The President’s State, Local and Tribal Leaders Task Force on Climate Preparedness and Resilience submitted its recommendations to the President on how the federal government could support climate resilience by removing barriers to resilience investments, modernize federal grant and loan programs and develop information and tools to help communities prepare. The Task Force recommends the President designate a senior Administration official to coordinate across federal agencies to implement the Task Force recommendations and report on progress.
The recommendations are framed by five overarching principles, which also mirror recommendations AMWA has made in comments to federal agencies and CEQ, including:
- Require consideration of climate risks and vulnerabilities as part of all federal policies, practices, investments and regulatory and other programs;
- Take actions that have dual benefits of increasing resilience while reducing greenhouse gas emissions;
- Strengthen coordination and partnerships among federal agencies and across federal, state, local and tribal governments and economic sectors;
- Provide actionable data, information and tools that support resilience-based decision making; and
- Consult and work with tribes and indigenous communities in all aspects of federal climate preparedness efforts and encourage states and localities to do the same.
A synthesis of the recommendations likely to be of most interest to AMWA utilities is presented below.
Building Resilient Communities
The Task Force recommends that the federal government lead by example and serve as the model for climate resilience in its investments, operations and programs, particularly with regard to resilient design standards for federal facilities and the use of green infrastructure.
The Task Force also recommends the government develop and encourage the adoption of resilience standards in the siting and design of buildings and infrastructure and encourage and reward development and land-use practices that are climate smart. Discussions during the AMWA/NACWA Water Resilience Summit highlighted similar points.
Improving Resilience of the Nation’s Infrastructure
Among the recommendations under this theme are for the government (led by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers) to support climate resilience planning for coastal infrastructure. Support for climate resilient water resources management is also called out, with suggestions that the government expand agency (specifically, EPA, the Corps and the Department of the Interior) collaborations with state and local governments and regional entities. The report also suggests that federal grant programs such as the Drinking Water State Revolving Fund assign a higher priority to climate resilient projects.
Supporting Climate-Smart Hazard Mitigation, Disaster Preparedness and Recovery
Among the recommendations related to disaster preparedness are a stronger culture of partnership to provide more coordinated assistance to local leaders during disaster recovery; removal of barriers for rebuilding future climate resilience; and modernization of hazard mitigation programs such as the hazard mitigation grant program. The report also recommends that the government update criteria and requirements in other federal programs, including the National Flood Insurance Program, to avoid funding activities that may “encourage or perpetuate occupation of hazardous or vulnerable areas.” AMWA’s comments to the Task Force made recommendations along these lines.
Understanding and Acting on the Economics of Resilience
The Task Force notes that government processes related to cost-benefit analysis favor short time-frames, which can result in decisions that “undervalue or overlook long-term resilience opportunities and lead to greater costs in the long run.” The report recommends that the federal government adjust cost-benefit methodologies to “fully value the benefits of front-end investments in resilient planning,” including planning related to ecosystem services and post-disaster rebuilding. It also recommends that the Administration work to develop “innovative funding platforms” to support resilient investment and collaborate with the insurance industry to explore opportunities for creating incentives through favorable insurance and bond ratings for communities that adopt robust resilience strategies.
Recommendations organized under the Ensuring Resilience of Natural Resources theme focus on “protecting and conserving natural systems,” including forests, lakes, oceans and agricultural lands. Recommendations under the Preserving Human Health and Supporting Resilient Populations theme focus on how the federal government can account for climate change impacts on food security, public health and vulnerable populations in its disaster recovery programs, among other federal programs. The report also recommends that the government lead the way internationally by establishing a framework to address climate-related displacement. Among the Task Force suggestions for Building Capacity is that the government provide data and tools of sufficient scale and scope to support local decision making and that it use existing regional organizations and partnerships to support resilience efforts that transcend jurisdictional boundaries.