US Congress : 2019-2020 Regular Session : BILL HB5519
Atmospheric Climate Intervention Research Act
Sponsor: Rep Jerry McNerney & Rep John Curtis
Bill Details
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.
Bill summary
This bill, titled the "Atmospheric Climate Intervention Research Act," is designed to amend the America COMPETES Act to enhance the measurement and assessment capabilities for proposed atmospheric interventions that affect Earth's climate. It primarily focuses on understanding the impacts of these interventions, particularly concerning the stratosphere and cloud-aerosol processes.
The bill outlines several findings regarding the current state of atmospheric research conducted by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). It emphasises the importance of improving observations, modeling, and risk assessments related to atmospheric chemistry, stratospheric dynamics, and the effects of atmospheric aerosol forcing on climate.
Key provisions introduced by this bill include:
- Renaming atmospheric research to "atmospheric and climate intervention research."
- Prioritising the development of capabilities to measure and understand the effects of proposed atmospheric interventions, particularly in the stratosphere and cloud-aerosol processes.
- Enhancing the Office of Ocean and Atmospheric Research's efforts to conduct scientific research and improve observational and modeling initiatives.
- Expanding the use of advanced technologies, such as cloud computing and remote sensing, to facilitate research.
- Enhancing NOAA's role in assessing and advising on atmospheric climate intervention experiments and ensuring transparency by making relevant findings available to the public.
The bill has been introduced and is currently under consideration.
History
The bill was introduced in December 2019 and was promptly referred to the House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology, as well as the Subcommittee on Environment. In March 2020, the Subcommittee held a consideration and mark-up session, during which it discussed the bill and subsequently forwarded it to the full committee with a voice vote in support. Currently, the bill is still active as it has not yet progressed beyond the full committee stage, and the next steps will involve further review and potential voting by the full committee.
- Thu 19 Dec 2019 Introduced in House
- Thu 19 Dec 2019 Referred to the House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology.
- Thu 19 Dec 2019 Referred to the Subcommittee on Environment.
- Wed 04 Mar 2020 Subcommittee Consideration and Mark-up Session Held.
- Wed 04 Mar 2020 Forwarded by Subcommittee to Full Committee by Voice Vote .
Supplementary documents
No supplementary documents available