Readout of the White House Meeting with Members of the President's Task Force on Climate Preparedness and Resilience

Readout of the White House Meeting with Members of the President's Task Force on Climate Preparedness and Resilience

EXECUTIVE OFFICE OF THE PRESIDENT
COUNCIL ON ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY
WASHINGTON, D.C. 20503

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November 17, 2014

Today, Vice President Joe Biden and Senior White House Officials including Counselor to the President John Podesta, Mike Boots, who leads the White House Council on Environmental Quality, and Office of Management and Budget Director Shaun Donovan attended a meeting with members of the President's State, Local, and Tribal Leaders Task Force on Climate Preparedness and Resilience. Task Force members presented their recommendations for how the Federal Government can better respond to the needs of communities dealing with the impacts of climate change nationwide, which Vice President Biden accepted on behalf of the President.

At the meeting, Vice President Biden thanked the Task Force members for their work and reiterated the Administration's commitment to support American communities as they deal with the impacts of climate change that we are experiencing today, including increased flooding and extended droughts. The Vice President also emphasized that state and local officials' voices are essential to make it clear why we must act now to curb greenhouse gas emissions. These local leaders know first-hand that climate change has real impacts on the health and well-being of Americans and the success of businesses in our communities.

Task Force members in attendance also viewed a demonstration of the Climate Resilience Toolkit, which was called for in the President's Climate Action Plan and developed with input from the Task Force. The Toolkit provides access to dozens of Federal tools that can help city planners, health officials, and decision makers across the country conduct their work in the context of a changing climate.

The following Task Force members participated in the meeting:

Ralph Becker, Mayor, Salt Lake City, Utah
Jim Brainard, Mayor, Carmel, Indiana
Paula Brooks, Commissioner, Franklin County, Ohio
Karen Diver, Chairwoman, Fond du Lac Band of Lake Superior Chippewa
George Heartwell, Mayor, Grand Rapids, Michigan
Martin O'Malley, Governor, State of Maryland

The following White House Officials participated in the meeting:

John Podesta, Counselor to the President
Mike Boots, Council on Environmental Quality
Shaun Donovan, Director of the Office of Management and Budget
Rohan Patel, Special Assistant to the President and Deputy Director of Intergovernmental Affairs

For a photo of the meeting, visit https://twitter.com/VP/status/534420820475396096