§ 24-20-111 — Climate change position created - duties - report

(1) (a) There
shall be a position created by the governor within the executive branch, which
position must include the term climate change in its title, to assess climate
change issues in the state.

(b) The organizational location of the position created under paragraph (a) of
this subsection (1) of this section shall be at the discretion of the governor and may
utilize existing resources as appropriate. In order to reduce the costs associated
with creating the climate change position, nothing in this section precludes the
person named to the position established under paragraph (a) of this subsection (1)
of this section from holding other titles or performing other functions within any
department or office of the executive branch.

(2) The duties of the position created pursuant to subsection (1) of this
section include, at a minimum:

(a) Development and periodic update of a climate action plan or similar
document that sets forth a strategy, including specific policy recommendations,
that the state could use to address climate change and reduce its greenhouse gas
emissions; and

(b) Collaboration with other entities regarding climate change preparedness
studies.

(3) (a) The governor or his or her designee shall submit an annual report to
the house agriculture, livestock, and natural resources committee, the house
transportation and energy committee, and the senate agriculture, natural
resources, and energy committee, or any successor committees, on climate change
issues generally, the current climate action plan developed under this section, and
the specific ways in which climate change affects the state. The report may
address, as appropriate, the correlations between climate change and wildfires,
bark beetle infestation, snowpack, water storage, drought, and statewide emissions
of greenhouse gases. The report shall include information regarding efforts to
reduce emissions of gases and to reform practices known to exacerbate climate
change effects. The report shall also include additional prospective proposals to
prepare the state for the effects of climate change and proposals to further reduce
the factors that contribute to climate change within Colorado.

(b) The development of a climate action plan in accordance with this section
must take into account previous action plans developed by the state and goals and
directives contained in executive orders issued by the governor.

(c) The report required by this subsection (3) is exempt from the automatic
expiration described in section 24-1-136 (11).

Legislative History

Source: L. 2013: Entire section added, (HB 13-1293), ch. 312, p. 1642, � 2, effective May 28.