EPA Releases Draft Strategic Plan That Emphasizes Climate Goals

On October 1, 2021, the Environmental Protection Agency released its FY 2022-2026 Strategic Plan Draft. EPA’s strategic plans are meant to communicate the agency’s priorities and provide a roadmap for achieving its them. The first-listed goal in the Draft Plan is to “[t]ackle the climate crisis,” which the Draft Plan breaks down into three separate objectives:

  • Objective 1.1: Reduce Emissions that Cause Climate Change
  • Objective 1.2: Accelerate Resilience and Adaptation to Climate Change Impacts
  • Objective 1.3: Advance International and Subnational Climate Efforts

The Draft Plan includes information on strategies and long-term performance goals pertinent to each objective. It also emphasizes that “[p]olicies to tackle climate change must address the disproportionate vulnerability of low-income communities and communities of color while also dealing with the legacy pollution those communities continue to endure.” This Draft Plan contrasts with EPA’s Strategic Plan for Fiscal Years 2018-2022, which made no mention of climate change.

EPA is accepting comments on the Draft Plan until November 12, 2021, and expects to submit its final Plan to Congress in February 2022