Climate Protection and Justice Act of 2015

Bill: 114-s-2399
Sponsor: Sen. Sanders, Bernard [I-VT]
Introduced: 2015-12-10 in the Senate
Policy area: Environmental Protection
Subjects: Administrative law and regulatory procedures
Agricultural conservation and pollution
Agricultural practices and innovations
Air quality
Alternative and renewable resources
Climate change and greenhouse gases
Economic development
Electric power generation and transmission
Emergency communications systems
Emergency planning and evacuation
Energy efficiency and conservation
Energy storage, supplies, demand
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
Environmental assessment, monitoring, research
Environmental health
Environmental regulatory procedures
Environmental technology
Farmland
Floods and storm protection
Food industry and services
Government lending and loan guarantees
Government studies and investigations
Government trust funds
Hazardous wastes and toxic substances
Indian lands and resources rights
Industrial facilities
Internet and video services
Internet, web applications, social media
Lighting and heating
Lighting, heating, cooling
Low- and moderate-income housing
Manufacturing
Mining
Minority health
Poverty and welfare assistance
Public utilities and utility rates
Residential rehabilitation and home repair
Roads and highways
Rural conditions and development
Soil pollution
Solid waste and recycling
Tariffs
Unemployment
User charges and fees
Wetlands

Summary:
action_date: 2015-12-10
text: 

Climate Protection and Justice Act of 2015

 
 This bill amends the Clean Air Act to address greenhouse gas emissions. Specifically, the bill:
 
 
 states as U.S. policy greenhouse gas emission targets for 2020, 2030, 2040, and 2050 that will result in reducing the emissions 80% below 1990 levels by 2050;
 
 establishes a fee for manufacturing, producing, or importing certain carbon polluting substances (coal, petroleum, and natural gas) that increases over time;
 
 establishes the Interagency Climate Council to evaluate whether the targets are being met;
 
 requires the Environmental Protection Agency to issue regulations to ensure the targets are met if the council finds the targets are not being met;
 
 requires those fees to be deposited in the Carbon Fee Rebate Fund established by this bill;
 
establishes the Carbon Fee Rebate Program, which will distribute proceeds from the fees to eligible U.S. residents;
 
 establishes a Climate Justice Resiliency Grant Program to fund projects that mitigate climate impacts on communities that are unable to afford the management or mitigation of those impacts;
 
 expands the definition of solid waste under the Clean Air Act and applies air pollution emission limits to those wastes; and
 
 establishes a fee on carbon pollution-intensive goods imported into the United States, requires the fees to be deposited in the Carbon Equivalency Fee Fund established by this bill, and requires the fund to be used for certain purposes, including improving industrial energy efficiency.
 
 
 The bill provides funding for the Weatherization Assistance Program, the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant Program, and the Rural Energy for America Program.
 
 The bill revises the Food Security Act of 1985 by providing incentives for farmers to use no-till cultivation practices and sustainable fertilizer application practices.
 
 The bill revises the Federal Power Act to enable access on the electric grid for demand response programs (programs that enable customers to reduce or shift their power use during peak demand periods).


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2015-12-10
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance.
action_date: 2015-12-10
text: Introduced in Senate