Title: Atmospheric Climate Intervention Research Act
Policy area: Environmental Protection

Summary:
Atmospheric Climate Intervention Research Act
This bill expands the directive of the Office of Oceanic and Atmospheric Research within the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to include climate intervention research, including research regarding the effects of proposed interventions in the stratosphere and in cloud aerosol processes.

[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 5519 Introduced in House (IH)]

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116th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 5519

To amend the America COMPETES Act to improve measurement and assessment 
 capabilities for understanding proposed atmospheric interventions in 
  Earth's climate, including, as a priority, the effects of proposed 
   interventions in the stratosphere and in cloud-aerosol processes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                           December 19, 2019

 Mr. McNerney introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
              Committee on Science, Space, and Technology

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
To amend the America COMPETES Act to improve measurement and assessment 
 capabilities for understanding proposed atmospheric interventions in 
  Earth's climate, including, as a priority, the effects of proposed 
   interventions in the stratosphere and in cloud-aerosol processes.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Atmospheric Climate Intervention 
Research Act''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

    Congress finds the following:
            (1) The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration 
        (referred to in this section as ``NOAA'') and its Office of 
        Ocean and Atmospheric Research undertakes research, including 
        scientific research, computer modeling and other forms of 
        analysis, and uses satellite, airborne, and ground-based 
        systems to monitor atmospheric chemistry and dynamics, 
        including radiative forcing gases and stratospheric ozone as 
        well as the chemical compounds and atmospheric conditions that 
        affect its concentration.
            (2) The NOAA Earth System Research Laboratory, the NOAA 
        Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Laboratory, and the NOAA Air 
        Resource Laboratory are actively involved in observations, 
        modeling, and monitoring that enhance the scientific 
        understanding of atmospheric chemistry and dynamics, drivers of 
        radiative forcing of climate change in the atmosphere, the 
        health of the stratosphere, including ozone and the processes 
        affecting its concentration in the stratosphere, and cloud 
        aerosol interactions and their climate effects.
            (3) There are significant risks posed by the potential 
        introduction of material into the stratosphere from natural 
        events such as volcanic eruptions, increased air and space 
        traffic, and proposals to inject material to temporarily reduce 
        global radiative forcing of climate that currently are the 
        subject of a forthcoming report by the National Academies of 
        Sciences.
            (4) To monitor and assess these risks requires significant 
        improvements to observations of the abundances and chemistry of 
        the stratospheric gases and particles and the reflectivity of 
        the stratosphere to establish the baseline state of the 
        stratosphere and its trend over time and to develop 
        enhancements to stratospheric models used for predicting 
        climate impacts of material introduced into the stratosphere by 
        natural or other means.
            (5) Under the Weather Modification Reporting Act of 1972 
        (15 U.S.C. 330 et seq.), NOAA is responsible for oversight of 
        any activities undertaken to modify weather, which includes 
        research or testing activities related to modifying the 
        atmosphere to affect local, regional, or global climate 
        (defined as atmospheric climate intervention under such Act).
            (6) The Montreal Protocol, finalized in 1987, and ratified 
        by the United States in 1988, has proven to be innovative and 
        successful in protecting the Earth's ozone layer, and is the 
        only environmental treaty to achieve universal ratification by 
        all countries in the world. The United States has been a leader 
        within the Protocol throughout its existence. Hence, the 
        Protocol should remain the governing global agreement to 
        protect the stratospheric ozone layer.

SEC. 3. STRATOSPHERE AND CLIMATE INTERVENTION RESEARCH PROGRAM.

    Section 4001 of the America COMPETES Act (33 U.S.C. 893) is 
amended--
            (1) in subsection (a)--
                    (A) by striking ``atmospheric research'' and 
                inserting ``atmospheric and climate intervention 
                research''; and
                    (B) by inserting ``and observational, monitoring, 
                forecasting,'' after ``advanced technologies''; and
            (2) in subsection (b)--
                    (A) in the heading, by striking ``and atmospheric'' 
                and inserting ``, Atmospheric, and Climate 
                Intervention'';
                    (B) in paragraph (2), by striking ``and'' at the 
                end;
                    (C) in paragraph (3), by striking the period at the 
                end and inserting a semicolon; and
                    (D) by adding at the end the following:
            ``(4) to improve measurement and assessment capabilities 
        for understanding proposed atmospheric interventions in 
        climate, including, as a priority, the effects of proposed 
        interventions in the stratosphere and in cloud-aerosol 
        processes;
            ``(5) within the Office of Ocean and Atmospheric Research 
        of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, to 
        undertake research, including scientific research, and develop 
        increased observations, improved models, new analyses, 
        computing and related technologies, and risk assessment to 
        improve understanding and prediction of--
                    ``(A) the chemistry and dynamics of the 
                stratosphere;
                    ``(B) Earth's radiation budget; and
                    ``(C) the impacts of changes in atmospheric aerosol 
                forcing on the Earth's energy balance and climate;
            ``(6) to expand the use of cloud computing, space-based and 
        ground-based remote sensing capabilities, and other 
        commercially available technologies to accelerate research; and
            ``(7) within the Office of Oceanic and Atmospheric 
        Research, to assess and advise the Secretary with respect to 
        reports submitted under the Weather Modification Reporting Act 
        of 1972 (15 U.S.C. 330 et seq.) relating to atmospheric climate 
        intervention experiments, and, as determined appropriate by the 
        Office, make available to the public findings and data relating 
        to such reports.''.
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