EPA's Transportation Air Quality (TRAQ) Center TRAQ Center provides state and local air quality regulators and transportation planners with access to critical information regarding transportation programs and mobile source incentive-based programs, partnership opportunities, grant funding sources, useful contact names, and technical assistance to improve air quality and public health.

6.9 State and Local Outreach Program

Background. States and localities are in a unique position to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and to reap the economic and environmental benefits of mitigation. The State and Local Climate Change Program has been helping states and communities reduce emissions of greenhouse gases for the past 10 years. The goal of this program is to use heightened awareness to encourage state and local decision-makers to implement voluntary measures to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Administered by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), this capacity-building program provides states and local governments with guidance and technical information to help them prepare inventories of their greenhouse gas emissions, assess and build awareness of the impacts of climate change, and develop action plans to reduce emissions. The program also provides technical assistance to help states integrate climate change initiatives with existing state programs.

Since 1992, the State and Local Climate Change Program has allocated more than $7 million in grants and other awards for 35 state greenhouse gas emissions inventories, 26 state action plans, 24 demonstration projects, and 22 education and outreach programs. Many of these states and localities have implemented cost-effective mitigation projects that enable them to achieve multiple environmental and economic goals. Based on initial estimates, the program will help reduce U.S. greenhouse gas emissions by nearly 2 MMTCE in 2000 and 4 MMTCE by 2010.

Program Highlights

EPA's State and Local Climate Change Program developed a searchable state mitigation database that includes over 900 actions already taken by states to reduce greenhouse gases. Case studies illustrate many of the actions taken or policies implemented at the state and local levels. The database, which also includes state-by-state emissions information, is located on EPA's Global Warming website.

EPA completed an outreach toolkit to help state and local officials interested in conducting climate change outreach work within their communities. The CD-ROM-based kit contains over 100 publications, including fact sheets about the science and potential state-by-state impacts of climate change, information sheets on strategies to reduce emissions, success stories, tips for homeowners and businesses, and lists of other outreach resources available.

With EPA support, the Land and Water Fund of the Rockies launched a grassroots, community-based outreach campaign that encouraged Coloradans to purchase wind energy as a more sustainable alternative to fossil fuels. This campaign led to the construction of a $25 million, 25-megawatt wind farm that avoids the need to build new fossil fuel fired power plants and helps reduce air pollution and carbon emissions. Over the 25-year life of the project, GHG emissions will be reduced by 1.4 million tons. Twenty utilities are offering wind power to their customers, which include approximately 17,000 households and over 350 businesses.

EPA continues to assist State and Local governments voluntarily completing greenhouse gas emission reduction strategies. Of the 26 state plans initiated, 14 have been completed and the remaining 12 are expected before the end of 2001. Five of those plans alone have already identified strategies that could collectively reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 34 MMTCE, or 2% of U.S. 2010 emissions, while saving over $600 million per year. In 1999, Tennessee published its plan describing policies that could reduce 20% of the state's emissions at a net economic gain to the state economy. Delaware also completed its plan in 1999 and identified policies to cost-effectively reduce its emissions by 25%.

6.10 International Capacity Building

Background. The U.S. Country Studies Program (USCSP) was announced in 1992, at the "Earth Summit” in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The program provides financial and technical assistance to developing countries and countries with economies in transition in addressing the problem of global climate change, particularly within the context of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).

Why It Is Important. Developing countries are the source of half the greenhouse gases (GHG) emitted globally, and their emissions are likely to grow more rapidly than those of the industrialized economies. However, with average incomes and GHG emissions per capita only about one-tenth the levels in the United States, developing countries give priority, over climate change mitigation, to achieving sustained economic improvement, and especially the eradication of poverty. Nonetheless, many actions to address climate change can also help to achieve other environmental, economic and social goals of these countries. The U.S. Country Studies Program assists selected countries to acknowledge their contributions to global climate change, to assess their vulnerabilities, and to identify and evaluate opportunities to mitigate greenhouse gases and to enhance sequestration of carbon. Currently, the Program's goals are:

to assist leading developing countries to produce and submit high quality National Communications required under the Framework Convention on Climate Change; and

to stimulate and assist key countries to make policies and take actions that significantly abate GHG below projected levels.

Achievements. Since its inception in 1993, fifty-five countries have been served by the Country Studies Program. Twenty-six countries have produced greenhouse gas inventories; 34 have complete vulnerability and adaptation assessments; and 34 have completed studies of mitigation options. Eighteen countries have initiated development of National Action Plans with assistance from USCSP, and 8 have submitted their plans to the FCCC. Additionally, the USCSP has built substantial expert and institutional capacity through 10 global and 20 regional training workshops, and 10 methodological guidance documents. The USCSP has become a model for programs of other countries and international organizations, and is particularly valued by its partners for the carefully designed packages of technical, financial and training assistance and peer-review of products. Some specific achievements include:

China: Since 1994, the People's Republic of China (PRC) has completed a country study that includes a comprehensive accounting of its GHG emissions and removals; an assessment of its vulnerability to climate change in several sectors; and an evaluation of technologies and strategies for mitigating climate change. One result of the USCSP partnership is an extensive network of experts and government officials willing to make progress in introducing cleaner technologies and increasing reforestation. A "Technology Cooperation Agreement" is now underway that could expand the markets and secure financing for U.S. suppliers of efficient electric motors, grid-connected wind power, efficient coal-fired electricity, and other high priority technologies. An initiative to expand reforestation is being explored, with the potential for future credits under the Clean Development Mechanism.

Mexico: With help from the USCSP, Mexico has produced its national GHG inventory, a multi-sectoral vulnerability assessment, and evaluation of scenarios and mitigation technologies. These fed into Mexico's National Communication to the FCCC, also supported by USCSP, and into its National Climate Action Program. Mexico has established an Office of Mitigation to identify and promote abatement projects. In public statements, politicians now acknowledge the substantial vulnerabilities of Mexico to climate change and its link to achieving sustainable development, as well as their responsibility to contribute to mitigation. A particular emphasis will be placed on slowing deforestation, preventing fires, and replanting, as well as fuel switching and efficiency.

6.11 Global Change Research Program

The mission of the Global Change Research Program is to: 1) improve the scientific basis for evaluating effects of global change in the context of other stressors and human dimensions; 2) conduct assessments of the consequences of global environmental change; and, 3) improve society's ability to effectively respond to the risks and opportunities presented by global change as they emerge.

The long-term goal of the Global Program is to understand and articulate, in terms that are meaningful for decision-makers and other stakeholders, the consequences of global environmental change for human health, ecosystems, and social well-being in the U.S. Global change is, admittedly, a broad concept that can include anything that may influence the Earth system. To narrow the potential scope of its program while ensuring consistency with the short-and long-term objectives of the U.S. Global Change Research Program (USGCRP), EPA will focus on the following stressors:

1) The potential consequences of climate change and climate variability. EPA's focus on climate change and variability is driven by the USGCRP's First National Assessment.

2) The effects of UV-B radiation. EPA's primary concern is with how changes in UV radiation affect ecosystems, and (through these ecological changes) the potential impacts on human health.

3)The effects of land use changes. Further understanding is needed regarding how underlying processes that determine land use changes interact with climate change to affect land cover, ecosystem services, hydrologic cycles, species distribution, biodiversity, and social and economic systems.

These goals are intended to inform decisions about research directions for years to come. Together with more specific research objectives, the goals also provide greater accountability for results, as required by the Government Performance Results Act (GPRA), which requires federal agencies to provide Congress with measurable "annual performance goals" and "performance measures" that characterize their programs and allow performance monitoring.

EPA is an active participant in the interagency U.S. Global Change Research Program (USGCRP) and the ongoing National Assessment of "The Potential Consequences of Climate Change and Variability on the United States." As part of these efforts, EPA coordinates research and assessment activities with other USGCRP agencies to ensure that an integrated federal research and assessment program is implemented and that agencies' activities are complementary rather than duplicative.

To support co-control assessments, EPA is working with the Department of Energy (DOE) Headquarters and Brookhaven National Laboratory to develop our capability to use the MARKAL-MACRO model of the U.S. energy/environment/economy. This capability will enable us to evaluate technologies and/or policies for reducing emissions of greenhouse gases and other pollutants in the U.S. In addition, EPA is cooperating with DOE, DOD, TVA, Sandia National Laboratory, and the States of North Carolina, Texas, and Vermont to conduct RD&D of technologies that utilize biomass as a fuel for power production. The objective of the program is to prove the technical, economic, and environmental feasibility of technologies that convert biomass to electricity in the 250 kWe to 3 Mwe size range. EPA will use the data to determine the co-control benefits of these biomass technologies including: preventing the production of greenhouse gas from open burning (also fires escaping and being uncontrolled) and landfilling (also prevents fires from spontaneous combustion in piles of biomass); preventing money flow from villages, industries, and developing countries by creating jobs and by avoiding the purchase of fossil fuels; displacing fossil fuels and the emissions associated with them; and promoting sustainable, distributed power generation. Also, EPA is working with DOE to conduct studies on certain refrigeration equipment that use HFCs and their replacement chemicals.

Environmental Protection Agency

FY 2001 Annual Performance Plan and Congressional Justification

Reduction of Global and Cross-border Environmental Risk

Objective #2: Climate Change

By 2000 and beyond, U.S. greenhouse gas emissions will be reduced to levels consistent with international commitments agreed upon under the 1992 Framework Convention on Climate Change, building on initial efforts under the Climate Change Action Plan.