116TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 9 

AN ACT 

To direct the President to develop a plan for the United 

States to meet its nationally determined contribution 

under the Paris Agreement, 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, 
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1 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

2 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Climate Action Now 

3 Act’’. 

4 SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 

5 Congress finds the following: 

6 (1) In Paris, on December 12, 2015, parties to 

7 the United Nations Framework Convention on Cli8 mate Change (UNFCCC) reached a landmark agree9 ment to combat climate change and to accelerate 

10 and intensify the actions and investments needed for 

11 a sustainable low carbon future. 

12 (2) The Paris Agreement’s central aim is to 

13 strengthen the global response to the threat of cli14 mate change by keeping a global temperature rise 

15 well below 2 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial lev16 els and to pursue efforts to limit the temperature in17 crease even further to 1.5 degrees Celsius. 

18 (3) The Paris Agreement specifies the need for 

19 a strong global response to climate change and when 

20 taking action, the need to respect, promote, and 

21 safeguard the right to health now and for future 

22 generations. 

23 (4) The Paris Agreement acknowledges that all 

24 ‘‘Parties should, when taking action to address cli25 mate change, respect, promote and consider their re26 spective obligations on human rights, the right to 
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1 health, the rights of indigenous peoples, local com2 munities, migrants, children, persons with disabil3 ities and people in vulnerable situations and the 

4 right to development, as well as gender equality, em5 powerment of women and intergenerational equity’’. 

6 (5) The Paris Agreement notes the importance 

7 of ‘‘climate justice’’ when mitigating and adapting to 

8 climate change and recognizes ‘‘the need for an ef9 fective and progressive response to the urgent threat 

10 of climate change’’. 

11 (6) The Paris Agreement requires all parties to 

12 put forward their best efforts through nationally de13 termined contributions (NDCs) and to strengthen 

14 these efforts in the years ahead. 

15 (7) The Paris Agreement further requires each 

16 party to update its nationally determined contribu17 tion every 5 years, with each successive nationally 

18 determined contribution representing a progression 

19 beyond the previous nationally determined contribu20 tion, and reflecting the party’s highest possible am21 bition. 

22 (8) The Paris Agreement recognizes that the 

23 ocean ecosystems covering more than 70 percent of 

24 the Earth’s surface have an integral role in climate 

25 balance. Seventy percent of nationally determined 
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1 contributions under the Paris Agreement are ocean2 inclusive, and 39 Paris Agreement signatories are 

3 focused on the inclusion of ocean action in nationally 

4 determined contributions through the Because the 

5 Ocean Initiative. 

6 (9) The United States communicated its nation7 ally determined contribution to achieve an economy8 wide target of reducing its greenhouse gas emissions 

9 by 26 to 28 percent below its 2005 level in 2025 and 

10 to make best efforts to reduce its emissions by 28 

11 percent. 

12 (10) A number of existing laws, regulations, 

13 and other mandatory measures in the United States 

14 are relevant to achieving this target, including the 

15 Clean Air Act (42 U.S.C. 7401 et seq.), the Energy 

16 Policy Act of 1992 (Public Law 102–486), and the 

17 Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 

18 (Public Law 110–140). 

19 (11) Essential in achieving this target is a 

20 thriving clean energy industry in the United States, 

21 which currently employs over 500,000 Americans. 

22 (12) On June 1, 2017, President Trump an23 nounced his intention to withdraw the United States 

24 from the Paris Agreement, which would leave the 
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1 United States as the only UNFCCC member state 

2 that is not a signatory to the Paris Agreement. 

3 (13) Article 8 of the Paris Agreement notes 

4 Parties recognize the importance of averting, mini5 mizing and addressing loss and damage associated 

6 with the adverse effects of climate change, including 

7 extreme weather events and slow onset events, and 

8 the role of sustainable development in reducing the 

9 risk of loss and damage such as strong winds from 

10 hurricanes and tropical storms, and flooding from 

11 storm surges and heavy rain, that inflict losses on 

12 various sectors of the United States economy. 

13 (14) Under the terms of the Paris Agreement, 

14 the earliest possible effective withdrawal date by the 

15 United States is November 4, 2020. However, the 

16 United States is still obligated to maintain certain 

17 commitments under the Paris Agreement, such as 

18 continuing to report its emissions to the United Na19 tions. 

20 (15) The Paris Agreement further requires that 

21 parties ‘‘should strengthen their cooperation on en22 hancing action on adaptation, taking into account 

23 the Cancun Adaptation Framework’’, which includes 

24 ‘‘measures to enhance understanding, coordination 

25 and cooperation with regard to climate change in-
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1 duced displacement, migration and planned reloca2 tion, where appropriate, at the national, regional 

3 and international levels’’. 

4 (16) Article 8 of the Paris Agreement states 

5 that ‘‘Parties recognize the importance of averting, 

6 minimizing and addressing loss and damage associ7 ated with the adverse effects of climate change, in8 cluding extreme weather events and slow onset 

9 events’’, such as sea level rise, saltwater intrusion, 

10 and flooding. 

11 (17) The Paris Agreement is an example of 

12 multilateral, international cooperation needed to 

13 overcome challenges facing the international commu14 nity, such as reducing emissions, promoting eco15 nomic growth, and deploying clean energy tech16 nologies. 

17 (18) The Paris Agreement recognizes ‘‘the fun18 damental priority of safeguarding food security and 

19 ending hunger, and the particular vulnerabilities of 

20 food production systems to the adverse impacts of 

21 climate change.’’. 

22 (19) The Paris Agreement recognizes that ad23 aptation is a global challenge faced by all with local, 

24 subnational, national, regional and international di25 mensions, and that it is a key component of and 
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1 makes a contribution to the long-term global re2 sponse to climate change to protect people, liveli3 hoods, and ecosystems. 

4 (20) American leadership encouraged wide5 spread international participation in the Paris 

6 Agreement. 

7 (21) American cities, States, and businesses are 

8 stepping up and pledging to meet the Paris Agree9 ment goals in the wake of absent and uncertain 

10 United States Federal leadership. 

11 (22) Article 8 of the Paris Agreement states 

12 that ‘‘Parties recognize the importance of averting, 

13 minimizing and addressing loss and damage associ14 ated with the adverse effects of climate change, in15 cluding extreme weather events and slow onset 

16 events’’ such as drought conditions and water scar17 city. 

18 (23) The Paris Agreement has driven innova19 tion in developing cleaner, more reliable, and more 

20 affordable forms of energy, demonstrating that ad21 dressing climate change and providing affordable en22 ergy to American consumers are not mutually exclu23 sive. The Paris Agreement encouraged the United 

24 States to develop a Mid-Century Strategy for Deep 

25 Decarbonization, which was submitted on November 
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1 16, 2016. The Mid-Century Strategy for Deep 

2 Decarbonization stated that ‘‘energy efficiency im3 provements enable the energy system to provide the 

4 services we need with fewer resources and emissions. 

5 Over the past several years, the United States has 

6 demonstrated that programs and standards to im7 prove the energy efficiency of buildings, appliances 

8 and vehicles can cost-effectively cut carbon pollution 

9 and lower energy bills, while maintaining significant 

10 support from U.S. industry and consumers.’’. 

11 (24) In its nationally determined contribution, 

12 the United States notes that pursuant to Executive 

13 Order No. 13693 (2015), the Federal Government 

14 has committed to reduce emissions 40 percent below 

15 2005 levels by 2025, and reaffirmed the Department 

16 of Defense’s goal to procure renewable energy across 

17 military installations and operations ‘‘to drive na18 tional greenhouse gas reductions and support prep19 arations for the impacts of climate change’’. 

20 (25) Article 10 of the Paris Agreement states 

21 that ‘‘Parties, noting the importance of technology 

22 for the implementation of mitigation and adaptation 

23 actions under this Agreement and recognizing exist24 ing technology deployment and dissemination efforts, 
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1 shall strengthen cooperative action on technology de2 velopment and transfer.’’. 

3 SEC. 3. PROHIBITION ON USE OF FUNDS TO ADVANCE THE 

4 WITHDRAWAL OF THE UNITED STATES FROM 

5 THE PARIS AGREEMENT. 

6 Notwithstanding any other provision of law, no funds 

7 are authorized to be appropriated, obligated, or expended 

8 to take any action to advance the withdrawal of the United 

9 States from the Paris Agreement. 

10 SEC. 4. PLAN FOR THE UNITED STATES TO MEET ITS NA11 TIONALLY DETERMINED CONTRIBUTION 

12 UNDER THE PARIS AGREEMENT. 

13 (a) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 120 days after the 

14 date of the enactment of this Act, the President shall de15 velop and submit to the appropriate congressional commit16 tees and make available to the public a plan for the United 

17 States to meet its nationally determined contribution 

18 under the Paris Agreement that describes— 

19 (1) how the United States will achieve an econ20 omy-wide target of reducing its greenhouse gas 

21 emissions by 26 to 28 percent below its 2005 level 

22 by 2025; 

23 (2) how the United States will use the Paris 

24 Agreement’s transparency provisions to confirm that 

25 other parties to the Agreement with major econo-
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1 mies are fulfilling their announced contributions to 

2 the Agreement; 

3 (3) how the United States may use multilateral 

4 and bilateral diplomatic tools, in addition to the ex5 pert committee established under Article 15 of the 

6 Paris Agreement, to encourage and assist other par7 ties to the Agreement to fulfill their announced con8 tributions; 

9 (4) how the Paris Agreement’s loss and damage 

10 provisions would affect infrastructure resiliency in 

11 the United States; and 

12 (5) how the plan takes into consideration popu13 lations, regions, industries, and constituencies that 

14 could be affected by nationally determined contribu15 tion under the Paris Agreement, and the failure to 

16 meet such contribution, including but not limited 

17 to— 

18 (A) American jobs, wage, and pay; 

19 (B) the cost of energy, such as electricity 

20 and gasoline, for consumers; and 

21 (C) the ability to develop and deploy new, 

22 innovative, domestically-produced technologies. 

23 (b) UPDATES TO PLAN.—Not later than 1 year after 

24 the date of the enactment of this Act, and annually there25 after, the President shall submit to the appropriate con-
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1 gressional committees and make available to the public an 

2 updated plan under subsection (a). 

3 (c) EDUCATION AND PUBLIC AWARENESS.— 

4 (1) IN GENERAL.—The plan under this section 

5 shall be consistent with Article 12 of the Paris 

6 Agreement, which states ‘‘Parties shall cooperate in 

7 taking measures, as appropriate, to enhance climate 

8 change education, training, public awareness, public 

9 participation and public access to information, rec10 ognizing the importance of these steps with respect 

11 to enhancing actions under this Agreement.’’. 

12 (2) RULE OF CONSTRUCTION.—Nothing in this 

13 Act may be construed to require or prohibit the 

14 President from including in the plan under this sec15 tion, consistent with the prohibition described in sec16 tion 438 of the General Education Provisions Act 

17 (20 U.S.C. 1232a), recommendations to support 

18 State and local educational agencies, in integrating 

19 instruction on human-caused climate change and the 

20 societal, environmental, and economic effects of such 

21 climate change into curricula taught in elementary 

22 and secondary schools under the control of such 

23 State and local educational agencies, in order to 

24 meet the goals and ambitions of the Paris Agree-
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1 ment to ensure climate education and awareness in 

2 schools. 

3 (d) APPROPRIATE CONGRESSIONAL COMMITTEES

4 DEFINED.—In this section, the term ‘‘appropriate con5 gressional committees’’ means— 

6 (1) the Committee on Foreign Affairs and the 

7 Committee on Energy and Commerce of the House 

8 of Representatives; and 

9 (2) the Committee on Foreign Relations, the 

10 Committee on Environment and Public Works, and 

11 the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources of 

12 the Senate. 

13 (e) STATE AND LOCAL ACTIONS.—Nothing in this 

14 Act shall be construed to prohibit States and cities from 

15 taking more ambitious actions to reduce greenhouse gas 

16 emissions than the actions described in the plan developed 

17 and updated under this section. 

18 (f) PUBLIC COMMENT.—The President shall— 

19 (1) in making the plan under subsection (a), 

20 and updates under subsection (b), available to the 

21 public, and before submitting such plan and updates 

22 to the appropriate congressional committees— 

23 (A) publish the plan or update, as applica24 ble, in the Federal Register; and 
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1 (B) provide a period of at least 90 days for 

2 public comment; and 

3 (2) after each such period for public comment, 

4 continue to make the proposed plan or update, as 

5 well as the comments received, available to the pub6 lic on regulations.gov (or any successor website). 

7 (g) TECHNOLOGY NEUTRAL.—Nothing in this Act 

8 may be construed to require or prohibit the inclusion of 

9 a specific energy technology or technologies in the plan 

10 required by this section. 

11 (h) RULE OF CONSTRUCTION.—Nothing in this sec12 tion may be construed to require or prohibit the President 

13 from including or considering voluntary agricultural prac14 tices to be undertaken by farmers and ranchers, thereby 

15 contributing to the development of soil organic matter, in16 creasing carbon sequestration, reducing greenhouse gas 

17 emissions, and contributing to meeting the goals and am18 bitions of the Paris Agreement. 

19 SEC. 5. REPORT. 

20 Not later than 6 months after the date of the enact21 ment of this Act, the President shall produce a report that 

22 examines the effect of the Paris Agreement on clean en23 ergy job development in rural communities. 
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1 SEC. 6. REPORT. 

2 Not later than 6 months after the date of the enact3 ment of this Act, the President shall enter into a contract 

4 with the National Academy of Sciences to produce a report 

5 that examines the potential impacts of a withdrawal by 

6 the United States from the Paris Agreement on the global 

7 economic competitiveness of the United States economy 

8 and on workers in the United States. 

9 SEC. 7. PARIS AGREEMENT DEFINED. 

10 In this Act, the term ‘‘Paris Agreement’’ means the 

11 decision by the United Nations Framework Convention on 

12 Climate Change’s 21st Conference of Parties in Paris, 

13 France, adopted December 12, 2015. 

14 SEC. 8. STUDY AND REPORT. 

15 Not later than 1 year after the date of enactment 

16 of this Act, the Comptroller General of the United States 

17 shall complete a study and submit a report to the Con18 gress on the impact of the plan under subsection (a) on 

19 the United States territories, including the potential posi20 tive and negative impacts on their economies, taking into 

21 consideration their unique energy needs and systems and 
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1 the climate change vulnerabilities faced by communities in 

2 these jurisdictions. 

Passed the House of Representatives May 2, 2019. 

Attest: 

Clerk. 
116TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 9 

AN ACT 

To direct the President to develop a plan for the 

other purposes. contribution under the Paris Agreement, and for United States to meet its nationally determined