Progress Report: Highlighting Federal Actions Addressing the Recommendations of the State, Local, and Tribal Leaders Task Force on Climate Preparedness and Resilience
The Obama Administration released a progress report detailing the federal agency initiatives that are being implemented in response to recommendations from the State, Local, and Tribal Leaders Task Force on Climate Preparedness and Resilience. The report describes more than one hundred completed and ongoing initiatives that federal agencies have taken to support efforts, at all levels of government, to prepare for changing climate conditions.
The report was issued in response to a list of recommendations that were released in November 2014 from the State, Local, and Tribal Leaders Task Force on Climate Preparedness and Resilience. Twenty-six governors, mayors, tribal leaders, and local officials were represented on the Task Force. The Georgetown Climate Center also supported the Task Force by convening a series of workshops and publishing a report (Preparing Our Communities for Climate Impacts: Recommendations for Federal Action) discussing federal opportunities for supporting adaptation at the state and local levels. The federal initiatives described in the progress report are in addition to internal efforts that each federal agency is taking to prepare federal assets, lands, and facilities; these actions are described in agency adaptation plans, which were updated in October 2014.
The following are some highlights of initiatives discussed in the progress report:
In July 2014, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) created the Green Infrastructure Collaborative, bringing together federal agencies, NGOs, and private industry experts to advance green stormwater infrastructure. The federal agencies have so far provided funding to twenty-five communities for green infrastructure projects. The EPA further released the Enhancing Sustainable Communities with Green Infrastructure report in October 2014 to share best practice for managing stormwater and achieving other environmental, public health, and economic benefits.
In January 2015, President Obama issued an Executive Order calling for the development of a federal flood risk management standard for all federally-funded projects (e.g., buildings, roads, and other infrastructure in and affecting floodplains). Federal agencies are working to implement the requirements of the order and solicit public input.
In June 2015, the Environmental Justice Interagency Working Group established a subcommittee to ensure that federal actions on climate change are being informed by and taking into account the needs of vulnerable populations. The group will launch a Climate Justice Initiative to incorporate equity into climate adaptation planning.
In coordination with a closely-aligned effort by the Rockefeller Foundation, the administration is moving forward with its nearly $1 billion National Disaster Resilience Competition, providing resources to disaster-stricken communities to help them recover from natural disasters and rebuild more resiliently through strategic investments.
The Department of Transportation has provided tools, studies, and funding to help state departments of transportation and transit agencies understand climate risks and develop strategies to adapt transportation infrastructure. The Department of Transportation has also proposed new rules that would require states DOTs to consider climate change in risk-based asset management plans.
The administration is taking several steps to modernize and improve flood mapping tools, such as expanding the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's (NOAA) Coastal Flood Exposure Mapper and showing sea-level rise on Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) floodplain maps.
In July 2015, the administration’s National Drought Resilience Partnership hosted a White House Drought Symposium, bringing together experts to discuss options for improving the long-term resiliency of the nation’s water resources through improved collaboration, management, and conservation efforts.
Publication Date: July 2015
Related Organizations:
- Executive Office of the President of the United States
Resource Category:
Resource Types:
- Progress report
