I 
117TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. R. 9026 
To direct the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency to estab-
lish a grant program to facilitate the development of climate adaptation 
plans by certain entities, and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
SEPTEMBER 29, 2022 
Ms. ESCOBAR introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
Committee on Energy and Commerce 
A BILL 
To direct the Administrator of the Environmental Protection 
Agency to establish a grant program to facilitate the 
development of climate adaptation plans by certain enti-
ties, 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 ‘‘Climate Adaptation 
Plan Act’’ or the ‘‘CAP Act’’. 
SEC. 2. CLIMATE ADAPTATION PLAN GRANT PROGRAM. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 1 year after the 
date of the enactment of this section, the Administrator 
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shall establish a grant program to award amounts, on a 
competitive basis, to eligible entities to facilitate the devel-
opment of a climate adaptation plan by such eligible enti-
ties. 
(b) GUIDANCE.—The Administrator shall issue guid-
ance regarding the implementation of the grant program 
established under subsection (a) in consultation with 
stakeholders, including representatives of youth, farmers, 
nongovernmental organizations, the scientific and techno-
logical community, trade unions, the business and indus-
trial community, Indigenous communities, and local gov-
ernments. 
(c) APPLICATIONS.—To be eligible for a grant under 
this section, an eligible entity shall submit to the Adminis-
trator an application in such form, at such time, and con-
taining such information as the Administrator determines 
appropriate, including the following: 
(1) Information demonstrating that a low-in-
come community is included within the population 
represented by the eligible entity. 
(2) Information demonstrating that the eligible 
entity either has experience with, or plans to con-
tract the services of an individual or entity who has 
experience with— 
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(A) conducting risk assessments with re-
gard to climate change; 
(B) hazard mitigation; 
(C) program and project finance; and 
(D) Federal grant applications. 
(3) Demographic information of the population 
represented by the eligible entity, including— 
(A) population size; 
(B) average household income; 
(C) race; 
(D) education level; and 
(E) primary sectors of employment. 
(4) A statement describing why the eligible en-
tity wants to develop a climate adaptation plan. 
(5) Information regarding the negative effects 
of climate change the eligible entity is, or is at risk 
of, experiencing. 
(6) Information regarding the strategy the eligi-
ble entity will use in the development of the climate 
adaptation plan to engage stakeholders, which shall 
include, as applicable to the eligible entity, rep-
resentatives of youth, farmers, nongovernmental or-
ganizations, the scientific and technological commu-
nity, trade unions, the business and industrial com-
munity, Indigenous communities that will be affected 
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by the climate adaptation plan of the eligible entity, 
and neighboring jurisdictions. 
(7) The identity of the person who will lead the 
development of the climate adaptation plan. 
(8) A statement regarding whether the eligible 
entity will hire a third party to facilitate the develop-
ment of the climate adaptation plan. 
(9) The expected timeline for development of 
the climate adaptation plan. 
(10) Actions the eligible entity plans to take to 
ensure that environmental justice communities with-
in the population represented by the eligible entity 
are informed of the process for developing the cli-
mate adaptation plan. 
(d) INTEGRATION.—In developing a climate adapta-
tion plan using amounts awarded under this section, an 
eligible entity shall, to the extent practicable, integrate 
such plan with other relevant existing plans, including any 
applicable— 
(1) hazard mitigation plan developed pursuant 
to section 322(a) of the Robert T. Stafford Disaster 
Relief and Emergency Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 
5165(a)); 
(2) land use plan; 
(3) economic development plan; 
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(4) capital improvement plan; 
(5) community comprehensive plan; and 
(6) emergency management plan. 
(e) CLIMATE ADAPTATION PLAN REQUIREMENTS.— 
An eligible entity that develops a climate adaptation plan 
using amounts awarded under this section shall include 
in such climate adaptation plan the following: 
(1) An assessment of the risks posed by climate 
change to the population represented by the eligible 
entity, which shall take into consideration demo-
graphic and social factors of such population, includ-
ing— 
(A) geographic distribution; 
(B) race; 
(C) ethnicity; 
(D) socioeconomic status; 
(E) health; and 
(F) historic and ongoing systemic racism. 
(2) An assessment of the risks posed by climate 
change to the natural ecosystems within the jurisdic-
tion of the eligible entity, which shall take into con-
sideration factors including— 
(A) geography; and 
(B) species present in such ecosystems. 
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(3) An assessment of the risks posed by climate 
change to housing, infrastructure, and public build-
ings within the jurisdiction of the eligible entity. 
(4) A description of the actions the eligible enti-
ty plans to take to address risks identified under 
paragraphs (1), (2), and (3), including— 
(A) changes in land use, zoning, or build-
ing codes and standards; and 
(B) restoration and protection of areas 
within the jurisdiction of the eligible entity and 
the development of strategies to achieve such 
restoration and protection. 
(f) PRIORITY.—In awarding amounts under this sec-
tion, the Administrator shall give priority to applications 
from eligible entities that include an environmental justice 
community within the population represented by the eligi-
ble entity. 
(g) MATCHING REQUIREMENT.—There shall be no 
matching requirement for amounts awarded under this 
section. 
(h) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 
(1) ADMINISTRATOR.—The term ‘‘Adminis-
trator’’ means the Administrator of the Environ-
mental Protection Agency. 
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(2) CLIMATE
ADAPTATION
PLAN.—The term 
‘‘climate adaptation plan’’ means a framework for— 
(A) measuring, tracking, and reducing 
greenhouse gas emissions; and 
(B) adopting climate change adaptation 
measures. 
(3) ELIGIBLE ENTITY.—The term ‘‘eligible enti-
ty’’ means— 
(A) a local government; 
(B) an agency or instrumentality of a local 
government; 
(C) the governing body of a federally rec-
ognized Indian Tribe; or 
(D) a federally recognized Indian Tribe or 
authorized Tribal organization or Alaska Native 
village or organization that is not a Tribal gov-
ernment or the governing body of a federally 
recognized Indian Tribe. 
(4) ENVIRONMENTAL
JUSTICE
COMMUNITY.— 
The term ‘‘environmental justice community’’ means 
a community that, as determined by the Adminis-
trator— 
(A) has significant representation of— 
(i) communities of color; 
(ii) low-income communities; or 
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(iii) Tribal or Indigenous commu-
nities; and 
(B) experiences or is at risk of experi-
encing greater or more frequent adverse envi-
ronmental or health effects as a result of cli-
mate change. 
(5) LOCAL
GOVERNMENT.—The term ‘‘local 
government’’ means a county, municipality, city, 
town, township, local public authority, school dis-
trict, special district, intrastate district, council of 
governments (regardless of whether the council of 
governments is incorporated as a nonprofit corpora-
tion under State law), or regional or interstate gov-
ernmental entity. 
(6) LOW-INCOME COMMUNITY.—The term ‘‘low- 
income community’’ means a census block group 
within which 30 percent or more of the population 
are individuals with an annual household income 
equal to, or less than, the greater of— 
(A) an amount equal to 80 percent of the 
median income of the area in which the house-
hold is located, as reported by the Department 
of Housing and Urban Development; and 
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(B) 200 percent of the Federal poverty 
line. 
Æ 
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