Sec. 608. Reducing the negative impacts from black carbon, methane, and high-GWP hydrofluorocarbons
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In this section, the term high-GWP HFC means newly manufactured hydrofluorocarbons with a global warming potential calculated over a 100-year period of greater than 150, as described in the Fifth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. The President shall direct the United States representatives to appropriate international bodies and conferences to use the voice, vote, and influence of the United States, consistent with the broad foreign policy goals of the United States, to advocate that each such body or conference— commit to significantly increasing efforts to reduce black carbon, methane, and high-GWP HFC; invest in and develop alternative energy sources, industrial and agricultural processes, appliances, and products to replace sources of black carbon, methane, and high-GWP HFC; enhance coordination with the private sector— to increase production and distribution of clean energy alternatives, industrial processes, and products that will replace sources of black carbon, methane, and high-GWP HFC; to develop action plans to mitigate black carbon, methane, and high-GWP HFC from various private sector operations; to encourage best technology, methods, and management practices for reducing black carbon, methane, and high-GWP HFC; to craft specific financing mechanisms for the incremental costs associated with mitigating black carbon, methane, and high-GWP HFC pollutants; and to grow economic opportunities and develop markets, as appropriate, for reducing black carbon, methane, tropospheric ozone, and hydrofluorocarbons; provide technical assistance to foreign regulatory authorities and governments to remove unnecessary barriers to investment in short-lived climate mitigation solutions, including— the use of safe and affordable clean energy; the implementation of policies requiring industrial and agricultural best practices for capturing or mitigating the release of methane from extractive, agricultural, and industrial processes; and climate assessment, scientific research, monitoring, and technological development activities; develop and implement clear, accountable, and metric-based targets to measure the effectiveness of projects described in paragraph (4); and engage international partners in an existing multilateral forum (or, if necessary, establish through an international agreement a new multilateral forum) to improve global cooperation for— creating tangible metrics for evaluating efforts to reduce black carbon, methane, and high-GWP HFC; developing and implementing best practices for phasing out sources of black carbon, methane, and high-GWP HFC, including expanding capacity for innovative instruments to mitigate black carbon, methane, and high-GWP HFC at the national and subnational levels of foreign countries, particularly countries with little capacity to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and deploy clean energy facilities, and countries that lack sufficient policies to advance such development; encouraging the development of standards and practices, and increasing transparency and accountability efforts for the reduction of black carbon, methane, and high-GWP HFC; integrating tracking and monitoring systems into industrial processes; fostering research to improve scientific understanding of— how high concentrations of black carbon, methane, and high-GWP HFC affect human health, safety, and our environment; changes in the amount and regional concentrations of black carbon and methane emissions, based on scientific modeling and forecasting; effective means to sequester black carbon, methane, and high-GWP HFC; and other related areas of research the United States representatives deem necessary; encouraging the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund, and other international finance organizations— to prioritize efforts to combat black carbon, methane, and high-GWP HFC; and to enhance transparency by providing sufficient and adequate information to facilitate independent verification of their climate finance reporting; encouraging observers of the Arctic Council (including India and China) to adopt mitigation plans consistent with the findings and recommendations of the Arctic Council’s Framework for Action on Black Carbon and Methane; collaborating on technological advances in black carbon, methane, and high-GWP HFC pollutant mitigation, sequestration and reduction technologies; and advising foreign countries, at both the national and subnational levels, regarding the development and execution of regulatory policies, services, and laws pertaining to reducing the creation and the collection and safe management of black carbon, methane, and high-GWP HFC.
Congress recognizes the success of the United States Climate Alliance and the greenhouse gas reduction programs and strategies established by the Environmental Protection Agency’s Center for Corporate Climate Leadership. The Secretary of State shall work with the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency to build partnerships, as appropriate, with the governments of foreign countries and to support international efforts to reduce black carbon, methane, and high-GWP HFC.
Not later than 1 year after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of State shall submit a report to Congress that— assesses the potential for negotiating new international agreements, new targets within existing international agreements or cooperative bodies, and the creation of a new international forum to mitigate globally black carbon, methane, and high-GWP HFC to support the efforts described in subsection (b); describes the provisions that could be included in such agreements; assesses potential parties to such agreements; describes a process for reengaging with Canada and Mexico regarding the methane targets agreed to at the 2016 North American Leaders’ Summit; and describes a process for reengaging with the countries of the Arctic Council regarding the methane and black carbon targets that were negotiated in 2015 through the Framework for Action.
In negotiating any relevant international agreement with any country or countries after the date of the enactment of this Act, the President shall— consider the impact black carbon, methane, and high-GWP HFC are having on the increase in global average temperatures and the resulting global climate change; consider the effects that climate change is having on the environment; and ensure that the agreement strengthens efforts to eliminate black carbon, methane, and high-GWP HFC from such country or countries.
Consistent with strategies adopted by the International Maritime Organization to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from ships, the Secretary of State, in consultation with the Secretary of Transportation, the Secretary of Commerce, the Administrator, and the Commandant of the Coast Guard, shall develop a comprehensive plan to reduce black carbon emissions from ships based on appropriate emissions data from oceangoing vessels. The plan shall provide for such reduction through— a clean freight partnership; limits on black carbon emissions; and efforts that include protection of access to critical fuel shipments and emergency needs of coastal communities.
Not later than 90 days after the date of enactment of this Act, the President shall establish a task force, to be known as the Interagency Working Group on Black Carbon, Methane, and High-GWP HFC Pollutant Mitigation. The members of the Working Group shall include the head (or a designee thereof) of each relevant Federal agency. The Working Group shall— not later than 180 days after the date of enactment of this Act, submit to the appropriate congressional committees a report that includes specific plans of each relevant Federal agency— look for opportunities with other countries to promote alternatives to high-GWP HFC, and transition over time to equipment that uses safer and more sustainable alternatives to high-GWP HFC; review the policy recommendations made by— the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change; the United States Climate Alliance; the Interagency Strategy to Reduce Methane Emissions; the Council on Climate Preparedness and Resilience; the Clean Cooking Alliance; the International Maritime Organization; and other relevant organizations and institutions; and develop an action plan to reduce black carbon, methane, and high-GWP HFC pollutants that incorporates any appropriate proposals or recommendations made by the entities referred to in subparagraph (C).