5.2 Executive Policy Actions

develop policy implementation. Some actions particularly suited for executive policy are:

Address project development/NEPA considerations. Climate impacts and adaptation certainly fall within the NEPA scope of considerations. The basic goal of adaptation planning as part of NEPA should be to prepare for the projected impacts of climate change in order that infrastructure investment decisions can meet the desired outcome to “create and maintain conditions under which man and nature can exist in productive harmony, and fulfill the social, economic, and other requirements of present and future generations of Americans.”24 Adaptation considerations can permeate all aspects of the NEPA process, from shaping a project’s purpose and need 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. Guidance would likely include:

Quality climate data. Developing and maintaining nationally-standardized practice and data sources related to emerging climate impact information. This should include consistent GIS mapping of the transportation network as related to climate variables (particularly elevation) and updated FEMA flood plain mapping.

Project-level guidance. Developing federal guidance for transportation and other planning and resource agencies on the incorporation of quantitative and qualitative climate considerations into project development. This guidance should explicitly address the uncertainty inherent in climate models and projections.

Public involvement. Developing guidance on educating stakeholders on climate adaptation considerations. Incorporating adaptation into project development will have a variety of consequences, and public involvement will be vitally important in reviewing the impacts for context and severity.

“Florida and California are states with long coastlines, but they will likely have very different impacts ”from climate change.

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. To proactively minimize future risks, it should include a framework and process for inventorying and identifying transportation assets and locations that are vulnerable to climate change. Finally, it should implement processes to develop updated construction standards to address transportation and other infrastructure in vulnerable locations.

Conduct a federal interagency assessment to develop and prioritize a climate adaptation research, data, and policy agenda. This could be an important precursor to funding of a recommended interagency, interdisciplinary, longterm, national, climate adaptation research program in transportation and climate legislation this year. It would help set the research agenda and, in particular, the priorities for early action to support infrastructure and other adaptation planning.

5.3 Conclusion

Federal action on climate change impacts and adaptation is urgently needed and should be a priority for legislative and policy action. Climate change processes already are underway; strong ef-

23 In many respects, the approach to Environmental Justice provides a roadmap for this approach. See FHWA’s web site at http://www. fhwa.dot.gov/environment/ej2000.htm. 24 42 USC 4321