I 

115TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 4586 

To provide for the National Academies to study and report on a research 

agenda to advance the understanding of albedo modification strategies, 

and for other purposes. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

DECEMBER 7, 2017 

Mr. MCNERNEY (for himself and Ms. EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON of Texas) 

introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on 

Science, Space, and Technology 

A BILL 

To provide for the National Academies to study and report 

on a research agenda to advance the understanding of 

albedo modification strategies, and for other purposes. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Geoengineering Re5 search Evaluation Act of 2017’’. 

6 SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 

7 Congress finds the following: 

8 (1) Many significant scientific studies have con9 cluded that the climate is changing. The Fifth AsVerDate Sep 11 2014 03:30 Dec 13, 2017 Jkt 079200 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H4586.IH H4586

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1 sessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on 

2 Climate Change found that even under the most 

3 stringent carbon constrained scenario, mean global 

4 surface temperature will still increase. 

5 (2) If unmitigated, continued rises in tempera6 ture will have severe impacts on human health, the 

7 global economy, and United States national security, 

8 damaging both earth and human systems. 

9 (3) Cutting carbon pollution is still the best 

10 way to mitigate climate change because it prevents 

11 further global temperature rise, whereas climate 

12 intervention is a higher risk reaction to already ele13 vated greenhouse gas levels. 

14 (4) However, the United States and other na15 tions may also need to consider climate intervention 

16 strategies, beginning with carbon dioxide removal 

17 and sequestration, including biological sequestration, 

18 and potentially extending to albedo modification. 

19 (5) In 2015, the National Academies published 

20 two reports that outline the research needs and eth21 ical questions for climate intervention, addressing 

22 carbon dioxide removal and sequestration and albedo 

23 modification. These reports found that currently 

24 there is insufficient information to effectively evaluVerDate Sep 11 2014 03:30 Dec 13, 2017 Jkt 079200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H4586.IH H4586

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1 ate, let alone deploy, strategies for large-scale cli2 mate interventions. 

3 (6) Many carbon dioxide removal options are 

4 relatively low risk and effective, but they are cur5 rently limited by cost and lack of technical maturity, 

6 and some may have significant local environmental 

7 impacts. Albedo modification shows evidence of 

8 being temporarily effective at cooling the planet, but 

9 at a currently unknown cost to and impact on the 

10 environment. 

11 (7) The Academies’ reports recommended in12 vesting in the research and development of methods 

13 of carbon dioxide removal and disposal at scales that 

14 would impact the climate. They also recommended 

15 the development and implementation of a dedicated 

16 albedo modification research program that furthers 

17 basic climate science, understanding of human inter18 action with the climate system, and improved detec19 tion of changes in radiative forcing. 

20 (8) The Academies further recommended the 

21 development of a clear framework for governance of 

22 albedo modification research that would adjust gov23 ernance of specified types of research according to 

24 the magnitude and nature of a project’s expected 

25 impact on radiative forcing and climate. Such a 


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1 structure should ensure transparency in the research 

2 process, extend governance requirements beyond 

3 those of general research, and engage civil society 

4 and other nontraditional stakeholders in decision5 making. Large, high-risk projects should not be im6 plemented without thorough consideration of the 

7 outcomes of smaller-scale, low-risk projects. 

8 SEC. 3. NATIONAL ACADEMIES REPORTS. 

9 (a) PHASE I REPORT; RESEARCH STRATEGY FOR AL10 BEDO MODIFICATION.— 

11 (1) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 3 months 

12 after the date of enactment of this Act, the Sec13 retary of Energy, in consultation with the Adminis14 trator of the National Oceanographic and Atmos15 pheric Administration, the Administrator of the Na16 tional Aeronautics and Space Administration, the 

17 Director of the National Science Foundation, the Di18 rector of the National Institute of Standards and 

19 Technology, and other Federal agencies as appro20 priate, shall contract with the National Academies to 

21 conduct a study and develop a report recommending 

22 a research agenda for advancing understanding of 

23 albedo modification strategies that involve atmos24 pheric interventions, including marine cloud brightVerDate Sep 11 2014 03:30 Dec 13, 2017 Jkt 079200 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H4586.IH H4586

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1 ening, stratospheric aerosol albedo modification, and 

2 cirrus cloud modification. 

3 (2) REPORT CONTENT.—The report described 

4 in paragraph (1) shall, at a minimum— 

5 (A) identify priorities for laboratory stud6 ies, model development and experiments, com7 puting capabilities, process-based studies, small8 scale field experiments, engineering studies, and 

9 long-term, large-scale observations, including 

10 space-based observations; 

11 (B) provide guidance on how to define field 

12 experimentation that has a ‘‘de minimis’’ im13 pact; and 

14 (C) identify, where relevant, how the rec15 ommended research efforts would provide bene16 fits in advancing other areas of science. 

17 (3) TIMELINE.—The Secretary of Energy shall 

18 encourage the National Academies, to the extent 

19 practicable, to complete the Phase I report no later 

20 than 9 months after the date of the execution of the 

21 contract described in paragraph (1). 

22 (b) PHASE II REPORT; FRAMEWORK FOR RESEARCH

23 GOVERNANCE.— 

24 (1) IN GENERAL.—No more than 30 days after 

25 completion of the Phase I report described in subVerDate Sep 11 2014 03:30 Dec 13, 2017 Jkt 079200 PO 00000 Frm 00005 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H4586.IH H4586

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1 section (a), the Secretary of Energy, in consultation 

2 with appropriate Federal agencies, shall contract 

3 with the National Academies to conduct a study and 

4 develop a report that provides specific guidance on 

5 governance mechanisms for the proposed albedo 

6 modification research agenda developed in Phase I. 

7 The proposed research governance approaches 

8 should seek to maximize the benefits of research 

9 while minimizing risks. 

10 (2) REPORT CONTENT.—The report described 

11 in paragraph (1) shall, at a minimum— 

12 (A) take into account legal, ethical, social, 

13 political, economic, and other potentially impor14 tant ramifications of albedo modification re15 search; 

16 (B) examine what types of research gov17 ernance, beyond those that already exist, may 

18 be needed for albedo modification research; and 

19 (C) identify the types of research that 

20 would require such governance, potentially 

21 based on the magnitude of their expected im22 pact on radiative forcing, their potential for 

23 detrimental direct and indirect effects, and 

24 other considerations. 


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1 (3) TIMELINE.—The Secretary of Energy shall 

2 encourage the National Academies, to the extent 

3 practicable, to complete the Phase II report no later 

4 than 9 months after the date of the execution of the 

5 contract described in paragraph (1). 

6 (4) ADDITIONAL CONSIDERATIONS.— 

7 (A) LIMITATION.—The report described in 

8 this subsection shall not address governance for 

9 deployment of albedo modification. 

10 (B) INPUT.—The Secretary of Energy 

11 shall ensure that the process for the develop12 ment of the report described in this subsection 

13 includes input from civil society organizations 

14 and other relevant stakeholders. 

15 SEC. 4. IMPLEMENTATION PLAN. 

16 Not later than 90 days after completion of the Phase 

17 II report described in section 3(b), the Director of the Of18 fice of Science and Technology Policy, in coordination with 

19 all relevant Federal agencies, shall submit to Congress an 

20 implementation plan for geoengineering research and re21 search governance. In preparing such implementation 

22 plan, the Director shall take into consideration the rec23 ommendations included in the Phase II report and in the 

24 Phase I report described in section 3(a). 


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1 SEC. 5. DEFINITION. 

2 In this Act, the term ‘‘National Academies’’ means 

3 the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and 

4 Medicine. 

Æ 


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