CHAPTER 28
H.P. 1066 - L.D. 1429
Resolve, to Assess the Consequences of Climate Change in the State
Sec. 1. To establish a cooperative program to assess climate change in the State. Resolved: That the Commissioner of Environmental Protection in consultation with the Institute for Quaternary and Climate Studies at the University of Maine shall develop for submission to the Second Regular Session of the 120th Legislature no later than December 31, 2001 a plan to collect data, conduct research and communicate information about climate change impacts in Maine. The climatologist at the institute is designated as the "Maine State Climatologist" and shall work cooperatively with the Department of Environmental Protection and other relevant state agencies. The Department of Environmental Protection shall assist with the coordination of and shall provide support for activities related to data collection and dissemination of information to the public and the private sector. The responsibilities of the Maine State Climatologist, with the assistance of and in consultation with the department, include:
1. The design and development of a statewide environmental monitoring network to detect changes in key environmental conditions related to climate. The program must be designed to increase public awareness of climate-related phenomena and to identify actions that may be taken to lower risks of climate change and its effects on public health and welfare. When practical the program must involve schools in collecting data. The information developed by the program must be available to the public and organized in a manner to help businesses, natural resource managers, farmers and governmental agencies plan for future effects of climate change; and
2. Evaluating for this State the following:
A. Past climate patterns and trends both historical and prehistorical, including geological evidence and sea-level and coastal environmental changes;
B. Biotic responses to climate change; and
C. Variability in physical conditions, including, but not limited to, frequency and severity of storms, levels of precipitation and seasonal temperature fluctuations, attributable to climate change.
As part of the plan submitted pursuant to this section, the Department of Environmental Protection shall identify a process for collecting and reporting statewide emissions of greenhouse gases on a regular basis. The department shall also develop and maintain a voluntary registry of actions taken subsequent to 1989 by persons or corporations to control emissions of greenhouse gases, including the sequestration of carbon that otherwise might have been released as carbon dioxide.
Effective September 21, 2001, unless otherwise indicated.
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