Working Across the Aisle to Advance Climate Adaptation | Article

To learn more, read EESI’s article “A National Adaptation Strategy Could Guide the Way Towards a More Resilient Future.”

Representatives Scott Peters (D-Calif.) and John Curtis (R-Utah) are working together on an effort to create a U.S. climate adaptation strategy. As part of this work, the two members of Congress are coordinating with colleagues on a bipartisan and bicameral basis to craft and advance the National Climate Adaptation and Resilience Strategy Act (H.R.6461/S.3531). Rep. Peters, representing the San Diego area of California, is witnessing his district grapple with sea level rise, wildfires, and extreme drought. The same drought is threatening Rep. Curtis’s district in Utah, putting the Great Salt Lake at risk of drying up and exacerbating forest fires.

The two representatives sat down to discuss their work during a July 2022 event with the Environmental and Energy Study Institute, Duke University’s Nicholas Institute for Environmental Policy Solutions, and Resilience Roadmap . In order to advance climate adaptation work across the United States, key takeaways from the conversation included the importance of coordinating across different levels of government, balancing input and stakeholder access with urgency of action, and thinking creatively to maximize the benefits of federal funding.

Congressman John Curtis (R-Utah) speaking at the event.

Effective climate policy requires coordination across different levels of government while ensuring competing needs are met. Rep. Curtis provided an example of conflicting courses of action in Utah, where the federal government invested in making water cheaper for low-income families, but, in doing so, negated efforts by local governments to increase water prices to incentivize residents to save water. “We need to be careful that [the actions of the federal government] do not supersede local actions,” said Rep. Curtis.

Similar issues arose for Rep. Peters, who, when working with the San Diego City Council to implement water security measures, had to jump through bureaucratic hoops to clean and recycle sewage water, known as blackwater. Despite strong local political support, the city had to get an amendment to the federal Clean Water Act to execute their water conservation programs.

Furthermore, the two representatives emphasized the need to balance stakeholder input and access to decision-making processes with the urgency of action. “Science tells us that even if we stop all greenhouse gas emissions today, the trajectory [of the global climate] is still warming, and will take some time to change,” said Rep. Curtis. “Learning how to deal with that and make better decisions about what we do with that trajectory is critically important.”

Those tasked with implementing national climate legislation will grapple with how to enact plans that best suit regional challenges as quickly as possible while allowing for stakeholder input and oversight. This delicate balance is tough to strike, but critical for a resilient future.

Congressman Scott Peters (D-Calif.) speaking at the event.

While crafting bills to protect California’s giant sequoias from wildfire, Rep. Peters has also faced challenges with weighing input and urgency. In his experience, scientists agree that controlled burns and fire management are essential to mitigating wildfire risk, yet many communities have yet to coalesce around these findings. “We need high-quality but fast action,” said Rep. Peters, encouraging less process in favor of quicker action. He emphasized the seriousness of the situation: “This is a crisis, and we only have so much time.”

Implementation of climate programs must also creatively use and maximize federal funding. Rep. Curtis and Rep. Peters highlighted ways to maximize the value of government resources and increase access to federal opportunities. Rep. Curtis called attention to how the federal government has funded water projects in the past, loaning money to state governments and allowing states to pay back the loans—referred to as revolving loan funds—over time. He suggested that similar policies could be put in place to incentivize municipalities to capture methane from water treatment plants and landfill facilities.

There is political resistance to enacting climate resilience measures, as well as a significant amount of opposition to cooperating across the aisle. Bipartisan support for a national adaptation strategy cuts through this blockage. Rep. Curtis also cited his efforts in the Conservative Climate Caucus to engage Republicans in the climate conversation, highlighting how, despite low expectations, the caucus is now the second-largest on the Hill in D.C. as it focuses on educating members of Congress about solutions.

As heat waves sweep across the nation and the West gears up for another destructive wildfire season, it is clear that the United States is living through the climate crisis. Action on every scale is critical to ensure the nation has the infrastructure and resources necessary to thrive in a changing world. With President Biden signing the Inflation Reduction Act into law, investing over $300 billion into renewable energy, energy efficiency, and electrification, federal climate action has rapidly gained momentum. Yet bipartisan support for climate resilience is necessary to sustain this momentum—especially when so much remains to be done to advance adaptation work. “Our nation has never dealt with such a large challenge with only one party,” Rep. Peters reminded viewers. “For our solutions to be durable and effective, our solutions need to work with both parties.”

To learn more, watch the recording of the EESI-sponsored event featuring Reps. Curtis and Peters, on which this article is based, U.S. Climate Resilience Strategy: Prospects for Congressional Action.

Author: Nathan Lee