BILL REQ. #:  H-3517.2 

Read first time 01/23/14.   Referred to Committee on Environment.

     AN ACT Relating to codifying the existence of the climate impacts group without making modifications to its current mission; and adding a new chapter to Title 28B RCW.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:

NEW SECTION.  Sec. 1   (1) The legislature finds the following:
     (a) Climatic conditions affect the property, economy, natural resources, environment, and the lives of the citizens of the state of Washington, including agriculture, wine making, tourism, skiing, recreational and commercial fishing, forestry, hydropower generation, public health and safety, and the durability and performance of infrastructure and the built environment, and are therefore of importance to the state's workers, consumers, businesses, industries, and residents.
     (b) Washington has experienced ongoing variations in climate and extreme weather events that cause droughts and floods, and affects natural hazards, resource availability, public safety, and diverse economic sectors.
     (c) Regardless of its genesis, climate change is expected to have significant impacts in the Pacific Northwest region in the near and long-term future including, among other things: Increased temperatures, declining snowpack, more frequent heavy rainfall and flooding, receding glaciers, changes in the timing of streamflows and water supply and demand, extreme or unusual weather events, rising sea levels, increased risks to public health, declining salmon populations, increased drought, risk of forest fires and forest insect outbreaks, altered reliability of transportation interconnections, and the durability and performance of infrastructure and the built environment.
     (d) There is a need to continue to gather and analyze information related to climate risk reduction that will help guide prudent steps to be taken to avoid, mitigate, or respond to climate impacts, protect our communities, and assist in maximizing public infrastructure investments.
     (e) The University of Washington climate impacts group has contributed to much of the knowledge base and provides much of the state's existing capacity to identify and assess potential climate risks and, since 1995, has provided Washington and the region with impartial and actionable research, data, tools, and technical advice to support assessment and prioritization of climate risks and to identify and fill knowledge gaps.
     (f) The University of Washington climate impacts group has had many noteworthy accomplishments, such as:
     (i) Developing the first comprehensive assessment of climate impacts on the state of Washington and identifying climate change consequences of practical concern;
     (ii) Developing and publicly providing a comprehensive suite of data showing past and potential future climate and hydrologic conditions for locations across the state to support climate risk assessment and long-range planning that has been used in long-range planning efforts by entities such as the United States bureau of reclamation, the United States army corps of engineers, Bonneville power administration, and Seattle city light;
     (iii) Providing data, tools, and technical guidance to support climate risk assessment activities by state agencies, including the departments of ecology, natural resources, fish and wildlife, transportation, and health, along with the office of the attorney general and numerous local, tribal, and federal entities within the region; and
     (iv) Addressing climate-related issues using methods and approaches that transcend the expertise and mission of the individual departments, colleges, centers, and institutes of the University of Washington by providing the structure and continuity for the integrated, interdisciplinary approach needed to address these complex issues.
     (2) It is the intent of the legislature for the climate impacts group to continue to provide the structure and continuity needed by continuing to draw contributions from the associated departments and colleges of the University of Washington into a more consolidated, collaborative, interdisciplinary, and integrated process that is responsive to the critical climate risks and opportunities facing sectors of importance to the state of Washington and to continue to work with the various interests concerned with these and other climate sensitive sectors of the state, including the legislature, state and federal governments, environmental organizations, local communities, business and industry, and tribes, to improve these entities' ability to thrive in the context of ongoing climate variability and change. It is not the intent of the legislature to change or affect in any way the ongoing work and mission of the climate impacts group.

NEW SECTION.  Sec. 2   (1) The climate impacts group may be administratively housed by the University of Washington, consistent with this chapter, and is subject to the authority of the board of regents of the university. Nothing in this section requires the University of Washington to maintain the climate impacts group or provide direct financial support to the climate impacts group.
     (2) The climate impacts group must be administered by the director of the group as appointed by the dean of the college of the environment at the University of Washington.

NEW SECTION.  Sec. 3   (1) The climate impacts group should strive to serve as a centralized, interdisciplinary resource for the state of Washington to study and assist in the understanding of the effects and impacts of natural climate variability and global climate change by focusing on the intersection of climate science and public policy and resource management.
     (2) Examples of the role of the climate impacts group may include, but are not limited to:
     (a) Pursuing coordinated research and education related to climate risks and opportunities for various sectors in Washington;
     (b) Developing, delivering, and supporting the use of relevant scientific and technical information about climate impacts on Washington's ecology, economy, and society, and the scientific implications of alternative response options;
     (c) Serving as a credible and expert source of climate information for state and local decision makers and agencies working on drought, flooding, climate change, and other related issues;
     (d) Collaborating with and leveraging efforts of other existing climate-related state resources;
     (e) Conducting and reporting on studies of climate phenomena of significant socioeconomic importance to the state;
     (f) Supporting state agencies and local governments in developing strategies to prepare for, and to respond to, the effects of climate variability and change on natural and human systems; and
     (g) Tracking and evaluating ongoing climate adaptation efforts such as:
     (i) Economic, environmental, health, and social assessments of global warming impacts on Washington and the Pacific Northwest; and
     (ii) Local and regional efforts to prepare for the effects of a changing climate.

NEW SECTION.  Sec. 4   (1) The climate impacts group may maintain areas of focus related to the purposes of this chapter.
     (2) Examples of appropriate areas of focus may include, but are not limited to:
     (a) Water resources, the natural and managed water supply, water demand, water shortages, and extreme water-related events such as droughts and floods;
     (b) The potential impacts of sea level rise and the implications of alternative approaches for addressing these impacts on the state's shoreline areas, including potential increases in storm surge and coastal flooding, increased erosion, and loss of habitat and ecosystem function; and
     (c) Evaluation of the economic, ecological, and societal dimensions of climate risks, opportunities, and response strategies in both the rural and urban environments, and for sectors including:
     (i) Water and energy demand and supplies; and
     (ii) Infrastructure, transportation, health, ecology, natural resources, and agricultural systems.

NEW SECTION.  Sec. 5   (1) The climate impacts group must, when appropriate to achieving the purposes of this chapter, cooperate and coordinate with other entities to fulfill its objectives.
     (2) Examples of entities that the climate impacts group should cooperate and coordinate with may include, but are not limited to:
     (a) Other universities and other colleges within the University of Washington;
     (b) Local, state, and federal governments;
     (c) Public advocacy organizations;
     (d) Tribal agencies, organizations, and governments; and
     (e) Domestic or foreign industrial and business institutions.

NEW SECTION.  Sec. 6   State agencies and local governments are encouraged to contract with the climate impacts group to fulfill agency needs regarding the collection, storage, integration, analysis, dissemination, interpretation, application, and monitoring of climate change information, research, and training.

NEW SECTION.  Sec. 7   The results of any research funded by the state that is undertaken by the climate impacts group or in which the climate impacts group participates must be available to all industries and citizens of the state of Washington and the climate impacts group is authorized to disseminate this information.

NEW SECTION.  Sec. 8   (1) The climate impacts group may solicit gifts, grants, conveyances, bequests, and devices, including both real or personal property, in trust or otherwise, to be directed to the climate impacts group for carrying out the objectives of the climate impacts group as provided in this chapter.
     (2) In addition to section 6 of this act, the climate impacts group may solicit contracts for work, financial and in-kind contributions, and support from private industries, interest groups, federal, state, and tribal sources, and other sources deemed appropriate by the director of the climate impacts group.
     (3) The climate impacts group may utilize separately appropriated funds of the University of Washington for the climate impacts group operations and activities.

NEW SECTION.  Sec. 9   (1) The director of the climate impacts group may, at the discretion of the director, appoint and maintain a policy advisory committee to advise the director on policies for the climate impacts group that are consistent with the purposes of this chapter.
     (2) If activated, the membership of the policy advisory committee must represent, to the extent possible, the various interests concerned with the climate impacts group, including state and federal agencies, tribal governments, conservation and environmental organizations, urban entities, rural communities, industry, and business.
     (3) Members of the policy advisory committee may not receive any salary or other compensation for service on the advisory committee. However, each member may be compensated, at the discretion of the director of the climate impacts group, for each day in actual attendance at or traveling to and from meetings of the advisory committee in accordance with RCW 43.03.220, together with travel expenses in accordance with RCW 43.03.050 and 43.03.060.

NEW SECTION.  Sec. 10   Sections 1 through 9 of this act constitute a new chapter in Title 28B RCW.