I 

116TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 4143 

To establish a task force to review policies and measures to promote, and 

to develop best practices for, reduction of short-lived climate pollutants, 

and for other purposes. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

AUGUST 2, 2019 

Mr. PETERS (for himself and Mr. GAETZ) introduced the following bill; which 

was referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, and in addition 

to the Committees on Foreign Affairs, and Financial Services, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned 

A BILL 

To establish a task force to review policies and measures 

to promote, and to develop best practices for, reduction 

of short-lived climate pollutants, 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 ‘‘Super Pollutants Act 

5 of 2019’’. 

6 SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 

7 Congress finds that— 


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1 (1) short-lived climate pollutants account for 40 

2 percent of near-term global warming impacting the 

3 atmosphere, even though those pollutants account 

4 for a much smaller percentage of warming agents by 

5 weight; 

6 (2) reducing short-lived climate pollutant emis7 sions could— 

8 (A) cut the rate of sea-level rise by 25 per9 cent, according to the National Center for At10 mospheric Research and the Scripps Institution 

11 of Oceanography; and 

12 (B) according to the United Nations Envi13 ronment Programme— 

14 (i) prevent more than 2,000,000 pre15 mature deaths each year; 

16 (ii) prevent more than 30,000,000 

17 tons of crop losses each year; 

18 (iii) cut the rate of warming by up to 

19 0.6 degrees Celsius by 2050; and 

20 (iv) significantly contribute toward the 

21 overall global target of holding increased 

22 warming below 1.5 degrees Celsius; 

23 (3) the United States— 

24 (A) is one of the largest consumers of hy25 drofluorocarbons in the world; 


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1 (B) provides significant innovation in the 

2 development and commercialization of low-glob3 al warming potential alternatives that are al4 ready penetrating markets worldwide; and 

5 (C) could serve as a leader and exemplar 

6 of responsibly phasing down hydrofluorocarbon 

7 production and consumption, with strong sup8 port from industries that formerly used hydro9 fluorocarbons but are transitioning quickly to 

10 lower-global warming potential alternatives; 

11 (4) the Montreal Protocol on Substances that 

12 Deplete the Ozone Layer has been an extraordinarily 

13 successful model for— 

14 (A) protecting the stratospheric ozone 

15 layer; and 

16 (B) achieving significant climate protection 

17 cobenefits; 

18 (5) since the Montreal Protocol was signed in 

19 1987, there has been an elimination of more than 95 

20 percent of ozone-depleting substances; 

21 (6) on full implementation of the Montreal Pro22 tocol, the ozone layer should return to pre-1980 lev23 els by 2050; and 

24 (7) the Interagency Strategy to Reduce Meth25 ane Emissions, released in March 2014, outlines a 


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1 proactive agenda for reducing methane leakage and 

2 waste throughout the United States economy. 

3 SEC. 3. DEFINITIONS. 

4 In this Act: 

5 (1) ADMINISTRATOR.—The term ‘‘Adminis6 trator’’ means the Administrator of the Environ7 mental Protection Agency. 

8 (2) APPROPRIATE CONGRESSIONAL COMMIT9 TEES.—The term ‘‘appropriate congressional com10 mittees’’ means the Committee on Energy and Com11 merce of the House of Representatives and the Com12 mittee on Environment and Public Works of the 

13 Senate. 

14 (3) HIGH-GWP HFC.—The term ‘‘high-GWP 

15 HFC’’ means hydrofluorocarbons with a global 

16 warming potential calculated over a 100-year period 

17 of greater than 150, as described in the Fifth As18 sessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on 

19 Climate Change. 

20 (4) RELEVANT FEDERAL AGENCY.—The term 

21 ‘‘relevant Federal agency’’ ‘‘relevant Federal agen22 cy’’ means the Department of Agriculture, the De23 partment of Commerce, the Department of Defense, 

24 the Department of Energy, the Department of 

25 Health and Human Services, the Department of the 


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1 Interior, the Department of State, the Department 

2 of Transportation, the Environmental Protection 

3 Agency, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Ad4 ministration, the Council on Environmental Quality, 

5 the United States Agency for International Develop6 ment, and any other Federal agency the President 

7 determines appropriate. 

8 (5) SHORT-LIVED CLIMATE POLLUTANT.—The 

9 term ‘‘short-lived climate pollutant’’ means— 

10 (A) black carbon; 

11 (B) methane; and 

12 (C) high-GWP HFC. 

13 (6) TASK FORCE.—The term ‘‘Task Force’’ 

14 means the Interagency Task Force on Short-Lived 

15 Climate Pollutant Mitigation established under sec16 tion 4(a). 

17 SEC. 4. INTERAGENCY TASK FORCE ON SHORT-LIVED CLI18 MATE POLLUTANT MITIGATION. 

19 (a) ESTABLISHMENT.—Not later than 90 days after 

20 the date of enactment of this Act, the President shall es21 tablish a task force, to be known as the Interagency Task 

22 Force on Short-Lived Climate Pollutant Mitigation. 

23 (b) MEMBERSHIP.—The members of the Task Force 

24 shall include the head (or a designee thereof) of each rel25 evant Federal agency. 


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1 (c) DUTIES.—The Task Force shall— 

2 (1) not later than 180 days after the date of 

3 enactment of this Act, submit to the appropriate 

4 congressional committees a report that includes spe5 cific plans of each relevant Federal agency— 

6 (A) to purchase cleaner alternatives to 

7 high-GWP HFC whenever feasible; and 

8 (B) to transition over time to equipment 

9 that uses safer and more sustainable alter10 natives to high-GWP HFC; 

11 (2) review the policy recommendations made 

12 by— 

13 (A) the Intergovernmental Panel on Cli14 mate Change; 

15 (B) the United States Climate Alliance; 

16 (C) the Interagency Strategy to Reduce 

17 Methane Emissions; 

18 (D) the Council on Climate Preparedness 

19 and Resilience; and 

20 (E) the Clean Cooking Alliance; 

21 (3) develop an action plan to reduce short-lived 

22 climate pollutants that incorporates any appropriate 

23 proposals or recommendations made by the entities 

24 referred to in paragraph (2) that are relevant to 

25 short-lived climate pollutants; 


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1 (4) identify any Federal program that is, or 

2 could be, relevant to reducing short-lived climate pol3 lutants— 

4 (A) in the United States; or 

5 (B) worldwide; 

6 (5) identify overlapping and duplicative Federal 

7 programs addressing short-lived climate pollutants 

8 that would benefit from consolidation and stream9 lining; 

10 (6) identify gaps and serious deficiencies in 

11 Federal programs targeted at short-lived climate pol12 lutants, including gaps and deficiencies that can be 

13 addressed through a combination of assessment, sci14 entific research, monitoring, and technological devel15 opment activities, with an emphasis on— 

16 (A) industry standards; and 

17 (B) public-private partnerships; 

18 (7) in developing recommendations, consult 

19 with affected stakeholders in private industry; and 

20 (8) not later than 18 months after the date of 

21 enactment of this Act, submit to the appropriate 

22 congressional committees a report describing the 

23 findings and recommendations resulting from the ac24 tivities described in paragraphs (2) through (7). 


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1 SEC. 5. REDUCTION OF BLACK CARBON EMISSIONS. 

2 (a) COMPREHENSIVE PLAN.— 

3 (1) IN GENERAL.—Consistent with strategies 

4 adopted by the International Maritime Organization 

5 to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from ships, the 

6 Secretary of State, in consultation with the Sec7 retary of Transportation, the Secretary of Com8 merce, the Administrator, and the Commandant of 

9 the Coast Guard, shall develop a comprehensive plan 

10 to reduce black carbon emissions from ships based 

11 on appropriate emissions data from oceangoing ves12 sels. The plan shall provide for such reduction 

13 through— 

14 (A) a clean freight partnership; 

15 (B) limits on black carbon emissions; and 

16 (C) efforts that include protection of access 

17 to critical fuel shipments and emergency needs 

18 of coastal communities. 

19 (2) ROADMAP.—A principal objective of the 

20 plan developed pursuant to paragraph (1) shall be 

21 the establishment, in coordination with the Secretary 

22 of Transportation, of a roadmap for helping coun23 tries to reduce fine-particle (PM2.5) and black car24 bon emissions in the shipping sector through— 

25 (A) the installation of advanced emissions 

26 controls; 


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1 (B) the reduction of sulfur content in 

2 fuels; and 

3 (C) the adoption of black carbon control 

4 policies. 

5 (b) BLACK CARBON EMISSIONS REDUCTION

6 GOALS.—The Secretary of State, in coordination with rel7 evant Federal agencies, shall— 

8 (1) lead an effort to reduce black carbon 

9 through an Arctic-wide aspirational black carbon 

10 goal; and 

11 (2) encourage observers of the Arctic Council 

12 (including India and China) to adopt mitigation 

13 plans consistent with the findings and recommenda14 tions of the Arctic Council’s Framework for Action 

15 on Black Carbon and Methane. 

16 (c) CLIMATE AND CLEAN AIR COALITION.—The Sec17 retary of State is encouraged to work with the Climate 

18 and Clean Air Coalition to Reduce Short-Lived Climate 

19 Pollutants to craft specific financing mechanisms for the 

20 incremental cost of international black carbon mitigation 

21 activities. 

22 (d) BLACK CARBON MITIGATION ACTIVITIES.— 

23 (1) PRIORITIZATION.—The Administrator of 

24 the United States Agency for International Develop25 ment, in cooperation with the Administrator, shall— 


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1 (A) encourage black carbon mitigation ac2 tivities as part of official development assist3 ance and programmatic activities; 

4 (B) give special emphasis to projects that 

5 produce substantial environmental, gender, live6 lihood, and public health benefits, including 

7 support for clean-burning cookstoves and fuels; 

8 and 

9 (C) work with the Global Alliance for 

10 Clean Cookstoves to help developing nations es11 tablish thriving markets for clean and efficient 

12 cooking solutions. 

13 (2) EMISSIONS REDUCTIONS.—The Secretary of 

14 State, in collaboration with the Administrator and 

15 the Secretary of Transportation, shall provide aid to 

16 international efforts to reduce black carbon emis17 sions from diesel trucks and ships, 2-stroke engines, 

18 diesel generators, and industrial processes by pro19 viding technical assistance— 

20 (A) to help developing nations lower the 

21 sulfur content of diesel fuels; 

22 (B) to expand access to diesel particulate 

23 filters; 

24 (C) to provide vehicle manufacturers with 

25 low-emission engine designs; 


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1 (D) to develop other mitigation activities, 

2 including energy efficiency alternatives for gen3 erators and industrial processes; and 

4 (E) to reduce ammonia emissions from ag5 riculture. 

6 SEC. 6. GLOBAL REDUCTIONS IN HIGH-GWP FLUORINATED 

7 GASES. 

8 (a) SENSE OF CONGRESS REGARDING ENERGY

9 STAR.—It is the sense of Congress that the Administrator, 

10 in cooperation with the Secretary of Energy, should con11 sider modifications to the Energy Star program estab12 lished under section 324A of the Energy Policy and Con13 servation Act (42 U.S.C. 6294a) to include refrigerant 

14 systems that— 

15 (1) achieve best-in-class energy efficiency sav16 ings; and 

17 (2) use next generation technologies for refrig18 erants and foam-blowing agents. 

19 (b) REPORT.— 

20 (1) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 2 years after 

21 the date of enactment of this Act, the National 

22 Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, 

23 in collaboration with the Administrator, the Sec24 retary of Energy, the Secretary of Transportation, 

25 and the National Institute of Standards and TechVerDate Sep 11 2014 02:09 Aug 06, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00011 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H4143.IH H4143

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1 nology, shall submit to the Congress and publish a 

2 report that— 

3 (A) identifies and evaluates substitute 

4 technologies, products, practices, and processes 

5 for fluorinated compounds on a sector-by-sector 

6 basis for the sectors described in paragraph (2); 

7 (B) identifies and describes the legal, regu8 latory, technical, and other barriers to the de9 velopment and broader deployment of sub10 stitutes for fluorinated compounds within the 

11 sectors described in paragraph (2) and subsec12 tors therein in which such fluorinated com13 pounds are produced, used, and emitted; 

14 (C) includes recommendations regarding 

15 any changes in Federal law, regulation, guid16 ance, and practice that can lower, avoid, or 

17 eliminate the barriers identified in subpara18 graph (B); and 

19 (D) includes the earliest possible dates, or 

20 date ranges, by which each sector described in 

21 paragraph (2) can cease producing, using, and 

22 emitting fluorinated compounds and transition 

23 to substitute technologies, products, practices, 

24 and processes, taking into account technological 

25 feasibility, safety, availability, environmental 


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1 protection, and other relevant factors, includ2 ing, where applicable, the life-cycle climate per3 formance of fluorinated compounds and their 

4 substitutes. 

5 (2) SECTORS DESCRIBED.—The sectors de6 scribed in this paragraph are the following sectors: 

7 (A) Natural resource extraction and refin8 ing. 

9 (B) Power generation and transmission. 

10 (C) Transportation. 

11 (D) Solid waste. 

12 (E) Chemical production, and chemical in13 dustrial and commercial uses. 

14 (F) Agriculture. 

15 (G) Wastewater. 

16 (H) Buildings. 

17 (I) Any other sector or subsector that the 

18 National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, 

19 and Medicine determines relevant. 

20 SEC. 7. REDUCTION OF METHANE EMISSIONS. 

21 (a) TECHNICAL GUIDANCE.—The Administrator, the 

22 Secretary of Commerce, the Secretary of Energy, and the 

23 Secretary of State shall— 

24 (1) provide to foreign countries technical guid25 ance regarding containment of emissions from gas 


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1 drilling, landfills, coal mining, and agriculture, in2 cluding through trade delegations and international 

3 initiatives such as— 

4 (A) the Global Shale Gas Initiative of the 

5 Department of State; and 

6 (B) the Global Methane Initiative; and 

7 (2) collaborate with— 

8 (A) the Global Gas Flaring Reduction 

9 Partnership of the World Bank; and 

10 (B) the Global Methane Initiative, the Nat11 ural Gas STAR Program, the Climate and 

12 Clean Air Coalition Oil and Gas Methane Part13 nership, and other voluntary reduction pro14 grams of the Environmental Protection Agency. 

15 (b) METHANE TARGETS.— 

16 (1) CODIFYING FINAL NSPS RULE.—The 

17 amendments to the Code of Federal Regulations 

18 made pursuant to the final rule of the Environ19 mental Protection Agency, titled ‘‘Oil and Natural 

20 Gas Sector: Emission Standards for New, Recon21 structed, and Modified Sources’’, and published in 

22 the Federal Register on June 3, 2016 (81 Fed. Reg. 

23 35824 et seq.), shall have the same force and effect 

24 of law as if such amendments had been enacted by 

25 an Act of Congress, except that the Administrator 


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1 may revise such provisions, consistent with the Clean 

2 Air Act (42 U.S.C. 7401 et seq.), if such revision 

3 would result in a net reduction in methane or other 

4 greenhouse gas emissions. 

5 (2) METHANE EMISSIONS FROM COVERED FA6 CILITIES.— 

7 (A) COVERED FACILITY DEFINED.—In this 

8 paragraph, the term ‘‘covered facility’’ means 

9 any facility listed in section 60.5365a of title 

10 40, Code of Federal Regulations, as in effect on 

11 the date of enactment of this Act, except that 

12 the phrase ‘‘after September 18, 2015’’ in such 

13 section 60.5365a is deemed to be ‘‘on or before 

14 September 18, 2015’’. 

15 (B) SENSE OF CONGRESS.—It is the sense 

16 of Congress that— 

17 (i) covered facilities should reduce 

18 methane emissions by at least 40 percent 

19 below 2012 levels by 2025; and 

20 (ii) voluntary efforts by select mem21 bers of the oil and gas industry, such as 

22 the Oil and Gas Climate Initiative, which 

23 has pledged to reduce the methane inten24 sity of upstream gas and oil operations to 

25 less than 0.25 percent by calendar year 


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1 2025, should be adopted by the industry as 

2 a whole. 

3 (C) CONDITIONAL REGULATION OF METH4 ANE EMISSIONS FROM COVERED FACILITIES.— 

5 Subject to subparagraph (D), the Administrator 

6 shall, pursuant to section 111(d) of the Clean 

7 Air Act (42 U.S.C. 7411(d))— 

8 (i) not later than 1 year after the date 

9 of enactment of this Act, propose regula10 tions for establishment, implementation, 

11 and enforcement of standards of perform12 ance for methane emissions from covered 

13 facilities; and 

14 (ii) not later than 1 year after the 

15 deadline described in clause (i), finalize 

16 such regulations. 

17 (D) CONDITIONAL EFFECTIVE DATE.—The 

18 regulations finalized pursuant to subparagraph 

19 (C) shall not take effect unless the Adminis20 trator determines that voluntary efforts are fail21 ing to yield the significant emissions reductions 

22 described in subparagraph (B)(i) by the end of 

23 calendar year 2025. If the Administrator makes 

24 such determination, the regulations finalized 


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1 pursuant to subparagraph (C) shall take effect 

2 on January 1, 2026. 

3 (c) SENSES OF CONGRESS.— 

4 (1) UNITED STATES LEADERSHIP.—It is the 

5 sense of Congress that United States leadership sup6 ports the guiding principles on ‘‘Reducing methane 

7 emissions across the national gas value chain’’ pub8 lished in November 2017. 

9 (2) FINANCING CONDITIONS.—It is the sense of 

10 Congress that, in evaluating gas and oil-related 

11 projects for financial support, the United States Ex12 port-Import Bank and the Overseas Private Invest13 ment Corporation should condition financing for 

14 those projects on— 

15 (A) the deployment of the best technology, 

16 methods, and management practices for detect17 ing and repairing leaks of methane throughout 

18 the oil and gas production, processing, trans19 portation, and distribution system; 

20 (B) the minimization of venting and ineffi21 cient or unnecessary flaring; and 

22 (C) the deployment of best technology, 

23 methods, and management practices for reduc24 ing emissions of other air pollution, especially— 

25 (i) volatile organic compounds; and 


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1 (ii) hazardous air pollutants. 

Æ 


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