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May 03, 2007

Subcommittee Works to Make Federal Climate Change Research Deliver More Policy-Relevant Information

(Washington, DC) – Local and state governments would have access to valuable information on global climate change under legislation considered today by the Science and Technology Committee’s Energy and Environment Subcommittee.

Members of the Subcommittee heard from witnesses regarding H.R. 906, the Global Change Research and Data Management Act, during a hearing this afternoon.

U.S. Representatives Mark Udall (D-CO) and Bob Inglis (R-SC) introduced the bill earlier this year to revise the current U.S. Global Change Research Program (USGCRP). The program was established in 1990 to coordinate climate change research across federal agencies. However, scientific knowledge about the Earth’s climate has grown significantly since that time.

“Through bills like H.R. 906, Congress is starting to take action to address the global conundrum that is climate change. It is not an exaggeration to say that the world’s future depends on our response,” said Subcommittee Vice-Chair Gabrielle Giffords (D-AZ). “The clock is ticking, and Congress must work across party lines to pass concrete solutions as soon as possible. I think that this bill represents just that kind of needed bipartisanship.”

The legislation would update the current program to help the nation better prepare for and cope with various climate-related impacts by producing information that can be used by state and local governments and by businesses to develop and implement strategies for adapting to climate change and mitigating greenhouse gas emissions.

“Each year, fires, droughts, hurricanes and other natural events remind us of our vulnerability to extreme weather and climate changes. The human and economic cost of these events is very high. With better planning and implementation of adaptation strategies these costs can be reduced,” said Rep. Udall, who also serves as the Committee’s Space & Aeronautics Subcommittee Chairman.

"This is a step we can take to raise awareness and preparation. As we develop consensus we'll need to take steps toward mitigation,” said Subcommittee Ranking Member Inglis.

Impacts of global warming are already being felt in some regions and are projected to range from droughts to insect infestation to coastal erosion. With no federal direction on adapting to climate change impacts, some states have taken action on their own to develop plans.

In a 2003 review of the Administration’s draft strategic plan for the USGCRP, the National Academy of Sciences acknowledged the need for research to evaluate strategies to mitigate and adapt to the impacts of global change. The Academy recommended that the plan be revised to enhance efforts to inform and guide policymakers and other users as they make decisions on resource-management, economic development and natural disaster response.

H.R. 906 would simplify the detailed organizational structure of the program, in favor of giving the President the flexibility to form an Interagency Committee that would identify and consult with members of the user community in developing the USGCRP research plan. That group would also coordinate federal polices on data management and archiving. The legislation would also involve the National Governor’s Association in evaluating the plan from a user perspective.

“While provision of information to Congress to support policy development is certainly important, preparing for and adapting and responding to the impacts of climate change must start locally and regionally—each region is distinct, and each type of impact manifests itself in different ways in different places and for different sectors of the economy,” said one of the today’s witnesses, Dr. Michael C. MacCracken, Chief Scientist for Climate Change Programs at the Climate Institute.

The bill would also maintain many key features of the current law, such as the requirements for a ten-year strategic plan, for periodic assessments of the effects of global climate change on the natural, social and economic systems and for increased international cooperation in global change science.

“Decision-makers at all levels of government and in the private sector need reliable and timely information to understand the possible impacts and corresponding vulnerabilities that are posed by climate change so they can plan and respond accordingly,” said Ms. Sarah Bittleman, Director, Washington, D.C., Office of Oregon Governor Theodore Kulongoski. “The Western Governors’ Association supports H.R. 906 as an effort to move the nation’s climate change research program in this direction.”

“Climate change is happening in the Southwest, but Arizona can help moderate the change, added Rep. Giffords. “With the new user-driven data provided by the re-orientation of the U.S. Global Change Research Program, state legislatures, local officials, resource managers, and businesses could all begin to adjust their plans to help Arizona avoid the worst of the impacts of climate change.”

For information on this hearing, click here.

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