Clean Energy and Climate Change
2008 - 2011 Strategy
Climate change poses a serious challenge to the people of the Pacific Northwest and Alaska and their environment, threatening to erode environmental progress achieved over the past several decades, and contributing to the emergence of new problems. An integrated strategy for clean energy and climate change represents an important opportunity to address these significant areas of concern for EPA Region 10 and its four member states and 271 federally recognized tribes. Together, we enjoy distinct advantages to meeting the challenge of reducing our region’s “carbon footprint,” such as benefiting from hydropower as a major clean energy source. However, we also face challenges that are unique to our region, such as the greater driving distances that contribute to the increasing amount of GHG emissions from the transportation sector, which also has a proportionately larger share (37%) of our region’s GHG emissions than it is nationally (28%).
Also, while we only account for approximate 3.5% of the nation’s total CO2 eq. emissions from all sources, our region’s states and tribes are among the first to experience the impacts of climate change. For example, several Native villages in Alaska area already in the process of relocating to new inland sites because, with the rapid melting of buffering sea ice, their houses are already being washed away by stronger storm surges that reach further up the coastal cliffs. In the Pacific Northwest, water utility managers are struggling to identify new sources of drinking water and irrigation water, since with decreased snowfall in the wintertime, the supply of freshwater from melting snowpack will not last as long in the summer months.
The Region 10 Climate Change strategy addresses the link between energy production and climate change and the need to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and impacts from climate change in the Region 10 states (AK, ID, OR, WA) and Tribal lands.
Strategy Components
Download the Strategy (PDF) (14pp, 91K, about PDF)
Develop and implement a regional approach to addressing climate change
The Region’s Climate Change Strategy represents four broad objectives chosen to leverage EPA Region 10's greatest strengths and expertise:
Objective 1
Reduce greenhouse gases (GHG) in the Pacific Northwest and Alaska by supporting activities to identify and quantify sources and sinks of GHG emissions, promoting energy efficiency and renewable energy, and addressing land use and transportation actions.
Examples:
- Provide technical support for emissions inventories to state, tribal, and local governments and assist them with national emissions reporting efforts.
- Promote energy and water efficiency in drinking water and wastewater facilities.
- Integrate GHG emissions into transportation modeling and land use planning tools, with an emphasis on Smart Growth strategies.
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Objective 2
Build upon the activities of States, Tribes and local government partners who are already working to address the impacts of climate change by providing technical, financial, and policy support for their efforts where possible.
Examples:
- Develop the scientific information and tools needed for determining climate change impacts on air and water programs.
- Support the development of tools to integrate watershed management and land use decision-making to minimize impacts on water quality and storm water while protecting ecosystems.
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Objective 3
Exchange information on climate change, its expected impacts in the region, and how to reduce GHG emissions at the state, tribal, local and individual level.
Examples:
- Develop training and technical assistance workshops with Tribal governments and organizations to exchange information about available tools and resources.
- Host conferences and convene meetings. Meetings are currently planned on the following topics:
- PNW Air Directors Meeting on Climate Change and Air Quality in Region 10 – Seattle, WA, June 30, 2008o
- Climate Impacts on Air Quality Seminar – Seattle, WA (date yet to be determined)
- Climate Change and Water Infrastructure: Preparing for Adaptation Conference – Seattle, WA Sep. 4, 2008
- Increasing Energy Efficiency for Water Utilities Conference –Worley, ID Sep. 18-19, 2008
- West Coast Conference on Climate Change, Waste Prevention, Recovery and Disposal – Three Web-based training sessions to address the nexus between waste prevention, recycling, composting, materials management, disposal and climate change. All stakeholders are invited to participate. More information. The free sessions will be held on the following dates:
- June 26, 12:30 – 4:30 pm, 101: Introduction to Climate Change and Materials Management;
- July 16, 1 – 3:30 pm, 201: Compost and Landfill Issues; and
- August 5, 1 – 3:30 pm, 301: Accounting Systems, Modeling, and Economic Incentives
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Objective 4
Engage EPA staff and resources in climate change work by integrating current science, mitigation priorities, and adaptation goals into core EPA programs and funding mechanisms. Reduce the GHG emissions from daily operations and work-related travel of EPA Region 10 staff.
Examples:
- Determine how to integrate climate change considerations in EPA operations (where feasible), such as permitting, enforcement actions, grant-making, and contracting, starting with the Air Program.
- Reduce the EPA Regional carbon footprint.
- Lead a “Federal Green Challenge” to other federal facilities in the Region 10 area to do the same, with the goal of a 5% reduction by July 2009.
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Participate in the West Coast Collaborative to Reduce Diesel Emissions
Region 10 will actively participate in the West Coast Collaborative (WCC), an ambitious partnership between leaders from federal, state, and local government, the private sector, and environmental groups committed to reducing emissions from heavy duty engines and, in general, goods movement/transportation along the West Coast and in EPA Regions 9 and 10.
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Continue to integrate permitting efficiencies with environmental standards in oil and gas exploration, development, and production in Alaska
Working collaboratively with state, federal and tribal government partners, EPA programs and actions will be consistent with the need to:
- Allow current production and exploration levels to be maintained or expanded in an environmentally sound manner; and
- Assure that the effects, direct and cumulative, will be identified, minimized and mitigated, where possible, by integrating input from partners, stakeholders and the public.
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Keep Current in Changing Times
Our knowledge, priorities, and resources surrounding climate change are constantly updating. We will review and revise the strategy at least once a year, more often if necessary, to ensure that we are keeping up with the latest developments. Some of EPA's many ongoing activities that provide significant environmental benefits in the area of climate change are listed in the Appendix of the Strategy.