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Today, Congresswoman Veronica Escobar (TX-16) reintroduced the Climate Adaptation Plan Act (CAP) Act, legislation that continues to draw inspiration from the work of her Climate Crisis Advisory Committee (CCAC) and its comprehensive framework to address the impacts of climate change at the local level. 

This legislation directs the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator to establish a grant program to facilitate the development of climate adaptation plans for local and tribal governments like the Climate Crisis Advisory Committee Framework. Climate adaptation plans make recommendations to local governments by centering resilience measures, environmental justice, economic prosperity, and community-driven collaboration.

“Like many communities across the country, El Paso is setting records this year as our fight against the irreversible effects of climate change only grows more urgent,” said Congresswoman Escobar. “I’m hopeful that the CAP Act will encourage local and tribal government to apply and use federal funding to implement climate adaptation plans to protect their communities.”

Established in February 2021, the Climate Crisis Advisory Committee (CCAC) consisted of meetings with local stakeholders and experts to explore ideas and create sustainable recommendations for El Paso to reduce climate damage in both the near and long term. The recommendations given to El Paso from CCAC serve as the example framework in the CAP Act for grants to be available to local and tribal governments across the country to implement their own recommendations and ultimately adopt their own climate adaptation plans.

Full text of the bill can be found here and full text of the report can be found here.