Section 468A.185 - Policy The Legislative Assembly declares that it is the policy of this state to:
(1) Implement strategies to advance natural climate solutions to mitigate the future impacts of climate change.(2) Invest in research to improve our understanding of:(a) The effects of natural climate solutions on natural and working lands;(b) The climate, ecosystem and carbon benefits of products from natural and working lands;(c) The contributions of natural climate solutions to reducing greenhouse gas emissions, increasing net carbon sequestration and storage and strengthening climate resilience; and(d) The cobenefits that communities and Indian tribes derive from natural climate solutions.(3) Incentivize and implement natural climate solutions by:(a) Securing and leveraging federal and private investments in natural climate solutions on natural and working lands;(b) Prioritizing the use of existing programs;(c) Ensuring equitable benefits of climate mitigation for environmental justice communities, landowners and land managers; and(d) Ensuring that a diversity of landowners and managers are able to voluntarily participate in incentive-based programs for natural climate solutions and climate resilience through activities that may include, but are not limited to:(A) Removing barriers for Indian tribes, environmental justice communities, landowners and land managers to engage in natural climate solutions or access funding to support natural climate solutions;(B) Identifying resources to provide incentives to land managers interested in voluntarily adopting practices that optimize natural climate solutions;(C) Strengthening education, engagement and technical assistance efforts for land managers, Indian tribes and environmental justice communities;(D) Providing financial assistance for Indian tribes, local governments or nongovernmental organizations for the purpose of entering into voluntary transactions with willing landowners to acquire natural and working lands to enhance the local benefits of natural climate solutions;(E) Increasing and deploying natural climate solutions in and around our urban and built environment; and(F) Optimizing the social, health, ecological, climate resilience and economic benefits of natural climate solutions, including:(i) Reducing heat island effects;(ii) Improving air quality;(iii) Improving flood control;(iv) Improving soil health and productivity;(v) Improving wildfire resilience and community protection;(vi) Improving drought resilience and response;(vii) Improving stream health, wetland recovery and riparian functionality;(viii) Protecting and recovering drinking watersheds for enhanced water quality and quantity;(ix) Maintaining or increasing short-term, mid-term and long-term fiber supplies;(x) Maintaining or increasing food supplies;(xi) Increasing the climate resilience of fish, wildlife and their habitats;(xii) Improving protection for coastal communities from the impacts of storm surge; and(xiii) Improving public health.Added by 2023 Ch. 442, § 54