II 

112TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION S. 2515 

To promote the use of clean cookstoves and fuels to save lives, improve 

livelihoods, empower women, and combat harmful pollution by creating 

a thriving global market for clean and efficient household cooking solutions. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

MAY 7, 2012 

Ms. COLLINS (for herself and Mr. DURBIN) introduced the following bill; 

which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations 

A BILL 

To promote the use of clean cookstoves and fuels to save 

lives, improve livelihoods, empower women, and combat 

harmful pollution by creating a thriving global market 

for clean and efficient household cooking solutions. 

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 ‘‘Clean Cookstoves Sup5 port Act of 2012’’. 

6 SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 

7 Congress makes the following findings: 


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1 (1) Nearly half the world’s population cooks 

2 their food over open fires or inefficient, polluting, 

3 and unsafe cookstoves using firewood, dung, or coal. 

4 Smoke from the use of these traditional cookstoves 

5 and open fires is associated with a number of chron6 ic and acute diseases, including respiratory illnesses 

7 such as pneumonia, heart disease, and cancer, with 

8 women and young children affected disproportion9 ately. 

10 (2) It is estimated that smoke from cooking 

11 fuels accounts for nearly 2,000,000 deaths annually 

12 in the developing world, which is more than the 

13 deaths from malaria, tuberculosis, or HIV. Millions 

14 more are sickened from the toxic smoke and thou15 sands suffer burns annually from open fires or un16 safe cookstoves. 

17 (3) The amount of biomass cooking fuel re18 quired each year can reach up to 2 tons per family. 

19 Where demand for local biomass outstrips the nat20 ural regrowth of resources, local environmental prob21 lems can result. 

22 (4) Tremendous amounts of time—a burden 

23 shouldered disproportionately by women and chil24 dren—is spent collecting and managing biomass 

25 cooking fuel resources. 


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1 (5) As nearby fuel supplies dwindle, women are 

2 forced to go farther to find fuel to cook their fami3 lies’ meals. In some regions, women and girls risk 

4 rape and other forms of gender-based violence dur5 ing the up to 20 hours per week they spend away 

6 from their communities gathering firewood. 

7 (6) Recent studies show that black carbon cre8 ated from biomass cookstoves significantly contrib9 utes to regional air pollution and climate change. 

10 Black carbon emissions from residential cookstoves 

11 in developing countries account for an estimated 21 

12 percent of total global inventory, and mitigation in 

13 this sector represents a large potential public health 

14 benefit. 

15 (7) The Global Alliance for Clean Cookstoves is 

16 an innovative public-private partnership led by the 

17 United Nations Foundation that was created to en18 able the adoption of clean and efficient stoves in 

19 100,000,000 homes by 2020. The Alliance intends to 

20 work with public, private, and non-profit partners to 

21 raise $250,000,000 towards overcoming market bar22 riers that currently impede the production, deploy23 ment, and use of clean cookstoves in the developing 

24 world. 


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1 (8) The United States Government has com2 mitted a total of up to $105,000,000 over the first 

3 five years of the Alliance to help it achieve its goal 

4 of spurring the adoption of clean cookstoves in 

5 100,000,000 households by 2020, as follows: 

6 (A) The Department of State and the 

7 United States Agency for International Devel8 opment will commit $11,570,000 to promote 

9 the adoption of clean cookstoves, encourage for10 eign government support, and further economic 

11 opportunities for women. 

12 (B) The Department of Energy will com13 mit $12,500,000 for applied research to ad14 vance clean cookstove technologies and designs. 

15 (C) The Department of Health and 

16 Human Services will commit $24,700,000 

17 through the National Institutes of Health and 

18 $2,180,000 through the Centers for Disease 

19 Control and Prevention for health research and 

20 implementation evaluation. 

21 (D) The Environmental Protection Agency 

22 will commit $6,000,000 to enhance stove testing 

23 and evaluation, cookstove design innovation, 

24 and the assessment of health benefits. 


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1 (E) The Overseas Private Investment Cor2 poration will commit up to $50,000,000 for 

3 debt financing or insurance for projects that 

4 provide access to clean, consistent, and afford5 able energy through the promotion of clean 

6 cookstoves. 

7 SEC. 3. ADVANCEMENT OF GLOBAL ALLIANCE FOR CLEAN 

8 COOKSTOVES GOALS. 

9 The Secretary of State, in consultation with the Ad10 ministrator of the Environmental Protection Agency, the 

11 Secretary of Energy, the Secretary of Health and Human 

12 Services, the Administrator of the United States Agency 

13 for International Development, and the heads of other rel14 evant Federal agencies, and in coordination with relevant 

15 international nongovernmental organizations and private 

16 and governmental entities, shall work to advance the goals 

17 and work of the Global Alliance for Clean Cookstoves, in18 cluding through— 

19 (1) applied research and development to im20 prove design, lower costs, promote technology adop21 tion, conduct health research and evaluation, and de22 velop global industry standards and testing protocols 

23 for cookstoves; 

24 (2) diplomatic engagement to encourage a com25 mercial market for clean stoves and fuels, reduce 


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1 trade barriers, promote consumer awareness, im2 prove access to large-scale carbon financing, and fos3 ter women-owned businesses along the entire busi4 ness chain; 

5 (3) international development projects to help 

6 build commercial businesses to manufacture, market, 

7 distribute, sell, and service clean stoves and fuels; 

8 (4) development efforts related to refugee 

9 camps, disaster relief, and long-term programs 

10 aimed at assisting women and girls; and 

11 (5) financing or insurance to support projects 

12 that provide access to clean, affordable energy and 

13 energy savings through the manufacture, sale, and 

14 purchase of cookstoves. 

15 SEC. 4. AUTHORIZATIONS OF APPROPRIATIONS. 

16 (a) DEPARTMENT OF STATE AND UNITED STATES

17 AGENCY FOR INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT.—There is 

18 authorized to be appropriated out of funds available to the 

19 Department of State and the United States Agency for 

20 International Development not less than $11,570,000 for 

21 fiscal years 2013 through 2017 to work with the Global 

22 Alliance for Clean Cookstoves and foreign governments— 

23 (1) to address the harmful effects of smoke ex24 posure from traditional cookstoves; 


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1 (2) to support applied and operational research 

2 into how people use improved stove technology, and 

3 how indoor air quality and sanitation interventions 

4 can improve household environments and promote 

5 economic opportunities for women; and 

6 (3) to carry out other activities under this Act. 

7 (b) DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY.—There is authorized 

8 to be appropriated to the Secretary of Energy out of avail9 able funds not less than $12,500,000 for fiscal years 2013 

10 through 2017 to work with the Global Alliance for Clean 

11 Cookstoves to conduct research aimed at addressing the 

12 technical barriers to the development of low-emission, 

13 high-efficiency cookstoves through activities in areas such 

14 as combustion, heat transfer, and materials development, 

15 and to carry out other activities under this Act. 

16 (c) NATIONAL INSTITUTES OF HEALTH.—There is 

17 authorized to be appropriated to the Secretary of Health 

18 and Human Services out of available funds not less than 

19 $24,700,000 for fiscal years 2013 through 2017 for the 

20 National Institutes of Health to work with the Global Alli21 ance for Clean Cookstoves— 

22 (1) to support ongoing research and research 

23 training projects, including— 


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1 (A) studies on the cookstove-related effects 

2 of cookstoves smoke on pulmonary, cancer, and 

3 cardiac diseases; 

4 (B) studies on the relationship between in5 door air pollution and low-birth weight; and 

6 (C) studies on the most effective ways to 

7 introduce and educate users on safety and the 

8 proper use of cookstoves; 

9 (2) to support efforts to develop improved 

10 measuring devices, expand epidemiologic studies, 

11 and conduct clinical trials; 

12 (3) to support training programs designed to 

13 help prepare scientists in low- and middle-income 

14 countries to engage in related research and evalua15 tion activities; and 

16 (4) to carry out other activities under this Act. 

17 (d) CENTERS FOR DISEASE CONTROL AND PREVEN18 TION.—There is authorized to be appropriated to the Sec19 retary of Health and Human Services out of available 

20 funds not less than $2,180,000 for fiscal years 2013 

21 through 2017 for the Centers for Disease Control and 

22 Prevention to work with the Global Alliance for Clean 

23 Cookstoves— 

24 (1) to demonstrate the health benefits of imple25 menting clean cookstove programs; 


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1 (2) to promote a better understanding of the re2 lationship between human exposures and health out3 comes; 

4 (3) to integrate clean cookstoves and fuels im5 plementation with other public health programs; 

6 (4) to evaluate cookstove program implementa7 tion; and 

8 (5) to carry out other activities under this Act. 

9 (e) ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY.—There 

10 is authorized to be appropriated to the Administrator of 

11 the Environmental Protection Agency out of available 

12 funds not less than $6,000,000 for fiscal years 2013 

13 through 2017 to work with the Global Alliance for Clean 

14 Cookstoves— 

15 (1) to conduct stove testing and evaluation in 

16 both the lab and the field; 

17 (2) to promote cookstove design innovations, 

18 possibly including a design competition and prize; 

19 (3) to perform assessments focused on health 

20 and exposure benefits of clean cookstoves and fuels; 

21 (4) to use the expertise, lessons learned, and 

22 network developed in launching and leading the 

23 Partnership for Clean Indoor Air to help the Alli24 ance meet its 2020 goal; and 


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1 (5) to carry out other activities under this Act. 

Æ 


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