text: SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
  
      This Act may be cited as the ``Super Pollutants Act of 2014''.
  
  SEC. 2. FINDINGS.
  
      Congress makes the following findings:
              (1) Short-lived climate pollutants account for 40 percent 
          of global warming currently impacting the atmosphere, even 
          though such pollutants account for a much smaller percentage of 
          warming agents by weight.
              (2) Reducing short-lived climate pollutant emissions 
          could--
                      (A) prevent more than 2,000,000 premature deaths 
                  each year, according to the United Nations Environment 
                  Programme (UNEP);
                      (B) prevent more than 30,000,000 tons of crop 
                  losses each year, according to UNEP;
                      (C) cut the rate of sea level rise by 25 percent, 
                  according to the National Center for Atmospheric 
                  Research and the Scripps Institution of Oceanography;
                      (D) cut the rate of warming by up to 0.6 degrees 
                  Celsius by 2050, according to UNEP; and
                      (E) significantly contribute toward the overall 
                  global target of holding increased warming below 2 
                  degrees Celsius.
              (3) The United States is one of the world's largest 
          consumer of hydrofluorocarbons and is providing significant 
          innovation in the development of low global warming potential 
          (low-GWP) alternatives.
              (4) The United States could serve as a leader and exemplar 
          of responsibly phasing down hydrofluorocarbon production and 
          consumption.
              (5) The Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the 
          Ozone Layer has been an extraordinarily successful model for 
          protecting the stratospheric ozone layer and achieving 
          significant climate protection co-benefits. Since the treaty 
          was signed in 1987, there has been a 98 percent reduction in 
          ozone-depleting substances.
              (6) The interagency Strategy to Reduce Methane Emissions, 
          released in March 2014, outlines a proactive agenda for 
          reducing methane leakage and waste throughout the United States 
          economy.
  
  SEC. 3. DEFINITIONS.
  
      In this Act:
              (1) High-GWP hfc.--The term ``high-GWP HFC'' means high 
          global warming potential hydrofluorocarbons.
              (2) Short-lived climate pollutant.--The term ``short-lived 
          climate pollutant'' means--
                      (A) black carbon;
                      (B) methane; and
                      (C) high-GWP HFC.
  
  SEC. 4. INTERAGENCY TASK FORCE ON SHORT-LIVED CLIMATE POLLUTANT 
                MITIGATION.
  
      (a) Establishment.--Not later than 90 days after the date of the 
  enactment of this Act, the President shall establish the Interagency 
  Task Force on Short-Lived Climate Pollutant Mitigation (referred to in 
  this section as the ``Task Force'').
      (b) Members.--The Task Force shall include the head of all relevant 
  Federal agencies (or their designated representatives), including the 
  Department of Agriculture, the Department of Commerce, the Department 
  of Defense, the Department of Energy, the Department of the Interior, 
  the Department of State, the United States Agency for International 
  Development, the Department of Transportation, the Environmental 
  Protection Agency, and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric 
  Administration.
      (c) Duties.--The Task Force shall--
              (1) review the policy recommendations made by the 
          Interagency Climate Change Adaptation Task Force, the 
          Interagency Strategy to Reduce Methane Emissions, the March 
          2012 report to Congress on Black Carbon, and the Council on 
          Climate Preparedness and Resilience;
              (2) incorporate any appropriate proposals or 
          recommendations made by the entities or reports referred to in 
          paragraph (1) that are relevant to short-lived climate 
          pollutants into the Task Force's action plan;
              (3) identify relevant Federal programs that are or could be 
          addressing the reduction of short-lived climate pollutants in 
          the United States and worldwide;
              (4) identify overlapping and duplicative programs 
          addressing short-lived climate pollutants that would benefit 
          from consolidation and streamlining;
              (5) identify gaps and serious deficiencies in United States 
          programs targeted at short-lived climate pollutants, including 
          those that can be achieved through a combination of assessment, 
          scientific research, monitoring, and technological development 
          activities;
              (6) not later than 18 months after the date of the 
          enactment of this Act, submit a report to Congress on the 
          findings and recommendations resulting from the activities 
          described in paragraphs (1) through (5); and
              (7) in developing recommendations, consult with affected 
          stakeholders in private industry.
      (d) Emission Reduction Plans.--Not later than 180 days after the 
  date of the enactment of this Act, each Federal agency shall submit a 
  report to the appropriate congressional committees that includes--
              (1) the agency's plans for meeting the goals set forth in 
          section 2 of Executive Order 13514 (October 5, 2009) to reduce 
          hydrofluorocarbons, methane, and related indirect emissions, 
          including tropospheric ozone, by the Federal Government; and
              (2) specific plans to purchase cleaner alternatives to 
          high-GWP HFC whenever feasible and to transition over time to 
          equipment that uses safer and more sustainable alternatives to 
          high-GWP HFC.
  
  SEC. 5. REDUCTION OF BLACK CARBON EMISSIONS.
  
      (a) Comprehensive Plan.--
              (1) In general.--Through the United States membership in 
          the International Maritime Organization, the Secretary of 
          State, in consultation with the Secretary of Transportation, 
          the Secretary of Commerce, the Administrator of the 
          Environmental Protection Agency, and the Commandant of the 
          Coast Guard, shall develop a comprehensive plan to reduce black 
          carbon emissions from international shipping through--
                      (A) a clean freight partnership;
                      (B) the inclusion of limits on black carbon; and
                      (C) efforts that include protection of access to 
                  critical fuel shipments and emergency needs of coastal 
                  communities.
              (2) Roadmap.--A principal objective of the plan developed 
          pursuant to paragraph (1) should be the creation, in 
          coordination with the Department of Transportation, of a 
          roadmap toward helping countries reduce fine-particle emissions 
          (PM2.5) in the shipping sector through--
                      (A) the installation of advanced emissions 
                  controls; and
                      (B) the reduction of sulfur content in fuels.
      (b) Black Carbon Emissions Reduction Goals.--In advance of and upon 
  assuming the Chair of the Arctic Council, the Secretary of State 
  should--
              (1) lead an effort to reduce black carbon through an 
          Arctic-wide aspirational black carbon goal; and
              (2) encourage observers of the Arctic Council (including 
          India and China) to adopt national black carbon emissions 
          reduction goals.
      (c) Climate and Clean Air Coalition.--Through the United States 
  membership in the Climate and Clean Air Coalition to Reduce Short Lived 
  Climate Pollutants (referred to in this section as the ``Coalition''), 
  the Secretary of State is encouraged--
              (1) to work with the Coalition to craft specific financing 
          mechanisms for the incremental cost of international black 
          carbon mitigation activities; and
              (2) to request that the Coalition produce a report of black 
          carbon mitigation financing options.
      (d) Black Carbon Mitigation Activities.--
              (1) Prioritization.--The Administrator of the United States 
          Agency for International Development shall prioritize black 
          carbon mitigation activities as part of aid distribution 
          activities and give special emphasis to projects that produce 
          substantial environmental and public health benefits, including 
          support for clean-burning cookstoves and fuels.
              (2) Emissions reductions.--The Secretary of State, in 
          collaboration with the Environmental Protection Agency and the 
          Department of Transportation, should further aid international 
          efforts to reduce black carbon emissions from diesel trucks, 2-
          stroke engines, diesel generators, and industrial processes by 
          providing technical assistance--
                      (A) to help developing nations lower the sulfur 
                  content of their diesel fuels;
                      (B) to expand access to diesel particulate filters;
                      (C) to provide vehicle manufacturers with low-
                  emission engine designs;
                      (D) to work with the Global Alliance for Clean 
                  Cookstoves to help developing nations establish 
                  thriving markets for clean and efficient cooking 
                  solutions; and
                      (E) to develop other mitigation activities, 
                  including energy efficiency alternatives for generators 
                  and industrial processes.
  
  SEC. 6. GLOBAL REDUCTIONS IN HIGH-GWP FLUORINATED GASES.
  
      (a) Sense of Congress.--
              (1) Actions by environmental protection agency.--It is the 
          sense of Congress that the Administrator of the Environmental 
          Protection Agency should--
                      (A) amend any regulations issued under section 608 
                  of the Clean Air Act (42 U.S.C. 7671g)--
                              (i) to include hydrofluorocarbons; and
                              (ii) to expand initiatives relating to the 
                          recovery and reclamation of hydrofluorocarbons.
                      (B) cooperate with the Secretary of Energy in 
                  considering modifications to the Energy Star program 
                  established under section 324A of the Energy Policy and 
                  Conservation Act (42 U.S.C. 6294a) to recognize 
                  refrigerant systems that--
                              (i) achieve best-in-class energy efficiency 
                          savings; and
                              (ii) utilize low global warming potential 
                          refrigerants and foam-blowing agents; and
                      (C) remove high global warming potential 
                  hydrofluorocarbons from the Significant New 
                  Alternatives Policy Program authorized under section 
                  612(c) of the Clean Air Act (42 U.S.C. 7671k(c)) for 
                  applications in which the Administrator has identified 
                  other alternatives that--
                              (i) are currently or potentially available; 
                          and
                              (ii) reduce the overall risk to human 
                          health and the environment.
              (2) Sense of the senate.--It is the sense of the Senate 
          that an amendment to the Montreal Protocol on Substances that 
          Deplete the Ozone Layer should ensure a smooth, technically 
          feasible transition away from high-GWP HFC.
      (b) Study on High-GWP HFC Alternatives.--Not later than 2 years 
  after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Energy 
  and the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency, in 
  collaboration with the National Institute of Standards and Technology, 
  shall evaluate the availability of high-GWP HFC alternatives and submit 
  a report to Congress that--
              (1) identifies--
                      (A) the standards or regulatory barriers that are 
                  preventing the use of alternatives to high-GWP HFC in 
                  the United States that are in widespread use in other 
                  countries;
                      (B) which standards or regulations need to be 
                  revised; and
                      (C) what actions will be necessary to revise such 
                  standards or regulations; and
              (2) sets forth a plan for revising the standards referred 
          to in paragraph (1) in the shortest possible time frame.
      (c) Prohibition of HCFC-22 Air Conditioning Condensing Equipment.--
              (1) Amendment.--Section 605 of the Clean Air Act (42 U.S.C. 
          7671d) is amended by adding at the end the following:
      ``(e) HCFC-22 Air Conditioning Condensing Equipment.--Effective 1 
  year after the date of the enactment of the Super Pollutants Act of 
  2014, it shall be unlawful for any person to manufacture any uncharged 
  hydrochlorofluorocarbon-22 air conditioning condensing equipment for 
  residential use.''.
              (2) Rulemaking.--Not later than 180 days after the date of 
          the enactment of this Act, the Administrator of the 
          Environmental Protection Agency shall promulgate regulations--
                      (A) to carry out the amendment made by paragraph 
                  (1); and
                      (B) to reduce the allocation of HCFC-22 consumption 
                  allowances commensurate with anticipated decreased 
                  demand resulting from the prohibition of uncharged 
                  condensing equipment under sections 605(e) of the Clean 
                  Air Act, as added by paragraph (1).
      (d) R-134a Automotive Air Conditioning Servicing and Recharge 
  Kits.--
              (1) Study.--The Administrator of the Environmental 
          Protection Agency shall conduct a study to determine whether 
          the sale of R-134a automotive air conditioning recharge kits to 
          consumers represents an environmentally significant source of 
          high-GWP HFC emissions.
              (2) Report.--Not later than 1 year after the date of the 
          enactment of this Act, the Administrator shall submit a report 
          to Congress that contains the results of the study conducted 
          pursuant to paragraph (1).
  
  SEC. 7. REDUCTION OF METHANE LEAKAGE.
  
      (a) Technical Guidance.--The Secretary of State, the Secretary of 
  Energy, the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency, and 
  the Secretary of Commerce shall--
              (1) provide other countries with technical guidance on 
          containment of emissions from gas drilling, landfills, coal 
          mining, and agriculture when engaging with other governments, 
          including trade delegations, under the auspices of Department 
          of State's Global Shale Gas Initiative; and
              (2) collaborate with--
                      (A) the World Bank's Global Gas Flaring Reduction 
                  Partnership; and
                      (B) the Environmental Protection Agency's Global 
                  Methane Initiative, Natural Gas STAR Program, and other 
                  voluntary reduction programs.
      (b) Gas Pipeline Infrastructure.--
              (1) Study.--
                      (A) In general.--The Federal Energy Regulatory 
                  Commission, consistent with existing authority, shall 
                  conduct a study of methods utilized at facilities 
                  subject to the Commission's jurisdiction to reduce 
                  leaks and venting across natural gas facilities.
                      (B) Issues to be examined.--In conducting the study 
                  required under this paragraph, the Commission shall 
                  examine--
                              (i) how the Commission's treatment of just 
                          and reasonable rates for interstate 
                          transmission could be reformed to incent 
                          pipeline operators to recover fugitive methane 
                          emissions;
                              (ii) how the Commission could coordinate 
                          with other agencies, including the Department 
                          of Energy, the Environmental Protection Agency, 
                          and the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety 
                          Administration, to ensure the development of 
                          rigorous and technically sound standards; and
                              (iii) whether new pipeline systems are 
                          being engineered to meet the highest achievable 
                          standards for leak avoidance prior to being 
                          granted a construction certificate.
              (2) Report.--Not later than 1 year after the date of the 
          enactment of this Act, the Commission shall submit a report to 
          Congress that contains the results of the examination conducted 
          pursuant to paragraph (1).
              (3) Inspection and maintenance program.--The Administrator 
          of the Environmental Protection Agency shall establish a 
          directed inspection and maintenance program that focuses on--
                      (A) identifying the types of equipment throughout 
                  the production value chain that are most likely to have 
                  high leak rates; and
                      (B) efforts on replacing or monitoring those types 
                  of equipment.
      (c) Financing Conditions.--The U.S. Export-Import Bank and the 
  Overseas Private Investment Corporation, when evaluating gas and oil-
  related projects for financial support, should condition financing for 
  such projects upon--
              (1) the deployment of the best technology, methods, and 
          management practices for detecting and repairing leaks of 
          methane throughout the oil and gas production, processing, 
          transportation, and distribution system;
              (2) the minimization of venting and inefficient or 
          unnecessary flaring; and
              (3) the deployment of best technology, methods, and 
          management practices for reducing emissions of other air 
          pollution, especially volatile organic compounds and hazardous 
          air pollutants.
target: Super Pollutants Act of 2014 - Establishes requirements for agencies to evaluate, mitigate, reduce, and report on the following short-lived climate pollutant emissions (non-carbon dioxide pollutants that contribute to global warming even though they stay in the atmosphere for only a short time): black carbon (soot emissions that absorb sunlight, reduce the reflectivity of snow and ice when deposited on them, and generate heat), methane, and high global warming potential hydrofluorocarbons (high-GWP HFC).  Requires the President to establish the Interagency Task Force on Short-Lived Climate Pollutant Mitigation to address these pollutants through an action plan. Directs the Department of State to develop a comprehensive plan to reduce black carbon emissions from international shipping.  Requires the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) to prioritize black carbon mitigation activities as part of aid distribution activities. Requires the Department of Energy (DOE) and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to evaluate the availability of high-GWP HFC alternatives. Amends the Clean Air Act to prohibit the manufacture of any uncharged hydrochlorofluorocarbon-22 air-conditioning condensing equipment for residential use. Requires the EPA to determine whether the sale of R-134a automotive air-conditioning recharge kits to consumers represents an environmentally significant source of high-GWP HFC emissions. Requires the State Department, the DOE, the EPA, and the Department of Commerce to provide other countries with technical guidance on containing emissions from gas drilling, landfills, coal mining, and agriculture. Directs the EPA to establish an inspection and maintenance program for equipment that has high leak rates of methane gas.
feat_title: Super Pollutants Act of 2014