Skip to content
April 22, 2024

Congressman Dan Goldman Introduces Bill To Codify Department Of Homeland Security Coordination Efforts To Address The Climate Crisis

Introduced on Earth Day, the ‘Homeland Security Climate Change Coordination Act’ Would Permanently Authorize ‘Climate Coordinating Council’, Established Under Biden Administration to Analyze Impacts of Climate Change, Making Recommendations for Department of Homeland Security to Mitigate Impacts of Climate Change

(WASHINGTON) - As communities around the world commemorate Earth Day 2024, Congressman Dan Goldman (NY-10), Committee on Homeland Security Ranking Member Bennie G. Thompson (MS-02), and Emergency Management and Technology Subcommittee Ranking Member Troy A. Carter, Sr. (LA-02) introduced the ‘Homeland Security Climate Change Coordination Act’ to codify the current efforts of the Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) Climate Action Group by permanently authorizing a ‘Climate Coordinating Council.’ First established under the Biden Administration, the Council is tasked with analyzing the impact of climate change on DHS programs and making recommendations on what DHS can do to mitigate the impacts of climate change.

Communities in the U.S. are experiencing warmer temperatures and more extensive heatwaves. Extreme storms and wildfires are becoming more frequent, and the economic impacts of these events are compounding. Climate change is projected to exacerbate inequities, strain critical infrastructure, and decrease housing security.

Additionally, migration caused by climate change is projected to increase, with up to 216 million people estimated to be internally displaced by 2050. By 2030, approximately 50 percent of the world’s population will inhabit coastal areas vulnerable to extreme events, with increased extreme storm impacts further driving migration. Human climate impact is expected to be exacerbated by severe heat, reduction in crop yields, deteriorating infrastructure, and increasing potential for violent conflicts driven by water availability.

"The Department of Homeland Security has set the new standard for how every department within an executive agency can work together to combat the climate crisis,” Congressman Dan Goldman said. “Having taken the first steps in this historic action to mitigate the migration and human climate impact that has already taken hold, it is imperative that we protect this initiative by codifying these coordination efforts to ensure that the work of a Climate Coordinating Council can have a meaningful and permanent impact.”

Congressman Bennie G. Thompson said, “With natural disasters becoming more frequent and more intense, we’ve realized in recent decades that climate change is a direct threat to our homeland security. We must ensure that the efforts the Department of Homeland Security is making to mitigate the climate change threat and make the nation more resilient continue in future Administrations. I thank Congressman Goldman for introducing this necessary legislation.”

Congressman Troy A. Carter, Sr. said, “As climate change intensifies, so does its impact on homeland security, emphasizing the need for a strategic response. By codifying the current efforts of the DHS Climate Action Working Group and permanently authorizing the Climate Coordinating Council, this bill allocates resources to address the effects of climate change on DHS programs. As the climate crisis and security threats escalate, the Homeland Security Climate Change Coordination Act will be a vital tool in safeguarding the resilience and security of our nation.”

In April 2021, DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas established the DHS Climate Change Action Group, comprised of senior leadership tasked with addressing the climate crisis. According to Secretary Mayorkas, the Climate Change Action Group serves as a “coordinating body comprised of the Department’s senior leadership that will drive urgent action to address the climate crisis.”

The ‘Homeland Security Climate Change Coordination Act’ would protect DHS’s current climate mitigation efforts by:

  • Codifying the Climate Action Working Group’s efforts by permanently authorizing the Climate Coordinating Council, to be comprised of at least 20 senior officials from various offices and components within DHS
    • The Council would include senior officials from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), the Transportation Security Administration (TSA), the Science and Technology Directorate, and the U.S. Coast Guard
  • Require the Council to identify and address the impact of climate change to DHS programs, make recommendations for organizational and resource realignments to support the Department’s risk-based climate change strategies and frameworks, and oversee the implementation of executive orders on climate change
  • Mandate an annual report to Congress for ten years on actions taken by the Council

Congressman Dan Goldman is committed to combatting and mitigating the dire effects of the climate crisis and extreme weather events.

In September of 2023, Congressman Goldman and Congresswoman Nydia Velázquez led twelve members from the New York and New Jersey delegations in sending a bi-partisan letter to the United States Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) expressing concern that the Corps plan to address flood risk insufficiently protects New York and New Jersey against multiple varieties of flooding.

In April of 2023, Goldman cosponsored the ‘Green New Deal’ to advance a bold agenda to fight the existential threat of climate change. The Green New Deal would address climate injustice, economic inequality, greenhouse gas emissions, and create millions of good-paying union jobs. The Green New Deal builds off the success of the Inflation Reduction Act to address the twin crises of climate disaster and economic inequality.

Congressman Goldman is a member of the Sustainable Energy and Environment Coalition (SEEC). 

Read the Bill Here

#  #  #

Press Contact

Arturo Gutierrez at Arturo.Gutierrez@mail.house.gov