Council on Environmental Quality Blog

Supporting Water Projects that Communities Want

Ed. Note: This post introduces you to Lynda Hoffman, President of the Missouri and Associated Rivers Coalition (MOARC), a regional nonprofit promoting the beneficial use of water and related land resources.

In 2007, the Corps of Engineers had completed nearly 10 of 12 miles of channel modification for the Blue River when the City of Kansas City adopted a Green Solutions resolution recognizing the City’s water bodies as vital and valuable natural resources.  Building on their strong foundation of partnership, the local and federal sponsors for the project worked together to rethink the work yet to be done on the channel.  The result: in lieu of massive habitat-disrupting and expensive concrete structures, more habitat-friendly environmental features were incorporated into the remainder of the project, and at a cost savings of over $20 million.  “Turning the Blue River Green” is a successful example of a locally led planning initiative and the construction of a federally authorized project coming together in an innovative way that achieved an outcome desirable to the local community and the Federal agencies involved.  The Obama Administration’s Principles, Requirements and Guidelines (PR&G) for federal water investments are intended to support these locally led efforts. 

When a channel modification project along the Blue River in Kansas City began, community involvement helped replace the project's planned use of habitat-disrupting and expensive concrete structures (left) with more habitat-friendly environmental features that saved the project more than $20 million (right). Photos courtesy of USACE – Kansas City District.

As communities across the nation suffer effects of extreme weather and the resultant financial and societal costs become understood, local officials are leading efforts to prepare for the impacts of climate change.  A group of policymakers in the central U.S. have formed a Heartland Climate Adaptation/Resilience Project to identify long-term effects and help communities get ready for and cope with increased flooding, water shortages and other potential consequences.  Another promising initiative, the creation of a regional Resilience Working Group, resulted in the Greater Kansas City region being named a U.S. “Climate Action Champion” community by the Obama Administration.  Smart local and regional planning such as this, when integrated with the decision-making processes for Federal investment, can lead to projects that are developed and implemented in a balanced manner, mindful of both economic and environmental benefits while also serving to enhance community resilience.

There are a lot of places in the Midwest that were founded as river towns, including Kansas City, whose ongoing identity will be forever entwined with its rivers.  The Kansas and Missouri Rivers and others throughout this part of the country opened it to trade and settlement, first serving as navigable routes and then to meet developing municipal and industrial needs.  There are many economic benefits derived from our waterways, like the transport of an abundant harvest from the nation’s bread basket.  But there’s also potential harm from an ongoing flood threat that evolves over time due to several factors, including development trends and climate change.  As a community threaded with rivers and streams, Kansas City recognizes that threat and through policy, planning and projects has taken steps such as their stream setback ordinance to reduce flood risk while also valuing waterways. 

A saying often used in our region, “If you don’t like the weather, stick around, it’ll change,” may be truer than ever.  In a study that looked at deviations from long-term trends, Kansas City was identified as the most populous city with the most unpredictable weather.  Going forward it will be even more important for our local leaders to be able to work cooperatively with Federal agencies involved in managing water resources under a framework flexible enough to respond to evolving needs in a changing environment, but rigorous enough to produce repeatable results and supportive of informed decision-making that considers social, economic and environmental benefits.

Lynda Hoffman is President of the Missouri and Associated Rivers Coalition (MOARC)

Action at Home, Leadership Abroad: Our Path to Climate Progress

This week I traveled to Lima, Peru, for the United Nations climate negotiations (COP 20), an important meeting in the effort to achieve an international climate agreement. Here in Lima, representatives from countries all over the world are gathering to highlight their progress in curbing the greenhouse gas emissions that drive climate change and lay the groundwork for an international climate agreement.

Throughout the week, I shared with our international partners the impressive progress the United States has made since COP 19, held in Warsaw last year. We have worked with states and industry leaders to propose new national limits on harmful carbon pollution from power plants, and we’ve collaborated with governors, mayors, Tribal leaders, and county officials to support communities preparing for the impacts of climate change.

We have also played a leading role in international efforts to combat climate change. Just last month, in an historic joint announcement, President Obama and Chinese President Xi announced our two countries’ respective post-2020 carbon pollution reduction targets. And that same week, President Obama pledged $3 billion to the Green Climate Fund, reflecting the U.S. commitment to reduce carbon pollution and strengthen resilience in developing countries, especially the poorest and most vulnerable.

So it’s clear that the U.S. commitment to leadership on climate change is stronger than ever. Over the past few days, I have been highlighting that leadership in discussions with environmental ministers and government officials from around the world, as well as scientists, state and local leaders, business leaders, and advocates who share the President’s belief that we have a moral obligation not to leave behind a planet that is polluted and damaged.

Some of the sessions throughout the week addressed the already apparent impacts of climate change, including to our most treasured and vulnerable places like the Arctic. Other panels focused on progress in implementing the President’s Climate Action Plan, including EPA’s Clean Power Plan. I also heard about action taken at the subnational level in other countries, and shared how states, cities, and tribes have demonstrated bold leadership in the face of climate change here in the U.S.  And one of the discussions explored actions that reduce emissions and build resilience at the same time, such as advancing green stormwater infrastructure and investing in sustainable and resilient transportation.

As part of the week’s events, CEQ hosted two events aimed at getting the word out about President Obama’s Climate Action Plan. The first brought together a group of Administration and White House officials to share how the U.S. is staying on track to meet the President’s bold goal of cutting greenhouse gas emissions in the range of 17 percent by 2020. The other event addressed our efforts to support communities as they prepare for the impacts of climate change and highlighted the work of members of the President’s State, Local, and Tribal Leaders Task Force on Climate Preparedness and Resilience, including Mayor Ralph Becker of Salt Lake City, who participated via video, and Governor Jerry Brown of California.

The steps we’ve taken at home to tackle climate change have made the U.S. a credible voice for climate action on the international stage. And that’s important, because climate change is a global challenge that demands a global response. COP 20 in Lima will help pave the way for an international agreement to be reached at COP 21 in Paris in December of 2015.

As we move towards Paris, the Administration is going to keep pushing forward on all fronts at home to cut carbon pollution, invest in clean energy, boost energy efficiency, and build community resilience. We’ll continue to set ambitious goals, and we’ll remain on track to meet them. Because, as the President said at the UN Climate Summit this year, our children deserve such ambition.

Mike Boots leads the White House Council on Environmental Quality.