Shawn Raymundo

Pacific Daily News

Legislation to create a climate change council tasked with proposing environmental policy was considered during session Wednesday afternoon.

Speaker Benjamin Cruz’s measure, Bill 79-34, aims to establish the Guam Council on Climate Change Preparedness and Resiliency. The group, which would be comprised of nine members, would act as a policy recommending body for the Legislature.

It would work “to come up with ideas on how the departments and agencies can deal with climate change,” Cruz told lawmakers on the session floor. “I thought, why shouldn’t the Legislature also have a commission? ... This climate change council would meet accordingly for the purpose of providing advice to the Guam Legislature.”

Acknowledging Gov. Eddie Calvo’s 2015 executive order that established the Climate Change Advisory Committee and Guam Climate Change Task Force, Cruz said the new council would work in tandem with governor’s groups.

If enacted, the chair of the task force and a member of the advisory committee would serve on the council. Certain senators — such as the chairs of the environment committee and appropriations committee, along with a member of the legislative majority and a member of the minority — are to be on the council.

Other members of group would be: the president of the University of Guam; the executive director of UOG’s Center for Island Sustainability; and the head of the Consolidated Commission on Utilities.

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Cruz introduced the bill amid President Donald Trump’s actions to rescind some environmental regulations that former President Barack Obama had enacted to combat climate change.

Citing rising sea levels as a result of climate change, Cruz said certain parts of the island are already starting to lose shorelines, such as Agat, Umatac and Merizo. Guam also is seeing more migrants from the Freely Associated States come to Guam, not because of the compacts of free association, but because climate change is negatively impacting their home islands.

Several lawmakers expressed support for the bill. Senators will vote on the measure at the end of the week when session is concluded.