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Home My WebLink AboutSignatory_Alaska Coastal CommunitiesRegular Assernbly Meeting Minutes March 24, 2009 Page 3 Executive Session Item G Alaska Coastal Communities Item H oRD.2009-50 Dove lsland Lodge owneri involving Dove lsland Lodge v. City and Borough of Sitka, which may have immediate adverse legal and financial consequences for the City and Borough of Sitka and involve mattens that are required by law to be confidential, and to invite the Municipal Administrator, Municipal Attorney, outside legal counsel and the Planning Director to attend. Motion PASSED on a 6-1 voice vote with Ozment opposed. The assembly was in Executive Session from 8:13 p.m. until 8:31 p.m. MOTION by Stein to come out of Executive Session. Motion PASSED on a unanimous voice vote. MOTION by Cavanaugh to accept the recommendation of Municipal Attorney Hiflhouse and reject the proposal submitted by Dove lsland Lodge. Motion PASSED on a 7-0 roll call vote. MOTION by Ozment to approve the City and Borough of Sitka being a signatory on the attached paper entifled ,.Alaska Coastal Communities Global Climate Change Compact." This item was postponed from the previous meeting to give assembly members more time to review sitka conservation employee and fisherman, paul olsen read statistics on fishing and stressed the importance of limiting our carbon emissions. He urged the assembly to sign-on supporting climate change legislation. cavanaugh asked what kind of restrictions thrs would impose. steinpointed out there is some concern that we are hitching ourselves to an organization that is more aggressive than maybe the Lntire community wants to be- crews wanted to know if olsen had talked to local fishermen and processors to get their input. olsen replied he had not, butwould be happy to Hackett inquired whether other communities have signed. According to crews, Homer did. ozment noted the main ooint is to make people more aware of what is happening to the oceans. Cavanaugh said the approach needs to be reasonable and supported bylocal fisherman and processors. stein wanted to have on recoid how the fish processors felt about the signing of this and how it would affectthem. Hackett noted sitka is a coastal community and is dependent onits resources. The Mayor sees this as signing on the merits of the compact as listed in the document. Motion PASSED on a 6-1 roll call vote with Crews opposed. MOTION by Cavanaugh to approve Ordinance 2009-50 on secondand final reading: Amending section 2.04.020 entifled Meetings of the sGC to changethe adjournment and start time for regular- scheduled meetings toallow for more efficient assembly meetings. Mayor read the Title and Purpose sections. Motion PASSED on a 7-0 roll cail vote. AIASKA COESTNT COMTVTUNITIES GIONNT CIUUETT CHANGE COMPACT ,{hsko bas morc mibs oJ coasilinc tban all tbe rest oJ tbe Unitcd States. Thc vast n',r,jorij oJ our statc's resi&nts ccU our coastal communitics bome. Tbese commanities gencrctc bi[lions in economic activity. From Medakade u Kaktovik, peoph bave lived clong Ahskc's tost codst Jor tbousands of yats and depended on rich biologi- ccl ocean reso*rca Jor suwivaL Today, the cuhutal idcrtity and swvival of Alaska s coastal communities still ilcpend on the ocean resosrces that support commercialfsbing tourism, re*eation ond subsistence. We, tbe uikrsigncd Ahskan local and regional gouerttncrrts and elected oficiak, erpress ow dcep concerrr abouthutnm-iniluccd fubal clitnmte chonge a*d occan acidifcation and issue a call to policymakers to tahe sttolzg aril imncdiate rction to prcvcnt catastrophic imputs from greenbouse gas emissiow. We recogniu the validity.' ol tlii folhwittg statcmcnts: l:;i:Glb!Fl dinterc cblggc i.cprcscnts onc of r:hc greatest threats of our cime. The Inrergovemmental Panel on l'Clim&a C.b;ug; (IPCC), the world's leading sciendfic body on this subject, has prescnted compelling evidencc : _of ilirnatg cbangc's dangcrous cffecrs and has recommendcd steps to avoid them. The IPCC has called on :r,n1tio'iiito.ciilleddy curteil greenhousc g;rs emissions to ensure el'rat acmospheric concentrarions peak no later *ii" ZOf S' rdd dedinc 8O percent by 2050, comparcd to 2000. The IPCC has conduded with 90 perccnr con6- dcncc drar tbdays diinate changes arc acributablc to human acanry,primarily Fom the burning of fossil fuels. Ocean acidjficadon is caused by increased carbon dioxide concentrations from rbc burning of fossil fucls and is acceler'ating. The daily uptalce of over 22 million cons of carbon dioxide inco the ocean is causing ocean acidiGcation and threatens many forms of marine life by decreasing rhe abiliry of cenain organisms to build their shells and skcleml srrucrures. Ocean acidificarion has rhe porenrial, wirhin decades, to severely affecr marine organisms, food webs, biodiversiry and fisheries. Global dimatc cha.Be and ocean acidifrcation threaten communiries in Alaska. Because high larirude regions of the earth are particularly vuinerable to *re impacts of global climate change, Alaska has been describcd as "ground zero" for climatc change. Coastal crosion, thawing pcrmafrost, and sprucc bark beede infestations are evidence of climate change in Alaska. In addition, ocean acidification chreatens the fisheries thar providc food,jobs, and culrural identiry to many Alaskans, particularly in coastal communiries. Alaskan coastal comrounities are important to the narion, and Alaska cao play a role in addressing climate change and ocean acidi6cation. Alaska produces more chan half of rhe seafood caught in che United Sraces. Alaska elso has pocenrial to mitigare climare change and ocean acidificarion, rhrough developmenc and exporr ofrenewable energy rechnologies rhac can be used throughout rhe dcveloping world. There are compelling economic arguments to act now. Posirive economic developnrent and diversificarion of Alaskat economy will be essociated with addressing c[mate change in the srare. Furshe rmore, che economic costs of inacrion will be far grcater rlran rhe costs associated wirh immediate acrion co reduce greenhouse gas emissions in line wirh IPCC recommendacions. 4. Page 1 of - 6. The United Stetes has rn obligation ge t-Lg a leadership role in addressingglobal dimate change. Wirh only 5 percent of $e world's popularion, che United States produces approrimately 25 percent of che world! annual greenhouse gas emissions. 7 , Fot the well-being of orrrent and fuare geaerations, loungrlirte eccion must $s t- lren ar all levels of governmeot and througbout society to address global climate change and ocea.o acidification. Given the seriousness of tlcse problems, policies and programs so reduce greenhouse gas emissions must conscirute a prioriry when allocacing government resources, Wc bcreby exprcss suppofi Jot the Jolbwing policies, actions end initiatives: l. At the nadonal level, immediacely enact climate legislarion rhat will reduce greenhouse gas emissions !o meer or exceed rhe gods recommendcd by rhe IPCC; eg.,80 percent rcducrion Rom 2000 lcvels by 2050. 2. Reengagc at the nadonal level in the internarional proccss of dcaling effecrively with global climate change. 3. At drc national and state levels, enact legisladon and fund iniciacives rlat will dramarically increase enerry cfficiency and the production of renewable energ),. 4. Udfizr a significant ponion of rhe procee& from narional ap-and-rrade legislarion, carbon rax, or ocher sources ro fund iniriacives in Alaska rhat will: . develop renewable enerSy resources . improve energy efficiency in buildings, ransportation, erc., in all sectors of rhe economy . increase public knowledge of issues relaced to greenhouse gas emissions r creace a skilled workforce for a new clcan-cnergy economy . help vulnerable communiries adapt to unavoidable climate-related impacrs r pror€ct or rebuild infrastrucrure rhat is rhrearened by dimate impacts . enhance research in che area ofocean acidification ' enhance research in che areas of energyefficienryandrenewablc energy. Wc further exprcss olar cottrrrlitrnent to:. L nerwork with other Alaskan coastal communiries on the issues of climare change and ocean acidiFcation; 2. encourage acrions wirhin our own communities ro mirigere climare change and ocea.n acidificacion and adapr ro unavoi&ble changes; 3. make wise and effective use of resources provided by rhe state and federal govemmencs for such accions; and 4. support comrnuniry eForts to educace rhe public on rhese issues. Sigrcforics: (ro be listed here and on addiriond pages) Alaska Coastal Communities Clobal Climate Change Compact, page 2 of _