“To require the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development to establish an excess urban heat mitigation grant program, and for other purposes.”
No CRS summary available for this bill.
This section states congressional findings on extreme heat as a leading weather-related cause of death (more than 600 annually), its exacerbation by urban heat islands affecting underserved communities (e.g., low-income blocks with 15.2% less tree cover and 1.5 degrees Celsius higher land surface temperatures; people of color in higher-heat census tracts in 97% of largest urbanized areas), associated economic and public health costs, projected increases in heat wave duration, and mitigation measures such as urban tree planting (which can offset 40-99% of projected 2050 heat-related mortality increases).
This section defines 12 terms for purposes of the Act, including (1) “covered census tract” as a census tract with a poverty rate of not less than 20 percent per the 2019–2023 American Community Survey 5-year data series, including those designated as “hazardous” or “definitely declining” on Home Owners’ Loan Corporation maps; (2) “eligible entity” as a State, metropolitan planning organization, unit of general local government, Indian tribe, territorial government, nonprofit organization coordinating with such entities, or consortium of nonprofits (as defined in 42 U.S.C. 5302 where applicable); (3) “eligible project” as a project to mitigate or manage urban heat via tree planting (preferring native, high-shade, carbon-sequestering, or food-producing species), cool pavements or roofs, green roofs, transit shelters, shade structures, cooling centers (preferring those using renewables or partnering with community spaces), community gardens, outreach, education, urban forestry plans, tree canopy assessments, arboriculture training, tree maintenance, or other Secretary-approved actions; (4) “Secretary” as the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development; and others such as “excess urban heat effect,” “extreme heat,” “urban area” (as in 23 U.S.C. 101(a)), and “urban forestry master plan.”
This section establishes an urban heat mitigation and management grant program, to be administered by the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) through the Office of Community Planning and Development in coordination with the EPA Administrator, Forest Service Chief, and NOAA Climate Program Office Director, to award grants to eligible entities for eligible projects not later than one year after enactment of this Act. The program includes (1) a set-aside of not less than 75% of grants for covered census tracts; (2) authority to use up to 3% of appropriated funds for technical assistance, with priority for covered census tracts and communities with lower tree canopy and higher maximum daytime summer temperatures; (3) an 80% maximum federal cost share for projects, waivable to 100% for entities demonstrating economic hardship; and (4) grant priorities for covered census tracts and communities with lower tree canopy and higher maximum daytime summer temperatures. The section further directs HUD to issue application guidance within 180 days of enactment (including requirements for project descriptions, community engagement plans, and health-environment intersections), submit annual reports to Congress on grant recipients and their geographic and economic distribution, and use up to 5% of appropriated funds for an oversight board—with representatives from specified federal offices, nonprofits, and academia (subject to conflict-of-interest certification)—to select grantees, review progress, and evaluate projects against a success rubric. The section authorizes $30,000,000 to carry out the program.