September 20th, 2013
Bryan M. Myers
EPA Region 4
Energy and Climate Change Coordinator
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Reducing carbon pollution
from power plants
Building a 21st century
transportation sector
Cutting energy waste in
homes, businesses, and
factories
Reducing methane and HFCs
Preparing the U.S. for the
impacts of climate change
Leading international efforts
to address global climate
change
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Progress
◦ In 2013, federal agencies released Climate Change
Adaptation plans for the first time
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Continuing the momentum for the future
◦ Assessing climate change impacts in the United States
and tracking observed changes
◦ Climate Data Initiative
 Leveraging existing climate-related data efforts, including
EPA’s GHG Reporting Program
◦ Building stronger and safer communities and
infrastructure
 Support climate-resilient investment
 Provide tools for climate resilience
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Source – Hansen, L., R.M. Gregg, V. Arroyo, S. Ellsworth, L. Jackson, and A. Snover. (2013). The State of
Adaptation in the United States: An Overview. A report for John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation.
EcoAdapt.
Tracking Adaptation Efforts
Source – Hansen, L., R.M. Gregg, V. Arroyo, S. Ellsworth, L.
Jackson, and A. Snover. (2013). The State of Adaptation in the
United States: An Overview. A report for John D. and Catherine
T. MacArthur Foundation. EcoAdapt.
Tracking Adaptation Efforts
http://epa.gov/climatechange/pdfs/EPA-climate-change-adaptation-plan-final-for-publiccomment-2-7-13.pdf
Outline for
EPA Climate Change Adaptation Plan
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Part 1: Vision of the Future EPA
Part 2: Known Vulnerabilities to EPA’s Mission from
Climate Change
Part 3: Mainstreaming Climate Change Adaptation in EPA:
Agency-wide priorities
Part 4: Measuring and Evaluating Performance
Agency-wide Priorities
Fulfill Strategic Measures in FY 2011-2015 EPA Strategic Plan
2. Protect Agency facilities and operations
3. Factor legal considerations into adaptation efforts
4. Strengthen adaptive capacity of EPA staff and partners through
training
5. Develop decision-support tools that enable EPA staff and
partners to integrate climate adaptation planning into their work
6. Identify cross-EPA science needs related to climate adaptation
7. Partner with tribes to increase adaptive capacity
8. Focus on most vulnerable people and places
9. Measure and evaluate performance
10. Develop Program and Regional Office Implementation Plans
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Draft Climate Change Adaptation Implementation
Plans developed by every National Environmental
Program Office and all 10 Regional Offices
 Purpose: To provide more detail on the work they
will do to address the Agency-wide priorities on
climate adaptation
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Required by EPA Policy Statement on Climate Change
Adaptation (June 2011)
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Delivered to CEQ and OMB: June 2013
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Soon to be released for public review and comment
 Common areas of focus:
1. Vulnerability assessments
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Priority actions on climate adaptation
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Agency-wide Strategic Measures on climate adaptation
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Legal and enforcement issues
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Training and outreach
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Partnerships with tribes
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Vulnerable populations and places
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Evaluation and cross-Office pilot projects
Decision Support Tools and Resources
Data, information, and tools already exist
to facilitate vulnerability assessments
and inform adaptive management decisions
by EPA and its stakeholders
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Communicate the causes and
effects of climate change in an
easy-to-understand way (What
is happening now? What does
climate change look like?).
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Highlight observed data with a
focus on the U.S., with some
regional and some global
context; no future projections
included.
Show important trends that are
relevant to society and the
environment.
Inform existing and future
climate-related programs.
On January 11, 2013, the USGCRP released regional climate
scenarios that were produced for the U.S. National Climate
Assessment.
Global sea level rise scenarios released by NOAA in December 2012.
The scenarios represent the first standardized set of regional
climate scenarios that can be used by all federal agencies for
adaptation and mitigation analyses and planning.
The scenarios provide a picture of future climate that EPA can use
as it anticipates and prepares for future changes in climate.
“Enhanced” BASINS: An EPA Decision Support Tool
for Water Resource Managers
 BASINS is a widely distributed tool designed for use by regional, state,
and local agencies in performing watershed and water quality-based
studies
 EPA’s Office of Water encouraging use of BASINS to support regulatory
compliance (e.g. TMDLs)
 New version (ver. 4) released in May 2007
 Enhanced BASINS with a Climate Assessment Tool (CAT)
 CAT provides a capability for understanding
 how water resources could be affected by a range of potential changes in
climate
 the effectiveness of management practices for increasing the resilience of
water resources to changes in climate
http://www.epa.gov/waterscience/BASINS/
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Build and maintain support to prepare for climate change
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Scope projected climate impacts on programs and planning areas
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Assess vulnerability and risk
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Set preparedness goals and actions
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Implement your plan and evaluate effectiveness
Preparing for Climate
Change: A Guidebook for
Local, Regional, and State
Governments. By the Climate
Impacts Group; King County,
Washington; and ICLEI-Local
Governments for
Sustainability USA.
http://www.cses.washington.
edu/db/pdf/snoveretalgb574
.pdf
California Climate
Adaptation Planning
Guide By California
Emergency
Management Agency
and California Natural
Resources Agency with
funding from FEMA.
http://resources.ca.go
v/climate_adaptation/l
ocal_government/adap
tation_policy_guide.ht
to ml
leverage
Today: How can we collaborate with other sectors
resources and funding for these efforts?
Federal Agency Opportunities
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EPA State and Local Climate and Energy Newsletter is a listserv that shares
information about state and local developments in policies, programs, and
opportunities http://epa.gov/statelocalclimate/newsletters/index.html#a01
Grants.gov is a database for all federal grants http://www.grants.gov/
EPA Grant Competition Forecast for Calendar Year 2013 provides a list of
current and anticipated opportunities
http://www.epa.gov/ogd/training/resources_for_communities/community_
grants_table.htm
Partnership for Sustainable Communities: Grants, Assistance & Programs
offers a list of opportunities through this interagency HUD-DOT-EPA
partnership http://www.sustainablecommunities.gov/grants.html
EPA Adaptation Tools for Public Officials provides numerous tools and
guidebooks http://www.epa.gov/climatechange/impactsadaptation/adapt-tools.html
Federal and EPA Adaptation Programs provides information and links about
the adaptation efforts across the federal agencies
http://www.epa.gov/climatechange/impacts-adaptation/fedprograms.html
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Local Opportunities
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Climate Adaptation Fund supports applied projects specific to
wildlife adaptation
http://www.wcsnorthamerica.org/ClimateAdaptationFund/tabid/4
813/Default.aspx
DSIRE Database of State Incentives for Renewables and Efficiency
http://www.dsireusa.org/
Tribal Climate Change Funding Guide is a database of climate
change opportunities http://envs.uoregon.edu/tribal-climate/
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U.S. EPA Climate Change Website
 Accessible scientific information about the causes and impacts of climate change
www.epa.gov/climatechange
 Specific information about the impacts and adaptation options by region and
sector for the U.S. www.epa.gov/climatechange/impacts-adaptation/
U.S. EPA Climate Change Indicators Report
 EPA report on set of 26 indicators used to track the signs of climate change
www.epa.gov/climatechange/science/indicators/index.html
U.S. EPA State and Local Climate and Energy Program Website
 Links to state adaptation plans, resources, and tools
www.epa.gov/statelocalclimate/state/topics/impacts-adaption.html
 2010-2011 climate adaptation webcasts on impacts, planning frameworks, and
federal resources http://www.epa.gov/statelocalclimate/web-podcasts/localwebcasts.html#adap1
Other U.S. EPA Programs
 Climate Ready Estuaries water.epa.gov/type/oceb/cre/index.cfm
 Climate Ready Water Utilities
water.epa.gov/infrastructure/watersecurity/climate/index.cfm
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Urban Heat Island Reduction Program www.epa.gov/heatisland
CAKE – Climate Adaptation Knowledge Exchange
• Case studies, virtual library, online community www.cakex.org
C2ES Adaptation Resources
• Impacts analysis, legislative tracking, example adaptation plans
ww.c2es.org/science-impacts/adaptation
EcoAdapt
• Feed adaptation resources, Climate Adaptation Starter Kit
www.ecoadapt.org
Georgetown Climate Center
• Best practices, legal analysis, legislative tracking, example adaptation
plans www.georgetownclimate.org
ICLEI – Climate Adaptation Guidance
• Free adaptation resources, adaptation training, ADAPT Tool, regional
impacts
www.icleiusa.org/climate_and_energy/Climate_Adaptation_Guidance
U.S. Global Change Research Program
• National Climate Assessment, data, reports www.globalchange.gov/
Bryan Myers
Region 4 Energy and Climate Change Coordinator
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
myers.bryan@epa.gov
404-562-9603
Emma Zinsmeister
Lead Local Climate Strategy Analyst
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
State and Local Climate and Energy Program
zinsmeister.emma@epa.gov
202-343-9043