Eva Lipiec penned this CRS report (1 April 2021): 'Climate Change Adaptation - Department of Commerce'.
Download Climate_Change_Adaptation_Commerce_1April2021
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Summary
Climate change affects the mission and programs of the Department of Commerce (DOC) and its agencies, and these effects are likely to continue. DOC’s wide-ranging responsibilities include trade enforcement, economic development, innovation support, entrepreneurship and business development, standard setting, environmental monitoring, weather forecasting, marine resources management, and statistical research and analysis.
Congress has considered and may continue to consider how climate change may affect the mission and programs of DOC and its agencies. Climate change adaptation includes “adjustments to natural or human systems in response to actual or expected climate change, including increases in the frequency or severity of weather-related disasters.”
Congressional and Executive Branch Direction on Climate Change for DOC and Its Agencies
To date, executive orders and other presidential documents have prompted much of the DOC department-level climate change adaptation activities. Several executive orders since 2009 have directed DOC and other departments on climate change adaptation activities. During his term, President Donald Trump issued executive orders to revoke most of President Barack Obama’s orders related to climate change adaptation. In January 2021, President Joe Biden revoked some of President Trump’s executive orders, effectively reinstating several of President Obama’s executive orders. President Biden’s orders also include new directives related to climate change adaptation.
At the agency level, Congress and various Administrations have directed one DOC agency—the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)—to support or implement most DOC climate change adaptation activities. NOAA carries out these activities primarily through supporting research on climate change, its effects, and potential adaptation to the effects, as well as through collecting and sharing climate change data and information. Congress and various Administrations also have directed other DOC agencies, such as the Economic Development Administration, International Trade Administration, National Institute for Standards and Technology, and U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, to carry out some climate change adaptation activities.
Potential Issues for Consideration
Congress may consider various issues in relation to DOC’s climate change adaptation activities. For example, there are currently few evaluations of existing DOC climate change adaptation responsibilities, appropriations, and spending, including how activities and spending are prioritized. Congress also may consider adjusting DOC or agency appropriation amounts for adaptation activities relative to their benefits and congressional priorities.Additionally, Congress may weigh whether to
codify or modify directives under new or recently reinstated executive orders;
define climate change adaptation or similar terms in statute;
require agency climate change adaptation strategies to supplement those mandated in executive order provisions;
direct priorities for producing, collecting, and sharing adaptation information; and
alter financial assistance authorities that support adaptation, among other issues.
Cutting to the chase...
Additional Considerations
Congress also may consider other actions related to climate change adaptation activities at DOC and its agencies. For example, Congress could consider changes to appropriations amounts devoted to implementing existing climate change adaptation activities, as advocated by some stakeholders. Congress also may deliberate whether to change DOC or agency policies regarding climate change adaptation unrelated to financial assistance. For instance, as some Members proposed in the 116th Congress, Congress might review federally managed species requirements in relation to the potential impacts of climate change and subsequent management options. \Whether to continue to include climate change adaptation policy directives in appropriations bills or accompanying explanatory statements and committee reports also may be a part of legislative discussions. Whether and for how long an agency may implement these types of provisions may depend on if the provision is in law versus in an accompanying congressional report. Provisions may be further affected by their inclusion in an appropriations bill, as the appropriations bill is presumed temporary unless it explicitly indicates futurity or is of “general character bearing no relation to the object of the appropriation.”
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