HR 90 — A Resolution directing the Joint State Government Commission to conduct a study on the projected costs in Pennsylvania of climate change adaptation and resilience measures needed to mitigate the projected impacts of certain climate-change-related events.

PRINTER'S NO.   740

                  THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA



           HOUSE RESOLUTION
              No. 90
                                                 Session of
                                                   2025

     INTRODUCED BY WEBSTER, MALAGARI, WAXMAN, HILL-EVANS, PIELLI,
        MADDEN, FREEMAN, OTTEN, MAYES, SANCHEZ, SCHLOSSBERG AND
        HOWARD, FEBRUARY 24, 2025

     REFERRED TO COMMITTEE ON ENVIRONMENTAL AND NATURAL RESOURCE
        PROTECTION, FEBRUARY 24, 2025


                                  A RESOLUTION
 1   Directing the Joint State Government Commission to conduct a
 2      study on the projected costs in Pennsylvania of climate
 3      change adaptation and resilience measures needed to mitigate
 4      the projected impacts of certain climate-change-related
 5      events.
 6      WHEREAS, Weather and climate disasters, which can include
 7   events such as winter storms, wildfire events, tornado
 8   outbreaks, heat and cold wave events, tropical cyclones,
 9   droughts, flooding events and hail events, cause extreme damage
10   across the United States every year; and
11      WHEREAS, Calendar year 2023 had the largest number of
12   billion-dollar disasters in United States history; and
13      WHEREAS, In 2023, the cost of the damage caused by climate
14   and weather disasters in the United States was at least $92.9
15   billion, with 28 separate weather and climate events costing at
16   least $1 billion each; and
17      WHEREAS, Increasing global temperatures are resulting in
18   higher intensity and more frequent hurricanes, droughts and heat
 1   waves and are changing precipitation patterns and the length of
 2   wildfire seasons; and
 3      WHEREAS, Experts predict that the cost of climate change
 4   adaptations will cost Pennsylvanians at least $15 billion by
 5   2040, which will stem from the need to adjust to increased
 6   precipitation and flooding, as well as the need to adapt to
 7   higher temperatures; and
 8      WHEREAS, This Commonwealth's already-deteriorating
 9   infrastructure will experience exacerbated deterioration due to
10   climate change; and
11      WHEREAS, Pennsylvanians who are low-income, rural or a part
12   of vulnerable populations will be especially susceptible to the
13   impact of climate change; and
14      WHEREAS, Climate change impacts vital Commonwealth
15   industries, namely agriculture, with changing and intensifying
16   weather patterns that threaten the livelihoods of farmers; and
17      WHEREAS, As current climate and weather disasters are already
18   resulting in human migration, worsening climate change is
19   predicted to increase human migration as the frequency of
20   climate and weather disasters intensifies; and
21      WHEREAS, It is in the best interest of the House of
22   Representatives to be prepared for the consequences of climate
23   change in order to successfully preserve and protect this
24   Commonwealth's people, environment and infrastructure; and
25      WHEREAS, The Shared Socioeconomic Pathway and the
26   Representative Concentration Pathway are climate modeling tools
27   that can be used to predict how the climate might change in the
28   future and how those changes could impact global society,
29   demographics and economics; and
30      WHEREAS, With these tools, scientists can make predictions

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 1   about the potential cost of adapting to a planet heavily
 2   impacted by climate change; and
 3      WHEREAS, Analyzing and evaluating climate risk will allow the
 4   House of Representatives to be better prepared for future severe
 5   weather events and the cost of climate change; therefore be it
 6      RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives direct the Joint
 7   State Government Commission to conduct a comprehensive study on
 8   the projected costs in Pennsylvania of climate change adaptation
 9   and resilience measures and the cost of the impact of climate
10   change on the public health and well-being of Pennsylvanians and
11   the natural, built and social environments of Pennsylvania; and
12   be it further
13      RESOLVED, That the Joint State Government Commission study
14   shall utilize either the Shared Socioeconomic Pathways or
15   Representative Concentration Pathways as described by the
16   Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change to study the climate
17   change adaptation and resilience measures needed to mitigate the
18   projected impacts for at least two different future scenarios;
19   and be it further
20      RESOLVED, That the study must identify what research, data,
21   modeling, stakeholder engagement and other resources are needed
22   in order to:
23          (1)     Estimate costs for mid-century, late-century and
24      end-of-century, using 2024 dollars as a baseline.
25          (2)     Estimate costs related to hazards, including, but
26      not limited to, precipitation and heat and the impacts of
27      precipitation and heat on soil and lakes.
28          (3)     Provide an analysis of the projected costs and
29      impacts of additional hazards like flooding, drought, sea
30      level rise, wildfires, high-wind events, extreme cold and

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 1         vector-borne illnesses.
 2             (4)   Provide analyses of how these hazards and impacts
 3         are experienced differently by Pennsylvanians based on
 4         demographics, including race, gender, ability and age, as
 5         well as economic status and geography.
 6             (5)   Identify methods for understanding and making
 7         decisions about the trade-offs between the financial and
 8         social costs to mitigate climate risks and the level of risk
 9         reduction achieved;
10   and be it further
11         RESOLVED, That the study must also identify what research,
12   data, modeling, stakeholder engagement and other resources are
13   needed in order to estimate the costs of climate change impacts
14   on:
15             (1)   This Commonwealth's natural environment, including
16         impacts on:
17                   (i)    Working lands and natural lands.
18                   (ii)    Water, including surface waters, tidal waters,
19             rivers, drinking water and Lake Erie.
20                   (iii)    Air, including, but not limited to, surface
21             temperature and air quality.
22                   (iv)    The biodiversity of this Commonwealth's biomes.
23             (2)   This Commonwealth's built environment, including
24         impacts on:
25                   (i)    Residential, commercial and public buildings.
26                   (ii)    Critical infrastructure, including the
27             infrastructure that manages storm water, wastewater,
28             drinking water, transportation, electricity, gas and
29             communications technologies.
30             (3)   This Commonwealth's social environment, including

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 1      impacts on:
 2                (i)    Human settlement and migration.
 3                (ii)    Statewide and regional economies, including
 4          impacts on industries like recreation, tourism,
 5          agriculture and forest products.
 6                (iii)    Public health, including impacts related to
 7          emergency response, asthma, heat exposure and vector-
 8          borne illnesses;
 9   and be it further
10      RESOLVED, That, to prepare the study, the Joint State
11   Government Commission shall engage subject-area experts and
12   other stakeholders, as needed, to contribute to the study; and
13   be it further
14      RESOLVED, That the Joint State Government Commission issue a
15   report with its findings and recommendations no later than 12
16   months after the adoption of this resolution to the following:
17          (1)   The President pro tempore of the Senate.
18          (2)   The Speaker of the House of Representatives.
19          (3)   The Majority Leader and the Minority Leader of the
20      Senate.
21          (4)   The Majority Leader and the Minority Leader of the
22      House of Representatives.
23          (5)   The chairperson and minority chairperson of the
24      Appropriations Committee of the Senate.
25          (6)   The chairperson and minority chairperson of the
26      Appropriations Committee of the House of Representatives.
27          (7)   The chairperson and minority chairperson of the
28      Environmental Resources and Energy Committee of the Senate.
29          (8)   The chairperson and minority chairperson of the
30      Environmental and Natural Resource Protection Committee of

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 1    the House of Representatives.
 2        (9)    The chairperson and minority chairperson of the
 3    Finance Committee of the Senate.
 4        (10)   The chairperson and minority chairperson of the
 5    Finance Committee of the House of Representatives.
 6        (11)   The chairperson and minority chairperson of the
 7    Health and Human Services Committee of the Senate.
 8        (12)   The chairperson and minority chairperson of the
 9    Health Committee of the House of Representatives.
10        (13)   The chairperson and minority chairperson of the
11    Transportation Committee of the Senate.
12        (14)   The chairperson and minority chairperson of the
13    Transportation Committee of the House of Representatives.




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