I 

116TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 3110 

To amend the National Security Act of 1947 to establish a Climate Security 

Intelligence Center within the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, and for other purposes. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

JUNE 5, 2019 

Mr. HECK (for himself, Mr. SCHIFF, Mr. WELCH, Mr. HIMES, and Mr. CARSON of Indiana) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 

Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence 

A BILL 

To amend the National Security Act of 1947 to establish 

a Climate Security Intelligence Center within the Office 

of the Director of National Intelligence, 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 ‘‘Climate Security Intel5 ligence Act of 2019’’. 

6 SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 

7 Congress finds the following: 


kjohnson on DSK79L0C42 with BILLS
2 

•HR 3110 IH

1 (1) The evidence for human-induced climate 

2 change is clear and undeniable. 

3 (2) According to the 2019 Worldwide Threat 

4 Assessment of the U.S. Intelligence Community, cli5 mate change will fuel competition for resources, and 

6 cause economic distress and social discontent 

7 through 2019 and beyond. 

8 (3) In 2016, the National Intelligence Council 

9 found that ‘‘climate change and its resulting effects 

10 are likely to pose wide-ranging national security 

11 challenges for the United States and other countries 

12 over the next 20 years.’’. 

13 (4) The intelligence community, the Depart14 ment of Defense, the Department of State, inter15 national organizations, and national security experts 

16 have all concluded that the impacts of climate 

17 change pose a significant risk to the national secu18 rity of the United States. 

19 (5) The impacts of climate change— 

20 (A) threaten the national security infra21 structure of the United States both domestically 

22 and abroad; 

23 (B) negatively impact the readiness and 

24 operations of the Armed Forces; and 


kjohnson on DSK79L0C42 with BILLS
3 

•HR 3110 IH

1 (C) contribute to the conditions that lead 

2 to subnational, national, regional, and global in3 stability. 

4 (6) The intelligence community has previously 

5 analyzed, studied, and engaged in public-private 

6 partnerships to improve understanding about the ef7 fects of climate change on national security, how8 ever, such efforts were undertaken in a sporadic 

9 manner due to inconsistent policy commitment to 

10 such efforts. 

11 (7) The United States needs to be fully pre12 pared to respond to the threats to and harmful im13 pacts on national security from climate change, but 

14 is not at the present time. 

15 SEC. 3. CLIMATE SECURITY INTELLIGENCE CENTER. 

16 (a) ESTABLISHMENT.—Title I of the National Secu17 rity Act of 1947 (50 U.S.C. 3021 et seq.) is amended by 

18 adding at the end the following new section: 

19 ‘‘SEC. 120. CLIMATE SECURITY INTELLIGENCE CENTER. 

20 ‘‘(a) ESTABLISHMENT.—There is within the Office of 

21 the Director of National Intelligence a Climate Security 

22 Intelligence Center. 

23 ‘‘(b) DIRECTOR OF CLIMATE SECURITY INTEL24 LIGENCE CENTER.—There is a Director of the Climate 

25 Security Intelligence Center, who shall be the head of the 


kjohnson on DSK79L0C42 with BILLS
4 

•HR 3110 IH

1 Climate Security Intelligence Center, and who shall be ap2 pointed by the Director of National Intelligence. 

3 ‘‘(c) DUTIES OF CENTER.—The duties of the Climate 

4 Security Intelligence Center shall be as follows: 

5 ‘‘(1) To serve as the primary organization with6 in the intelligence community for— 

7 ‘‘(A) analyzing climate security threats and 

8 the climate influence of the United States; and 

9 ‘‘(B) identifying and disseminating climate 

10 intelligence indications and warnings. 

11 ‘‘(2) To assess and identify best practices in the 

12 analysis of climate security, including identifying 

13 publicly available information and clandestinely col14 lected intelligence that enables such analysis. 

15 ‘‘(3) To assess and identify best practices with 

16 respect to prior efforts of the intelligence community 

17 to analyze climate security, including— 

18 ‘‘(A) the Measurements of Earth Data for 

19 Environmental Analysis program of the Central 

20 Intelligence Agency; 

21 ‘‘(B) the Center on Climate Change and 

22 National Security of the Central Intelligence 

23 Agency; and 

24 ‘‘(C) climate security-related activities of 

25 the Director of National Intelligence. 


kjohnson on DSK79L0C42 with BILLS
5 

•HR 3110 IH

1 ‘‘(4) To use the best practices identified under 

2 paragraphs (2) and (3) to inform the work of the 

3 Climate Security Intelligence Center. 

4 ‘‘(5) To consult, as appropriate, with other ele5 ments of the intelligence community and Federal 

6 agencies to avoid duplication of existing efforts. 

7 ‘‘(6) To perform such other duties as the Direc8 tor of National Intelligence shall specify. 

9 ‘‘(d) REPORT.—Not later than 18 months after the 

10 date of the enactment of the Climate Security Intelligence 

11 Act of 2019, and every two years thereafter, the Climate 

12 Security Intelligence Center shall submit to the congres13 sional intelligence committees and the Director of Na14 tional Intelligence a report on the activities conducted by 

15 the Center for the period covered by the report. 

16 ‘‘(e) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 

17 ‘‘(1) The term ‘climate security’ means the ef18 fects of climate change on the following: 

19 ‘‘(A) The national security of the United 

20 States. 

21 ‘‘(B) Infrastructure that enhances the na22 tional security of the United States, including— 

23 ‘‘(i) military installations, Department 

24 of Defense facilities, intelligence commu25 nity facilities, and other physical facilities 


kjohnson on DSK79L0C42 with BILLS
6 

•HR 3110 IH

1 that contribute to or otherwise support op2 erations of the intelligence community or 

3 the Department of Defense; and 

4 ‘‘(ii) critical infrastructure of the 

5 United States (as defined in subsection (e) 

6 of the Critical Infrastructures Protection 

7 Act of 2001 (42 U.S.C. 5195c(e))). 

8 ‘‘(C) Subnational, national, regional, and 

9 global politics, governance, and political sta10 bility. 

11 ‘‘(D) The security of allies and partners of 

12 the United States. 

13 ‘‘(E) Ongoing or potential political vio14 lence, including unrest, rioting, guerrilla war15 fare, insurgency, terrorism, rebellion, revolution, 

16 civil war, and interstate war. 

17 ‘‘(2) The term ‘climate influence of the United 

18 States’ means the global influence and leadership of 

19 the United States with respect to the climate policies 

20 of other countries, international organizations, and 

21 transnational groups. 

22 ‘‘(3) The term ‘climate intelligence indications 

23 and warnings’ mean climate security developments 

24 with the potential to— 


kjohnson on DSK79L0C42 with BILLS
7 

•HR 3110 IH

1 ‘‘(A) imminently and substantially alter 

2 the political stability or degree of human secu3 rity in a state or region; or 

4 ‘‘(B) threaten the United States, the mili5 tary, political, or economic interests of allies or 

6 coalition partners of the United States, or citi7 zens of the United States abroad.’’. 

8 (b) CONFORMING AMENDMENT.—Section 103(c) of 

9 the National Security Act of 1947 (50 U.S.C. 3025(c)) 

10 is amended— 

11 (1) by redesignating paragraph (14) as para12 graph (15); and 

13 (2) by inserting after paragraph (13) the fol14 lowing new paragraph: 

15 ‘‘(14) The Climate Security Intelligence Cen16 ter.’’. 

17 (c) CLERICAL AMENDMENT.—The table of contents 

18 for the National Security Act of 1947 is amended by in19 serting after the item relating to section 119B the fol20 lowing new item: 

‘‘Sec. 120. Climate Security Intelligence Center.’’. 

21 (d) EFFECTIVE DATE.—The amendments made by 

22 this section shall take effect 180 days after the date of 

23 the enactment of this Act. 

Æ 


kjohnson on DSK79L0C42 with BILLS