Comparison of Climate Change Adaptation Provisions in S. 1733 and H.R. 2454: R40911.

This report summarizes and compares climate change adaptation-related provisions in the American Clean Energy and Security Act of 2009 (H.R. 2454) and the Clean Energy, Jobs, and Power Act (S. 1733). H.R. 2454 was introduced by Representatives Waxman and Markey and passed the House on June 26, 2009. S. 1733 was introduced to the Senate by Senators Boxer and Kerry and, after subsequent revisions made in the form of a manager’s substitution amendment, was reported out of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee on November 5, 2009. Adaptation measures aim to improve an individual’s or institution’s ability to cope with or avoid harmful impacts of climate change, and to take advantage of potential beneficial ones. Both H.R. 2454 and S. 1733 include adaptation provisions that (1) seek to better assess the impacts of climate change and variability that are occurring now and in the future; and (2) support adaptation activities related to climate change, both domestically and internationally. Overall, while the two bills would authorize similar adaptation programs, they differ somewhat in scope and emphasis, and they also differ in the distribution of emission allowance allocations over time. Both bills contain provisions that address international climate change adaptation; domestic climate change adaptation programs, including the U.S. Global Change Research Program (USGCRP), the National Climate Service, and state and tribal programs; public health; and natural resources adaptation. S. 1733 includes five additional provisions not provided for in the House bill that deal with drinking water utilities; water system mitigation and adaptation partnerships; flood control, protection, prevention, and response; wildfire; and coastal Great Lakes states’ adaptation. Neither the Senate-reported bill (S. 1733) nor the House-passed bill (H.R. 2454) contains a process at the federal level for developing and implementing a national strategic plan to address the full range of sectors expected to be affected by climate change. Neither bill includes provisions that explicitly address adaptation in major sectors such as transportation and energy infrastructure, or agriculture. Another difference between S. 1733 and H.R. 2454 is the distribution of allowance allocations over time, and the subsequent availability of the amounts credited to certain funds. The relative distribution of allowances to adaptation-related activities is slightly higher in the House bill than in the Senate bill, and the difference increases over time, but the actual amounts of revenue generated would be contingent on the number and price of emission allowances. The Senate bill provides that funds for many adaptation-related provisions, such as for natural resources and public health, are made available “without further appropriations.” In contrast, the analogous provisions in the House bill provide that the funds would become available only by subsequent appropriations. A side-by-side table is included in an appendix to the report that compares adaptation-related provisions in H.R. 2454 and S. 1733. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]