Date: 01/29/2014
Final
Briefing on climate change pursuant to HB 13-1293
COMMITTEE ON JOINT AGRICULTURE & HOUSE TRANSPORTATION
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08:05 AM -- Briefing on climate change pursuant to HB 13-1293
08:08 AM
Taryn Finnessey, Climate Change Risk Management Specialist, Colorado Water Conservation Board, said her presentation would described climate change effects in Colorado and is pursuant to House Bill 13-1293. She gave an overview of House Bill 13-1293 and discussed average global temperature projections through the year 2100. Ms. Finnessey talked about projections specific to Colorado regarding climate change and described climate change mitigation efforts undertaken by the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE), Colorado Department of Agriculture (CDA), and the Colorado Energy Office (CEO). Ms. Finnessey talked about various adaptation projects undertaken by the Department of Natural Resources/CWCB and the CEO. She responded to questions from the committee regarding the Climate Change in Colorado Report, due to be released in 2014, which is a synthesis to support water resources management and adaptation compiled by the CWCB and described findings included in this report, including observed and projected temperature and precipitation trends. She answered questions from the committee how observed and projected trends relate to areas of Colorado that are particularly susceptible to extreme flooding and the role that data compiled from tree ring studies and the paleo record are applied to climate change models. Ms. Finnessey discussed observed Colorado temperatures and project temperatures from 1900 through 2050 and the functions and importance of the Colorado Climate Preparedness Report from 2011, which was a collaborative effort between CWCB, CEO, CDA, and CDPHE. She discussed the Climate Change Vulnerability Study, which provides an assessment of the key climate change vulnerabilities facing Colorado's economy and resources, and is due to be completed in the late Spring of 2014. She answered questions from the committee regarding the wildland urban interface (WUI), adaptations done by the water rafting industry and the fishing industry in response to drought, and if cost-benefit analysis is included in the Climate Change Vulnerability Study. Committee discussion ensued regarding climate change and cost-benefit analysis. Ms. Finnessey discussed the Colorado River Water Availability Study, which sought to discover how much water from the Colorado River Basin System is available to meet Colorado's future water needs. She talked about the Colorado River Basin Water Supply and Demand Study and the role of climate change in the development of the Colorado Water Plan. (Ms. Finnessey's powerpoint presentation is Attachment A.)
140129 AttachA.pdf