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Committee accepts amendments to Bill 34-25 to clarify climate-assessment terms
Summary
The committee accepted sponsor amendments to Bill 34-25 to add a definition for "climate hazard," insert the word "climate" into the community resilience definition, and align planning-board designee language with OLO. The amendments were adopted without objection.
Chair Cherry Glass opened the session on Bill 34-25 and turned the floor to sponsor Council Member Balcom, who said the bill "changes the definition" to make the environmental assessment focus on the physical climate and to add a definition for climate hazard. Balcom told the committee the goal is to return to the original legislative intent that climate assessments focus on weather and environmental effects rather than broader situational issues.
Balcom explained the practical changes: "It adds a definition for climate hazard," he said, and the bill inserts the word "climate" into the definition of community resilience. He also asked the committee to add three technical definitions requested by the Planning Board — greenhouse gas emissions, sequestration and carbon drawdown — and to clarify that the planning board (or its designee) may perform planning-board assessments for consistency with OLO practice.
Committee members voiced support for the clarifications. After the sponsor reviewed the amendments, Chair Glass asked if there was any objection; none was raised and the chair recorded the item "as amended." The transcript records acceptance by voice (no roll-call vote recorded). The committee did not set a subsequent vote date in the transcript.
