U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Region 7 - 11201 Renner Blvd., Lenexa, KS 66219

Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, and Nine Tribal Nations

Contact Information: Kellen Ashford, ashford.kellen@epa.gov, 913-551-7298

LENEXA, KAN. (OCT. 17, 2022) – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Region 7 has released its Climate Adaptation Implementation Plan, as part of the Agency’s response to President Biden’s Executive Order 14008: Tackling the Climate Crisis at Home and Abroad.

EPA Region 7’s Climate Adaptation Implementation Plan outlines the priority actions the Region will undertake to align with the five EPA-wide climate adaption priorities laid out in the 2021 EPA Climate Adaptation Action Plan. These priority actions will be essential to protecting human health and the environment in the nation’s agricultural heartland.

“Tackling the climate crisis presents an important opportunity to bolster our economy, put people back to work, and build a healthier, more equitable environment for all communities across our nation’s heartland,” said EPA Region 7 Administrator Meg McCollister. “Our Climate Adaptation Implementation Plan commits Region 7 to meet our partners where they are – in our rural communities and metropolitan areas – to address our region’s climate challenges with actions that build climate resilience and protect our most vulnerable communities from the impacts of climate change.”

The release of EPA Region 7’s Climate Adaptation Implementation Plan coincides with the release of other plans developed by the Agency’s major offices, including national program offices and all 10 regional offices. These Implementation Plans reaffirm the strong commitments made in EPA’s 2021 Climate Adaptation Action Plan to address the devastating impacts of climate change on communities across the nation, while advancing environmental justice and equity. These Implementation Plans are dynamic documents that will be updated as new data becomes available and new actions are defined.

“Traveling across the country, I’ve seen firsthand the devastating impacts that climate change is having on millions of Americans. We need to take actions to ensure a safe, resilient, and equitable future,” said EPA Administrator Michael S. Regan. “The Biden-Harris administration is confronting the climate crisis through a whole-of-government approach. The release of the Implementation Plans today marks significant progress in EPA’s efforts to ensure we are doing everything we can to protect human health and the environment.”

The Climate Adaptation Implementation Plans build upon the historic investments made by President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and the Inflation Reduction Act by providing a roadmap for the specific actions the Agency will take in the years ahead to ensure it continues to protect human health and the environment event as the climate changes, and to partner with states, tribes, territories, local governments, and communities of all sizes to strengthen their ability to anticipate, prepare for, adapt to, and recover from the impacts of climate change.

These plans include over 400 commitments to ensure clean air, water, land, and chemical safety even as the climate changes. They also identify strategies that deliver co-benefits for mitigation of greenhouse gases and other pollution, public health, economic growth, national security, equity, and environmental justice – all central to building a more resilient future.

The Implementation Plans recognize that climate disruption often hits already overburdened communities and people the hardest. The plans also consider the disproportionate impacts on those who are already overburdened and underserved in our society, including low-income communities and communities of color, children, the elderly, tribes, and indigenous people. EPA is already engaging and will continue to engage with underserved and vulnerable communities to ensure that actions taken follow the principles of environmental justice and equity.

Read EPA Region 7’s Climate Adaptation Implementation Plan.

Read more information on EPA’s 2021 Climate Adaptation Action Plan.

View all 20 Climate Adaptation Implementation Plans that were developed by EPA’s major offices.

Read President Biden’s Executive Order on Tackling the Climate Crisis at Home and Abroad.

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Learn more about EPA Region 7: www.epa.gov/aboutepa/epa-region-7-midwest