Climate Caucus of Alaska: Mission, Priority Issues & Actions

Kodiak Island Wind Turbines

The Climate Caucus of Alaska (CCA) was unanimously approved as a Tier II subgroup of the Alaska Democratic Party during the Alaska Democratic Convention on May 13-15, 2016 in Anchorage.

The following is a summary of priority issues and actions identified by more than 125 elected delegates to the 2016 Alaska Democratic Caucus and invited guests who attended the CCA founding meeting.



MISSION STATEMENT: To adopt and promote concrete, policy-based initiatives to address climate change in Alaska.

PRIORITY ISSUES

1.    ENERGY
     a.     Fossil Fuels
             i.      End oil tax subsidies, money and corruption in politics
             ii.     No LNG
             iii.    Remove natural gas from existing Dem platform
             iv.     Ban on fracking, tar sands and Arctic offshore drilling
             v.      State carbon tax & dividend
     b.     Energy Efficiency & Renewable Energy
             i.      Reinstate & increase energy efficiency programs & funding
             ii.     Identify and implement best practice policy incentives and financing (Property Assessed Clean Energy [PACE] Financing, Feed-in Tariffs [FiTs], State Bank, Community Choice, Revolving Loan Funds, etc.)
             iii.     Dev & promote AK 100% Renewable Energy Roadmap Smart Energy Plans
             iv.     Implement cold climate green building standards & codes (efficiency, solar readiness, ground heat systems, etc.) in partnership with the AK Cold Climate Housing Research Center.
             v.     Energy efficiency & renewable energy installation training, training, training and jobs development,
             vi.     Implement RE sustainability index (i.e. Sisitna Dam)
             vii.    Identify and promote best Energy Democracy policies
     c.      Energy Security
              i.     Energy costs, subsidies
              ii.    Microgrid development
              iii.   Air & water quality impacts

2.     CLIMATE CHANGE AWARENESS & PREPAREDNESS
     a.     Education; educating people about climate change, countering denial
     b.     Public Health & Safety
             i.     Identify & strengthen vulnerable communities
             ii.    Increase research and public awareness of increasing physical hazards (high-risk zones, mudslides, earthquakes, permafrost, flooding, wildfire, coastal erosion, loss of sea and river ice, wildlife behavioral changes, tree displacement, etc.)
             iii.    State of Emergency Declaration (research)
     c.     Emergency Services
     d.     Food Security
     e.      Adaptation/Community Resilience
     f.      Mitigation

3.    ALASKAN NATIVE COMMUNITIES
     a.     Strengthen Native participation at all levels of government decision making
     b.     Incorporate traditional knowledge, citizen science at all levels of research and decision-making
     c.     Subsistence rights
             i.     Identify and address increased risk to subsistence from increased shipping traffic, oil and gas drilling, receding sea ice, etc.
     d.     Food & Energy Security
     e.     Vulnerable Communities
     f.      Adaptation
     g.     Relocation
             i.     Identify legal, policy and financial needs in partnership with effected communities
             ii.     Develop & finance statewide plan
     h.     Human rights/climate & social justice

4.     FISHERIES (primary threats)
     a.     Ocean warming
     b.     Ocean acidification
     c.     Pebble Mine, Chuitna Coal Project, Susitna hydro project
     d.     Overfishing

5.    ECONOMIC DIVERSIFICATION
     a.     Assess economic impacts of climate change across the state
     b.     Divest borough, municipal, and state investments in fossil fuel industries (including Permanent Fund)
     c.      Small business development, esp. food security, community resilience, local production of basic need products
     d.     Labor/job training and expansion of Green economy
     e.      Implement a Green Energy Revolution in Alaska!

6.    CLIMATE CHANGE SCIENCE, IMPACT ASSESSMENT & MONITORING
     a.     Education, expand K-12 curricula and programs
     b.     Restore and increase university & state agency climate change research programs and community collaborations (esp. citizen science)
     c.      Rigorous research, ongoing monitoring and public awareness of climate change impacts (identify high-risk zones, mudslides, earthquakes, permafrost, flooding, wildfire, coastal erosion, loss of sea and river ice, wildlife behavioral changes, tree displacement, etc.)

7.    POLICY
     a.     Reinstate Governors Climate Change Subcabinet
     b.     Support & develop working relationships with Climate Smart local, state and congressional candidates
     c.      Educate local and state leaders about the urgency of climate change and policy solutions
     d.     Policy & Legislative
             i.     Identify model policies and legislation
             ii.     Work with local, state and governors office to implement climate smart initiatives and legislation

8.    MOVEMENT BUILDING
       a.     Increase membership
       b.     Establish regional, district and community chapters
       c.     Partner with citizen, community groups and government agencies across the state

PRIORITIES
1.     Education – emphasize sense of urgency:  it’s already here
2.     End oil tax subsidies
3.     Re-establish Governors Sub-cabinet on Climate Change
4.     Adaptation – it’s already here; e.g., food security
5.     Economic Transition – away from fossil fuels; carbon tax
6.     Carbon Tax and Dividend 
7.     Fisheries – food security, ocean conditions, throughout Pacific NW
8.     Fundraising

PRIORITY ACTIONS
§  Communicate sense of URGENCY!
§  Strong party platform on energy & climate change
§  Hold candidates and leaders accountable
§  Media – Communications
·      Editorials/letters to the editor, speakers bureau
·      Regular teleconferences of the caucus
·      Develop and advocate for policies
·      Connect ideas
·      Get press attention
§  Policy Advocacy (form subcommittee)
·      Reinstatement of Gov Subcommittee on Climate Change
·      Convene Legislative Committee on Climate Change
·      Renewable Energy Roadmap
·      Economic transition plan
§  Prioritize Native Alaskan concerns
·      Declare State of Emergency for specific villages
§  Fundraising

ELECTION OF CCA OFFICERS:
The following officers were elected by unanimous votes:

Ceal Smith, Chair, Eagle River, AK
Dave Matheny, Vice-chair, Fairbanks, AK
Moira Ingle, Secretary, Chugiak, AK
Patricia Rivera, Treasurer, Fairbanks, AK