Bill > SB120

This bill establishes the Alaska Climate Change Emergency Response Commission in the Office of the Governor to address the state's urgent climate change challenges. The commission will consist of 16 members: six departmental representatives (including commissioners from Fish and Game, Environmental Conservation, Natural Resources, Commerce, Transportation, and a regional affairs director) and 10 municipal representatives appointed by the governor from different regions of Alaska. These municipal representatives must be mayors or assembly/council members representing diverse geographical areas across the state. The commission will have several key responsibilities, including preparing a strategic response plan to identify climate change vulnerabilities, providing grant writing assistance to governmental and non-governmental entities, developing funding distribution programs for local governments, coordinating climate change response efforts, monitoring climate change impacts, and recommending legislative and administrative actions. Members will serve without compensation but receive per diem and travel expenses, and the commission will be required to submit an annual report to the governor and legislature detailing their activities, identified threats, and progress in addressing climate change. The bill recognizes climate change as a state of emergency that threatens Alaska's communities, economy, traditional ways of life, wildlife, and natural ecosystems, and aims to create a comprehensive, coordinated approach to responding to these challenges.

Budget and Finance, Government Affairs

https://www.akleg.gov/basis/Bill/Detail/34?Root=SB120