[Congressional Bills 110th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 906 Introduced in House (IH)]
110th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. R. 906
To promote and coordinate global change research, and for other
purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
February 7, 2007
Mr. Udall of Colorado (for himself and Mr. Inglis of South Carolina)
introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on
Science and Technology, and in addition to the Committee on Foreign
Affairs, 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 promote and coordinate global change research, 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 and Data
Management Act of 2007''.
TITLE I--GLOBAL CHANGE RESEARCH
SEC. 101. FINDINGS AND PURPOSE.
(a) Findings.--The Congress makes the following findings:
(1) Industrial, agricultural, and other human activities,
coupled with an expanding world population, are contributing to
processes of global change that are significantly altering the
Earth habitat.
(2) Such human-induced changes, in conjunction with natural
fluctuations, may lead to significant alterations of world
climate patterns. Over the next century, these changes could
adversely effect 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
of global changes and their effects, and have resulted in the
significant expansion of environmental data and information.
(4) Development of effective policies to prevent, mitigate,
and adapt to global change will rely on improvement in
scientific understanding of global environmental processes and
on development of information that is of use to decisionmakers
at the local, regional, and national levels.
(5) 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, that Program has not produced
sufficient information to meet the expressed needs of
decisionmakers.
(6) Predictions of future climate conditions for specific
regions have considerable uncertainty and are unlikely to be
confirmed in a time period necessary to inform decisions on
land, water, and resource management. However, improved
understanding of global change should be used to assist
decisionmakers in the development of policies to ensure that
ecological, social, and economic systems are resilient under a
variety of plausible climate futures.
(7) In order to most effectively meet the needs of
decisionmakers, both the research agenda of the United States
Global Change Research Program and its implementation must be
informed by continuous feedback from documented 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 and research program which will assist the Nation
and the world to understand, assess, predict, and respond to the
effects of human-induced and natural processes of global change.
SEC. 102. DEFINITIONS.
For purposes of this title--
(1) the term ``global change'' means human-induced or
natural changes in the global environment (including
alterations in climate, land productivity, oceans or other
water resources, atmospheric chemistry, biodiversity, and
ecological systems) that may alter the capacity of the Earth to
sustain life;
(2) the term ``global change research'' means study,
monitoring, assessment, prediction, and information management
activities to describe and understand--
(A) the interactive physical, chemical, and
biological processes that regulate the total Earth
system;
(B) the unique environment that the Earth provides
for life;
(C) changes that are occurring in the Earth system;
and
(D) the manner in which such system, environment,
and changes are influenced by human actions;
(3) the term ``interagency committee'' means the
interagency committee established under section 103;
(4) the term ``Plan'' means the National Global Change
Research Plan developed under section 105; and
(5) the term ``Program'' means the United States Global
Change Research Program established under section 104.
SEC. 103. INTERAGENCY COOPERATION AND COORDINATION.
(a) Establishment.--The President shall establish an interagency
committee to ensure cooperation and coordination of all Federal
research activities pertaining to processes of global change for the
purpose of increasing the overall effectiveness and productivity of
Federal global change research efforts. The interagency committee shall
include representatives of both agencies conducting global change
research and agencies with authority over resources likely to be
affected by global change.
(b) Functions of the Interagency Committee.--The interagency
committee shall--
(1) serve as the forum for developing the Plan and for
overseeing its implementation;
(2) serve as the forum for developing the vulnerability
assessment under section 107;
(3) ensure cooperation among Federal agencies with respect
to global change research activities;
(4) work with academic, State, industry, and other groups
conducting global change research, to provide for periodic
public and peer review of the Program;
(5) cooperate with the Secretary of State in--
(A) providing representation at international
meetings and conferences on global change research in
which the United States participates; and
(B) coordinating the Federal activities of the
United States with programs of other nations and with
international global change research activities;
(6) 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
vulnerability of the United States and other regions to global
change; and
(7) identify additional decisionmaking groups that may use
information generated through the Program.
SEC. 104. UNITED STATES GLOBAL CHANGE RESEARCH PROGRAM.
The President shall establish an interagency United States Global
Change Research Program to improve understanding of global change, to
respond to the information needs of communities and decisionmakers, and
to provide periodic assessments of the vulnerability of the United
States and other regions to global change. The Program shall be
implemented in accordance with the Plan.
SEC. 105. NATIONAL GLOBAL CHANGE RESEARCH PLAN.
(a) In General.--The President shall develop a National Global
Change Research Plan for implementation of the Program. The Plan shall
contain recommendations for global change research. The President shall
submit the Plan to the Congress within 1 year after the date of
enactment of this Act, and shall submit a revised Plan at least once
every 4 years thereafter. In the development of each Plan, the
President shall conduct a formal assessment process to determine the
needs of appropriate Federal, State, regional, and local authorities
and other interested parties regarding the types of information needed
by them in developing policies to reduce society's vulnerability to
global change and shall utilize these assessments in developing the
Plan.
(b) Contents of the Plan.--The Plan shall--
(1) establish, for the 10-year period beginning in the year
the Plan is submitted, the goals and priorities for Federal
global change research which most effectively advance
scientific understanding of global change and provide
information of use to Federal, State, regional, and local
authorities in the development of policies relating to global
change;
(2) describe specific activities, including efforts to
determine user information needs, research activities, data
collection and data analysis requirements, assessment of model
predictability, participation in international research
efforts, and information management, required to achieve such
goals and priorities;
(3) identify relevant programs and activities of the
Federal agencies that contribute to the Program directly and
indirectly;
(4) set forth the role of each Federal agency in
implementing the Plan;
(5) consider and utilize, as appropriate, reports and
studies conducted by Federal agencies, the National Research
Council, or other entities;
(6) make recommendations for the coordination of the global
change research 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
(C) improving participation by developing nations
in international global change research and
environmental data collection;
(7) detail budget requirements for Federal global change
research activities to be conducted under the Plan;
(8) catalog the type of information identified by
appropriate Federal, State, regional, and local decisionmakers
needed to develop policies to reduce society's vulnerability to
global change and indicate how the planned research will meet
these decisionmakers' information needs; and
(9) identify the observing systems currently employed in
collecting data relevant to global change research and
prioritize additional observation systems that may be needed to
ensure adequate data collection and monitoring of global
change.
(c) Research Elements.--The Plan shall include at a minimum the
following research elements:
(1) Global measurements, establishing worldwide to regional
scale observations prioritized to understand global change and
to meet the information needs of decisionmakers on all relevant
spatial and time scales.
(2) Information on economic and demographic trends that
contribute to changes in the Earth system and that influence
society's vulnerability to global change.
(3) Development of indicators and baseline databases to
document global change, including changes in species
distribution and behavior, extent of glaciations, and changes
in sea level.
(4) Studies of historical changes in the Earth system,
using evidence from the geological and fossil record.
(5) Assessments of predictability using quantitative models
of the Earth system to simulate global and regional
environmental processes and trends.
(6) Focused research initiatives to understand the nature
of and interaction among physical, chemical, biological, and
social processes related to global change.
(7) Focused research initiatives to determine and then meet
the information needs of appropriate Federal, State, and
regional decisionmakers.
(d) Information Management.--The Plan shall incorporate, to the
extent practicable, the recommendations relating to data acquisition,
management, and archiving made by the interagency climate and other
global change data management working group established under section
203.
(e) National Academy of Sciences Evaluation.--The President shall
enter into an agreement with the National Academy of Sciences under
which the Academy shall--
(1) evaluate the scientific content of the Plan; and
(2) recommend priorities for future global change research.
(f) National Governors Association Evaluation.--The President shall
seek to enter into an agreement with the National Governors Association
Center for Best Practices under which that Center shall--
(1) evaluate the utility to State, local, and regional
decisionmakers of each Plan and of the anticipated and actual
information outputs of the Program for development of policies
to reduce vulnerability to global change; and
(2) recommend priorities for future global change research.
(g) Public Participation.--In developing the Plan, the President
shall consult with academic, State, industry, and environmental groups
and representatives. Not later than 90 days before the President
submits the Plan, or any revision thereof, to the Congress, a summary
of the proposed Plan shall be published in the Federal Register for a
public comment period of not less than 60 days.
SEC. 106. BUDGET COORDINATION.
(a) In General.--The President shall provide general guidance to
each Federal agency participating in the Program with respect to the
preparation of requests for appropriations for activities related to
the Program.
(b) Consideration in President's Budget.--The President shall
submit, at the time of his annual budget request to Congress, a
description of those items in each agency's annual budget which are
elements of the Program.
SEC. 107. VULNERABILITY ASSESSMENT.
Within 1 year after the date of enactment of this Act, and at least
once every 4 years thereafter, the President shall submit to the
Congress an assessment which--
(1) integrates, evaluates, and interprets the findings of
the Program and discusses the scientific uncertainties
associated with such findings;
(2) based on indicators and baselines developed under
section 105(c)(3), as well as other measurements, analyzes
changes to the natural environment, land and water resources,
and biological diversity in--
(A) major geographic regions of the United States;
and
(B) other continents;
(3) analyzes the effects of global change, including the
changes described in paragraph (2), on agriculture, energy
production and use, transportation, human health and welfare,
and human social and economic systems, including providing
information about the differential impacts on specific
geographic regions within the United States, on people of
different income levels within those regions, and for rural and
urban areas within those regions;
(4) analyzes the vulnerability of different geographic
regions of the world to global change, including analyses of
the implications of global change for international assistance,
population displacement, and national security; and
(5) analyzes the adoption rates of policies and
technologies available to reduce the vulnerability of society
to global change with an evaluation of the market and policy
barriers suppressing their adoption in the United States.
SEC. 108. POLICY ASSESSMENT.
Not later than 1 year after the date of enactment of this Act, and
at least once every 3 years thereafter, the President shall submit to
the Congress a policy assessment which--
(1) documents current policy options being utilized by
Federal, State, and local governments to mitigate or adapt to
the effects of global change;
(2) evaluates the realized and anticipated effectiveness of
those current policy options in addressing global change; and
(3) identifies and evaluates additional policy options for
mitigating or adapting to the effects of global change.
SEC. 109. ANNUAL REPORT.
Each year at the time of submission to the Congress of the
President's budget request, the President shall submit to the Congress
a report on the activities conducted pursuant to this title,
including--
(1) a summary of the achievements of the Program during the
period covered by the report;
(2) an analysis of the progress made toward achieving the
goals of the Plan; and
(3) a list of the State, local, and regional decisionmakers
identified as potential users of the information generated
through the Program and a description of the consultations with
this community coordinated through the work of the interagency
committee.
SEC. 110. RELATION TO OTHER AUTHORITIES.
The President shall ensure that relevant research activities of the
National Climate Program, established by the National Climate Program
Act (15 U.S.C. 2901 et seq.), are considered in developing national
global change research efforts.
SEC. 111. REPEAL.
The Global Change Research Act of 1990 (15 U.S.C. 2921 et seq.) is
repealed.
TITLE II--CLIMATE AND OTHER GLOBAL CHANGE DATA MANAGEMENT
SEC. 201. FINDINGS AND PURPOSES.
(a) Findings.--The Congress makes the following findings:
(1) Federal agencies have a primary mission to manage and
archive climate and other global change data obtained through
their research, development, or operational activities.
(2) Maintenance of climate and global change data records
is essential to present and future studies of the Earth's
atmosphere, biogeochemical cycles, and climate.
(3) Federal capabilities for the management and archiving
of these data have not kept pace with advances in satellite and
other observational technologies that have vastly expanded the
type and amount of information that can be collected.
(4) Proposals and plans for expansion of global observing
networks should include plans for the management of data to be
collected and budgets reflecting the cost of support for
management and archiving of data.
(b) Purposes.--The purposes of this title are to establish climate
and other global change data management and archiving as Federal agency
missions, and to establish Federal policies for managing and archiving
climate and other global change data.
SEC. 202. DEFINITIONS.
For purposes of this title--
(1) the term ``metadata'' means information describing the
content, quality, condition, and other characteristics of
climate and other global change data, compiled, to the maximum
extent possible, consistent with the requirements of the
``Content Standard for Digital Geospatial Metadata'' (FGDC-STD-
001-1998) issued by the Federal Geographic Data Committee, or
any successor standard approved by the working group; and
(2) the term ``working group'' means the interagency
climate and other global change data management working group
established under section 203.
SEC. 203. INTERAGENCY CLIMATE AND OTHER GLOBAL CHANGE DATA MANAGEMENT
WORKING GROUP.
(a) Establishment.--The President shall establish an interagency
climate and other global change data management working group to make
recommendations for coordinating Federal climate and other global
change data management and archiving activities.
(b) Membership.--The working group shall include the Administrator
of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, the Administrator
of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the Secretary
of Energy, the Secretary of Defense, the Director of the National
Science Foundation, the Director of the United States Geological
Survey, the Archivist of the United States, the Administrator of the
Environmental Protection Agency, the Secretary of the Smithsonian
Institution, or their designees, and representatives of any other
Federal agencies the President considers appropriate.
(c) Reports.--Not later than 1 year after the date of enactment of
this Act, the working group shall transmit a report to the Congress
containing the elements described in subsection (d). Not later than 3
years after the initial report under this subsection, and not later
than once every 4 years subsequent to that, the working group shall
transmit reports updating the previous report. In preparing reports
under this subsection, the working group shall consult with expected
users of the data collected and archived by the Program.
(d) Contents.--The reports and updates required under subsection
(c) shall--
(1) include recommendations for the establishment,
maintenance, and accessibility of a catalog identifying all
available climate and other global change data sets;
(2) identify climate and other global change data
collections in danger of being lost and recommend actions to
prevent such loss;
(3) identify gaps in climate and other global change data
and recommend actions to fill those gaps;
(4) identify effective and compatible procedures for
climate and other global change data collection, management,
and retention and make recommendations for ensuring their use
by Federal agencies and other appropriate entities;
(5) develop and propose a coordinated strategy for funding
and allocating responsibilities among Federal agencies for
climate and other global change data collection, management,
and retention;
(6) make recommendations for ensuring that particular
attention is paid to the collection, management, and archiving
of metadata;
(7) make recommendations for ensuring a unified and
coordinated Federal capital investment strategy with respect to
climate and other global change data collection, management,
and archiving;
(8) evaluate the data record from each observing system and
make recommendations to ensure that delivered data are free
from time-dependent biases and random errors before they are
transferred to long-term archives; and
(9) evaluate optimal design of observation system
components to ensure a cost-effective, adequate set of
observations detecting and tracking global change.
TITLE III--INTERNATIONAL COOPERATION IN GLOBAL CHANGE RESEARCH
SEC. 301. FINDINGS AND PURPOSES.
(a) Findings.--The Congress makes the following findings:
(1) Pooling of international resources and scientific
capabilities will be essential to a successful international
global change program.
(2) While international scientific planning is already
underway, there is currently no comprehensive intergovernmental
mechanism for planning, coordinating, or implementing research
to understand global change and to mitigate possible adverse
effects.
(3) An international global change research program will be
important in building future consensus on methods for reducing
global environmental degradation.
(4) The United States, as a world leader in environmental
and Earth sciences, should help provide leadership in
developing and implementing an international global change
research program.
(b) Purposes.--The purposes of this title are to--
(1) promote international, intergovernmental cooperation on
global change research;
(2) involve scientists and policymakers from developing
nations in such cooperative global change research programs;
and
(3) promote international efforts to provide technical and
other assistance to developing nations which will facilitate
improvements in their domestic standard of living while
minimizing damage to the global or regional environment.
SEC. 302. INTERNATIONAL DISCUSSIONS.
(a) Global Change Research.--The President shall direct the
Secretary of State to initiate discussions with other nations leading
toward international protocols and other agreements to coordinate
global change research activities. Such discussions should include the
following issues:
(1) Allocation of costs in global change research programs,
especially with respect to major capital projects.
(2) Coordination of global change research plans with those
developed by international organizations such as the
International Council on Scientific Unions, the World
Meteorological Organization, and the United Nations Environment
Program.
(3) Establishment of global change research centers and
training programs for scientists, especially those from
developing nations.
(4) Development of innovative methods for management of
international global change research, including the use of new
or existing intergovernmental organizations for the
coordination or funding of global change research.
(5) Establishment of international offices to disseminate
information useful in identifying, preventing, mitigating, or
adapting to the possible effects of global change.
(b) Energy Research.--The President shall direct the Secretary of
State (in cooperation with the Secretary of Energy, the Secretary of
Commerce, the United States Trade Representative, and other appropriate
Federal agents) to initiate discussions with other nations leading
toward an international research protocol for cooperation on the
development of energy technologies which have minimally adverse effects
on the environment. Such discussions should include the following
issues:
(1) Creation of an international cooperative program to
fund research related to energy efficiency and conservation,
solar and other renewable energy sources, and passively safe
and diversion-resistant nuclear reactors.
(2) Creation of an international cooperative program to
develop low-cost energy technologies which are appropriate to
the environmental, economic, and social needs of developing
nations.
(3) Exchange of information concerning environmentally safe
energy technologies and practices, including those described in
paragraphs (1) and (2).
SEC. 303. GLOBAL CHANGE RESEARCH INFORMATION OFFICE.
The President shall establish an Office of Global Change Research
Information to disseminate to foreign governments, businesses, and
institutions, as well as the citizens of foreign countries, scientific
research and other information available in the United States which
would be useful in preventing, mitigating, or adapting to the effects
of global change.
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