23 Major Federal Agencies Release Their Plans
On October 7, 2021, twenty-three federal agencies released plans describing how they will integrate climate-readiness across agency missions and programs and bolster the resilience of federal assets. The plans are available here.
The President ordered the development of the plans on January 27, 2021 in his Executive Order – “Tackling the Climate Crisis at Home and Abroad” – stating:
This order builds on and reaffirms actions my Administration has already taken to place the climate crisis at the forefront of this Nation’s foreign policy and national security planning, including submitting the United States instrument of acceptance to rejoin the Paris Agreement. In implementing — and building upon — the Paris Agreement’s three overarching objectives (a safe global temperature, increased climate resilience, and financial flows aligned with a pathway toward low greenhouse gas emissions and climate‑resilient development), the United States will exercise its leadership to promote a significant increase in global climate ambition to meet the climate challenge.
The agencies’ climate adaptation and resilience plans focus on:
Safeguarding federal investments;
Identifying leadership and accountability;
Developing a more resilient supply chain;
Enhancing protections for workers and communities;
Building a more equitable future.
The Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) and OMB are asking for public input on the plans. Comments may be submitted via the docket (Docket ID: CEQ–2021–0003) until Nov. 6, 2021.
Here is the list of agencies releasing Climate Adaptation and Resilience Plans:
- Department of Agriculture
- Department of Commerce
- Department of Defense
- Department of Education
- Department of Energy
- Department of Health and Human Services
- Department of Homeland Security
- Department of Housing and Urban Development
- Department of the Interior
- Department of Justice
- Department of Labor
- Department of State
- Department of the Treasury
- Department of Transportation
- Department of Veterans Affairs
- U.S. International Development Finance Corporation
- Environmental Protection Agency
- General Services Administration
- National Aeronautics and Space Administration
- Office of Personnel Management
- Smithsonian Institution
- U.S. Agency for International Development
- U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
See the White House Fact Sheet here.
This blog post was drafted by John Watson. He is an attorney in the Denver, CO office of Spencer Fane. For more information, visit spencerfane.com.
