Preparing the United States for the Impacts of Climate Change

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;

(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

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

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

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;

(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.