I 

117TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. R. 6654 

To direct the Secretary of the Interior to establish a National Climate Adaptation Science Center and Regional Climate Adaptation Science Centers 

to respond to the effects of extreme weather events and climate trends, 

and for other purposes. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

FEBRUARY 9, 2022 

Mr. GRIJALVA (for himself, Ms. CLARKE of New York, Mr. HUFFMAN, Mr. 

BLUMENAUER, Mr. CASTEN, Mr. LOWENTHAL, Ms. BLUNT ROCHESTER, 

Mr. LEVIN of California, Mr. SMITH of Washington, Mr. CASE, Ms. CASTOR of Florida, Ms. JAYAPAL, Ms. MCCOLLUM, Ms. SCANLON, and Ms. 

MATSUI) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Natural Resources 

A BILL 

To direct the Secretary of the Interior to establish a National 

Climate Adaptation Science Center and Regional Climate 

Adaptation Science Centers to respond to the effects 

of extreme weather events and climate trends, 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 Adaptation 

5 Science Centers Act’’ or the ‘‘CASC Act’’. 


pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with BILLS
2 

•HR 6654 IH

1 SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS. 

2 In this Act: 

3 (1) ADAPTATION.—The term ‘‘adaptation’’ 

4 means— 

5 (A) the process of adjustment to actual or 

6 expected climate and the effects of extreme 

7 weather, climate trends, and climate variability; 

8 and 

9 (B) protection, management, and conserva10 tion efforts designed to maintain or enhance the 

11 ability of people, fish, wildlife, plants, land, eco12 systems, and water of the United States to 

13 withstand, adjust to, or recover from the effects 

14 of extreme weather, climate trends, and climate 

15 variability. 

16 (2) CULTURAL RESOURCES.—The term ‘‘cul17 tural resources’’— 

18 (A) means those features and values re19 lated to cultural heritage; and 

20 (B) includes biological species with cultural 

21 heritage or ceremonial importance, and historic 

22 and prehistoric sites, trails, structures, inscrip23 tions, art, and artifacts on Federal lands or 

24 representative of the culture of Indian Tribes, 

25 Native Hawaiians, and Native American Pacific 

26 Islanders. 


pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with BILLS
3 

•HR 6654 IH

1 (3) COMMITTEE.—The term ‘‘Committee’’ 

2 means the Advisory Committee on Climate and Nat3 ural Resource Sciences established under section 6. 

4 (4) CONSORTIUM INSTITUTION.—The term 

5 ‘‘consortium institution’’ means college, university, 

6 State cooperative institution, State agency, Indian 

7 Tribe, Tribal College or University, Historically 

8 Black College or University, Tribal organization, 

9 Native Hawaiian organization, minority-serving in10 stitution, or other educational institution or organi11 zation, Federal agency, public or private organiza12 tion, individual, or any other party within each Re13 gional Center other than the United States Geologi14 cal Survey and the host institution. 

15 (5) DEPARTMENT.—The term ‘‘Department’’ 

16 means the Department of the Interior. 

17 (6) ECOSYSTEM SERVICES.—The term ‘‘eco18 system services’’ means those benefits that eco19 systems provide humans and human society, includ20 ing clean air, clean water, and other economically 

21 important services. 

22 (7) HISTORICALLY BLACK COLLEGES AND UNI23 VERSITIES.—The term ‘‘Historically Black Colleges 

24 and Universities’’ has the same meaning given to the 


pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with BILLS
4 

•HR 6654 IH

1 term ‘‘part B institutions’’ in section 322 of the 

2 Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1061). 

3 (8) HOST INSTITUTION.—The term ‘‘host insti4 tution’’ means the non-Federal lead organization 

5 within each Regional Center. 

6 (9) INDIAN TRIBE.—The term ‘‘Indian Tribe’’ 

7 has the meaning given the term in section 4 of the 

8 Indian Self-Determination and Education Assistance 

9 Act (25 U.S.C. 5304(e)). 

10 (10) MINORITY-SERVING INSTITUTION.—The 

11 term ‘‘minority-serving institution’’ means a His12 panic-serving institution, an Alaska Native-serving 

13 institution, a Native Hawaiian-serving institution, a 

14 Predominantly Black Institution, an Asian American 

15 and Native American Pacific Islander-serving insti16 tution, or a Native American-serving nontribal insti17 tution as described in section 371 of the Higher 

18 Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1067q(a)). 

19 (11) NATIONAL CENTER.—The term ‘‘National 

20 Center’’ means the National Climate Adaptation 

21 Science Center established under section 3(a). 

22 (12) NATIVE AMERICAN PACIFIC ISLANDERS.— 

23 The term ‘‘Native American Pacific Islanders’’ 

24 means any descendent of the aboriginal people of 


pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with BILLS
5 

•HR 6654 IH

1 any island in the Pacific Ocean that is a territory 

2 of the United States. 

3 (13) NATIVE HAWAIIAN.—The term ‘‘Native 

4 Hawaiian’’ means any individual who is a descend5 ant of the aboriginal people who, prior to 1778, oc6 cupied and exercised sovereignty in the area that 

7 now constitutes the State of Hawaii. 

8 (14) NATIVE HAWAIIAN ORGANIZATION.—The 

9 term ‘‘Native Hawaiian organization’’ means any or10 ganization which— 

11 (A) serves and represents the interests of 

12 Native Hawaiians; 

13 (B) has as a primary and stated purpose 

14 the provision of services to Native Hawaiians; 

15 and 

16 (C) has expertise in Native Hawaiian Af17 fairs, and shall include the Office of Hawaiian 

18 Affairs and Hui Malama I Na Kupuna O Ha19 wai’i Nei. 

20 (15) NATURAL RESOURCES.—The term ‘‘nat21 ural resources’’ has the meaning given the term in 

22 section 11.14 of title 43, Code of Federal Regula23 tions. 

24 (16) REGIONAL CENTER.—The term ‘‘Regional 

25 Center’’ means one of the Regional Climate AdaptaVerDate Sep 11 2014 04:24 Feb 12, 2022 Jkt 029200 PO 00000 Frm 00005 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H6654.IH H6654

pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with BILLS
6 

•HR 6654 IH

1 tion Science Centers established under section 3(a) 

2 that provide support for specific geographic locations 

3 in the United States. 

4 (17) SECRETARY.—The term ‘‘Secretary’’ 

5 means the Secretary of the Interior. 

6 (18) STATE.—The term ‘‘State’’ means— 

7 (A) a State of the United States; 

8 (B) the District of Columbia; 

9 (C) American Samoa; 

10 (D) Guam; 

11 (E) the Commonwealth of the Northern 

12 Mariana Islands; 

13 (F) Puerto Rico; and 

14 (G) the Virgin Islands of the United 

15 States. 

16 (19) TRIBAL COLLEGE OR UNIVERSITY.—The 

17 term ‘‘Tribal College or University’’ means an insti18 tution that— 

19 (A) qualifies for funding under the Tribally 

20 Controlled Colleges and Universities Assistance 

21 Act of 1978 (25 U.S.C. 1801 et seq.) or the 

22 Navajo Community College Act (25 U.S.C. 

23 640a note); or 


pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with BILLS
7 

•HR 6654 IH

1 (B) is cited in section 532 of the Equity in 

2 Educational Land-Grant Status Act of 1994 (7 

3 U.S.C. 301 note). 

4 (20) TRIBAL ORGANIZATION.—The term ‘‘Trib5 al organization’’ means— 

6 (A) the recognized governing body of any 

7 Indian Tribe; or 

8 (B) any legally established organization of 

9 Indians that is— 

10 (i) controlled, sanctioned, or chartered 

11 by the recognized governing body of an In12 dian Tribe; or 

13 (ii)(I) democratically elected by the 

14 adult members of the Indian community to 

15 be served by such organization; and 

16 (II) includes the maximum participa17 tion of Indians in all phases of its activi18 ties. 

19 (21) UNIVERSITY.—The term ‘‘university’’ has 

20 the meaning given to ‘‘institution of higher edu21 cation’’ as that term is defined by section 101(a) of 

22 the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 

23 1001(a)). 

24 SEC. 3. ESTABLISHMENT AND DUTIES. 

25 (a) ESTABLISHMENT.— 


pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with BILLS
8 

•HR 6654 IH

1 (1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary, in collabora2 tion with States, Indian Tribes, and other partner 

3 organizations, shall establish a program to be known 

4 as the ‘‘National and Regional Climate Adaptation 

5 Science Centers’’ to provide scientific expertise to 

6 managers of natural resources, cultural resources, 

7 and ecosystem services for the purpose of informing 

8 decisions that aid adaptation to a changing climate 

9 and extreme weather events. The program shall in10 clude a National Climate Adaptation Science Center 

11 and Regional Climate Adaptation Science Centers, 

12 which shall be administered by the United States 

13 Geological Survey. 

14 (2) CHIEF; DIRECTORS.—The Chief of the Na15 tional Center shall be a United States Geological 

16 Survey employee. Each Regional Center shall have a 

17 Federal Director and a Host Institution Director 

18 who shall work cooperatively to further the mission 

19 of the Regional Center. Federal Directors of the Re20 gional Centers shall be United States Geological 

21 Survey employees who report directly to the Chief of 

22 the National Center. 

23 (b) DUTIES OF THE NATIONAL CENTER.—In collabo24 ration with Federal agencies, States, Indian Tribes, Tribal 

25 organizations, Native Hawaiians, Native Hawaiian organiVerDate Sep 11 2014 04:24 Feb 12, 2022 Jkt 029200 PO 00000 Frm 00008 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H6654.IH H6654

pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with BILLS
9 

•HR 6654 IH

1 zations, Native American Pacific Islanders, and other 

2 partner organizations, the National Center shall— 

3 (1) serve as the national office for the Regional 

4 Centers; 

5 (2) provide leadership and guidance on adminis6 tration, partnerships, information management, and 

7 communications; 

8 (3) develop and facilitate coordination among 

9 the Regional Centers; 

10 (4) coordinate with other Federal agencies 

11 working on similar research and activities; 

12 (5) conduct research on cross-regional and na13 tional science priorities; 

14 (6) support Regional Centers that— 

15 (A) are hosted at a university, or a consor16 tium of universities or other research institu17 tions, within the region of each Regional Cen18 ter; 

19 (B) are collaborations between the Federal 

20 Director and the Host Institution Director and 

21 their staffs to address the broad scientific mis22 sion and goals as defined by the National Cen23 ter in a manner that is relevant to its specific 

24 geographic region and in cooperation with State 

25 and local governments, Indian Tribes, Tribal 


pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with BILLS
10 

•HR 6654 IH

1 organizations, Native Hawaiians, Native Hawai2 ian organizations, Native American Pacific Is3 landers, and other entities within that region; 

4 (C) promote research, education, training, 

5 and advisory service activities and broad and 

6 prompt dissemination of knowledge and tech7 niques; and 

8 (D) receive funding at the host institution 

9 through cooperative agreements, contracts, and 

10 grants under section 4; and 

11 (7) acting through the Chief of the National 

12 Center, with respect to the Regional Centers— 

13 (A) evaluate and assess the performance of 

14 the programs of Regional Centers every five 

15 years, using the priorities, guidelines, and quali16 fications established by the Secretary under this 

17 section, and determine if the programs are well 

18 managed and carry out high-quality research, 

19 education, training, and advisory service activi20 ties; and 

21 (B) subject to the availability of appropria22 tions, allocate funding among Regional Centers 

23 so as to— 


pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with BILLS
11 

•HR 6654 IH

1 (i) conduct regionally relevant re2 search, education, training, and advisory 

3 service activities in each of the regions; 

4 (ii) encourage collaborations among 

5 Regional Centers to address regional and 

6 national priorities established under this 

7 section; 

8 (iii) ensure successful implementation 

9 and operation of Regional Centers; 

10 (iv) to the maximum extent consistent 

11 with other provisions of this Act, provide a 

12 stable base of funding in support of the 

13 Regional Centers; and 

14 (v) encourage and promote coordina15 tion and cooperation between the research, 

16 education, training, and advisory service 

17 activities of the Department and those of 

18 the host and consortium institutions. 

19 (c) AUTHORITIES OF THE NATIONAL CENTER.—The 

20 National Center may— 

21 (1) procure the services of appropriate public 

22 and private agencies and institutions and other 

23 qualified persons to conduct its work; and 

24 (2) operate and fund a network of not fewer 

25 than nine Regional Centers that shall address the 


pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with BILLS
12 

•HR 6654 IH

1 impacts of climate trends and variability, including 

2 extreme weather events, on natural and cultural re3 sources and ecosystem services. 

4 (d) DESIGNATION OF THE REGIONAL CENTERS.— 

5 (1) EXISTING REGIONAL CENTER DESIGNA6 TIONS.—Any institution or consortium of institu7 tions designated as the host institution of a Regional 

8 Center before the date of the enactment of this Act, 

9 shall not have to reapply for designation as a Re10 gional Center if the Chief of the National Center de11 termines that the institution or consortium of insti12 tutions meets the guidelines established in para13 graph (2). 

14 (2) REVIEWS OF THE REGIONAL CENTERS.— 

15 The Chief of the National Center, in consultation 

16 with the Committee, shall establish guidelines re17 lated to the activities and responsibilities of the Re18 gional Centers. Such guidelines shall include— 

19 (A) requirements for the merit review of 

20 the Regional Centers; 

21 (B) the circumstances by which a host in22 stitution may not be continued as a host insti23 tution; 

24 (C) the schedule for reviews according to 

25 the criteria in the schedule for reviews; and 


pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with BILLS
13 

•HR 6654 IH

1 (D) the process to select a new host insti2 tution. 

3 (3) CHANGES TO CONSORTIUM INSTITUTIONS.— 

4 The Chief of the National Center, in consultation 

5 with the Federal Director and Host Institution Di6 rector of a Regional Center, may add or remove con7 sortium institutions at any time to address regional 

8 and national priorities established under this section. 

9 (4) FACA.—Committees, subcommittees, and 

10 working groups appointed by Federal Directors of 

11 the Regional Centers pursuant to this subsection 

12 shall not be subject to the Federal Advisory Com13 mittee Act (5 U.S.C. App.). 

14 (e) DUTIES OF THE REGIONAL CENTERS.—In col15 laboration with Federal and State natural resources agen16 cies and departments, Indian Tribes, Tribal organizations, 

17 Native Hawaiians, Native Hawaiian organizations, Native 

18 American Pacific Islanders, Tribal Colleges or Univer19 sities, Historically Black Colleges or Universities, minor20 ity-serving institutions, universities, other research or edu21 cational institutions, and other partner organizations, Re22 gional Centers shall develop research, education, training, 

23 and advisory service priorities regarding the impacts of cli24 mate trends and variability on natural and cultural reVerDate Sep 11 2014 04:24 Feb 12, 2022 Jkt 029200 PO 00000 Frm 00013 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H6654.IH H6654

pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with BILLS
14 

•HR 6654 IH

1 source management in their regions for the purpose of cli2 mate adaptation. 

3 SEC. 4. GENERAL AUTHORITY TO ENTER INTO CONTRACTS, 

4 GRANTS, COOPERATIVE AGREEMENTS, AND 

5 INTERAGENCY AGREEMENTS. 

6 (a) AUTHORITY.—The Director of the United States 

7 Geological Survey is authorized to enter into contracts, 

8 grants, cooperative agreements, and interagency agree9 ments with a host institution or consortium institution to 

10 further the research, education, training, and advisory 

11 service activities of the Department or its partners relat12 ing to impacts of climate trends and variability. This au13 thority supplements all other laws relating to the Depart14 ment and is not to be construed as limiting or repealing 

15 any existing authorities. 

16 (b) LEGAL INSTRUMENTS.—The Director of the 

17 United States Geological Survey may use a contract, 

18 grant, cooperative agreement, or interagency agreement as 

19 the legal instrument reflecting a relationship between the 

20 Secretary and a host institution or consortium institution, 

21 to further the duties under section 3 without regard to— 

22 (1) any requirements for competition; 

23 (2) section 6101 of title 41, United States 

24 Code; or 


pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with BILLS
15 

•HR 6654 IH

1 (3) subsections (a) and (b) of section 3324 of 

2 title 31, United States Code. 

3 (c) PARTICIPATION OF FEDERAL AGENCIES.—Not4 withstanding any other provision of law, any Federal 

5 agency may participate in any such cooperative agreement 

6 under this section by contributing funds through the Na7 tional Center or otherwise if it is mutually agreed that 

8 the objectives of the agreement shall further the author9 ized programs of the contributing agency. 

10 (d) TITLE TO ASSETS.—The Secretary, acting 

11 through the Director of the United States Geological Sur12 vey, may vest title to expendable and nonexpendable as13 sets, including equipment, supplies, and other tangible 

14 personal property in the contractor or recipient when the 

15 contractor or recipient purchases such assets with con16 tract, grant, cooperative agreement, or interagency agree17 ment funds and the Secretary deems such vesting of title 

18 a furtherance of the research, education, training, and ad19 visory service objectives of the Department. 

20 (e) APPROVAL REQUIRED.—In any case where a con21 tract is let or grant made to an organization to perform 

22 services benefitting more than one Indian Tribe, the ap23 proval of each such Indian Tribe shall be a prerequisite 

24 to the letting or making of such contract or grant. 


pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with BILLS
16 

•HR 6654 IH

1 SEC. 5. INTERAGENCY COOPERATION. 

2 Each department, agency, or other instrumentality of 

3 the Federal Government, that is engaged in or concerned 

4 with, or that has authority over, matters relating to nat5 ural and cultural resources, ecosystem services, or climate 

6 variability or change, including all member agencies of the 

7 United States Global Change Research Program— 

8 (1) may make available, on a reimbursable 

9 basis or otherwise, any personnel (with their consent 

10 and without prejudice to their position and rating), 

11 service, or facility which the Chief of the National 

12 Center deems necessary to carry out any provision 

13 of section 3; 

14 (2) shall, upon a written request from the Sec15 retary, furnish any available data or other informa16 tion that the Secretary deems necessary to carry out 

17 any provision of section 3; 

18 (3) shall cooperate with the National Center, 

19 Regional Centers, and duly authorized officials 

20 thereof; and 

21 (4) may transfer budgetary resources or other22 wise enter into interagency agreements, including 

23 funding, facilities, computational resources, data, or 

24 other tangible or intangible resources, between the 

25 National Center or Regional Centers to aid collabo26 rative work among Federal agencies, when approved 


pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with BILLS
17 

•HR 6654 IH

1 by the Chief of the National Center and their coun2 terpart in the other Federal agency. 

3 SEC. 6. COMMITTEES. 

4 (a) AUTHORITY TO ESTABLISH COMMITTEES.—The 

5 Chief of the National Center may establish committees or 

6 working groups and procedures to facilitate public partici7 pation in the advisory process, such as a national advisory 

8 committee for the National Center, stakeholder advisory 

9 committees and science implementation panels for the Re10 gional Centers, and working groups for review of competi11 tive or noncompetitive proposals. 

12 (b) ADVISORY COMMITTEE.— 

13 (1) ESTABLISHMENT.—Not later than 180 days 

14 after the date of the enactment of this Act, and pur15 suant to the Federal Advisory Committee Act (5 

16 U.S.C. App.), the Secretary shall establish an Advi17 sory Committee on Climate and Natural Resource 

18 Sciences. 

19 (2) MEMBERS.—The Committee shall have not 

20 fewer than 15 members, each of whom is an em21 ployee of— 

22 (A) an Indian Tribe; 

23 (B) a Tribal organization; 

24 (C) a Native Hawaiian organization; 

25 (D) a State or local government; 


pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with BILLS
18 

•HR 6654 IH

1 (E) a host institution of a Regional Center; 

2 (F) a nongovernmental organization; 

3 (G) an academic institution; or 

4 (H) an organization of the private sector. 

5 (3) CHAIR.—The Director of the United States 

6 Geological Survey shall appoint a Committee Chair 

7 from among the members of the Committee. 

8 (4) DUTIES.—The Committee shall identify and 

9 recommend priorities for ongoing research needs on 

10 the issues described in section 3(e) to inform the re11 search priorities of the National Center. 

12 (5) TERM OF OFFICE.—(A) The term of office 

13 of a voting member of the Committee shall be not 

14 more than 3 years. 

15 (B) No person may serve more than two con16 secutive terms as a voting member of the Com17 mittee. 

18 (C) The Chair may extend the term of office of 

19 a voting member of the Committee by up to 1 year. 

20 (D) Any individual appointed to a partial or full 

21 term may be reappointed for one additional full 

22 term. 

23 (E) Not less than once each year, the Secretary 

24 shall publish a notice in the Federal Register solic25 iting nominations for membership on the Board. 


pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with BILLS
19 

•HR 6654 IH

1 (F) The Committee shall select one voting 

2 member to serve as the Vice Chair, who shall act as 

3 Chair in the absence or incapacity of the Chair. 

4 (c) COMMITTEES; WORKING GROUPS.— 

5 (1) IN GENERAL.—At the direction of the Sec6 retary, the Chief of the National Center may estab7 lish committees or working groups to provide input 

8 on the science priorities, implementation of science 

9 programs, review of competitive and noncompetitive 

10 proposals, and evaluation of processes, procedures, 

11 and outcomes of the National Center and the Re12 gional Centers. 

13 (2) MEMBERS.—The committees or working 

14 groups shall, to the extent practicable, include mem15 bers from Federal and State government, univer16 sities, private sector, nongovernmental organizations, 

17 Indian Tribes, Tribal organizations, and Native Ha18 waiian organizations. 

19 (3) PUBLIC PARTICIPATION.—The Secretary 

20 may establish procedures to facilitate public partici21 pation in the advisory process, including providing 

22 advance notice of meetings, providing adequate op23 portunity for public input and comment, maintaining 

24 appropriate records, and making a record of the pro25 ceedings of meetings available for public inspection. 


pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with BILLS
20 

•HR 6654 IH

1 (4) IMPLEMENTATION; AVAILABILITY OF

2 RECORDS.—The Secretary shall ensure that the pro3 cedures described in paragraph (3) are adopted and 

4 implemented and that the records described in para5 graph (3) are accurately maintained and available 

6 for public inspection. 

7 (5) FACA.—(A) The committees or working 

8 groups shall not be considered advisory committees 

9 under the Federal Advisory Committee Act (5 

10 U.S.C. App.). 

11 (B) Seeking advice and input under subpara12 graph (A) shall not be subject to the Federal Advi13 sory Committee Act (5 U.S.C. App.). 

14 SEC. 7. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS. 

15 There is authorized to be appropriated to the Sec16 retary to carry out this Act not less than— 

17 (1) $97,000,000 for fiscal year 2023; 

18 (2) $109,000,000 for fiscal year 2024; 

19 (3) $121,000,000 for fiscal year 2025; 

20 (4) $133,000,000 for fiscal year 2026; and 

21 (5) $145,000,000 for fiscal year 2027. 

Æ 


pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with BILLS