I
106TH CONGRESS
1ST SESSION
H. R. 2556
To require the Secretary of Transportation, through the Congestion Mitigation
and Air Quality Program, to make a grant to a nonprofit private entity
for the purpose of developing a design for a proposed pilot program
relating to the use of telecommuting as a means of reducing emissions
of air pollutants that are precursors to ground level ozone.
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
JULY 19, 1999
Mr. WOLF introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee
on Commerce, and in addition to the Committee on Transportation and
Infrastructure, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speak-
er, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the ju-
risdiction of the committee concerned
A BILL
To require the Secretary of Transportation, through the Con-
gestion Mitigation and Air Quality Program, to make
a grant to a nonprofit private entity for the purpose
of developing a design for a proposed pilot program
relating to the use of telecommuting as a means of
reducing emissions of air pollutants that are precursors
to ground level ozone.
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 ‘‘National Telecom-
muting and Air Quality Act’’.
SEC. 2. GRANT PROGRAM FOR DESIGN OF PILOT PROGRAM
REGARDING TELECOMMUTING AS MEANS OF
IMPROVING AIR QUALITY.
(a) IN GENERAL.—
(1) GRANT FOR DESIGN OF PILOT PROGRAM.—
The Secretary of Transportation (in this section re-
ferred to as the ‘‘Secretary’’) shall make a grant to
a nonprofit private entity that is knowledgeable on
matters relating to air quality for the purpose of de-
veloping a design for the proposed pilot program de-
scribed in subsection (b). The grant shall be made
to the National Environmental Policy Institute (a
nonprofit private entity incorporated under the laws
of and located in the District of Columbia), if such
Institute submits an application for the grant.
(2) ADMINISTRATION OF PROGRAM.—The Sec-
retary shall carry out this section (including sub-
section (c)(1)(C)) in collaboration with the Adminis-
trator of the Environmental Protection Agency and
the Secretary of Energy.
(b) PROPOSED OZONE PRECURSOR CREDIT-TRADING
PILOT PROGRAM.—
(1) DEFINITIONS.—For purposes of this sec-
tion:
(A) The term ‘‘participating employers’’
means employers that voluntarily authorize and
engage in telecommuting.
(B) The term ‘‘telecommuting’’ means the
use of telecommunications to perform work
functions under circumstances in which the use
of telecommunications reduces or eliminates the
need to commute.
(C) The term ‘‘regulated entities’’ means
entities that are regulated under the Clean Air
Act with respect to emissions of one or more
ozone precursors.
(D) The term ‘‘ozone precursors’’ means
air pollutants that are precursors of ground
level ozone.
(E) The term ‘‘VMTs’’ means vehicle-
miles-traveled.
(2) DESCRIPTION OF PROGRAM.—For purposes
of subsection (a)(1) and other provisions of this sec-
tion, the proposed pilot program described in this
subsection is a pilot program under which the fol-
lowing would occur:
(A) Methods would be evaluated and devel-
oped for calculating reductions in emissions of
ozone precursors that can be achieved as a re-
sult of reduced VMTs by telecommuting em-
ployees of participating employers.
(B) The estimated reductions in such emis-
sions for the periods of time involved would be
deemed to be items that may be transferred by
such employers to other persons, and for such
purpose the employers would be issued certifi-
cates indicating the amount of the reductions
achieved for the periods (referred to in this sec-
tion as ‘‘emission credits’’) .
(C) A commercial trading and exchange
forum would be made available to the public for
trading and exchanging emission credits.
(D) Through the commercial trading and
exchange forum, or through direct trades and
exchanges with persons who hold the credits,
regulated entities would obtain emission credits.
(E) Regulated entities would present emis-
sion credits to the Federal Government or to
the State involved (as applicable under the
Clean Air Act) and the amounts of reductions
in emissions of ozone precursors represented by
the credits would for purposes of the Clean Air
Act be deemed to assist in achieving compli-
ance.
(F) The Federal Government would ex-
plore means to facilitate the transfer of emis-
sion credits between participating employers
and regulated and other entities.
(c) SITES FOR OPERATION OF PILOT PROGRAM.—
(1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall ensure
that the design developed under subsection (a) in-
cludes recommendations for carrying out the pro-
posed pilot program described in subsection (b) in
each of the following geographic areas:
(A) The greater metropolitan region of the
District of Columbia (including areas in the
States of Maryland and Virginia).
(B) The greater metropolitan region of Los
Angeles, in the State of California.
(C) Three additional areas to be selected
by the Secretary, after consultation with the
grantee under subsection (a).
(2) CONSULTATION.—The Secretary shall re-
quire that, in carrying out paragraph (1) with re-
spect to a geographic area, the grantee under sub-
section (a) consult with local governments and busi-
ness organizations in the geographic area.
(d) STUDY AND REPORT.—The Secretary shall re-
quire that, in developing the design under subsection (a),
the grantee under such subsection study and report to the
Congress and to the Secretary the potential significance
of the proposed pilot program described in subsection (b)
as an incentive for expanding telecommuting and reducing
VMTs in the geographic areas for which the design is de-
veloped, and the extent to which the program would have
positive effects on—
(1) national, State, and local transportation and
infrastructure policies;
(2) energy conservation and consumption;
(3) national, State, and local air quality; and
(4) individual, family, and community quality of
life.
(e) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—For the
purpose of making the grant under subsection (a), there
is authorized to be appropriated $250,000 for fiscal year
2000. Amounts appropriated under the preceding sentence
are available until expended.
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