Council on Environmental Quality
Interagency Climate Change Adaptation Task Force Interim Report
Posted byon March 17, 2010 at 10:17 AM EDTToday, the Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ), the Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) released an interim progress report of the Interagency Climate Change Adaptation Task Force. The report outlines the Task Force’s progress to date and recommends key components to include in a national strategy on climate change adaptation. The components include: integration of science into adaptation decisions and policy; communications and capacity building; coordination and collaboration; prioritization; a flexible framework for Agencies; and evaluation. View the press release.
Nancy Sutley is the Chair of the White House Council on Environmental Quality
Learn more about Energy & EnvironmentLeading by Example – Making the Federal Government More Sustainable
Posted byon February 4, 2010 at 6:37 PM EDTYesterday I had the opportunity to co-convene a meeting with the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) and leaders from across the Federal community who are helping to make sustainability a reality for the Federal government. Following up from President Obama’s announcement on Friday when he set a government-wide greenhouse gas emissions reduction of 28 percent by 2020, I can speak for all who were there when I say there is a lot of excitement in the air!
So what does this goal mean? Achieving this 28 percent reduction will reduce Federal energy use by 646 trillion BTUs, which is equal to 205 million barrels of oil, or taking 17 million cars off the road for one year. And this is also equivalent to a cumulative total of $8 to $11 billion in avoided energy costs through 2020 based on current energy prices. Now that is impressive.
The next step towards Federal Sustainability is an important one: each agency is developing a “Sustainability Plan” that defines how they’ll meet their GreenGov goals, reduce energy use, drive long-term savings, save taxpayer dollars, and help create local clean energy jobs.
Cities, states, and American businesses have helped to forge the way by showing that greening their operations is not only good for the environment, but good for business; we have ample best practices and lessons to look to from our colleagues around the country.
And Federal Departments and Agencies are already taking actions to achieve greenhouse gas pollution reductions, such as installing solar arrays at military installations, tapping landfills for renewable energy, putting energy management systems in Federal buildings, and replacing older vehicles with more fuel efficient hybrid models. You can view examples of projects that are underway here.
The 28% Federal target announced on Friday is the aggregate of 35 Federal Agency self-reported targets. For example, the Department of Defense announced it will reduce greenhouse gas emissions from non-combat activities by 34% by 2020 and the Department of the Treasury will reduce its emissions by 33%.
We are very excited by the progress that is already occurring, and will continue to watch these developments in the future. Moving forward, implementation of the Executive Order will focus on integrating achievement of sustainability goals with agency mission and strategic planning. The goal is to optimize performance and minimize costs.
You will all be able to chart the Federal government’s progress through “scorecards” that will grade each agency on how well it is meeting its performance targets. And to ensure transparency and accountability, annual progress will be reported online to the public. I’m looking forward to sharing more updates in the months ahead!
Nancy Sutley is the Chair of the White House Council on Environmental Quality
Learn more about Energy & EnvironmentPresident Obama Sets Greenhouse Gas Emissions Reduction Target for Federal Operations
Posted byon January 29, 2010 at 11:01 AM EDTOn January 29, 2010, President Barack Obama announced that the Federal Government will reduce its greenhouse gas (GHG) pollution by 28 percent by 2020. Reducing and reporting GHG pollution, as called for in Executive Order 13514 on Federal Sustainability, will ensure that the Federal Government leads by example in building the clean energy economy. Actions taken under this Executive Order will spur clean energy investments that create new private-sector jobs, drive long-term savings, build local market capacity, and foster innovation and entrepreneurship in clean energy industries.
Examples of agency actions that are underway are available. You can also visit our Initiatives page for more information.Learn more about Energy & EnvironmentNancy Sutley Focuses on Energy Efficiency in New York
Posted byon January 19, 2010 at 7:00 PM EDTI was happy to return to my hometown, New York City, on Thursday and Friday with a focus on energy efficiency. This gave me an opportunity to appreciate New York City in a different way as energy efficiency efforts are underway throughout the five boroughs -- both in policy and in practice. In the morning, I met with Mayor Bloomberg to discuss New York’s ambitious plan to retrofit buildings to save energy. This is one example of the work mayors are doing throughout the country to reduce their city's carbon footprint, improve air quality and put people back to work through energy efficiency upgrades.
Later, I visited my home borough of Queens, where I toured the Mason Tenders Training Center to see workers being trained in energy efficiency upgrading and weatherization. The work they are learning to do -- caulking windows and doors, adding insulation, investigating HVAC systems, replacing energy inefficient light bulbs -- is the type of work that will lower home owners’ energy bills, reduce greenhouse gas emissions and create good, green jobs.
Afterwards, I traveled to the West 135th St. Apartments in Harlem to visit the first Section 8 multi-family housing property to receive Recovery Act funding through the Green Retrofit Program from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. Jonathan Rose Companies, a New York-based property owner and developer is receiving a $3.6 million loan to retrofit this 198-unit, 10 building historic property. This loan will fund a comprehensive energy retrofit project that, when completed, will enhance quality of life for the residents, reduce energy costs, cut water consumption, improve indoor air quality, and create quality local jobs.
We see home energy upgrades and retrofits as a part of the President’s vision for a clean energy economy. That is why I am leading the Administration’s work on Recovery Through Retrofit, which builds on the foundation laid in the Recovery Act to expand green job opportunities and boost energy savings by making homes more energy efficient. In the U.S., 130 million homes are responsible for more than 20 percent of our carbon emissions. Energy efficiency retrofits present the opportunity to increase energy efficiency, while also creating new businesses and good green jobs.
You can learn more about Recovery Through Retrofit on our website.
Nancy Sutley is the Chair of the White House Council on Environmental Quality
Learn more about Economy, Energy & EnvironmentA Visit to America's River of Grass
Posted byon January 12, 2010 at 10:59 AM EDTLast week I had the opportunity to visit the Everglades and the Kissimmee River region in Florida along with Jo Ellen Darcy, Assistant Secretary of the Army for Civil Works, Sam Hamilton, Director of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and Tom Strickland, Assistant Secretary at the Department of the Interior. Despite unusually chilly temperatures, I had a fascinating visit to a dynamic network of sawgrass prairies, hardwood hemlocks, mangrove islands and cypress forests that make up the largest wilderness east of the Mississippi River and the largest subtropical wilderness in the United States. We saw a vibrant and diverse landscape, but also one that is fragile and threatened. The Everglades are critically important to both the State of Florida and the Nation as a whole.
On Thursday I attended the groundbreaking ceremony for the Picayune Strand Restoration project, that will work to preserve and enhance native Florida wetlands by restoring the natural hydrology of the area, and improving the water quality of downstream coastal estuaries. On Friday, I participated in the Everglades Coalition Conference and discussed ways to meet the challenges that growth and climate change place on the long-term sustainability of the Everglades. I enjoyed speaking with so many of the people who are working to preserve this region and was happy to have the opportunity to recognize incredible accomplishments of those dedicated to Everglades restoration and applaud their energetic advocacy.
I conveyed to the people of Florida a simple message: we are committed to the conservation and restoration of this iconic ecosystem and it is a key priority for the Obama Administration. I look forward to continuing to work with this region in the future.
Nancy Sutley is the Chair of the White House Council on Environmental Quality
Learn more about Energy & EnvironmentOcean Policy Task Force Releases Interim Framework
Posted byon January 7, 2010 at 10:28 AM EDTOn December 14, 2009, President Obama’s Ocean Policy Task Force released its Interim Framework for Effective Coastal and Marine Spatial Planning for a 60-day public review and comment period. With competing interests in the ocean, our coasts and the Great Lakes, the Interim Framework offers a comprehensive, integrated approach to planning and managing uses and activities. Under the Framework, coastal and marine spatial planning would be regional in scope, developed cooperatively among Federal, State, tribal, local authorities, and regional governance structures, with substantial stakeholder and public input.
For more details on the Interagency Ocean Policy Task Force, including the Interim Framework, and to submit your comments, please go to www.whitehouse.gov/oceans
Nancy Sutley is the Chair of the White House Council on Environmental Quality
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