100 by '50 Act
A BILL
To transition away from fossil fuel sources of energy to 100 percent clean and renewable energy by 2050, and for other purposes.
Sec. 2 Findings; purposes; statement of policy
Findings— Congress finds that—
from 1880 through 2015, global temperatures have increased by about 1.06 degrees Celsius;
the vast majority of global warming that has occurred over the 50-year period ending on the date of enactment of this Act was due to human activities, primarily the burning of fossil fuels;
emissions of greenhouse gases and atmospheric concentrations of greenhouse gases continue to rise, which results in a continued warming trend;
global warming already has a significant impact on the economy, including the farming, fishing, forestry, and recreation industries;
the significant impacts of global warming that are already occurring will be amplified by a global temperature increases, resulting in increased droughts, rising seas, mass extinctions, heat waves, desertification, wildfires, acidifying oceans, significant economic disruption, and security threats;
low-income communities, communities of color, indigenous communities and other environmental justice communities in the United States are inordinately exposed to pollution from fossil fuels, and climate impacts will be disproportionately felt by those communities;
the world is facing a climate emergency;
people in States and local communities across the United States are engaging in and winning the fight to mobilize to solve the climate crisis; and
the Federal Government has thus far failed to adequately address the climate crisis.
Purposes— The purposes of this Act are—
to reduce, in conjunction with other laws and policies, emissions of carbon pollution to ensure that the contribution of the United States to global climate change is lower than the level required to keep global average temperature increases below dangerous levels;
to implement solutions that acknowledge the intersections of environmental degradation that perpetuate racial, social, and economic inequities;
to protect the lives of low-income and disadvantaged communities and invest in those communities;
to empower communities to prepare for, and react to, the impacts of climate change that are already being experienced;
to demonstrate to the international community a commitment by the Federal Government to aggressively reduce carbon pollution;
to create jobs for all individuals, especially in communities with high rates of unemployment or underemployment, and build a sustainable economy; and
to ensure universal access to clean and renewable energy for all homes and businesses in the United States.
Statement of policy— It is the policy of the United States that—
the United States should aggressively reduce carbon pollution as rapidly as practicable, and achieve 100 percent clean and renewable energy not later than 2050; and
the Federal Government should do everything in its power—
to protect public health and environment;
to avoid the most dangerous impacts of climate change; and
to promote a rapid, just, and equitable transition to a clean energy economy.
Sec. 3 Definitions
In this Act:
Administrator— The term Administrator means the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency.
Climate Fund— The term Climate Fund means the Climate Fund established by section 702(a).
Council— The term Council means the National Climate Change Council established by section 701(b).
Disadvantaged community—
In general— The term disadvantaged community means a community that is disadvantaged based on geographic, public health, environmental hazard, or socioeconomic criteria.
Inclusions— The term disadvantaged community includes—
an area burdened by cumulative environmental pollution or other hazard that can lead to a negative public health effect;
an area with a concentration of people that—
are low-income;
have high unemployment;
have a high rent burden;
have a low level of home ownership;
have a low level of educational attainment; or
are members of groups that have historically experienced discrimination on the basis of race or ethnicity; and
an area that is vulnerable to the impact of climate change such as flooding, storm surges, and urban heat island effects.
Indian tribe— The term Indian tribe has the meaning given the term in section 4 of the Indian Self-Determination and Education Assistance Act (25 U.S.C. 5304).
Low-income community— The term low-income community means a census or tribal block group in which not less than 50 percent of households have an annual income that is less than 80 percent of the greater of—
the annual median gross income for the area in which the census or tribal block group is located; and
the annual median gross income for the State in which the census or tribal block group is located.
Rail—
In general— The term rail means any entity transporting goods or passengers operating on the general railroad system of transportation (as defined in Appendix A of part A of title 49, Code of Federal Regulations (or successor regulations)).
Exclusion— The term rail does not include rapid transit operations in an urban area not connected to the general railroad system of transportation (as defined in Appendix A of part 209 of title 49, Code of Federal Regulations (or successor regulations)).
Secretary— The term Secretary means the Secretary of Energy.
State— The term State means—
a State;
the District of Columbia;
the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico; and
any other territory or possession of the United States.
Zero-emission vehicle— The term zero-emission vehicle means a vehicle that produces zero exhaust emissions of any criteria pollutant, precursor pollutant, or greenhouse gas in any mode of operation or condition, as determined by the Administrator.