Lieberman-Warner Climate Security Act of 2008

Bill: 110-s-3036
Sponsor: Sen. Boxer, Barbara [D-CA]
Introduced: 2008-05-20 in the Senate
Policy area: Environmental Protection
Subjects: Administrative procedure
Agricultural pollution
Agricultural research
Agriculture and Food
Air conditioning
Air pollution control
Airports
Alternative energy sources
Animals
Armed Forces and National Security
Auctions
Automobile industry
Automobile repair
Biomass energy
Building laws
Carbon cycle
Carbon dioxide
Cellulose
Civil actions and liability
Climate change and greenhouse gases
Coal
Coastal zone
Colleges
Commerce
Congress
Congressional reporting requirements
Cooperative societies
Coral reefs
Corporations
Diesel motor
Earned income tax credit
Economic impact statements
Economics and Public Finance
Ecosystem management
Electric appliances
Electric power distribution
Electric power production
Electric utilities
Electric utility rates
Electric vehicles
Electronic benefits transfers
Emergency Management
Emissions trading
Employee training
Endangered species
Energy
Energy conservation
Energy efficiency
Energy prices
Environmental Protection Agency
Environmental law enforcement
Environmental research
Environmental technology
Estuaries
Executive reorganization
Federal aid to Indians
Federal aid to education
Finance and Financial Sector
Fire fighters
Fire prevention
Fishery management
Flood control
Fluorocarbons
Foreign Trade and International Finance
Forest conservation
Forest fires
Forestry
Forestry research
Forests, forestry, trees
Fossil fuels
Fuel cells
Fuel consumption
Gas companies
Gas industry
Geology
Geothermal resources
Government Operations and Politics
Government liability
Government paperwork
Government publicity
Government trust funds
Habitat conservation
Heating
Higher education
Housing and Community Development
Import restrictions
Income tax
Industrial buildings
Information disclosure (Securities law)
Infrastructure
International Affairs
International environmental cooperation
Investments
Labor and Employment
Labor statistics
Landfills
Law
Manufacturing industries
Marine and coastal resources, fisheries
Marine ecology
Marine mammals
Marine pollution
Mercury
Methane
Minorities
Montana
Motor vehicle pollution control
Natural gas
Negotiations
Nitrogen oxides
Nonprofit organizations
Ocean energy resources
Petroleum industry
Petroleum refineries
Pipelines
Potable water
Presidential powers
Public Lands and Natural Resources
Recycling of waste products
Research centers
Science, Technology, Communications
Scientific education
Social Welfare
Social security taxes
Solar energy
Standards
State laws
Sulphur dioxide
Taxation
Technological innovations
Transportation and Public Works
Treaties
U.S. Agency for International Development
Water Resources Development
Water pollution control
Water quality
Wind power
Wyoming

Summary:
action_date: 2008-05-20
text: 
Lieberman-Warner Climate Security Act of 2008 - Requires the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to establish: (1) a federal greenhouse gas (GHG) registry, for which certain facilities must report information regarding fossil fuels and GHGs produced and consumed; and (2) specified quantities of GHG emission allowances, which decline for each of 2012 to 2050. 

Requires the Administrator to establish a GHG emission allowance transfer system for the following: (1) facilities that use more than 5,000 tons of coal in a year; (2) facilities in the natural gas sector; (3) facilities that produce or entities that import petroleum- or coal-based fuel the combustion of which will emit group I GHGs; (4) facilities that produce or entities that import, in any year, more than 10,000 carbon dioxide equivalents of chemicals that are group I GHGs; and (5) facilities that emit as a byproduct of the production of hydrochlorofluorocarbons more than 10,000 carbon dioxide equivalents of hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) in any year.

Provides for the use of feedstock, sequestration, and destruction credits.

 Establishes: (1) a domestic offset program to sequester GHGs; (2) the Bonus Allowance Account for carbon capture and sequestration projects; (3) the Carbon Market Efficiency Board, which shall analyze the national GHG emission market and implement cost relief measures if the market poses significant harm to the U.S. economy; (4) the Climate Change Credit Corporation, to which specified percentages of emission and remainder emission allowances for 2012-2050 shall be allocated and which shall auction such allowances annually; and (5) the Deficit Reduction Fund into which auction proceeds shall be deposited. 

Requires the Administrator to establish new qualifying levels and requirements of Energy Star certification for retail carbon offsets.

Provides for the allocation and distribution of emission allowances to states and facilities on the basis of emission reductions, energy savings, state programs that exceed federal emission reduction targets, state expenditures for low-income home energy assistance programs, and relative potential carbon dioxide emissions. Specifies how states shall use such allowances, including to mitigate impacts on low-income energy consumers, to promote energy efficiency and investment in nonemitting electricity generation technology, to improve public transportation, to encourage advances in energy technology that reduce or sequester GHG emissions, to address impacts of climate change, and to improve recycling programs.

Establishes and provides for the deposit of auction proceeds to and allocations from: (1) the Energy Assistance Fund; (2) the Climate Change Worker Training Fund; (3) the Adaptation Fund; (4) the Climate Change and National Security Fund; (5) the Bureau of Land Management Emergency Firefighting Fund; (6) the Forest Service Emergency Firefighting Fund; and (7) the Climate Security Act Management Fund. Provides for the use of auction proceeds, including for programs concerning zero- or low-carbon energy technologies, advanced coal and sequestration technologies, incentives for production of fuel from cellulosic biomass, advanced technology vehicles manufacturing incentives, and sustainable energy. 

Requires the Secretary of State to establish an International Climate Change Adaptation and National Security Program within the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID).

Amends the Energy Policy and Conservation Act to set forth provisions concerning appliance energy efficiency requirements and state building energy efficiency code updates.

Requires the President to establish: (1) an interagency group to determine whether foreign countries have addressed GHGs; and (2) an Interagency Climate Change Task Force. 

Requires: (1) the Administrator to establish an international reserve allowance program; and (2) the proceeds from sales of such allowances to be used to mitigate the negative impacts of climate change on other countries' disadvantaged communities.

Amends the Safe Drinking Water Act to require the Administrator to permit commercial-scale underground injection of carbon dioxide for purposes of geological sequestration.

Requires the Administrator to establish a cap on and allocate allowances for HFC consumption in the United States for 2010-2050. Prohibits consumption of an HFC or products or equipment containing any HFC except as provided in this Act. Amends the Clean Air Act to: (1) set forth requirements concerning the sale or distribution, use, and disposal of HFC substitutes; and (2) direct the Administrator to establish an advanced clean fuel performance standard.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2008-07-08
text: Returned to the Calendar. Calendar No. 742.
action_date: 2008-06-06
text: Considered by Senate. (consideration: CR S5333-5347)
action_date: 2008-06-04
text: Motion by Senator Reid to commit to Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works with instructions that the Committee report back forthwith with the following amendment (SA 4830) made in Senate.
action_date: 2008-06-04
text: Measure laid before Senate by motion. (consideration: CR S5014-5020)
action_date: 2008-06-04
text: Motion to proceed to consideration of measure agreed to in Senate by Unanimous Consent. (consideration: CR S5014)
action_date: 2008-06-03
text: Motion to proceed to measure considered in Senate. (consideration: CR S4910-4920, S4920-4959)
action_date: 2008-06-02
text: Cloture on the motion to proceed to the measure invoked in Senate by Yea-Nay Vote. 74 - 14. Record Vote Number: 141. (consideration: CR S4886; text: CR S4886)
action_date: 2008-06-02
text: Motion to proceed to measure considered in Senate. (consideration: CR S4866-4889)
action_date: 2008-05-22
text: Motion to proceed to consideration of measure withdrawn in Senate. (consideration: CR S4837)
action_date: 2008-05-22
text: Cloture motion on the motion to proceed to the measure presented in Senate. (consideration: CR S4837; text: CR S4837)
action_date: 2008-05-22
text: Motion to proceed to consideration of measure made in Senate. (consideration: CR S4837)
action_date: 2008-05-21
text: Read the second time. Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders. Calendar No. 742.
action_date: 2008-05-20
text: Introduced in the Senate. Read the first time. Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under Read the First Time.
action_date: 2008-05-20
text: Introduced in Senate