCH ACT OF 1990.
Except as otherwise expressly provided, whenever in this title an amendment
or repeal is expressed in terms of an amendment to, or repeal of, a
section or other provision, the reference shall be considered to be
made to a section or other provision of the Global Change Research Act
of 1990 (15 U.S.C. 2921 et seq.).
SEC. 102. CHANGES TO FINDINGS AND PURPOSE.
Section 101 (15 U.S.C. 2931) is amended to read as follows:
`SEC. 101. FINDINGS AND PURPOSE.
`(a) Findings- The Congress makes the following findings:
`(1) According to the 4th Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental
Panel on Climate Change, most of the observed increase in global average
temperatures since the mid-20th century is very likely due to the
observed increase in anthropogenic greenhouse gas concentrations.
`(2) Human-induced changes, in conjunction with natural fluctuations,
may lead to significant alterations of world climate patterns. Over
this century, these changes could adversely affect world agricultural
and marine production, coastal habitability, biological diversity,
human health, global social and political stability, and global economic
activity.
`(3) Developments in interdisciplinary Earth sciences, global observing
systems, and satellite and computing technologies make possible significant
scientific understanding and prediction of global changes and their
effects, and have resulted in the significant expansion of environmental
data and information.
`(4) Development and strengthening of effective policies to mitigate
and adapt to global change will rely on improvement in scientific
understanding of global environmental and societal processes and on
development of information that is of use to decisionmakers at the
local, regional, and national levels.
`(5) Although significant Federal global change research efforts are
underway, an effective Federal program will require improvements in
interagency coordination, coordination with the activities of local,
regional, State, private, and international entities, and increased
levels of Federal resources.
`(6) Although the United States Global Change Research Program has
made significant contributions to understanding Earth's climate and
the anthropogenic influences on Earth's climate and its ecosystems,
the Program also needs to produce information that better meets the
expressed needs of decisionmakers.
`(7) Better predictions of future climate conditions at the regional
level are desirable to inform decisions, including those related to
land, water, and resource management.
`(8) Improved understanding of global change is needed to identify
risks and vulnerabilities under plausible climate futures to assist
decisionmakers in the development of policies to help ensure that
ecological, social, and economic systems are resilient.
`(9) In order to more effectively meet the needs of decisionmakers
and the public, the research agenda of the United States Global Change
Research Program and its implementation and products should be informed
by continuous feedback from users of information generated by the
Program.
`(b) Purpose- The purpose of this title is to provide for the continuation
and coordination of a comprehensive and integrated United States observation,
research, assessment, and outreach program which will assist the Nation
and the world to better understand, assess, predict, mitigate, and adapt
to the effects of human-induced and natural processes of global change.'.
SEC. 103. CHANGES IN DEFINITIONS.
Section 2 (15 U.S.C. 2921) is amended--
(1) by redesignating paragraphs (1) through (6) as paragraphs (2)
through (7), respectively;
(2) by inserting before paragraph (2), as redesignated, the following:
`(1) `climate change' means any change in climate over time, whether
due to natural variability or as a result of human activity;';
(3) by striking `Earth and Environmental Sciences' in paragraph (2),
as redesignated and inserting `Global Change Research'; and
(4) by striking paragraph (4), as redesignated, and inserting the
following:
`(4) `global change' means human-induced or natural changes in the
global environment (including climate change and other phenomena affecting
land productivity, oceans and coastal areas, freshwater resources,
atmospheric chemistry, biodiversity, and ecological systems) that
may alter the capacity of Earth to sustain life;'.
SEC. 104. CHANGE IN COMMITTEE NAME AND STRUCTURE.
Section 102 (15 U.S.C. 2932) is amended--
(1) by striking `earth and environmental sciences.' in the section
heading and inserting `global change research.';
(2) by striking `Earth and Environmental Sciences.' in subsection
(a) and inserting `Global Change Research.';
(3) by redesignating paragraphs (14) and (15) of subsection (b) as
paragraphs (15) and (16), respectively, and inserting after paragraph
(13) the following:
`(14) the National Institute of Standards and Technology of the Department
of Commerce;';
(4) by striking the last sentence of subsection (b) and inserting
`The representatives shall be the Deputy Secretary or the Deputy Secretary's
designee (or, in the case of an agency other than a department, the
deputy head of that agency or the deputy's designee).';
(5) by striking subsection (d) and inserting the following:
`(d) SUBCOMMITTEES AND WORKING GROUPS- The Committee may establish such
additional subcommittees and working groups to carry out its work as
it sees fit.'; and
(6) by striking `and' after the semicolon in subsection (e)(6); and
(7) by redesignating paragraph (7) of subsection (e) as paragraph
(8) and inserting after paragraph (6) the following:
`(7) work with appropriate Federal, State, regional, and local authorities
to ensure that the Program is designed to produce information needed
to develop policies to reduce the impacts of global change; and'.
SEC. 105. CHANGE IN NATIONAL GLOBAL CHANGE RESEARCH PLAN.
Section 104 (15 U.S.C. 2934) is amended--
(1) by striking the section heading and inserting the following:
`SEC. 104. NATIONAL GLOBAL CHANGE RESEARCH AND ASSESSMENT PLAN.'
;
(2) by redesignating subsections (a) through (f) as subsections (b)
through (g), respectively, and inserting before subsection (b), as
redesignated, the following:
`(a) STRATEGIC PLAN; REVISED IMPLEMENTATION PLAN- The Chairman of the
Council, through the Committee, shall develop a strategic plan for the
United States Global Climate Change Research Program for the 10-year
period beginning in 2008 and submit the plan to the Congress within
1 year after the date of enactment of the Global Change Research Improvement
Act of 2007. The strategic plan shall include a detailed plan for research,
assessment, information management, public participation, outreach,
and budget.';
(3) by inserting `and Assessment' after `Research' in subsection (b),
as redesignated;
(4) by striking `research.' in subsection (b), as redesignated, and
inserting `research and assessment.';
(5) by striking `this title,' in subsection (b), as redesignated,
and inserting `the Global Change Research Improvement Act of 2007,';
(6) by inserting `short-term and long-term' before `goals' in paragraph
(1) of subsection (c), as redesignated;
(7) by striking `usable information on which to base policy decisions
related to' in paragraph (1) of subsection (c), as redesignated, and
inserting `information relevant and readily usable by local, State,
and Federal decisionmakers, as well as other end-users, for the formulation
of effective decisions and strategies for measuring, predicting, mitigating,
and adapting to';
(8) by inserting `development of regional scenarios, assessment of
model predictability, assessment of climate change impacts,' after
`predictive modeling,' in paragraph (2) of subsection (c), as redesignated;
(9) by striking `priorities;' in paragraph (2) of subsection (c),
as redesignated, and inserting `priorities and propose measures to
address gaps and growing needs for these activities;'
(10) by striking paragraphs (6) and (7) of subsection (c), as redesignated,
and inserting the following:
`(6) make recommendations for the coordination of the global change
research and assessment activities of the United States with such
activities of other Nations and international organizations, including--
`(A) a description of the extent and nature of international cooperative
activities;
`(B) bilateral and multilateral efforts to provide worldwide access
to scientific data and information, and proposals to improve such
access and build capacity for its use; and
`(C) improving participation by developing Nations in international
global change research and environmental data collection;
`(7) detail budget requirements for Federal global change research
and assessment activities to be conducted under the Plan;
`(8) include a process for identifying information needed by appropriate
Federal, State, regional, and local decisionmakers to develop policies
to plan for and address projected impacts of global change;
`(9) identify and sustain the observing systems currently employed
in collecting data relevant to global and regional climate change
research and prioritize additional observation systems that may be
needed to ensure adequate data collection and monitoring of global
change;
`(10) identify existing capabilities and gaps in national, regional,
and local climate prediction and scenario-based modeling capabilities
for forecasting and projecting climate impacts at local and regional
levels, and propose measures to address such gaps;
`(11) describe specific activities designed to facilitate outreach
and data and information exchange with regional, State, and local
governments and other user communities;
`(12) identify and describe ecosystems and geographic regions of the
United States that are likely to experience similar impacts of global
change or are likely to share similar vulnerabilities to global change;
and
`(13) include such additional matter as the Committee deems appropriate.';
(11) by striking paragraphs (1) and (2) of subsection (d), as redesignated,
and inserting the following:
`(1) Global and regional research and measurements to understand the
nature of and interaction among physical, chemical, biological, land
use, and social processes responsible for changes in the Earth system
on all relevant spatial and time scales.
`(2) Development of indicators, baseline databases, and ongoing monitoring
to document global change, including changes in species distribution
and behavior, changes in oceanic and atmospheric chemistry, extent
of ice sheets, glaciers, and snow cover, shifts in water distribution
and abundance, and changes in sea level.';
(12) by adding at the end of subsection (d), as redesignated, the
following:
`(6) Methods for integrating information to provide predictive and
other tools for planning and decisionmaking by governments, communities
and the private sector.';
(13) by striking `and' in paragraph (2) of subsection (e), as redesignated;
(14) by striking paragraph (3) of subsection (e), as redesignated,
and inserting the following:
`(3) combine and interpret data from various sources to produce information
readily usable by local, State, and Federal policymakers, and other
end-users, attempting to formulate effective decisions and strategies
for mitigating and adapting to the effects of global change; and';
(15) by adding at the end of subsection (e), as redesignated, the
following:
`(4) establish a common assessment and modeling framework that may
be used in both research and operations to project, predict, and assess
the vulnerability of natural and managed ecosystems and of human society
in the context of other environmental and social changes.'; and
(16) by striking `change research.' in paragraph (2) of subsection
(f), as redesignated, and inserting `and regional climate research
and assessment.'.
SEC. 106. INTEGRATED PROGRAM OFFICE.
Section 105 (15 U.S.C. 2935) is amended--
(1) by redesignating subsections (a), (b), and (c) as subsections
(b), (c), and (d), respectively; and
(2) by inserting before subsection (b), as redesignated, the following:
`(a) INTEGRATED PROGRAM OFFICE-
`(1) ESTABLISHMENT- There is established in the Office of Science
and Technology Policy an Integrated Program Office for the Program.
`(2) ORGANIZATION- The Integrated Program Office established under
paragraph (1) shall be headed by the associate director with responsibility
for climate change science and technology and shall include, to the
maximum extent feasible, a representative from each Federal agency
participating in the Program.
`(3) FUNCTION- The Integrated Program Office shall--
`(A) manage, in conjunction with the Committee, interagency coordination
and program integration of global change research activities and
budget requests;
`(B) ensure that the activities and programs of each Federal agency
or department participating in the Program address the goals and
objectives identified in the strategic research plan and interagency
implementation plans;
`(C) ensure program and budget recommendations of the Committee
are communicated to the President and are integrated into the strategic
and implementation plans for the Program;
`(D) review, solicit, identify, and arrange funding for partnership
projects that address critical research objectives or operational
goals of the Program, including projects that would fill research
gaps identified by the Program, and for which project resources
are shared among at least 2 agencies participating in the Program;
and
`(E) review and provide recommendations, in conjunction with the
Committee, on all annual appropriations requests from Federal agencies
or departments participating in the Program.';
(3) by striking `Committee.' in paragraph (2) of subsection (c), as
redesignated, and inserting `Committee and the Integrated Program
Office.'; and
(4) by inserting `and the Integrated Program Office' after `Committee'
in paragraph (1) of subsection (d), as redesignated.
SEC. 107. BUDGET COORDINATION.
Section 105 (15 U.S.C. 2935), as amended by section 106, is further
amended by striking subsection (d), as redesignated, and inserting the
following:
`(d) Consideration in President's Budget-
`(1) IN GENERAL- Before each annual budget submitted to the Congress
under section 1105 of title 31, United States Code, the President
shall, in a timely fashion, provide an opportunity to the Committee
and the Integrated Program Office to review and comment on the budget
estimate of each agency and department involved in global change research
in the context of the Plan.
`(2) PROGRAM ITEMS- The President shall submit, at the time of the
annual budget request to Congress, an integrated budget plan that
would consolidate and highlight Program priorities and include a description
of those items in each agency's annual budget which are elements of
the Program.'.
SEC. 108. RESEARCH GRANTS.
Section 105 (15 U.S.C. 2935), as amended by sections 106 and 107, is
further amended--
(1) by redesignating subsections (b), (c), (d), and (e) as subsections
(c), (d), (e), and (f), respectively; and
(2) by inserting after subsection (a) the following:
`(1) COMMITTEE TO DEVELOP LIST OF PRIORITY RESEARCH AREAS- The Committee
shall develop a list of priority areas for research and development
on climate change that are not being adequately addressed by Federal
agencies.
`(2) DIRECTOR OF OSTP TO TRANSMIT LIST TO NSF- The Director of the
Office of Science and Technology Policy shall transmit the list to
the National Science Foundation.
`(3) Funding through nsf-
`(A) BUDGET REQUEST- The National Science Foundation shall include,
as part of the annual request for appropriations for the Science
and Technology Policy Institute, a request for appropriations to
fund research in the priority areas on the list developed under
paragraph (1).
`(B) AUTHORIZATION- For fiscal year 2008 and each fiscal year thereafter,
there are authorized to be appropriated to the National Science
Foundation not less than $30,000,000, to be made available through
the Science and Technology Policy Institute, for research in those
priority areas.'.
SEC. 109. EVALUATION OF INFORMATION.
Section 106 (15 U.S.C. 2936) is amended--
(1) by striking `SCIENTIFIC' in the section heading;
(2) by striking `On a periodic basis (not less frequently than every
4 years), the Council, through the Committee, shall prepare and submit
to the President and the Congress an assessment' and inserting `On
a periodic basis (not less frequently than every 4 years), the President
shall submit to Congress a single, integrated, comprehensive assessment';
(3) by striking `and' after the semicolon in paragraph (2); and
(4) by striking `years.' in paragraph (3) and inserting `years; and';
and
(5) by adding at the end the following:
`(4) evaluates the information being developed under this title, considering
in particular its usefulness to local, State, and national decisionmakers,
as well as to other stakeholders such as the private sector, after
providing a meaningful opportunity for the consideration of the views
of such stakeholders on the effectiveness of the Program and the usefulness
of the information.'.
SEC. 110. REPEAL OF OBSOLETE PROVISION.
Section 108 (15 U.S.C. 2938) is amended by striking subsection (c).
SEC. 111. ICE SHEET STUDY AND REPORT.
(1) REQUIREMENT- The Director of the National Science Foundation and
the Administrator of National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
shall enter into an arrangement with the National Academy of Sciences
to complete a study of the current status of ice sheet melt and movement,
as caused by climate change, with implications for global sea level
rise.
(2) CONTENTS- The study shall take into consideration--
(A) the past research completed related to ice sheet melt as reviewed
by Working Group I of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change;
(B) additional research published since the fall of 2005 that was
not included in the Working Group I report due to time constraints;
and
(C) the need for an accurate assessment of changes in ice sheet
spreading, changes in ice sheet flow, self-lubrication, the corresponding
effect on ice sheets, and current modeling capabilities.
(3) REPORT- Not later than 18 months after the date of enactment of
this Act, the National Academy of Sciences shall transmit to the Committee
on Science and Technology of the House of Representatives and the
Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation of the Senate a
report on the key findings of the study conducted under subsection
(a), along with recommendations for additional research related to
ice sheet melt and corresponding sea level rise.
SEC. 112. HURRICANE FREQUENCY AND INTENSITY STUDY AND REPORT.
(1) REQUIREMENT- The Administrator of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration and the Director of the National Science Foundation
shall enter into an arrangement with the National Academy of Sciences
to complete a study of the current state of the science on the potential
impacts of climate change on patterns of tropical cyclone (hurricane
and typhoon) development, including storm intensity, track, and frequency,
overall destructive power, precipitation amount and intensity, runoff
and flooding, and the implications for hurricane-prone and typhoon-prone
coastal regions.
(2) CONTENTS- The study shall take into consideration--
(A) the past research completed related to hurricane and typhoon
development, track, and intensity as reviewed by Working Groups
I and II of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change;
(B) additional research completed since the fall of 2005 that was
not included in the Working Group I and II reports due to time constraints;
(C) the need for accurate assessment of potential changes in hurricane
and typhoon intensity, track, and frequency and of the current modeling
and forecasting capabilities and the need for improvements in forecasting
of these parameters; and
(D) the need for additional research, real-time observation, and
monitoring to improve forecasting of hurricanes and typhoons and
to understand the relationship between climate change and hurricane
and typhoon development.
(3) REPORT- Not later than 18 months after the date of enactment of
this Act, the National Academy of Sciences shall transmit to the Committee
on Science and Technology of the House of Representatives and the
Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation of the Senate a
report on the key findings of the study conducted under subsection
(a).
SEC. 113. SCIENTIFIC COMMUNICATIONS.
The President shall establish guidelines and implement a plan that requires
the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the National Aeronautics
and Space Administration, the Environmental Protection Agency, the National
Science Foundation, and other Federal agencies with scientific research
programs to adopt policies that ensure the integrity of scientific communications.
Such policies shall include provisions that ensure that final text and
communications are approved by the scientist or scientists who authored
the report or communication, and that enable scientists to disseminate
research results and freely communicate with the Congress, the media,
and colleagues in a timely fashion.
SEC. 114. AGING WORKFORCE ISSUES PROGRAM.
The Administrator of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
shall implement a program to address aging work force issues in climate
science, global change, and other focuses of NOAA research that--
(1) documents technical and management experiences before senior employees
leave the Administration, including--
(A) documenting lessons learned;
(B) briefing organizations;
(C) providing opportunities for archiving lessons in a database;
and
(D) providing opportunities for near-term retirees to transition
out early from their primary assignment in order to document their
career lessons learned and brief new employees prior to their separation
from the Administration;
(2) provides incentives for retirees to return and teach new employees
about their career lessons and experiences; and
(3) provides for the development of an award to recognize and reward
outstanding senior employees for their contributions to knowledge
sharing.
SEC. 115. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.
There are authorized to be appropriated for the purposes of carrying
out this Act such sums as may be necessary for fiscal years 2008 through
2012. Of the amounts appropriated for that fiscal year period--
(1) $4,000,000 shall be made available to the Office of Science and
Technology Policy for each of such fiscal years; and
(2) such sums as may be necessary shall be made available to--
(A) the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration for each
of such fiscal years;
(B) the National Science Foundation for each of such fiscal years;
(C) the National Aeronautics and Space Administration for each of
such fiscal years; and
(D) other Federal agencies participating in the Program, to the
extent funds remain available after the application of paragraph
(1) and subparagraphs (A), (B), and (C) of this paragraph, for each
of such fiscal years.
TITLE II--NATIONAL CLIMATE SERVICE
SEC. 201. AMENDMENT OF NATIONAL CLIMATE PROGRAM ACT.
The National Climate Program Act (15 U.S.C. 2901 et seq.) is amended
to read as follows:
`SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE; TABLE OF CONTENTS.
`(a) SHORT TITLE- This Act may be cited as the `National Climate Service
Act of 2007'.
`(b) TABLE OF CONTENTS- The table of contents for this Act is as follows:
`Sec. 1. Short title; table of contents.
`Sec. 4. National Climate Service.
`Sec. 5. Contract and grant authority.
`Sec. 8. Authorization of appropriations.
`SEC. 2. FINDINGS.
`The Congress finds the following:
`(1) Weather, climate change, and climate variability affect public
safety, environmental services and security, human health, agriculture,
energy use, water resources, and other factors vital to national security
and human welfare.
`(2) The present rate of advance of national efforts in research and
development and the application of such advances is inadequate to
meet the challenges posed by observed and projected rates of climate
change and climate variability and the increasing demand for information
to guide planning and response across all sectors.
`(3) The United States lacks adequate research, infrastructure, and
coordinated outreach and communication mechanisms to meet national
climate monitoring, prediction, and decision support needs for adapting
to and mitigating the impacts of climate change and climate variability.
`(4) Information regarding climate change and climate variability
is not being fully disseminated or used, and Federal efforts have
given insufficient attention to assessing and applying this information.
`(5) Climate change and climate variability occur on a global basis
making international cooperation essential for the purpose of sharing
the benefits and costs of a global effort to understand and communicate
these changes.
`SEC. 3. PURPOSE.
`It is the purpose of this Act to establish a National Climate Service
that will advance the national interest and associated international
concerns in understanding, forecasting, responding, adapting to, and
mitigating the impacts of natural and human-induced climate change and
climate variability.
`SEC. 4. NATIONAL CLIMATE SERVICE.
`(a) ESTABLISHMENT- The Secretary shall establish within the National
Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration a National Climate Service not
later than a year after the date of the enactment of the Global Change
Research Improvement Act of 2007. The Service shall include a national
center and a network of regional and local facilities for operational
climate monitoring and prediction.
`(1) IN GENERAL- The Service shall produce and deliver authoritative,
timely and usable information about climate change, climate variability,
trends, and impacts on local, State, regional, national, and global
scales.
`(2) SPECIFIC SERVICES- The Service, at a minimum, shall--
`(A) provide comprehensive and authoritative information about the
state of the climate and its effects, through observations, monitoring,
data, information, and products that accurately reflect climate trends
and conditions;
`(B) provide predictions and projections on the future state of the
climate in support of adaptation, preparedness, attribution, and mitigation;
`(C) utilize appropriate research from the United States Global Change
Research Program activities and conduct focused research, as needed,
to enhance understanding, information and predictions of the current
and future state of the climate and its impacts that is relevant to
policy, planning, and decision making;
`(D) utilize assessments from the Global Change Research Program activities
and conduct focused assessments as needed to enhance understanding
of the impacts of climate change and climate variability;
`(E) assess and strengthen delivery mechanisms for providing climate
information to end users;
`(F) communicate climate data, conditions, predictions, projections,
indicators, and risks on an ongoing basis to decision- and policy-
makers, the private sector, and to the public;
`(G) coordinate and collaborate on climate change, climate variability,
and impacts activities with municipal, state, regional, national and
international agencies and organizations, as appropriate; and
`(H) support the Department of State and international agencies and
organizations, as well as domestic agencies and organizations, involved
in assessing and responding to climate change and climate variability.
`(b) ACTION PLAN- Within 1 year after the date of enactment of the Global
Change Research Improvement Act of 2007, the Secretary shall submit
to the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation and
the House Committee on Science and Technology a plan of action for the
National Climate Service. The plan, at a minimum, shall--
`(1) provide for the interpretation and communication of climate data,
conditions, predictions, projections, and risks on an on-going basis
to decision and policy makers at the local, regional, and national
levels;
`(2) design, deploy, and operate an adequate national climate observing
system that closes gaps in existing coverage;
`(3) support infrastructure and ability to archive and quality ensure
climate data, and make federally-funded model simulations and other
relevant climate information available from the Global Change Research
Program activities and other sources (and related data from paleoclimate
studies).
`(4) include a program for long-term stewardship, quality control,
development of relevant climate products, and efficient access to
all relevant climate data, products, and model simulations;
`(5) establish a national coordinated modeling strategy, including
a national climate modeling center to provide a dedicated capability
for modeling and forecasting, scenarios and planning resources, and
a regular schedule of projections on long- and short-term time horizons
over a range of scales, including regional scales;
`(6) improve integrated modeling, assessment, and predictive capabilities
needed to document and predict climate changes and impacts, and to
guide national, regional, and local planning and decision making;
`(7) provide a system of regular consultation and coordination with
Federal agencies, States, Tribes, non-governmental organizations,
the private sector and the academic community to ensure--
`(A) that the information requirements of these groups are well
incorporated; and
`(B) timely and full sharing, dissemination and use of climate information
and services in risk preparedness, planning, decision making, and
early warning and natural resources management, both domestically
and internationally;
`(8) develop standards, evaluation criteria and performance objectives
to ensure that the Service meets the evolving information needs of
the public, policy makers and decision makers in the face of a changing
climate;
`(9) develop funding estimates to implement the plan; and
`(10) support competitive research programs that will improve elements
of the Service described in this Act through the Climate Program Office
within the Service headquarter function.
`(c) COORDINATION WITH THE USGCRP- The Service shall utilize appropriate
research from Global Change Research Program activities to enhance understanding,
information and predictions of the current and future state of the climate
and its impacts that is relevant to policy and decisions. The Service
shall provide appropriate information about the current and future state
of the climate and its impacts that are useful for research purposes
to relevant Global Change Research Program activities. The Director
of the Service will serve as a liaison to the Global Change Research
Program and a member of the Global Change Research Program should serve
on the Advisory Council.
`(d) DIRECTOR- The Administrator shall appoint a director of the Service,
who shall oversee all processes associated with managing the organization
and executing the functions and actions described in this Title. The
Director will serve as a liaison to the Global Change Research Program
to ensure the transition of research into services and to provide services
to meet the needs of research.
`(e) NATIONAL CLIMATE SERVICE ADVISORY COUNCIL- The Administrator shall,
in consultation with the majority and minority leaders of the Senate
Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation and the House of
Representatives Committee on Science and Technology, and the National
Academy of Sciences, appoint the membership of a National Climate Service
Advisory Council, with members serving 4-year terms and include a diverse
membership from appropriate Federal, State and local government, universities,
non-government and private sectors who use climate information and cover
a range of sectors, such as water, drought, fisheries, coasts, agriculture,
health, natural resources, transportation, and insurance. The Council
shall advise the Director of the Service of key priorities in climate-related
issues that require the attention of the Service. The Council shall
be responsible for ensuring coordination across regional and national
concerns and the assessment of evolving information needs.
`SEC. 5. CONTRACT AND GRANT AUTHORITY.
`Functions vested in any Federal officer or agency by this Act or under
the Program may be exercised through the facilities and personnel of
the agency involved or, to the extent provided or approved in advance
in appropriation Acts, by other persons or entities under contracts
or grant arrangements entered into by such officer or agency.
`SEC. 6. ANNUAL REPORT.
`The Secretary shall prepare and submit to the President and the authorizing
committees of the Congress, not later than March 31 of each year, a
report on the activities conducted pursuant to this Act during the preceding
fiscal year, including--
`(1) a summary of the achievements of the National Climate Service
during the previous fiscal year; and
`(2) an analysis of the progress made toward achieving the goals and
objectives of the Service.
`SEC. 7. DEFINITIONS.
`(1) ADMINISTRATOR- The term `Administrator' means the Administrator
of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
`(2) ADVISORY COUNCIL- The term `Advisory Council' refers to the Climate
Services Advisory Council.
`(3) CLIMATE CHANGE- The term `climate change' means any change in
climate over time, whether due to natural variability or as a result
of human activity.
`(4) CLIMATE VARIABILITY- The term `climate variability' means variations
in the mean state and other statistics of the climate on all temporal
and spatial scales beyond that of individual weather events.
`(5) DIRECTOR- The term `Director' means the Director of the National
Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's National Climate Service.
`(6) GLOBAL CHANGE RESEARCH PROGRAM- The term `Global Change Research
Program' means the United States Global Change Research Program established
under section 103 of the Global Change Research Act of 1990 (15 U.S.C.
2933).
`(7) SECRETARY- The term `Secretary' means the Secretary of Commerce.
`(8) SERVICE- The term `Service' means the National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration's National Climate Service.
`SEC. 8. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.
`There are authorized to be appropriated to the Secretary to carry out
this Act--
`(1) $300,000,000 for fiscal year 2008;
`(2) $350,000,000 for fiscal year 2009;
`(3) $400,000,000 for fiscal year 2010;
`(4) $450,000,000 for fiscal year 2011; and
`(5) $500,000,000 for fiscal year 2012.'.
TITLE III--TECHNOLOGY ASSESSMENT
SEC. 301. NATIONAL SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY ASSESSMENT SERVICE.
The National Science and Technology Policy, Organization, and Priorities
Act of 1976 (42 U.S.C. 6601 et seq.) is amended by adding at the end
the following:
`TITLE VII--NATIONAL SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY ASSESSMENT SERVICE
`SEC. 701. ESTABLISHMENT.
`There is hereby created a Science and Technology Assessment Service
which shall be within and responsible to the legislative branch of the
Government.
`SEC. 702. COMPOSITION.
`The Service shall consist of a Science and Technology Board which shall
formulate and promulgate the policies of the Service, and a Director
who shall carry out such policies and administer the operations of the
Service.
`SEC. 703. FUNCTIONS AND DUTIES.
`The Service shall coordinate and develop information for Congress relating
to the uses and application of technology to address current national
science and technology policy issues. In developing such technical assessments
for Congress, the Service shall utilize, to the extent practicable,
experts selected in coordination with the National Research Council.
`SEC. 704. INITIATION OF ACTIVITIES.
`Science and technology assessment activities undertaken by the Service
may be initiated upon the request of--
`(1) the Chairman of any standing, special, or select committee of
either House of the Congress, or of any joint committee of the Congress,
acting for himself or at the request of the ranking minority member
or a majority of the committee members;
`SEC. 705. ADMINISTRATION AND SUPPORT.
`The Director of the Science and Technology Assessment Service shall
be appointed by the Board and shall serve for a term of 6 years unless
sooner removed by the Board. The Director shall receive basic pay at
the rate provided for level III of the Executive Schedule under section
5314 of title 5, United States Code. The Director shall contract for
administrative support from the Library of Congress.
`SEC. 706. AUTHORITY.
`The Service shall have the authority, within the limits of available
appropriations, to do all things necessary to carry out the provisions
of this section, including, but without being limited to, the authority
to--
`(1) make full use of competent personnel and organizations outside
the Office, public or private, and form special ad hoc task forces
or make other arrangements when appropriate;
`(2) enter into contracts or other arrangements as may be necessary
for the conduct of the work of the Office with any agency or instrumentality
of the United States, with any State, territory, or possession or
any political subdivision thereof, or with any person, firm, association,
corporation, or educational institution, with or without reimbursement,
without performance or other bonds, and without regard to section
3709 of the Revised Statutes (41 U.S.C. 51);
`(3) accept and utilize the services of voluntary and uncompensated
personnel necessary for the conduct of the work of the Service and
provide transportation and subsistence as authorized by section 5703
of title 5, United States Code, for persons serving without compensation;
and
`(4) prescribe such rules and regulations as it deems necessary governing
the operation and organization of the Service.
`SEC. 707. BOARD.
`The Board shall consist of 13 members as follows--
`(1) 6 Members of the Senate, appointed by the President pro tempore
of the Senate, 3 from the majority party and 3 from the minority party;
`(2) 6 Members of the House of Representatives appointed by the Speaker
of the House of Representatives, 3 from the majority party and 3 from
the minority party; and
`(3) the Director, who shall not be a voting member.
`SEC. 708. REPORT TO CONGRESS.
`The Service shall submit to the Congress an annual report which shall
include, but not be limited to, an evaluation of technology assessment
techniques and identification, insofar as may be feasible, of technological
areas and programs requiring future analysis. The annual report shall
be submitted not later than March 15 of each year.
`SEC. 709. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.
`There are authorized to be appropriated to the Service such sums as
are necessary to fulfill the requirements of this title.'.
TITLE IV--CLIMATE CHANGE TECHNOLOGY
SEC. 401. NIST GREENHOUSE GAS FUNCTIONS.
Section 2(c) of the National Institute of Standards and Technology Act
(15 U.S.C. 272(c)) is amended--
(1) by striking `and' after the semicolon in paragraph (21);
(2) by redesignating paragraph (22) as paragraph (23); and
(3) by inserting after paragraph (21) the following:
`(22) perform research to develop enhanced measurements, calibrations,
standards, and technologies which will enable the reduced production
in the United States of greenhouse gases associated with global warming,
including carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, ozone, perfluorocarbons,
hydrofluorocarbons, and sulfur hexafluoride; and'.
SEC. 402. DEVELOPMENT OF NEW MEASUREMENT TECHNOLOGIES.
The Secretary of Commerce shall initiate a program to develop, with
technical assistance from appropriate Federal agencies, innovative standards
and measurement technologies (including technologies to measure carbon
changes due to changes in land use cover) to calculate--
(1) greenhouse gas emissions and reductions from sequestration, agriculture,
forestry, and other land use practices;
(2) noncarbon dioxide greenhouse gas emissions from transportation;
(3) greenhouse gas emissions from facilities or sources using remote
sensing technology; and
(4) any other greenhouse gas emission or reductions for which no accurate
or reliable measurement technology exists.
SEC. 403. ENHANCED ENVIRONMENTAL MEASUREMENTS AND STANDARDS.
The National Institute of Standards and Technology Act (15 U.S.C. 271
et seq.) is amended--
(1) by redesignating sections 17 through 32 as sections 18 through
33, respectively; and
(2) by inserting after section 16 the following:
`SEC. 17. CLIMATE CHANGE STANDARDS AND PROCESSES.
`(a) IN GENERAL- The Director shall establish within the Institute a
program to perform and support research on global climate change standards
and processes, with the goal of providing scientific and technical knowledge
applicable to the reduction of greenhouse gases (as defined in section
4 of the Global Climate Change Act of 2002).
`(1) IN GENERAL- The Director is authorized to conduct, directly or
through contracts or grants, a global climate change standards and
processes research program.
`(2) RESEARCH PROJECTS- The specific contents and priorities of the
research program shall be determined in consultation with appropriate
Federal agencies, including the Environmental Protection Agency, the
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and the National
Aeronautics and Space Administration. The program generally shall
include basic and applied research--
`(A) to develop and provide the enhanced measurements, calibrations,
data, models, and reference material standards which will enable
the monitoring of greenhouse gases;
`(B) to develop and provide standards, measurements, and innovative
technologies for reducing greenhouse gas emissions in existing industries;
`(C) to develop and provide standards, measurements, measurement
tools, and calibrations that will enhance and promote remote sensing
technologies;
`(D) to assist in establishing a baseline reference point for future
trading in greenhouse gases and the measurement of progress in emissions
reduction;
`(E) to develop and provide standards, measurements, measurement
tools, calibrations, data, models, and other innovative technologies
to support the validation and accreditation of a greenhouse gas
trading industry;
`(F) to assist in developing improved industrial processes designed
to reduce or eliminate greenhouse gases, including the development
of measurement tools and standards to validate and accredit a carbon
offset industry; and
`(G) that will be exchanged internationally as scientific or technical
information which has the stated purpose of developing mutually
recognized measurements, standards, and procedures for reducing
greenhouse gases.
`(c) National Measurement Laboratories-
`(1) IN GENERAL- In carrying out this section, the Director shall
utilize the collective skills of the National Measurement Laboratories
of the National Institute of Standards and Technology to improve the
accuracy of measurements that will permit better understanding and
control of these industrial chemical processes and result in the reduction
or elimination of greenhouse gases.
`(2) MATERIAL, PROCESS, AND BUILDING RESEARCH- The National Measurement
Laboratories shall conduct research under this subsection that includes--
`(A) developing material and manufacturing processes which are designed
for energy efficiency and reduced greenhouse gas emissions into
the environment;
`(B) developing environmentally-friendly, `green' chemical processes
to be used by industry; and
`(C) enhancing building performance with a focus in developing standards
or tools which will help incorporate low- or no-emission technologies
into building designs.
`(3) STANDARDS AND TOOLS- The National Measurement Laboratories shall
develop standards and tools under this subsection that include software
to assist designers in selecting alternate building materials, performance
data on materials, artificial intelligence-aided design procedures
for building subsystems and `smart buildings', and improved test methods
and rating procedures for evaluating the energy performance of residential
and commercial appliances and products.
`(d) NATIONAL VOLUNTARY LABORATORY ACCREDITATION PROGRAM- The Director
shall utilize the National Voluntary Laboratory Accreditation Program
under this section to establish a program to include specific calibration
or test standards and related methods and protocols assembled to satisfy
the unique needs for accreditation in measuring the production of greenhouse
gases. In carrying out this subsection the Director may cooperate with
other departments and agencies of the Federal Government, State and
local governments, and private organizations.'.
SEC. 404. TECHNOLOGY DEVELOPMENT AND DIFFUSION.
The Director of the National Institute of Standards and Technology,
through the Manufacturing Extension Partnership Program, may develop
a program to support the implementation of new `green' manufacturing
technologies and techniques by the more than 380,000 small business
manufacturers.
SEC. 405. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.
There are authorized to be appropriated to the Director of the National
Institute of Standards and Technology to carry out this title and section
17 of the National Institute of Standards and Technology Act as added
by section 403 of this title, $15,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2008
through 2010.
TITLE V--ABRUPT CLIMATE CHANGE
SEC. 501. ABRUPT CLIMATE CHANGE RESEARCH PROGRAM.
The Secretary of Commerce shall establish within the Office of Oceanic
and Atmospheric Research of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration,
and shall carry out, a program of scientific research on abrupt climate
change.
SEC. 502. PURPOSES OF PROGRAM.
The purposes of the program are--
(1) to develop a global array of terrestrial and oceanographic indicators
of paleoclimate in order to sufficiently identify and describe past
instances of abrupt climate change;
(2) to improve understanding of thresholds and nonlinearities in geophysical
systems related to the mechanisms of abrupt climate change;
(3) to incorporate such mechanisms into advanced geophysical models
of climate change; and
(4) to test the output of such models against an improved global array
of records of past abrupt climate changes.
SEC. 503. ABRUPT CLIMATE CHANGE DEFINED.
In this title, the term `abrupt climate change' means a change in the
climate that occurs so rapidly or unexpectedly that human or natural
systems have difficulty adapting to the climate as changed.
SEC. 504. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.
There are authorized to be appropriated to the Department of Commerce
for each of fiscal years 2009 through 2014, to remain available until
expended, such sums as are necessary, not to exceed $10,000,000, to
carry out the research program required by section 501.
.AEMD23AF
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