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Obama Releases Climate Action Plan to Reduce Emissions, Help Communities Adapt and Become More Resilient

This afternoon, President Obama unveiled a comprehensive climate action plan , which includes proposals to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and better prepare the country for the impacts of climate change.  Climate change has been a priority concern for the wastewater sector, and NACWA will be engaging with the Administration to ensure that the plan and any next steps address the impacts of climate change on wastewater treatment plants.

The plan, which consists of a wide variety of executive actions, has three key pillars. They are listed below along with several highlights:

Cutting Carbon Pollution in America

• Directs EPA to work closely with states, industry and other stakeholders to establish carbon pollution standards for both new and existing power plants;
• Makes up to $8 billion in loan guarantee authority available for a wide array of advanced fossil energy and efficiency projects to support investments in innovative technologies;
• Sets a goal to reduce carbon pollution by at least 3 billion metric tons cumulatively by 2030 through new efficiency standards;
• Directs federal agencies to develop a comprehensive methane strategy.

Preparing the United States for the Impacts of Climate Change

• Identifies and removes barriers to making climate-resilient investments in critical infrastructure sectors;
• Integrates considerations of climate change impacts and adaptive measures into major programs, including the Clean Water and Drinking Water State Revolving Funds;
• Pilots innovative strategies in the Hurricane Sandy-affected region to strengthen communities against future extreme weather and other climate impacts;
• Creates a climate-resiliency tool kit that centralizes access to data-driven resilience tools and services, including a Stormwater Calculator to help local governments assess stormwater-control measures under different precipitation and temperature scenarios.

Leading International Efforts to Address Global Climate Change

• Commits to expand major new and existing international initiatives, including bilateral initiatives with China, India, and other major emitting countries;
• Leads global sector public financing towards cleaner energy by calling for the end of U.S. government support for public financing of new coal-fired powers plants overseas,
• Strengthens global resilience to climate change by expanding government and local community planning and response capacities.

In response to the plan, NACWA will be sending a letter to the President urging the Administration to ensure that the wastewater sector is fully engaged in the plan’s implementation. Additionally, as NACWA learns more about how the various aspects of how the plan will impact its public agency members, the Association will provide regular updates to the membership.

For questions about President Obama’s climate action plan, please contact Hannah Mellman at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .