addressing climate change adaptation in regional transportation plans

Addressing Climate Change Adaptation in Regional Transportation PlansA Guide for California MPOs and RTPAs1.3 DATA SOURCES AND STATE-LEVEL GUIDANCEAlthough there is currently no requirement at the federal or state level forincluding climate adaptation into the regional transportation planning process,the consideration of climate change is important in practicing good planning.This document refers to three levels of documentation that are used as datasources endorsed by the State of California and best practices information.Federal Highways Administration (FHWA) and Federal-Level Guidance.In general, activities to plan, design, and construct highways to adapt tocurrent and future climate change and extreme weather events are eligible forreimbursement under the federal-aid program and for funding under theFederal Lands program. However, program funds are limited and their usefor adaptation purposes should be considered as a cost-effective means toextend and preserve the useful life of federal-aid and Federal Lands highwayfacilities. This section provides high-level summary documentation thatMPOs and RTPAs should be aware of at the federal level.Caltrans and State-Level Guidance. The State of California addressesadaptation to climate change through its California Climate AdaptationStrategy and Adaptation Planning Guide (APG). The APG provides adecision-making framework intended for use by local and regionalstakeholders to aid in the interpretation of climate science and to develop asystematic approach to reducing risks caused, or exacerbated, by climatechange. The State’s third major assessment on climate change explores localand statewide vulnerabilities to climate change, highlighting opportunitiesfor taking concrete actions to reduce climate-change impacts. Backgrounddata and the latest information can be found on the Climate Change portal:http://www.climatechange.ca.gov/adaptation/.The Cal-Adapt On-line Tool. The California Natural Resources Agency andthe California Energy Commission have released Cal-Adapt, a web-basedtool which enables city and county planners, government agencies, and thepublic to identify potential climate change risks in specific areas throughoutCalifornia. At the time of writing, this is the pre-eminent statewide tool forclimate analysis in California.Details for the key documents referenced can be found in Table 1.1.1-4 Cambridge Systematics, Inc.