Colorado § 24-20-111 - Climate change position created - duties - report.

§ 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).

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

Cross references: For the legislative declaration in the 2013 act adding this section, see section 1 of chapter 312, Session Laws of Colorado 2013.