WASHINGTON – Today the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released 20 Climate Adaptation Implementation Plans that were developed by its major offices, including national program offices and all 10 regional offices. These Implementation Plans reaffirm the strong commitments made in EPA’s 2021 Climate Adaptation Action Plan to address the devastating impacts of climate change on communities across the nation, while advancing environmental justice and equity. They provide details on the specific actions each office will take to protect human health and the environment and to increase the resilience of the entire nation as we face increasingly harmful impacts of climate change.
President Biden has set the most ambitious climate change mitigation and adaptation goals in U.S. history, and EPA plays a central role in delivering on those commitments. With the 20 new Implementation Plans, EPA will continue to use its authorities and resources to help communities prepare for the serious climate impacts that are already underway.
“Traveling across the country, I’ve seen firsthand the devastating impacts that climate change is having on millions of Americans. We need to take actions to ensure a safe, resilient, and equitable future,” said EPA Administrator Michael S. Regan. “The Biden-Harris Administration is confronting the climate crisis through a whole-of-government approach. The release of the Implementation Plans today marks significant progress in EPA’s efforts to ensure we are doing everything we can to protect human health and the environment.”
These plans are being released as EPA works to implement the largest investment in the nation’s history to tackle the climate crisis – President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and the Inflation Reduction Act. Under these laws, the Agency is making historic investments to strengthen our nation’s resilience to climate change, while reducing harmful air pollution, rebuilding critical community infrastructure, advancing environmental justice, and saving families money on their energy bills.
Building on this progress, the 20 Implementation Plans shared today provide a roadmap for the specific actions the agency will take in the years ahead to ensure it continues to protect human health and the environment even as the climate changes, and to partner with states, tribes, territories, local governments, and communities of all sizes to strengthen their ability to anticipate, prepare for, adapt to, and recover from the impacts of climate change. The plans include over 400 commitments to ensure clean air, water, land, and chemical safety even as the climate changes. They also identify strategies that deliver co-benefits for mitigation of greenhouse gases and other pollution, public health, economic growth, national security, equity, and environmental justice—all central to building a more resilient future.
The Implementation Plans recognize that climate disruption often hits already overburdened communities and people the hardest. The plans also consider the disproportionate impacts on those who are already overburdened and underserved in our society, including low-income communities and communities of color, children, the elderly, tribes, and indigenous people. EPA is already engaging and will continue to engage with underserved and vulnerable communities to ensure actions taken follow the principles of environmental justice and equity.
Read the 20 Climate Adaptation Implementation Plans that were developed by EPA’s major offices.
Read more information on EPA’s 2021 Climate Adaptation Action Plan.
Read President Biden’s Executive Order on Tackling the Climate Crisis at Home and Abroad.