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Bill to create climate change division in DES draws split testimony; committee recommends ITL
Summary
House Bill 526 would create a Climate Change and Damage Division inside the Department of Environmental Services to coordinate adaptation, research and public engagement; DES testified additional staff would likely be needed and the committee voted 10–8 to recommend ITL.
Representative Wendy Thomas introduced House Bill 526, which would establish within the Department of Environmental Services (DES) a division titled Climate Change and Damage to coordinate adaptation planning, research, public education and grant management.
"The division will focus on climate adaptation planning, identifying vulnerabilities such as sea level rise, extreme weather events and shifting ecosystems," Representative Wendy Thomas said. She told the committee the new unit would gather scientific information, model risks and administer grants to support resilience across municipal, infrastructure and natural-resource sectors.
Mike Fitzgerald, assistant director in DES’s Air Resources Division, briefed the committee on the agency’s current activity and a fiscal estimate. Fitzgerald said the department already conducts adaptation planning with regional partners and currently manages several federal grants, including a climate pollution-reduction grant that funds staff work. He told the committee that continued and expanded work would likely require additional personnel beyond the grant-funded roles: "We estimated that this would probably take an additional 2 or 3 staff," Fitzgerald said, and noted that many related tasks are technical and ongoing.
The Conservation Law Foundation and the Conservation Law Foundation’s senior attorney argued in favor of a stand-alone division to consolidate climate-related work and ensure consistent statewide planning. "Consolidating all of DES's activities into a single division that can, further study the issue and figure out how to better adapt to climate change is really needed, right now," said Nick Kraygoff of the Conservation Law Foundation.
Opponents raised cost concerns and questioned whether a new state division is the most efficient approach. Some committee members also reiterated skepticism about assigning new recurring expenditures without a specific appropriation; DES staff said the department had prepared a fiscal note that estimated additional staff and operating costs but that grant funding currently covers a portion of work.
In executive session the committee adopted a recommendation of Inexpedient to Legislate (ITL) on HB 526 by a vote of 10–8. Representative Donald Nader moved for ITL and Representative Olaf Schneller seconded. The committee assigned majority and minority reports and directed report filing as required.
