Executive Policy Action

policies. Senators Kerry and Boxer introduced S. 1733, the Clean Energy Jobs and American Power Act, in September 2009, but it remains uncertain whether there is sufficient support in the Senate to pass an energy and cap-and-trade bill in this Congress. In principal, energy and climate legislation should specifically incorporate adaptation provisions directed toward transportation infrastructure into its scope. The bill should also establish and fund an interdisciplinary, long-term, climateadaptation research and data program that provides climate data, mapping, and projections that can be readily used by planners and practitioners at regional scales, and that develops risk analysis tools, including national vulnerability standards. Importantly, the legislation should dedicate a portion of expected climate program revenues to conduct system inventories and risk analysis, and implement infrastructure adaptation strategies to address climate impacts.

Executive Policy Action

Some transportation resilience actions can be implemented simply by Executive Order of the President. Some actions particularly suited for executive policy are:

Address project development/National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) considerations. Adaptation and resiliency considerations can permeate all aspects of the NEPA process, from shaping a project’s pur pose to its mitigation. Transportation and other planning and resource agencies will require guidance and support in developing feasible and appropriate techniques to incorporate climate information at the project level. This could include developing nationally standardized practice and data sources related to emerging climate impact information (including mapping data needs), developing guidance on the incorporation of climate considerations into project development, and developing guidance on edu cating stakeholders on climate adaptation considerations.

Incorporate climate risk analysis into Federal

Infrastructure Investment policies. Revise Federal Infrastructure Investment Executive Order(s) to explicitly incorporate climate-related risk analysis into infrastructure investment plans and decision-making. This could include developing inventories of transportation facilities vulnerable to climate change, and developing updated construction standards to address transportation and other infrastructure in vulnerable locations.

Conduct a federal interagency assessment to develop and prioritize a climate adapta tion research, data, and policy agenda. This could be an important precursor to funding of a recommended interagency, interdisciplinary, long-term, national climate-adaptation research program in transportation and climate legislation this year.