NE Legislature Talks Climate For 1st Time; Only 1 Panel Member, 1 Public Comment Oppose New Panel

LINCOLN — The issue of climate change was discussed Tuesday in the Nebraska Legislature, perhaps for the first time. And a legislative panel reacted warmly to the idea of having an existing state climate committee conduct a long-range study on how the state's largest industry, agriculture, can deal with rising temperatures and wild swings in the weather.

“It's here, it's happening and we have to adapt to it,” State Sen. Ken Haar of Malcolm told the Agriculture Committee.

Haar, a leading environmentalist in Legislature, introduced a proposal this year that would require the State Climate Assessment Response Committee to study and, by September 2014, issue a report on how the state should prepare for climate change.

Legislative Bill 583 also would enhance that committee by adding a representative of the Lincoln-based High Plains Regional Climate Center, which compiles climate data from the Great Plains.

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http://www.omaha.com/article/20130227/NEWS/702279916/1707