Bill Summary
The Ohio River Basin Preparedness Act is a bill that requires the development and implementation of a plan to assist communities in the Ohio River Basin that are affected by climate change. The plan will be created by the Secretary of the Army, in coordination with other federal agencies, and will provide resources and assistance to states, Indian tribes, and communities to help them prepare for and respond to the effects of climate change. This includes informing them of existing federal resources and providing assistance through various federal programs. The bill also requires a report to be published on the impacts of climate change on electric utilities in the Ohio River Basin and recommendations for preparing for these impacts. The Ohio River Basin is defined as the area identified in a specific study conducted by the Corps of Engineers.
Possible Impacts
1. The interagency plan developed under this bill could provide assistance and resources to people living in communities along the Ohio River Basin to help them prepare for and respond to the effects of climate change, such as extreme weather events and rising temperatures. This could potentially lead to improved infrastructure, increased access to resources, and better disaster preparedness for these communities.
2. The report on the impacts of climate change on electric utilities could inform people in the Ohio River Basin about potential vulnerabilities of their electric utilities to climate change and extreme weather. This could affect people by increasing their awareness and potentially leading them to take action to prepare for potential disruptions in their electricity supply.
3. The recommendations and technical assistance provided in this bill could help mitigate economic losses for those living in the Ohio River Basin. This could be especially beneficial for low-income and marginalized communities who may not have the resources to adequately prepare for and respond to the effects of climate change.
[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 7426 Introduced in House (IH)]
<DOC>
116th CONGRESS
2d Session
H. R. 7426
To require development and implementation of an interagency plan to
assist communities affected by climate change in the Ohio River Basin,
and for other purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
June 30, 2020
Mr. Lamb (for himself, Mr. Michael F. Doyle of Pennsylvania, and Mr.
Ryan) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the
Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, and in addition to the
Committees on Energy and Commerce, Financial Services, Agriculture, and
Natural Resources, for a period to be subsequently determined by the
Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall
within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To require development and implementation of an interagency plan to
assist communities affected by climate change in the Ohio River Basin,
and for other purposes.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``Ohio River Basin Preparedness Act''.
SEC. 2. INTERAGENCY PLAN.
(a) In General.--Not later than 180 days after the date of
enactment of this Act, the Secretary of the Army, acting through the
Chief of Engineers, in coordination with the head of each agency
described in subsection (d), shall develop and issue an interagency
plan for the agencies described in subsection (d) to assist States,
Indian Tribes, and communities in the Ohio River Basin in preparing
for, and responding to, the effects of climate change, including by--
(1) informing such States, Indian Tribes, and communities
of existing Federal resources available to such States, Indian
Tribes, and communities, based on the analysis described in
subsection (b)(2); and
(2) providing assistance through the Environmental
Protection Agency's Smart Growth Program, the Federal Emergency
Management Agency's Pre-Disaster Mitigation Grant Program, the
Department of Housing and Urban Development's Community
Development Block Grant program, the Economic Development
Administration of the Department of Commerce, and the
Department of Agriculture, to such States, Indian Tribes, and
communities to help them prepare for extreme weather, major
floods, rising temperatures, and potential economic losses from
such threats.
(b) Development.--In developing the interagency plan under
subsection (a), the Secretary of the Army, acting through the Chief of
Engineers, in coordination with the head of each agency described in
subsection (d), shall--
(1) consult with States, Indian Tribes, and communities in
the Ohio River Basin that may be affected by climate change;
and
(2) include in such interagency plan--
(A) identification of the particular needs of such
States, Indian Tribes, and communities in order for
such States, Indian Tribes, and communities to
adequately prepare for, and respond to, the effects of
climate change; and
(B) an analysis of--
(i) the availability of existing and
potential Federal resources, including
programs, grants, loans, and other assistance,
that the agencies described in subsection (d)
may provide to assist States, Indian Tribes,
and communities in the Ohio River Basin in
preparing for, and responding to, the effects
of climate change (including assistance in
building or modernizing infrastructure),
including--
(I) Corps of Engineers resources
related to--
(aa) modernizing and
hardening levees, floodwalls,
and flood control projects for
more extreme weather flooding
events;
(bb) restoring wetlands so
that such wetlands may absorb
rain;
(cc) reconnecting
floodplains to rivers in order
to allow for natural flood
storage;
(dd) developing a basin-
wide water management plan, in
collaboration with the
Department of Agriculture,
Tennessee Valley Authority, and
water management agencies of
the States in the Ohio River
Basin; and
(ee) updating and
modernizing operations manuals
for dams and reservoirs
operated by the Corps of
Engineers to account for future
water risks, precipitation,
flow patterns, and usage;
(II) Environmental Protection
Agency resources and Department of
Agriculture resources related to
modernizing drinking water and
wastewater treatment and stormwater
management;
(III) Department of Transportation
resources related to raising or
hardening critical transportation
infrastructure that may be vulnerable
to flooding;
(IV) United States Geological
Survey resources and Environmental
Protection Agency resources related to
water quality and flow discharge
monitoring and modeling; and
(V) Federal Emergency Management
Agency resources related to updating
and modernizing flood hazard maps to
incorporate the latest science and
future risk projections; and
(ii) the limitations of existing Federal
resources that the agencies described in
subsection (d) may so provide, including--
(I) the limitations of such
resources in meeting the particular
needs of such States, Indian Tribes,
and communities identified under
subparagraph (A); and
(II) recommendations--
(aa) for Congress regarding
any statutory changes regarding
existing Federal programs, or
additional Federal funding,
that the agencies determine are
necessary to assist such
States, Indian Tribes, and
communities in preparing for,
and responding to, the effects
of climate change; and
(bb) for additional
Federal, State, and local
resources that the agencies
determine are necessary to so
assist such States, Indian
Tribes, and communities.
(c) Publication and Implementation.--
(1) Publication.--Upon issuance of the interagency plan
developed under subsection (a), the plan shall be published on
the public internet website of--
(A) the Environmental Protection Agency;
(B) the Assistant Secretary of the Army for Civil
Works; and
(C) the Great Lakes and Ohio River Division of the
Corps of Engineers.
(2) Deadline.--Not later than 30 days after the interagency
plan developed under subsection (a) is issued, each head of an
agency described in subsection (d) shall implement such
interagency plan.
(3) Technical assistance.--In implementing the interagency
plan developed under subsection (a), the heads of the agencies
described in subsection (d) shall provide technical assistance
and expertise to States, Indian Tribes, and communities in the
Ohio River Basin.
(d) Agencies Described.--The agencies described in this subsection
are as follows:
(1) The Corps of Engineers.
(2) The Environmental Protection Agency.
(3) The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
(4) The Department of the Interior.
(5) The Department of Agriculture.
(6) The Department of Transportation.
(7) The Federal Emergency Management Agency.
(8) The United States Geological Survey.
(9) The Department of Housing and Urban Development.
(10) The Department of Commerce.
SEC. 3. REPORT ON IMPACTS OF CLIMATE CHANGE ON ELECTRIC UTILITIES.
Not later than 90 days after the date of enactment of this Act, the
Secretary of Energy shall publish, on the public internet website of
the Department of Energy, a report that includes--
(1) an analysis of--
(A) the potential vulnerabilities of electric
utilities that are located in, or serve electric
consumers in, the Ohio River Basin, to climate change
and extreme weather; and
(B) the impacts of climate change and extreme
weather on such electric utilities; and
(2) recommendations and technical assistance, as
appropriate, to assist such electric utilities in preparing for
climate change and extreme weather.
SEC. 4. DEFINITION.
In this Act, the term ``Ohio River Basin'' means the Ohio River
Basin as identified in the Corps of Engineers' study titled ``Ohio
River Basin-Formulating Climate Change Mitigation/Adaptation Strategies
through Regional Collaboration with the ORB Alliance'' (May 2017).
<all>