Preparing the United States for the Impacts of Climate Change, 66817-66824 [2013-26785]

Agencies

• Executive Office of the President

[Federal Register Volume 78, Number 215 (Wednesday, November 6, 2013)]
[Presidential Documents]
[Pages 66817-66824]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2013-26785]



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Vol. 78

Wednesday,

No. 215

November 6, 2013

Part III





The President





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Executive Order 13653--Preparing the United States for the Impacts of 
Climate Change


                        Presidential Documents 



Federal Register / Vol. 78, No. 215 / Wednesday, November 6, 2013 / 
Presidential Documents

___________________________________________________________________

Title 3--
The President

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                Executive Order 13653 of November 1, 2013

                
Preparing the United States for the Impacts of 
                Climate Change

                By the authority vested in me as President by the 
                Constitution and the laws of the United States of 
                America, and in order to prepare the Nation for the 
                impacts of climate change by undertaking actions to 
                enhance climate preparedness and resilience, it is 
                hereby ordered as follows:

                Section 1. Policy. The impacts of climate change--
                including an increase in prolonged periods of 
                excessively high temperatures, more heavy downpours, an 
                increase in wildfires, more severe droughts, permafrost 
                thawing, ocean acidification, and sea-level rise--are 
                already affecting communities, natural resources, 
                ecosystems, economies, and public health across the 
                Nation. These impacts are often most significant for 
                communities that already face economic or health-
                related challenges, and for species and habitats that 
                are already facing other pressures. Managing these 
                risks requires deliberate preparation, close 
                cooperation, and coordinated planning by the Federal 
                Government, as well as by stakeholders, to facilitate 
                Federal, State, local, tribal, private-sector, and 
                nonprofit-sector efforts to improve climate 
                preparedness and resilience; help safeguard our 
                economy, infrastructure, environment, and natural 
                resources; and provide for the continuity of executive 
                department and agency (agency) operations, services, 
                and programs.

                A foundation for coordinated action on climate change 
                preparedness and resilience across the Federal 
                Government was established by Executive Order 13514 of 
                October 5, 2009 (Federal Leadership in Environmental, 
                Energy, and Economic Performance), and the Interagency 
                Climate Change Adaptation Task Force led by the Council 
                on Environmental Quality (CEQ), the Office of Science 
                and Technology Policy (OSTP), and the National Oceanic 
                and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). In addition, 
                through the U.S. Global Change Research Program 
                (USGCRP), established by section 103 of the Global 
                Change Research Act of 1990 (15 U.S.C. 2933), and 
                agency programs and activities, the Federal Government 
                will continue to support scientific research, 
                observational capabilities, and assessments necessary 
                to improve our understanding of and response to climate 
                change and its impacts on the Nation.

                The Federal Government must build on recent progress 
                and pursue new strategies to improve the Nation's 
                preparedness and resilience. In doing so, agencies 
                should promote: (1) engaged and strong partnerships and 
                information sharing at all levels of government; (2) 
                risk-informed decisionmaking and the tools to 
                facilitate it; (3) adaptive learning, in which 
                experiences serve as opportunities to inform and adjust 
                future actions; and (4) preparedness planning.

                Sec. 2. Modernizing Federal Programs to Support Climate 
                Resilient Investment. (a) To support the efforts of 
                regions, States, local communities, and tribes, all 
                agencies, consistent with their missions and in 
                coordination with the Council on Climate Preparedness 
                and Resilience (Council) established in section 6 of 
                this order, shall:

(i) identify and seek to remove or reform barriers that discourage 
investments or other actions to increase the Nation's resilience to climate 
change while ensuring continued protection of public health and the 
environment;

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(ii) reform policies and Federal funding programs that may, perhaps 
unintentionally, increase the vulnerability of natural or built systems, 
economic sectors, natural resources, or communities to climate change 
related risks;

(iii) identify opportunities to support and encourage smarter, more 
climate-resilient investments by States, local communities, and tribes, 
including by providing incentives through agency guidance, grants, 
technical assistance, performance measures, safety considerations, and 
other programs, including in the context of infrastructure development as 
reflected in Executive Order 12893 of January 26, 1994 (Principles for 
Federal Infrastructure Investments), my memorandum of August 31, 2011 
(Speeding Infrastructure Development through More Efficient and Effective 
Permitting and Environmental Review), Executive Order 13604 of March 22, 
2012 (Improving Performance of Federal Permitting and Review of 
Infrastructure Projects), and my memorandum of May 17, 2013 (Modernizing 
Federal Infrastructure Review and Permitting Regulations, Policies, and 
Procedures); and

(iv) report on their progress in achieving the requirements identified 
above, including accomplished and planned milestones, in the Agency 
Adaptation Plans developed pursuant to section 5 of this order.

                    (b) In carrying out this section, agencies should 
                also consider the recommendations of the State, Local, 
                and Tribal Leaders Task Force on Climate Preparedness 
                and Resilience (Task Force) established in section 7 of 
                this order and the National Infrastructure Advisory 
                Council established by Executive Order 13231 of October 
                16, 2001 (Critical Infrastructure Protection in the 
                Information Age), and continued through Executive Order 
                13652 of September 30, 2013 (Continuance of Certain 
                Federal Advisory Committees).
                    (c) Interagency groups charged with coordinating 
                and modernizing Federal processes related to the 
                development and integration of both man-made and 
                natural infrastructure, evaluating public health and 
                social equity issues, safeguarding natural resources, 
                and other issues impacted by climate change--including 
                the Steering Committee on Federal Infrastructure 
                Permitting and Review Process Improvement established 
                by Executive Order 13604, the Task Force on Ports 
                established on July 19, 2012, the Interagency Working 
                Group on Coordination of Domestic Energy Development 
                and Permitting in Alaska established by Executive Order 
                13580 of July 12, 2011, and the Federal Interagency 
                Working Group on Environmental Justice established by 
                Executive Order 12898 of February 11, 1994--shall be 
                responsible for ensuring that climate change related 
                risks are accounted for in such processes and shall 
                work with agencies in meeting the requirements set 
                forth in subsections (a) and (b) of this section.

                Sec. 3. Managing Lands and Waters for Climate 
                Preparedness and Resilience. Within 9 months of the 
                date of this order and in coordination with the efforts 
                described in section 2 of this order, the heads of the 
                Departments of Defense, the Interior, and Agriculture, 
                the Environmental Protection Agency, NOAA, the Federal 
                Emergency Management Agency, the Army Corps of 
                Engineers, and other agencies as recommended by the 
                Council established in section 6 of this order shall 
                work with the Chair of CEQ and the Director of the 
                Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to complete an 
                inventory and assessment of proposed and completed 
                changes to their land- and water-related policies, 
                programs, and regulations necessary to make the 
                Nation's watersheds, natural resources, and ecosystems, 
                and the communities and economies that depend on them, 
                more resilient in the face of a changing climate. 
                Further, recognizing the many benefits the Nation's 
                natural infrastructure provides, agencies shall, where 
                possible, focus on program and policy adjustments that 
                promote the dual goals of greater climate resilience 
                and carbon sequestration, or other reductions to the 
                sources of climate change. The assessment shall include 
                a timeline and plan for making changes to policies, 
                programs, and regulations. Agencies shall build on 
                efforts already completed or underway as outlined in 
                agencies' Adaptation Plans, as discussed in section 5 
                of this order, as well as recent interagency climate 
                adaptation strategies such as the National Action Plan: 
                Priorities for Managing

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                Freshwater Resources in a Changing Climate, released 
                October 28, 2011; the National Fish, Wildlife and 
                Plants Climate Adaptation Strategy, released March 26, 
                2013; and the National Ocean Policy Implementation 
                Plan, released April 16, 2013.

                Sec. 4. Providing Information, Data, and Tools for 
                Climate Change Preparedness and Resilience. (a) In 
                support of Federal, regional, State, local, tribal, 
                private-sector and nonprofit-sector efforts to prepare 
                for the impacts of climate change, the Departments of 
                Defense, the Interior, Agriculture, Commerce, Health 
                and Human Services, Housing and Urban Development, 
                Transportation, Energy, and Homeland Security, the 
                Environmental Protection Agency, the National 
                Aeronautics and Space Administration, and any other 
                agencies as recommended by the Council established in 
                section 6 of this order, shall, supported by USGCRP, 
                work together to develop and provide authoritative, 
                easily accessible, usable, and timely data, 
                information, and decision-support tools on climate 
                preparedness and resilience.

                    (b) As part of the broader open data policy, CEQ 
                and OSTP, in collaboration with OMB and consistent with 
                Executive Order 13642 of May 9, 2013 (Making Open and 
                Machine Readable the New Default for Government 
                Information), shall oversee the establishment of a web-
                based portal on ``Data.gov'' and work with agencies on 
                identifying, developing, and integrating data and tools 
                relevant to climate issues and decisionmaking. Agencies 
                shall coordinate their work on these data and tools 
                with relevant interagency councils and committees such 
                as the National Science and Technology Council and 
                those that support the implementation of Presidential 
                Policy Directive-21 of February 12, 2013 (Critical 
                Infrastructure Security and Resilience).

                Sec. 5. Federal Agency Planning for Climate Change 
                Related Risk. (a) Consistent with Executive Order 
                13514, agencies have developed Agency Adaptation Plans 
                and provided them to CEQ and OMB. These plans evaluate 
                the most significant climate change related risks to, 
                and vulnerabilities in, agency operations and missions 
                in both the short and long term, and outline actions 
                that agencies will take to manage these risks and 
                vulnerabilities. Building on these efforts, each agency 
                shall develop or continue to develop, implement, and 
                update comprehensive plans that integrate consideration 
                of climate change into agency operations and overall 
                mission objectives and submit those plans to CEQ and 
                OMB for review. Each Agency Adaptation Plan shall 
                include:

(i) identification and assessment of climate change related impacts on and 
risks to the agency's ability to accomplish its missions, operations, and 
programs;

(ii) a description of programs, policies, and plans the agency has already 
put in place, as well as additional actions the agency will take, to manage 
climate risks in the near term and build resilience in the short and long 
term;

(iii) a description of how any climate change related risk identified 
pursuant to paragraph (i) of this subsection that is deemed so significant 
that it impairs an agency's statutory mission or operation will be 
addressed, including through the agency's existing reporting requirements;

(iv) a description of how the agency will consider the need to improve 
climate adaptation and resilience, including the costs and benefits of such 
improvement, with respect to agency suppliers, supply chain, real property 
investments, and capital equipment purchases such as updating agency 
policies for leasing, building upgrades, relocation of existing facilities 
and equipment, and construction of new facilities; and

(v) a description of how the agency will contribute to coordinated 
interagency efforts to support climate preparedness and resilience at all 
levels of government, including collaborative work across agencies' 
regional offices and hubs, and through coordinated development of 
information, data, and tools, consistent with section 4 of this order.

                    (b) Agencies will report on progress made on their 
                Adaptation Plans, as well as any updates made to the 
                plans, through the annual Strategic

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                Sustainability Performance Plan process. Agencies shall 
                regularly update their Adaptation Plans, completing the 
                first update within 120 days of the date of this order, 
                with additional regular updates thereafter due not 
                later than 1 year after the publication of each 
                quadrennial National Climate Assessment report required 
                by section 106 of the Global Change Research Act of 
                1990 (15 U.S.C. 2936).

                Sec. 6. Council on Climate Preparedness and Resilience.

                    (a) Establishment. There is established an 
                interagency Council on Climate Preparedness and 
                Resilience (Council).
                    (b) Membership. The Council shall be co-chaired by 
                the Chair of CEQ, the Director of OSTP, and the 
                Assistant to the President for Homeland Security and 
                Counterterrorism. In addition, the Council shall 
                include senior officials (Deputy Secretary or 
                equivalent officer) from:

(i) the Department of State;

(ii) the Department of the Treasury;

(iii) the Department of Defense;

(iv) the Department of Justice;

(v) the Department of the Interior;

(vi) the Department of Agriculture;

(vii) the Department of Commerce;

(viii) the Department of Labor;

(ix) the Department of Health and Human Services;

(x) the Department of Housing and Urban Development;

(xi) the Department of Transportation;

(xii) the Department of Energy;

(xiii) the Department of Education;

(xiv) the Department of Veterans Affairs;

(xv) the Department of Homeland Security;

(xvi) the United States Agency for International Development;

(xvii) the Army Corps of Engineers;

(xviii) the Environmental Protection Agency;

(xix) the General Services Administration;

(xx) the Millennium Challenge Corporation;

(xxi) the National Aeronautics and Space Administration;

(xxii) the U.S. Small Business Administration;

(xxiii) the Corporation for National and Community Service;

(xxiv) the Office of the Director of National Intelligence;

(xxv) the Council of Economic Advisers;

(xxvi) the National Economic Council;

(xxvii) the Domestic Policy Council;

(xxviii) the Office of Management and Budget;

(xxix) the White House Office of Public Engagement and Intergovernmental 
Affairs;

(xxx) the United States Trade Representative; and

(xxxi) such agencies or offices as the President or Co-Chairs shall 
designate.

                    (c) Administration. CEQ shall provide 
                administrative support and additional resources, as 
                appropriate, for the Council to the extent permitted by 
                law and within existing appropriations. Agencies shall 
                assist and provide

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                information to the Council, consistent with applicable 
                law, as may be necessary to carry out its functions. 
                Each agency shall bear its own expenses for 
                participating in the Council.
                    (d) Council Structure. The Co-Chairs shall 
                designate a subset of members of the Council to serve 
                on a Steering Committee, which shall help determine 
                priorities and strategic direction for the Council. The 
                Co-Chairs and Steering Committee may establish working 
                groups as needed, and may recharter working groups of 
                the Interagency Climate Change Adaptation Task Force, 
                as appropriate.
                    (e) Mission and Function of the Council. The 
                Council shall work across agencies and offices, and in 
                partnership with State, local, and tribal governments 
                (as well as the Task Force established in section 7 of 
                this order), academic and research institutions, and 
                the private and nonprofit sectors to:

(i) develop, recommend, coordinate interagency efforts on, and track 
implementation of priority Federal Government actions related to climate 
preparedness and resilience;

(ii) support regional, State, local, and tribal action to assess climate 
change related vulnerabilities and cost-effectively increase climate 
preparedness and resilience of communities, critical economic sectors, 
natural and built infrastructure, and natural resources, including through 
the activities as outlined in sections 2 and 3 of this order;

(iii) facilitate the integration of climate science in policies and 
planning of government agencies and the private sector, including by 
promoting the development of innovative, actionable, and accessible Federal 
climate change related information, data, and tools at appropriate scales 
for decisionmakers and deployment of this information through a Government-
wide web-based portal, as described in section 4 of this order; and

(iv) such other functions as may be decided by the Co-Chairs, including 
implementing, as appropriate, the recommendations of the Task Force 
established in section 7 of this order.

                    (f) Termination of the Interagency Climate Change 
                Adaptation Task Force. The Interagency Climate Change 
                Adaptation Task Force (Adaptation Task Force), 
                established in 2009, created the framework for 
                coordinated Federal action on climate preparedness and 
                resilience, driving agency-level planning and action. 
                The Adaptation Task Force shall terminate no later than 
                30 days after the first meeting of the Council, which 
                shall continue and build upon the Adaptation Task 
                Force's work.

                Sec. 7. State, Local, and Tribal Leaders Task Force on 
                Climate Preparedness and Resilience.

                    (a) Establishment. To inform Federal efforts to 
                support climate preparedness and resilience, there is 
                established a State, Local, and Tribal Leaders Task 
                Force on Climate Preparedness and Resilience (Task 
                Force).
                    (b) Membership. The Task Force shall be co-chaired 
                by the Chair of CEQ and the Director of the White House 
                Office of Intergovernmental Affairs. In addition, its 
                members shall be such elected State, local, and tribal 
                officials as may be invited by the Co-Chairs to 
                participate. Members of the Task Force, acting in their 
                official capacity, may designate employees with 
                authority to act on their behalf.
                    (c) Mission and Function. Within 1 year of the date 
                of this order, the Task Force shall provide, through 
                its Co-Chairs, recommendations to the President and the 
                Council for how the Federal Government can:

(i) remove barriers, create incentives, and otherwise modernize Federal 
programs to encourage investments, practices, and partnerships that 
facilitate increased resilience to climate impacts, including those 
associated with extreme weather;

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(ii) provide useful climate preparedness tools and actionable information 
for States, local communities, and tribes, including through interagency 
collaboration as described in section 6 of this order; and

(iii) otherwise support State, local, and tribal preparedness for and 
resilience to climate change.

                    (d) Sunset. The Task Force shall terminate no later 
                than 6 months after providing its recommendations.

                Sec. 8. Definitions. As used in this order:

                    (a) ``preparedness'' means actions taken to plan, 
                organize, equip, train, and exercise to build, apply, 
                and sustain the capabilities necessary to prevent, 
                protect against, ameliorate the effects of, respond to, 
                and recover from climate change related damages to 
                life, health, property, livelihoods, ecosystems, and 
                national security;
                    (b) ``adaptation'' means adjustment in natural or 
                human systems in anticipation of or response to a 
                changing environment in a way that effectively uses 
                beneficial opportunities or reduces negative effects; 
                and
                    (c) ``resilience'' means the ability to anticipate, 
                prepare for, and adapt to changing conditions and 
                withstand, respond to, and recover rapidly from 
                disruptions.

                Sec. 9. General Provisions. (a) Nothing in this order 
                shall be construed to impair or otherwise affect:

(i) the authority granted by law to an executive department, agency, or the 
head thereof; or

(ii) the functions of the Director of OMB relating to budgetary, 
administrative, or legislative proposals.

                    (b) This order shall be implemented consistent with 
                U.S. obligations under international agreements and 
                applicable U.S. law, and be subject to the availability 
                of appropriations.
                    (c) This order is not intended to, and does not, 
                create any right or benefit, substantive or procedural, 
                enforceable at law or in equity by any party against 
                the United States, its departments, agencies, or 
                entities, its officers, employees, or agents, or any 
                other person.
                
                
                    (Presidential Sig.)

                THE WHITE HOUSE,

                    November 1, 2013.

[FR Doc. 2013-26785
Filed 11-5-13; 11:15 am]
Billing code 3295-F4