Title 7AgricultureRelease 119-73

§6701 Global Climate Change Program

Title 7 › Chapter CHAPTER 96— - GLOBAL CLIMATE CHANGE › § 6701

Last updated Apr 6, 2026|Official source

Summary

Create a Global Climate Change Program inside the Department of Agriculture and name a director who reports to the Secretary. The director must run the program and do the work spelled out below. The director must plan and coordinate climate policy, long‑range planning, research, and response strategies for farming and forests. They must work with other federal agencies through the Office of Science and Technology Policy, keep the Department informed about scientific and policy developments, suggest different response options, and make sure climate issues are included in departmental research and decisions. The director must also coordinate the studies required by section 6702, award competitive climatology research grants through appropriate agencies, join interagency climate activities, consult with the National Academy of Sciences and other groups, represent the Department to OSTP and the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, and review all Department budget items related to climate change, including research budgets sent to OSTP and OMB.

Full Legal Text

Title 7, §6701

Agriculture — Source: USLM XML via OLRC

(a)For the purpose of having within the Department of Agriculture a focal point for coordinating all issues of climate change, the Secretary of Agriculture (hereafter in this chapter referred to as the “Secretary”) shall establish a Global Climate Change Program (hereafter in this section referred to as the “Program”). The Secretary shall designate a director of the Program who shall be responsible to the Secretary for carrying out the duties specified in subsections (b) and (c).
(b)The Director shall—
(1)coordinate policy analysis, long range planning, research, and response strategies relating to climate change issues;
(2)provide liaison with other Federal agencies, through the Office of Science and Technology Policy, regarding issues of climate change;
(3)inform the Department of scientific developments and policy issues relating to the effects of climate change on agriculture and forestry, including broader issues that affect the impact of climate change on the farms and forests of the United States;
(4)recommend to the Secretary alternative courses of action with which to respond to such scientific developments and policy issues; and
(5)ensure that recognition of the potential for climate change is fully integrated into the research, planning, and decision-making processes of the Department.
(c)The Director shall—
(1)coordinate the global climate change studies required by section 6702 of this title;
(2)provide, through such other agencies as the Secretary determines appropriate, competitive grants for research in climatology relating to the potential impact of climate change on agriculture;
(3)coordinate the participation of the Department in interagency climate-related activities;
(4)consult with the National Academy of Sciences and private, academic, State, and local groups with respect to climate research and related activities;
(5)represent the Department to the Office of Science and Technology Policy and coordinate the activities of the Department in response to requirements of this chapter;
(6)represent the Department on the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change; and
(7)review all Department budget items relating to climate change issues, including specifically the research budget to be submitted by the Secretary to the Office of Science and Technology Policy and the Office of Management and Budget.

Legislative History

Notes & Related Subsidiaries

Editorial Notes

References in Text

This chapter, referred to in subsecs. (a) and (c)(5), was in the original “this title”, meaning title XXIV of Pub. L. 101–624, Nov. 28, 1990, 104 Stat. 4058, known as the Global Climate Change Prevention Act of 1990, which is classified principally to this chapter. For complete classification of title XXIV to the Code, see

Short Title

note below and Tables.

Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries

Short Title

Pub. L. 101–624, title XXIV, § 2401, Nov. 28, 1990, 104 Stat. 4058, provided that: “This title [enacting this chapter and amending section 1601 and 1602 of Title 16, Conservation] may be cited as the ‘Global Climate Change Prevention Act of 1990’.”

Reference

Citations & Metadata

Citation

7 U.S.C. § 6701

Title 7Agriculture

Last Updated

Apr 6, 2026

Release point: 119-73