EPA Climate Change and Water News

EPA National Water Program Publishes 2013 Highlights of Progress: Responses to Climate Change
In 2012, the EPA National Water Program released the “National Water Program 2012 Strategy.”  This document describes long-term goals for the management of sustainable water resources in light of climate change and provides a roadmap to guide future programmatic planning.  The 2013 Highlights of Progress Report is organized around the six vision areas described in the “2012 Strategy” — water infrastructure, watersheds and wetlands, coastal and ocean waters, water quality, working with Tribes, and cross-cutting program support. It provides a summary of the major climate change-related accomplishments of EPA’s national and regional water programs in 2013.  This is the fifth climate change progress report for the EPA National Water Program.  To access the report, visit: http://water.epa.gov/scitech/climatechange/2012-National-Water-Program-Strategy.cfm.
Directory of Regional Climate Change Adaptation Programs of Federal Natural Resource Agencies Posted Online
Federal agencies are implementing diverse actions to help prepare for the impacts of climate change including developing and implementing climate change adaptation plans.  Several federal natural resources agencies have also organized multi-state, regional programs or initiatives to deliver climate change adaptation information and assistance at a regional level.  The EPA National Water Program has created a directory of regional climate change adaptation programs of federal natural resource agencies as a tool to strengthen coordination to assist in preparing for a changing climate.  The first section of this directory provides a short summary of the various federal natural resource agency programs that are deployed on a regional basis to support climate change adaptation, as well as a map of the region or area served by the program.  The second section of this directory is organized by the eight regions described in the Third National Climate Assessment released May 6th by the U.S. Global Change Research Program.  To view the directory, visit: http://water.epa.gov/scitech/climatechange/Partners-and-Stakeholders.cfm.