I 
116TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 5435 
To require the Secretary of the Interior and the Chief of the United States 
Forest Service to meet certain targets for the reduction of the emission 
of greenhouse gases, and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
DECEMBER 16, 2019 
Mr. GRIJALVA (for himself, Ms. HAALAND, Mr. LEVIN of California, Mr. 
SABLAN, Ms. DEGETTE, Mr. MCEACHIN, and Mr. LOWENTHAL) intro-
duced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Natural 
Resources, and in addition to the Committees on Agriculture, and Edu-
cation and Labor, 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 require the Secretary of the Interior and the Chief of 
the United States Forest Service to meet certain targets 
for the reduction of the emission of greenhouse gases, 
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 AND TABLE OF CONTENTS. 
(a) SHORT TITLE.—This Act may be cited as the 
‘‘American Public Lands and Waters Climate Solution Act 
of 2019’’. 
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(b) TABLE OF CONTENTS.—The table of contents for 
this Act is the following: 
Sec. 1. Short title and table of contents. 
Sec. 2. Public lands energy and climate policy. 
Sec. 3. Public lands greenhouse gas reduction targets and requirements. 
Sec. 4. Online publication of greenhouse gas emissions. 
Sec. 5. Public lands greenhouse gas reduction strategic plan. 
Sec. 6. Revenues for transition assistance. 
Sec. 7. Economic revitalization for fossil fuel dependent communities. 
Sec. 8. Office of Climate Change Mitigation and Planning. 
Sec. 9. Definitions. 
SEC. 2. PUBLIC LANDS ENERGY AND CLIMATE POLICY. 
It is the policy of the United States that— 
(1) the United States should aggressively re-
duce greenhouse gas emissions from United States 
public lands and oceans and strive to achieve net- 
zero emissions as soon as possible; 
(2) public lands should be managed to reduce 
greenhouse gas emissions and co-pollutant emissions 
and to respond to unavoidable impacts of climate 
change through increased resilience of ecosystems 
and wildlife habitats in accordance with the prin-
ciples of multiple use and sustained yield; 
(3) the protection of ocean ecosystems is vital 
to promoting ocean health and increasing resilience 
to climate change, and conservation of United States 
marine resources is one of the best ways to remove 
carbon dioxide from the atmosphere; 
(4) energy development decisions on public 
lands and oceans should be guided by the goals of— 
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port 2018–5131, ‘‘Federal Lands Greenhouse Gas Emis-
sions and Sequestration in the United States: Estimates 
for 2005–14’’, published on November 23, 2018, as the 
baseline when acting to meet the targets established in 
subsection (b). 
(d) STUDY EXAMINING AVOIDED GREENHOUSE GAS 
EMISSIONS AND CARBON SEQUESTRATION.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 30 days after 
the date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary 
shall make appropriate arrangements with the Na-
tional Academies under which the National Acad-
emies shall conduct a study that examines how the 
executive branch, including the Department of the 
Interior, the Department of Agriculture, the United 
States Forest Service, the National Oceanic and At-
mospheric Administration, and the Executive Office 
of the President can meet the net emission reduction 
targets under subsection (b) by— 
(A) reducing total emissions; 
(B) deploying renewable energy projects on 
public lands; 
(C) increasing carbon capture, storage, uti-
lization, and sequestration on public lands 
through both nature-based and technological so-
lutions, except the National Academies shall not 
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consider ocean fertilization or climate engineer-
ing actions that involve increasing carbon stor-
age of ocean ecosystems through technological 
means; 
(D) increasing carbon storage of federally 
managed wetlands, mangroves, tidal marshes, 
and seagrass meadows; and 
(E) any other technically feasible actions. 
(2) DEADLINE.—The National Academies shall 
complete such study not later than 18 months after 
the date of enactment of this Act. 
(3) RECOMMENDATIONS.—Following completion 
of such study, the National Academies shall provide 
recommendations for administrative actions and leg-
islation that can help meet the net emission reduc-
tion targets established under subsection (b). 
(e) VERIFICATION.— 
(1) REQUIREMENTS.—The Director of the 
United States Geological Survey shall, in consulta-
tion with the National Academies, establish the 
methodology for verification of the reduction in net 
emissions. 
(2) DETERMINATION.—By June 1 of each year 
following a target year specified in subsection (b)— 
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(A) the Director of the United States Geo-
logical Survey shall determine if the Secretary 
and the Chief have met the emission reduction 
targets identified in subsection (b); and 
(B) shall make such determination and 
any data supporting such determination avail-
able on the public online dashboard required by 
section 5(g). 
(f) ENFORCEMENT.— 
(1) NO NEW FOSSIL FUEL PERMITS OR LEASE 
SALES.—If the Director of the United States Geo-
logical Survey determines that net emissions from 
public lands have exceeded the targets in the Strat-
egy, the Secretary shall not approve new fossil fuel 
permits and shall not hold new fossil fuel lease sales 
until a certification and public notice by such Direc-
tor that net emissions are below the target level for 
the most recent calendar year. 
(2) CERTIFICATION.—The Secretary shall sub-
mit to the Committee on Energy and Natural Re-
sources in the Senate and the Committee on Natural 
Resources in the House of Representatives a certifi-
cation within 30 days of each statutory deadline for 
the required emission reductions. Notice of the cer-
tification shall be published in the Federal Register 
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on or before the date the certification is due to Con-
gress. 
(3) JUDICIAL ENFORCEMENT.—Any interested 
party can seek judicial review in Federal district 
court for failure to complete the required certifi-
cation by the statutory deadline. 
(g) ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE COMMUNITIES.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—When taking any action to 
meet the emission reduction targets established in 
subsection (b), the Secretary and the Chief shall— 
(A) prioritize reductions of greenhouse gas 
emissions and co-pollutants that will affect an 
environmental justice community; and 
(B) ensure that such action does not result 
in a net increase of co-pollutant emissions or 
otherwise have a disparate impact on an envi-
ronmental justice community. 
(2) IDENTIFICATION OF ENVIRONMENTAL JUS-
TICE COMMUNITIES.—The Secretary, in consultation 
with other relevant agencies, shall establish by regu-
lation criteria for identifying environmental justice 
communities for the purposes of paragraph (1). 
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SEC. 4. ONLINE PUBLICATION OF GREENHOUSE GAS EMIS-
SIONS. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall make freely 
available on a public website, with respect to the previous 
year— 
(1) information that describes for each fossil 
fuel operation that is subject to the mineral leasing 
laws or title III or V of the Federal Land Policy and 
Management Act of 1976 (30 U.S.C. 1761 et seq.), 
regardless of size, including production, storage, 
gathering, processing, transportation, and handling 
operations— 
(A) the aggregate amount of each fossil 
fuel, by type and by State, produced on Federal 
leases; and 
(B) for gas reported, the portion and 
source of such amount that was released or dis-
posed of by each of venting, flaring, and fugi-
tive release; and 
(2) information that describes the amount and 
sources of energy, in delivered megawatt hours, pro-
duced from operating solar, wind, and geothermal 
projects on public lands under lease for the produc-
tion of renewable energy. 
(b) FORMAT.—Information made available under this 
section shall be presented in a format that— 
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