I 
111TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 1760 
To mitigate the effects of black carbon emissions in the United States and 
throughout the world. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
MARCH 26, 2009 
Mr. INSLEE (for himself, Mr. WELCH, and Mr. HONDA) introduced the fol-
lowing bill; which was referred to the Committee on Energy and Com-
merce, and in addition to the Committees on Foreign Affairs and Science 
and Technology, 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 mitigate the effects of black carbon emissions in the 
United States and throughout the world. 
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 ‘‘Black Carbon Emis-
sions Reduction Act of 2009’’. 
SEC. 2. BLACK CARBON. 
(a) FINDINGS.—The Congress finds the following: 
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(1) Black carbon is a particulate pollutant that 
contributes significantly to warming of the Earth’s 
climate system by absorbing radiation, converting it 
into heat, and releasing heat energy into the atmos-
phere. The atmospheric residence of black carbon is 
usually less than 2 weeks, making this pollutant an 
important candidate for policy action to immediately 
mitigate global warming, including the threat of ab-
rupt climate change. 
(2) Black carbon has a particularly detrimental 
impact on snow and ice-covered surfaces, such as the 
Arctic and the Tibetan Plateau, by reducing surface 
reflectivity and accelerating melting. 
(3) Black carbon is a component of particulate 
matter regulated under the Clean Air Act, however 
it is not explicitly regulated as a global warming 
agent under United States law or by the United Na-
tions Framework Convention on Climate Change or 
other international instruments. 
(4) Through existing clean air programs, the 
United States has substantially reduced black car-
bon emissions, but more can be done. 
(5) Internationally, governments should help 
spur technological innovation and energy technology 
deployment in countries where major black carbon 
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emissions still occur through industrial activities, ve-
hicle emissions, agriculture and forestry practices, 
and residential cooking and heating. 
(6) Human exposure to black carbon is a seri-
ous threat to public health in both developed and de-
veloping countries. Actions to reduce exposure to 
black carbon will produce immediate and significant 
public health benefits. 
(7) Taking immediate cost-effective and techno-
logically feasible action to significantly reduce black 
carbon emissions will help protect the Arctic and 
other areas that are imminently threatened by 
warming. 
(b) PURPOSES.—The purposes of this Act are— 
(1) to immediately take action to reduce black 
carbon emissions; 
(2) to identify cost-effective ways to achieve ad-
ditional reductions of domestic and international 
black carbon emissions; 
(3) to achieve the public health and environ-
mental benefits of reduced black carbon emissions, 
including contributing to a reduction in the rate of 
global warming; and 
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(4) to take action to protect areas particularly 
affected by black carbon emissions, such as the Arc-
tic. 
(c) DEFINITIONS.—As used in this Act: 
(1) The term ‘‘Administrator’’ means the Ad-
ministrator of the Environmental Protection Agency. 
(2) The term ‘‘black carbon’’ means the light- 
absorbing component of carbonaceous aerosols. 
(d) BLACK CARBON ABATEMENT REPORT.—Not 
later than one year after the date of enactment of this 
Act, the Administrator shall, in consultation with other 
appropriate Federal agencies, submit to Congress a report 
regarding black carbon emissions. The report shall include 
the following: 
(1) A summary of the current research that 
identifies— 
(A) an inventory of the major sources of 
black carbon emissions in the United States 
and throughout the world, including— 
(i) an estimate of the quantity of cur-
rent and projected future emissions; and 
(ii) the net climate forcing of the 
emissions from such sources, including 
consideration of co-emissions of other pol-
lutants; 
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(B) effective and cost-effective control 
technologies, operations, and strategies for ad-
ditional domestic and international black carbon 
emissions reductions, such as diesel retrofit 
technologies on existing on-road and off-road 
engines and programs to address residential 
cookstoves, forest burning, and other agri-
culture-based burning; 
(C) potential metrics quantifying the cli-
matic effects of black carbon emissions, includ-
ing its radiative forcing and warming effects, 
that may be used to compare the climate bene-
fits of different mitigation strategies, including 
an assessment of the uncertainty in such 
metrics; and 
(D) the public health and environmental 
benefits associated with additional controls for 
black carbon emissions. 
(2) Recommendations regarding— 
(A) development of additional emissions 
monitoring techniques and capabilities, mod-
eling, and other black carbon-related areas of 
study; 
(B) areas of focus for additional study of 
technologies, operations, and strategies with the 
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greatest potential to reduce emissions of black 
carbon; and 
(C) actions, in addition to those identified 
by the Administrator pursuant to subsections 
(e) and (f), the Federal Government may take 
to encourage or require reductions in black car-
bon emissions. 
(e) DOMESTIC BLACK CARBON MITIGATION.—Not 
later than one year after the date of enactment of this 
Act, the Administrator, taking into consideration the pub-
lic health and environmental impacts of black carbon emis-
sions, including the effects on global warming, the Arctic, 
and other snow and ice-covered surfaces, shall propose 
regulations under the existing authorities of the Clean Air 
Act to reduce emissions of black carbon or propose a find-
ing that existing regulations promulgated pursuant to 
such Act adequately regulate black carbon emissions. Not 
later than two years after the date of enactment of this 
Act, the Administrator shall promulgate final regulations 
under the existing authorities of the Clean Air Act or fi-
nalize the proposed finding. 
(f) INTERNATIONAL BLACK CARBON MITIGATION.— 
(1) REPORT.—Not later than one year after the 
date of enactment of this section, the Administrator, 
in coordination with the Secretary of State and 
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other appropriate Federal agencies, shall transmit a 
report to Congress on the amount, type, and direc-
tion of all present United States financial, technical, 
and related assistance to foreign countries to reduce, 
mitigate, and otherwise abate black carbon emis-
sions. 
(2) OTHER
OPPORTUNITIES.—The report re-
quired under paragraph (1) shall also identify oppor-
tunities and recommendations, including action 
under existing authorities, to achieve significant 
black carbon emission reductions in foreign countries 
through technical assistance or other approaches 
to— 
(A) promote sustainable solutions to bring 
clean, efficient, safe, and affordable stoves, 
fuels, or both stoves and fuels to residents of 
developing countries that are reliant on solid 
fuels such as wood, dung, charcoal, coal, or 
crop residues for home cooking and heating, so 
as to help reduce the public health, environ-
mental, and economic impacts of black carbon 
emissions from these sources by— 
(i) identifying key regions for large- 
scale demonstration efforts, and key part-
ners in each such region; and 
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(ii) developing for each such region a 
large-scale implementation strategy with a 
goal of collectively reaching 20,000,000 
homes over 5 years with interventions that 
will— 
(I) increase stove efficiency by 
over 50 percent (or such other goal as 
determined by the Administrator); 
(II) reduce emissions of black 
carbon by over 60 percent (or such 
other goal as determined by the Ad-
ministrator); and 
(III) reduce the incidence of se-
vere pneumonia in children under 5 
years old by over 30 percent (or such 
other goal as determined by the Ad-
ministrator); 
(B) make technological improvements to 
diesel engines and provide greater access to 
fuels that emit less or no black carbon; 
(C) reduce unnecessary agricultural or 
other biomass burning where feasible alter-
natives exist; 
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(D) reduce unnecessary fossil fuel burning 
that produces black carbon where feasible alter-
natives exist; 
(E) reduce other sources of black carbon 
emissions; and 
(F) improve capacity to achieve greater 
compliance with existing laws to address black 
carbon emissions. 
(g) AUTHORIZATION
OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There 
are authorized to be appropriated such sums as are nec-
essary to carry out this Act. 
Æ 
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