CEQ Draft Plan to Protect Water Quality

[NaepcA1]

The Council on Environmental Quality released a draft Action Plan to help Federal agencies assure adequate water supplies, safeguard water quality, and protect public health and property. Comments are due by July 15, 2011. Please note: All comments received by CEQ will be publicly posted on the CEQ website.

The EPA notice and link to the draft Action Plan are available at: http://www.whitehouse.gov/administratio ... une_2_2011

Do not reply to this message. Please direct all inquiries to:

Elana Goldstein
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Office of Water, Water Policy Staff
1200 Pennsylvania Avenue NW, MC 4101M
Washington, DC 20460
202-564-1800

Or Taryn Tuss
(202) 456-6998


Original News Release:

To the State-Tribal Climate Change Council Members - FYI

EXECUTIVE OFFICE OF THE PRESIDENT
COUNCIL ON ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY
WASHINGTON, D.C. 20503

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Contact: Taryn Tuss
June 2, 2011
(202) 456-6998

Council on Environmental Quality Releases Draft Plan to Protect Water
Quality and Availability from Climate Change Impacts

WASHINGTON, DC – Recognizing that a changing climate will affect the
quality and availability of the Nation’s water resources, the Council on
Environmental Quality today released a draft Action Plan to help Federal
agencies assure adequate water supplies, safeguard water quality, and
protect public health and property. The draft Action Plan will be
available for 45 days of public comment to allow the public to provide
input and feedback before it is finalized.

The Draft National Action Plan for Managing Freshwater Resources in a
Changing Climate recommends Federal agency actions to aid freshwater
resource managers in managing and protecting the Nation’s water
resources. It also outlines ways in which Federal agencies can support
state, local and tribal governments in their water resources planning by
improving access to quality data and information and best practices. The
draft Action Plan responds to a 2010 report from the Obama
Administration’s interagency Climate Change Adaptation Task Force that
identified freshwater resources planning as a priority.

“American communities rely on freshwater resources for drinking water,
farming, energy production, and a host of activities that directly
affect the health of our families and our economy. The quality and
availability of our water resources is vulnerable to significant impacts
from a changing climate, demanding smart planning to safeguard these
critical resources,” said Nancy Sutley, Chair of the Council on
Environmental Quality. “By ensuring Federal agencies and state and local
partners have the tools they need to assess and plan for risks to water
resources and infrastructure, we are protecting our assets across the
country so that they can continue to meet the needs of American
communities.”

The U.S. Global Change Research Program has identified several major
impacts of a changing climate on the Nation’s freshwater resources,
including rising water temperatures, changing precipitation patterns,
and increasing intensity of rain and storm events. These changes are
predicted to result in on-the-ground impacts on communities’ water
supplies. For example, rising sea levels are expected to degrade
coastal groundwater resources and flood water treatment facilities,
threatening the health, safety and economic viability of communities.

Government agencies and citizens should collaboratively manage
freshwater resources in response to a changing climate in order to
assure adequate water supplies, protect human life, health and property,
and protect water quality and aquatic ecosystems. To accomplish that
goal, the draft Action Plan identifies specific actions Federal agencies
should take, including:
• Establish a planning process to adapt water resources
management to a changing climate that includes better coordinating
Federal agencies and maintaining strong engagement with state,
local and tribal governments, stakeholders and the public.
• Improve the quality of water resources and climate
change information available to decision-makers.
• Expand the use of water efficiency practices and
technologies.
• Develop a toolbox of the most effective freshwater
conservation practices to help state and local officials and
facility managers identify and adopt these practices.
• Develop a pilot climate change vulnerability index for a
major category of water facilities, such as drinking water
systems, to help facility managers prioritize their adaptation
responses.
• Develop a “one stop” internet portal for up-to-date data
and information on water resources and climate change.

The draft Action Plan also encourages state, tribal and local
governments to continue their leadership in developing and implementing
climate adaptation plans, and provides information and best practices to
support their work.

About the Climate Change Adaptation Task Force
The interagency Climate Change Adaptation Task Force is co-chaired by
the White House Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ), the Office of
Science and Technology Policy (OSTP), and the National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). As called for by President Obama in
Executive Order 13514 on Federal Leadership in Environmental, Energy and
Economic Performance, the Task Force released recommendations the
President in October 2010 outlining actions the Federal Government
should take to expand and strengthen the Nation’s capacity to better
understand and manage climate-related risks.

To read the Draft National Action Plan for Managing Freshwater Resources
in a Changing Climate and to submit comments: visit:
http://www.whitehouse.gov/administratio ... adaptation

DEADLINE:
Comments on the draft Plan will be accepted until Friday, July 15, 2011
at 5:00 PM (EDT)


PLEASE NOTE:All comments received by CEQ will be publicly posted on the
CEQ website