| Formal Name: | Climates Assessment Response Committee |
| Contact Person: | Assistant Director, Nebraska Agriculture Department, 301 Centennial Mall South 4th Floor, P.O. Box 94947, Lincoln, NE 68509-4947, (402) 471-2341 |
| Purpose: | : The Climate Assessment Response Committee (CARC) was created to provide the Governor and the public with timely and systematic data collection, analysis and dissemination of information about drought and other severe climate occurrences. In addition, CARC serves as a vehicle for the improvement of climate monitoring, climate impact assessment and general information flow between agencies. |
| How Many Affectable: | NA |
| How Many Served: | NA |
| Year Created: | 1992 |
| Year Active: | 1992 |
| Sunset Date: | Not specified |
| Authorization Citation: | Nebraska Revised Statute, 2-4901 |
| Parent Agency: | Office of the Governor |
| Number Of Members: | By statute eight required, others optional |
| Who Appoints: | Governor |
| Legislative Approval: | Five members statutorily named |
| Qualifications Of Members: | The committee shall be composed of representatives appointed by the Governor with the approval of a majority of the Legislature from livestock producers, crop producers, the Nebraska Emergency Management Agency, and the Conservation and Survey Division and Cooperative Extension Service of the University of Nebraska. The Director of Agriculture or his or her designee, the chief executive officer of the Department of Health and Human Services or his or her designee, and the Director of Natural Resources or his or her designee shall be ex officio members of the committee. Representatives from the federal Consolidated Farm Service Agency and Federal Crop Insurance Corporation may also serve on the committee at the invitation of the Governor. The chairperson of the Committee on Agriculture of the Legislature and the chairperson of the Committee on Natural Resources of the Legislature shall be nonvoting, ex officio members of the committee. The Governor may appoint a member of the Governor's Policy Research Office and any other state agency representatives or invite any other federal agencies to name representatives as he or she deems necessary. |
| Per Diem: | No |
| Expense Reimbursement: | Yes; actual and necessary expenses |
| Term Length: | Not established by statute |
| Terms Rotate or Expire At Once: |
| Required FY 13-14: | 2 |
| Held FY 13-14: | 2 |
| Required FY 14-15: | 2 |
| Held FY 14-15: | 2 |
| Required FY 15-16: | 2 |
| Held FY 15-16: | 2 |
| Support Staff: | No |
| Shared or Separate: | NA |
| FY 13-14 Budget: | $0 |
| FY 14-15 Budget: | $0 |
| FY 15-16 Budget: | $0 |
| Other Funding Sources: | NA |
| Spending Authority: | No |
| Since July 1, 2012: | In 2012, Nebraska was in the midst of a drought that had the entire state classified in an extreme to exceptional drought most of the summer months into fall. As a result CARC met twice as many times (four) as required by statute. The committee filed numerous reports to the Governors office and kept an open dialogue among state agencies. A continuous effort was made to provide the public with emergency drought information as well as water conservation guidelines. A Drought Central website was established on the Nebraska Dept. of Agriculture website to provide a central location to distribute drought information.Exceptional drought conditions extended into the spring of 2013 calling for CARC to hold a meeting slightly earlier than would typically would be held. Many of the mitigation actions continued to be held including guidelines for water conservation and drought mitigation actions. By June of that year, the most severe drought conditions were beginning to subside and by October drought classifications were improving over most of the state. This allowed CARC to go back to its two-a-year required schedule for 2014 and 2015.In general, CARCs primary functions continue to be to keep the Governor apprised of current drought and water supply statuses in Nebraska, as well as provide the general public information on drought and climate conditions as warranted. The National Drought Mitigation Center and Nebraska State Climate Office provide the bulk of reports to keep the CARC members up to date on Nebraska conditions. |