,i #aaeth ,,congress #ast ,session ,h4 ,r4 #dehf ,,in ,,the ,,house ,,of ,,representatives ,december #g1 #bjag,mr4 ,mc,nerney 7for himself and ,ms4 ,eddie ,bernice ,johnson of ,texas7 introduced the following bill2 which was referred to the ,committee on ,science1 ,space1 and ,technology ,a ,,bill ,to provide for the ,national ,academies to study and report on a research agenda to advance the understanding of albedo modification strategies1 and for other purposes4 #a4 ,short title ,this ,act may be cited as the ,geoengineering ,research ,evaluation ,act of #bjag4 #b4 ,findings ,congress finds the following3 7#a7 ,many significant scientific studies have concluded that the climate is changing4 ,the ,fifth ,assessment ,report of the ,intergovernmental ,panel on ,climate ,change found that even under the most stringent carbon constrained scenario1 mean global surface temperature will still increase4 7#b7 ,if unmitigated1 continued rises in temperature will have severe impacts on human health1 the global economy1 and ,united ,states national security1 damaging both earth and human systems4 7#c7 ,cutting carbon pollution is still the best way to mitigate climate change because it prevents further global temperature rise1 whereas climate intervention is a higher risk reaction to already elevated greenhouse gas levels4 7#d7 ,however1 the ,united ,states and other nations may also need to consider climate intervention strategies1 beginning with carbon dioxide removal and sequestration1 including biological sequestration1 and potentially extending to albedo modification4 7#e7 ,in #bjae1 the ,national ,academies published two reports that outline the research needs and ethical questions for climate intervention1 addressing carbon dioxide removal and sequestration and albedo modification4 ,these reports found that currently there is insufficient information to effectively evaluate1 let alone deploy1 strategies for large-scale climate interventions4 7#f7 ,many carbon dioxide removal options are relatively low risk and effective1 but they are currently limited by cost and lack of technical maturity1 and some may have significant local environmental impacts4 ,albedo modification shows evidence of being temporarily effective at cooling the planet1 but at a currently unknown cost to and impact on the environment4 7#g7 ,the ,academies' reports recommended investing in the research and development of methods of carbon dioxide removal and disposal at scales that would impact the climate4 ,they also recommended the development and implementation of a dedicated albedo modification research program that furthers basic climate science1 understanding of human interaction with the climate system1 and improved detection of changes in radiative forcing4 7#h7 ,the ,academies further recommended the development of a clear framework for governance of albedo modification research that would adjust governance of specified types of research according to the magnitude and nature of a project's expected impact on radiative forcing and climate4 ,such a structure should ensure transparency in the research process1 extend governance requirements beyond those of general research1 and engage civil society and other nontraditional stakeholders in decision-making4 ,large1 high-risk projects should not be implemented without thorough consideration of the outcomes of smaller-scale1 low-risk projects4 #c4 ,national ,academies reports 7a7 ,phase ,i report2 research strategy for albedo modification 7#a7 ,in general ,not later than #c months after the date of enactment of this ,act1 the ,secretary of ,energy1 in consultation with the ,administrator of the ,national ,oceanographic and ,atmospheric ,administration1 the ,administrator of the ,national ,aeronautics and ,space ,administration1 the ,director of the ,national ,science ,foundation1 the ,director of the ,national ,institute of ,standards and ,technology1 and other ,federal agencies as appropriate1 shall contract with the ,national ,academies to conduct a study and develop a report recommending a research agenda for advancing understanding of albedo modification strategies that involve atmospheric interventions1 including marine cloud brightening1 stratospheric aerosol albedo modification1 and cirrus cloud modification4 7#b7 ,report content ,the report described in paragraph 7#a7 shall1 at a minimum-- 7,a7 identify priorities for laboratory studies1 model development and experiments1 computing capabilities1 process-based studies1 small-scale field experiments1 engineering studies1 and long-term1 large-scale observations1 including space-based observations2 7,b7 provide guidance on how to define field experimentation that has a de minimis impact2 and 7,c7 identify1 where relevant1 how the recommended research efforts would provide benefits in advancing other areas of science4 7#c7 ,timeline ,the ,secretary of ,energy shall encourage the ,national ,academies1 to the extent practicable1 to complete the ,phase ,i report no later than #i months after the date of the execution of the contract described in paragraph 7#a74 7b7 ,phase ,,ii report2 framework for research governance 7#a7 ,in general ,no more than #cj days after completion of the ,phase ,i report described in subsection 7a71 the ,secretary of ,energy1 in consultation with appropriate ,federal agencies1 shall contract with the ,national ,academies to conduct a study and develop a report that provides specific guidance on governance mechanisms for the proposed albedo modification research agenda developed in ,phase ,i4 ,the proposed research governance approaches should seek to maximize the benefits of research while minimizing risks4 7#b7 ,report content ,the report described in paragraph 7#a7 shall1 at a minimum-- 7,a7 take into account legal1 ethical1 social1 political1 economic1 and other potentially important ramifications of albedo modification research2 7,b7 examine what types of research governance1 beyond those that already exist1 may be needed for albedo modification research2 and 7,c7 identify the types of research that would require such governance1 potentially based on the magnitude of their expected impact on radiative forcing1 their potential for detrimental direct and indirect effects1 and other considerations4 7#c7 ,timeline ,the ,secretary of ,energy shall encourage the ,national ,academies1 to the extent practicable1 to complete the ,phase ,,ii report no later than #i months after the date of the execution of the contract described in paragraph 7#a74 7#d7 ,additional considerations 7,a7 ,limitation ,the report described in this subsection shall not address governance for deployment of albedo modification4 7,b7 ,input ,the ,secretary of ,energy shall ensure that the process for the development of the report described in this subsection includes input from civil society organizations and other relevant stakeholders4 #d4 ,implementation plan ,not later than #ij days after completion of the ,phase ,,ii report described in section #c7;b71 the ,director of the ,office of ,science and ,technology ,policy1 in coordination with all relevant ,federal agencies1 shall submit to ,congress an implementation plan for geoengineering research and research governance4 ,in preparing such implementation plan1 the ,director shall take into consideration the recommendations included in the ,phase ,,ii report and in the ,phase ,i report described in section #c7;a74 #e4 ,definition ,in this ,act1 the term ,national ,academies means the ,national ,academies of ,sciences1 ,engineering1 and ,medicine4