The Climate Playbook--Replay contains information on recent climate action in Congress, including bill updates, Committee and House votes, and new bills reflected in The Climate Playbook.

Bills that Passed the House

H.R. 1921 - Ocean Acidification Innovation Act

• H.R. 1921 amends the Federal Ocean Acidification Research and Monitoring Act of 2009 to authorize a federal agency with a representative serving on the Interagency Working Group on Ocean Acidification to carry out a program that awards prizes competitively under the Stevenson-Wydler Technology Innovation Act of 1980. The prizes would encourage innovation to advance the nation’s ability to understand, research, or monitor ocean acidification and its impacts, and to develop management or adaptation options for responding to ocean acidification. Priority must be given to establishing programs that address communities, environments, or industries that are in distress due to the impacts of ocean acidification.

Bills that Passed Committees

H.R. 1984 - DISASTER Act

• H.R. 1984 passed the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee. It requires the Office of Management and Budget to submit an annual report to Congress on the amount of disaster-related spending by the federal government. The report must include all federal obligations related to disaster response, recovery, mitigation efforts, and administrative costs associated with these activities for specified agencies and programs.

Bills Added to the Playbook

H.R. 370 – Pipeline and LNG Facility Cybersecurity Preparedness Act 

• H.R. 370 requires the Secretary of Energy to carry out a program to establish policies and procedures that would improve the physical and cyber security of natural gas transmission and distribution pipelines, hazardous liquid pipelines, and liquefied natural gas facilities. This is a modest but critically important bill to ensure secure, reliable energy delivery.

H.R. 362 - Energy Emergency Leadership Act

• H.R. 362 creates a new Department of Energy (DOE) Assistant Secretary position with jurisdiction over all energy emergency and security functions related to energy supply, infrastructure and cybersecurity. 

H.R. 2665 -  Smart Energy and Water Efficiency Act of 2019

• H.R. 2665 establishes a smart energy and water efficiency management program within the Department of Energy (DOE) to award grants to entities that demonstrate advanced and innovative technology-based solutions.

H.R. 2764 - Zero-Emission Vehicles Act 

• H.R. 2764 sets a Federal Zero-Emissions Vehicle (ZEV) standard to boost the market for battery electric vehicles and hydrogen fuel cell vehicles. The standard would require that by 2030, 50% of sales for new passenger vehicles are ZEVs, and ramp up 5% each year to 100% by 2040. The ZEV standard is only applied to the sale of new cars. 

H.R. 1960 - Healthy Climate and Family Security Act 

• H.R. 1960 caps carbon pollution and reduces CO2 emissions gradually but steadily. It auctions carbon pollution permits to the first sellers of oil, coal, and natural gas into the U.S. market, and returns 100 percent of the auction proceeds electronically each quarter to every American in the form of a Healthy Climate Dividend.

H.R. 1243 - Climate Change Health Protection and Promotion Act 

• H.R. 1243 develops a national strategic action plan to better prepare Americans against the growing public health effects of climate change, which include pulmonary and cardiovascular illnesses, food-borne diseases, and heat-related impacts. The plan would identify and support the nation’s most vulnerable communities, while enhancing long-term research into the effects of climate change on the health of everyday Americans. The legislation would direct the Secretary of Health and Human Services to develop a National Strategic Action Plan to assist health professionals in preparing for and responding to the public health effects of climate change.

H.R. 1237 - COAST Research Act of 2019 

• H.R. 1237 will strengthen federal investments in research and monitoring of changing ocean conditions. This research will help coastal communities better understand and cope with the effects of environmental stressors on our oceans and estuaries.

H.R. 2711 - Methane Waste Prevention Act

• H.R. 2711 requires the Secretary of the Interior to reinstate the Bureau of Land Management’s Methane Waste Prevention Rule, which limited the amount of methane that oil and gas producers operating on tribal or public lands could release, and the Environmental Protection Agency’s New Source Performance Standards for the Oil and Natural Gas Industry. 

H.R. 2041 - Weatherization Enhancement and Local Energy Efficiency

• H.R. 2041 extends and strengthens the U.S. Department of Energy’s Weatherization Assistance Program, which helps low-income households insulate their homes from extreme heat and cold and make other cost-effective investments in home energy efficiency upgrades. 

H.R. 2043 - Home Owner Managing Energy Savings (HOMES) Act of 2019

• H.R. 2043 provide rebates to homeowners who invest in energy efficiency improvements. Homeowners who demonstrate at least a 20 percent energy savings will receive a $2,500 rebate. Those who demonstrate at least a 40 percent energy savings will receive a $5,000 rebate.

H.R. 2044 - Smart Building Acceleration Act

• H.R. 2044 would require the Department of Energy (DOE) to conduct a survey of smart buildings across the country, establish an initiative to implement smart building technology at one or more buildings under several Federal agencies, and develop a smart building initiative to demonstrate policies and approaches that facilitate the transition to smart buildings under the umbrella of the DOE Better Buildings Challenge.

H.R. 2114 - Enhancing State Energy Security Planning and Emergency Preparedness Act of 2019

• H.R. 2114 authorizes the appropriation of $90 million in each of fiscal years 2018 through 2022 for the Department of Energy (DOE) to provide financial and technical assistance to states for purposes of developing and implementing plans related to energy conservation. The bill would require that states’ plans specify strategies for safeguarding energy-related infrastructure from physical and cybersecurity threats, mitigating the risk of disruptions to the supply of energy, and ensuring energy reliability.

H.R. 2119  - To amend the Energy Policy Act of 2005 to reauthorize grants for improving the energy efficiency of public buildings, and for other purposes

• H.R. 2119 amends the Energy Policy Act of 2005 to reauthorize grants for improving the energy efficiency of public buildings. It would authorize $100 million annually from FY 2021 through FY 2025 for an existing grant program, administered by the Department of Energy (DOE), that provides money for states to improve the energy efficiency of state and local public facilities.  

H.R. 2088  - To amend the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 to reauthorize the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant Program

• H.R. 2088 amends the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 to reauthorize the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant Program. It would reauthorize the program to provide $3.5 billion annually from Fiscal Year (FY) 2020 through FY 2025. In addition, the bill includes a goal to diversify energy supplies by promoting use of alternative fuels. 

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