State, Local, and Tribal Leaders Task Force On Climate Preparedness and Resilience
Across America, states, cities, and communities are taking steps to protect themselves from extreme weather and other climate impacts. As part of his Climate Action Plan, President Obama signed an Executive Order on November 1st, 2013 establishing a Task Force on Climate Preparedness and Resilience to advise the Administration on how the Federal Government can respond to the needs of communities nationwide that are dealing with the impacts of climate change. The Task Force members, which include governors, mayors, county officials, and Tribal leaders from across the country, met throughout the year and used their first-hand experiences in building climate preparedness and resilience in their communities to inform their recommendations to the Administration.
The members of the Task Force are:
State Officials:
Governor Neil Abercrombie (HI)
Governor Jerry Brown (CA)
Governor Eddie Calvo (GU)
Governor Jay Inslee (WA)
Governor Jack Markell (DE)
Governor Martin O’Malley (MD)
Governor Pat Quinn (IL)
Governor Peter Shumlin (VT)
Local Officials:
Mayor Ralph Becker (Salt Lake City, UT)
Mayor James Brainard (Carmel, IN)
Commissioner Paula Brooks (Franklin County, OH)
Supervisor Salud Carbajal (Santa Barbara County, CA)
Mayor Frank Cownie (Des Moines, IA)
Mayor Bob Dixson (Greensburg, KS)
Mayor Eric Garcetti (Los Angeles, CA)
Mayor George Heartwell (Grand Rapids, MI)
Mayor Kristin Jacobs (Broward County, FL)
Mayor Kevin Johnson (Sacramento, CA)
Mayor Michael Nutter (Philadelphia, PA)
Mayor Annise Parker (Houston, TX)
Mayor Patsy Parker (Perdido Beach, AL)
Mayor Madeline Rogero (Knoxville, TN)
Mayor Karen Weitkunat (Fort Collins, CO)
Mayor Dawn Zimmer (Hoboken, NJ)
Tribal Officials:
Karen Diver, Chairwoman, Fond du Lac Band of Lake Superior Chippewa (MN)
Reggie Joule, Mayor, Northwest Arctic Borough (AK)
The White House Council on Environmental Quality and the White House Office of Intergovernmental Affairs (IGA) co-chair the Task Force.
The Task Force Recommendations
In November 2014, Task Force members presented their recommendations for the President at a White House meeting with Vice President Biden and other senior Administration officials. The recommendations offer guidance on how the Federal Government should modernize programs and policies to incorporate climate change, incentivize and remove barriers to community resilience, and provide useful, actionable information and tools.
Read the Fact Sheet on the recommendations here.
Read the recommendations here.
As part of their work on the Task Force, Tribal leaders Chairwoman Karen Diver and Mayor Reggie Joule received a wide range of input and recommendations from hundreds of Tribal leaders across the country. This input is reflected in the Task Force’s report. To supplement the recommendations and aid in implementation efforts, Chairwoman Diver and Mayor Joule also offered an additional set of recommendations that focus on the specific and unique perspectives of Native communities. Read their supplemental recommendations here.
Taking Action
At the fourth and final Task Force meeting in July 2014, the President announced a series of actions to respond to the Task Force’s early feedback to help state, local, and Tribal leaders prepare their communities for the impacts of climate change by developing more resilient infrastructure and rebuilding existing infrastructure stronger and smarter.
Read the Fact Sheet on the early actions here.
Public and Stakeholder Engagement Opportunities
Stay up to date on the Administration’s climate preparedness and resilience efforts
- Contact outreach@ceq.eop.gov to be added to the climate preparedness email list and notified about related opportunities.
Spread the Word
- Reach out to a Task Force member and offer for your community, company, school or organization to partner with them to host meetings, town halls, and public events to engage constituents and stakeholder communities on the importance of climate preparedness.
- Share your ideas in blogs or op-eds about how and why we need to act on climate, and what the most important needs are in your community.
- Join the conversation online with Twitter, Instagram, Facebook or other social media outlets by following Christy Goldfuss of the White House Council on Environmental Quality (@Goldfuss44); Dan Utech, Director of Energy and Climate Change at the White House Domestic Policy Council (@Utech44); and the White House Council on Environmental Quality (@WhiteHouseCEQ), using the hashtag #ActOnClimate.
Suggest additional ideas by emailing Outreach@ceq.eop.gov
Read the Task Force recommendations here.
Read the Fact Sheet on the Climate Resilience Executive Order here.
Read the Executive Order here.
Read the Fact Sheet on the Task Force recommendations here.
Read the Fact Sheet on the Administration's early actions here.