On February 25, the White House Office of Intergovernmental Affairs and the Council on Environmental Quality held a conference call for a read-out and follow up discussion on the second meeting (February 13) of the President’s State, Local and Tribal Leaders Task Force on Climate Preparedness and Resilience. The call was led by the Co-Chairs of the Task Force, Director of White House Intergovernmental Affairs David Agnew and Acting Chair of the Council on Environmental Quality Michael Boots. Agnew noted the level of engagement they are receiving is extraordinary and, among other things, they will be working with the Western Governors Association explicitly on some issues from recent discussions.
The Task Force, consisting of governors, mayors, county officials and tribal leaders from across the country, will develop a set of written recommendations to the President focused on opportunities within existing Federal authorities that could be taken to remove barriers to and encourage resilient investments; modernize grant and loan programs to better support local efforts; and develop information and tools to better serve communities – integrating climate resiliency into the nation’s infrastructure.
Select policy recommendations that have legislative or budgetary implications may also be considered by the Task Force, but will not be considered a main focus. Each meeting will have a focus on the following areas: Disaster Recovery and Resilience; Water, Transportation, Energy and Facilities Infrastructure; Natural Resources & Agriculture; and Human Health and Community Development.
The Task Force will meet again in the spring and summer with a focus on getting recommendations completed by November 2014. There will not be draft of the recommendations published, and no public comment will be taken on the recommendations before they are submitted but there is an available webform where general comments and recommendations can currently be offered.
