I 
116TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. R. 8174 
To establish a cost of greenhouse gases for carbon dioxide, methane, and 
nitrous oxide to be used by Federal agencies, and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
SEPTEMBER 4, 2020 
Mr. MCEACHIN introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Com-
mittee on Oversight and Reform, and in addition to the Committee on 
the Judiciary, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, 
in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the juris-
diction of the committee concerned 
A BILL 
To establish a cost of greenhouse gases for carbon dioxide, 
methane, and nitrous oxide to be used by Federal agen-
cies, and for other purposes. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Carbon Pollution 
Transparency Act’’. 
SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 
Congress finds that— 
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(1) sound economic and policy analyses require 
that the economic benefits of reducing climate 
change be considered together with the costs of poli-
cies and measures to reduce greenhouse gas emis-
sions; 
(2) climate change, if not addressed, is pro-
jected to inflict substantial damage on the economy 
and people of the United States; 
(3) according to the Congressional Budget Of-
fice, the Government Accountability Office, and the 
Office of Management and Budget, the impacts of 
climate change are— 
(A) costing United States taxpayers bil-
lions of dollars annually; and 
(B) putting pressure on the Federal budg-
et; 
(4) the expenditures by the Federal Govern-
ment resulting from the effects of climate change 
are projected to increase, and reducing greenhouse 
gas emissions presents an opportunity to minimize 
those expenditures; 
(5) between calendar years 2008 and 2015, the 
United States reduced carbon pollution from the en-
ergy sector by nearly 10 percent, while the economy 
grew more than 10 percent; 
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(6) more than 1,200 companies are taking the 
cost of climate change into consideration in business 
decisions; 
(7) estimates of the costs of greenhouse gases 
provide a method and measure, grounded in sci-
entific and economic research, for monetizing— 
(A) the costs of greenhouse gas emissions; 
and 
(B) the benefits of reducing greenhouse 
gas emissions; 
(8) the National Academies of Sciences, Engi-
neering, and Medicine has provided detailed rec-
ommendations for improving the estimate of the 
costs of greenhouse gases for the purpose of regu-
latory analysis; 
(9) the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions 
by other countries benefits the United States by re-
ducing climate risks to the United States, and the 
reduction of greenhouse gas emissions by the United 
States benefits other countries; 
(10) in light of the global nature of the problem 
of greenhouse gas emissions, the interests of the 
United States would be maximized if the United 
States were to use a calculation method of the cost 
of climate pollution that reflects global damages; 
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(11) due to the nature of climate change risks, 
the returns on mitigation may pay off in periods 
that would otherwise involve substantial losses; 
(12) economic theory and evidence suggests 
that, for actions with intergenerational consequences 
such as the consequences of climate change, a dis-
count rate approximately equal to or less than the 
long-term yield on the debt of the Treasury of the 
United States may be appropriate; and 
(13) it is imperative that the academic commu-
nity continue research on the cost of greenhouse 
gases. 
SEC. 3. DEFINITIONS. 
In this Act: 
(1) CALCULATION
METHOD.—The term ‘‘cal-
culation method’’ means the method by which the 
costs of greenhouse gases are calculated in accord-
ance with subsections (a), (b), and (c) of section 4, 
respectively. 
(2) 
COMMITTEE.—The 
term 
‘‘Committee’’ 
means the Costs of Greenhouse Gases Scientific Re-
view Committee established under section 7(a). 
(3) COSTS OF GREENHOUSE GASES.— 
(A) IN
GENERAL.—The term ‘‘costs of 
greenhouse gases’’ means the monetized present 
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discounted values, in dollars, of the current and 
future net costs to society that result from— 
(i) 1 ton of emissions of a specific 
greenhouse gas in a specific year, includ-
ing, but not limited to, damage relating 
to— 
(I) a change in net agricultural 
productivity; 
(II) energy use; 
(III) human health; 
(IV) property damage from in-
creased flood risk and sea level rise; 
and 
(V) to the maximum extent prac-
ticable, the value of the effect on eco-
system services due to climate change; 
and 
(ii) the monetized present discounted 
values of the current and future net bene-
fits to society from a 1-ton reduction of 
emissions of a specific greenhouse gas in a 
specific year, including a reduction in any 
damage described in clause (i). 
(B) INCLUSIONS.—The term ‘‘costs of 
greenhouse gases’’ includes— 
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