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Environment and Trade Working Together
U.S. National Advisory Committee
Independent Federal Advisors on the
North American Agreement on Environmental Cooperation
Chair
Theresa A. Pardo
Tel. 518-442-3892
tpardo@ctg. albany.edu
Designated Federal Officer
Oscar Carrillo
Tel. 202-564-2294
carrillo.oscar@epa.gov
November 15, 2018
Committee
Members
Theresa A. Pardo
Chair
New York
David Antonioli
Washington, D.C.
Andrew P. Carey
California
Ann Marie
Chischilly
Arizona
Abbas Ghassemi
New Mexico
Carolyn Green
Pennsylvania
Donald K. Harris
Michigan
Tracy Hester
Texas
Sara E. Hopper
Washington, D.C.
Aminata Kilungo
Arizona
Mary Klein
Virginia
Donna L. Lybecker
Idaho
Justin McCartney
Washington, D.C.
The Honorable Andrew R. Wheeler
Acting Administrator
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
1200 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W.
Washington, D.C. 20460
Dear Acting Administrator Wheeler:
The National Advisory Committee (NAC) to the U.S. Representative to the North
American Commission for Environmental Cooperation (CEC) held its 51st meeting in
Tucson, Arizona in the Pascua Yaqui Tribe lands, on October 10-11, 2018. This letter
represents our full advice resulting from that meeting.
The main objective of our meeting was to provide advice to the Environmental Protection
Agency (EPA) to help inform decision making about membership in the North America
Extreme Event Advisory Committee (NAEEAC). This newly formed Advisory Committee
is seeking input about extreme weather events and how tribes, state, local government and
the private sector organize to respond to these events, how their membership could be
expanded to include experts from sub-national governments, the private and non-profit
sectors. The members of the NAC were very pleased with the opportunity to provide
advice on this critical issue and to inform committee membership decision making.
Jane Nishida, Principal Deputy Assistant Administrator for the Office of International and
Tribal Affairs, was not able to join the meeting due to other responsibilities. However, she
sent Mr. Luis Troche, Senior Advisor for North America to provide her remarks on the
charge questions. North American Senior Advisor, Luis Troche explained that EPA's
desire for advice stemmed from the results of the CEC June 26-27, 2018 Council Session
in Oklahoma City. He reiterated the meeting charge to provide EPA advice on actors and
capacities at the local, tribal and private sector level who have expertise, best practices and
resources on early warning, preparedness, response and resilience to drought-flood,
wildfires and extreme temperatures. Recognizing that preparedness response and
resilience is primarily a local effort, these actors may contribute their expertise and best
practices through the CEC initiative to help advance capacities across North America.
Carlos Perez
New York

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Simone Sagovac
Michigan
Ivonne Santiago
Texas
We also received an important briefing on the proposed U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement
(USMCA), which replaces the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). The
briefing was conducted via phone by Sarah Stewart, Deputy Assistant, Environmental and
Natural Resources, U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) and Joe Ferrante, Senior Advisor
on Trade and Economics, OITA, EPA. Ms. Stewart highlighted components of the
USMCA Environment Chapter, which are the most comprehensive enforceable objectives
of any such agreement. Issues such as transboundary events, air pollution, shared fishery
stock and wildlife trafficking are important to all Parties. In the USMCA final chapter, a
new article on air quality that leverages prior CEC efforts is included as well as new
articles on marine litter and sustainable forest management.
The Agreement also contains enhancements on fishing and wildlife and places special
emphasis on marine species conservation. Mr. Joe Ferrante provided an update on the
proposed new Environmental Cooperation Agreement (ECA), which aligns with the
USMCA Environment Chapter. He indicated that the institutions and organizations of the
current structure are being retained and that there has been progress in negotiations with
Mexico and Canada and a seamless transition to a new platform in cooperation among the
Parties is anticipated.
The committee also received updates on key activities at the CEC Secretariat from
Executive Director Cesar Rafael Chavez. Mr. Chavez updated members on the active
2017-2018 operational plan cooperative projects and grants. We also received a report on
JPAC activities from Dr. Octaviana Trujillo, on behalf of Mr. Gustavo Alanis-Ortega,
JPAC Chair, who was not able to join us.
In support of our discussion, Dr. Gregg Garfin, Deputy Director, Science Translation
Research, University of Arizona provided a rich overview of extreme weather events, and
observed climate trends and variability, observed impacts (e.g., water or drought) and
capacities (e.g., emergency management).
In addition, Ms. Judy Lynn, South Region Coordinator, Emergency Management, Arizona
Department of Emergency and Military Affairs (AZDEMA), described the Arizona state
emergency management system and its "all-hazards" framework. This approach is not
specific to any one emergency but is flexible to meet the emergent needs in real-time and
adopts language common to the region being served.
The NAC/GAC meeting was opened with a welcome from Federal Advisory Committee
Management Division (FACMD) Designated Federal Officer, Oscar Carrillo, followed by
a second welcome from Mr. Verlon Jose, Vice-Chairman of the Tohono O'odham Nation.
Mr. Jose gave a warm welcome to the Southwest Desert and extended his sincere
hospitality to the members of the NAC and GAC and the EPA team. He thanked the
committees for their on-going contributions to protecting the environment and remarked
on the long-standing relationship between the Tohono O'odham Nation and the nearby
Pascua Yaqui Nation. Mr. Jose noted the timeliness of this NAC/GAC meeting given the
recent emergency declared after remnants of Hurricane Rosa devastated the area.
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We received excellent briefings from Mr. Cornelius Antone, a member of the Government
Advisory Committee (GAC) and Environment Director for the Tohono O'odham Nation
and Robert DeLeon, Director of the Gila River Indian Tribe Office of Emergency
Response, who both presented on tribal government emergency preparedness efforts and
responses to extreme weather events.
The NAC deeply appreciates the excellent support provided by the FACMD and thanks
Director Monisha Harris, and all the FACMD staff for their support, before, during and
after the meeting.
Sincerely,
iCL Q- •
Theresa A. Pardo, Ph.D., Chair
National Advisory Committee
cc: Jane T. Nishida, Principal Deputy Assistant Administrator for the Office of
International and Tribal Affairs
Monisha Harris, Director, Federal Advisory Committee Management Division (FACMD)
Oscar Carrillo, Designated Federal Officer, FACMD, OARM
Mark Kasman, Director, Office of Regional & Bilateral Affairs, OITA, EPA
Luis Troche, Senior Advisor, North American Affairs, OITA, EPA
Gustavo Alanis-Ortega, Chair, Joint Public Advisory Committee
Cesar Rafael Chavez, Executive Director, CEC
Members of the U.S. National and Governmental Advisory Committees
Administrative support for the NAC is provided by the U. S. Environmental Protection Agency,
Federal, Advisory Committee Management Division, OARM
Mail Code 1601-M, 1200 Pennsylvania Ave. NW Washington, D.C. 20460
(t) 202-564-2294(f) 202-564-8129
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National Advisory Committee (NAC)
To the U.S. Representative to the
Commission for Environmental Cooperation (CEC)
Advice 2018-2
Meeting - October 10-11, 2018
The October 2018 Charge Question to the National Advisory Committee (NAC) seeks advice on:
Sharing and Enhancing Capacity for early warning, preparedness, response and adaptation/resilience; to
extreme events. The U.S. seeks advice on actors and capacities at the local, tribal and private sector who
have expertise, best practices, experience and resources on:
•	Early warning, preparedness, response and resilience to drought-flood, wildfires and extreme
temperatures.
•	Because preparedness response and resilience is primarily a local effort, these actors may
contribute their expertise and best practices through the CEC initiative to help advance
capacities across North America.
The advice provided by the members of the NAC is in response to the 2018 Charge Question is organized
into three sections as follows:
1)	Observations, Issues and Recommendations on extreme events preparedness, response and
adaptation/resilience for consideration by the North American Extreme Event Advisory Committee
(NAEEAC).
2)	Names or Titles of actors who have the requested expertise, experiences or resources
3)	Entities that have the requested expertise, experiences or resources.
SECTION 1. OBSERVATIONS, ISSUES AND RECOMMENDATIONS ON EXTREME EVENTS
PREPAREDNESS, RESPONSE AND ADAPTATION/RESILIENCE FOR CONSIDERATION BY
THE NAEEAC.
The Nature of Extreme Events
•	Members of the NAC agree that all disasters are local and as a consequence agree strongly with the
EPA that local actors should be added to the NAEEAC.
•	Members of the NAC discussed the complexity of the phrase "extreme event" and acknowledge that
the phrase itself needs further consideration. For example, they noted, a drought is a condition not an
event.
•	Members of the NAC agreed that extreme events are exacerbated by the variety and frequency of
such events and due to a lack of preparedness and planning.
•	Members of the NAC agreed that vast regional differences that influence the nature of an event. The
variety of events and contextual characteristics need to be considered in any effort to increase early
warning, preparedness, response and adaptation/resilience.
Community Focus
•	Members of the NAC recommend that any effort focused on building early warning, preparedness,
response and adaptation/resilience capability in a community must consider vulnerable populations
and access to information and resources.
•	Members of the NAC observed that first responders are often neighbors and recommend that
organizations focused on organizing neighborhoods to help vulnerable populations are important
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participants in local emergency planning and response efforts, and as such, the NAEEAC. This
includes identifying sub-populations and determining who the formal and informal leaders are for
these groups or who has responsibility for those groups. Organizations such as The Community
Building in Idaho are very aware of and regularly serve vulnerable individuals in their community.
https://www.atimeforteens.com/.
•	Members of the NAC observed that differential responses to vulnerable communities require
community vulnerability assessments. They recognize the limitations of universal versus differential
emergency responses, which could be reflective of the needs and vulnerability of the community.
Therefore, they recommend that given that all disasters are local, all assessments should be local.
Resources to help in understanding local characteristics in terms of needs and vulnerability include
the NOAA Community Vulnerability Assessment Tool
https://coast.noaa.gov/digitalcoast/topics/vulnerability-assessments.html.
•	Members of the NAC discussed the critical role of volunteer groups and how such resources can be
formally engaged in early warning, preparedness, response and resilience related efforts. For
example, the "Cajun Navy" https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caiun Naw; https://louisianacn.com/.
Communicating with Communities
•	Members of the NAC recommend attention to the challenge of communicating to the full range of
community members such as the elderly, those who live remotely, non-english speakers and those
rely, for various reasons, on verbal face to face communication, among others.
•	Members of the NAC observed the challenges associated with "getting the word out". They recognize
the potential of mobile apps, but also strongly recommend attention to over-reliance on such modes of
communication given that in many areas and for many demographics, mobile apps are not relevant.
For example, in rural area such as reservations, non-technical approaches to warning people tend to
be most effective, going door to door and talking face to face with people. In such situations, NAC
Members observed, traditional alarm systems continue to be effective; ring the alarm and then
everyone knows something is wrong and then they start talking to each other.
Resource Issues
•	Members of the NAC observed that in rural areas, most responders tend to be volunteers, such as
volunteer fire fighters or community-based groups; how the role and value of such groups are
accounted for in national-level planning efforts is key to early warning, preparedness, response and
adaptation/resilience at the local level. Therefore, they recommend that the national emergency
response framework be adaptable and translatable to the state and local levels
•	Members of the NAC discussed the impact of bureaucratic challenges in extreme events related
activities. In particular, the fact that the increasing number and severity of extreme events, has
"emptied the pot".
•	Members of the NAC discussed the challenge of a lack of institutional memory among organizations
engaged in extreme event mitigation and response. Often the person "in charge" knows what to do,
but when they leave, confusion reigns. They called for an increasing investment in institutional and
community expertise and capability versus individual expertise and capability.
•	Members of the NAC discussed the challenge that many communities face when working to rebuild
and create new levels of resilience. One challenge, in particular, is their lack of knowledge about
resources for disaster relief and the lack of expertise and capacity to apply for such relief funds. This
limits the opportunity that small and rural communities, in particular, have in creating early warning,
preparedness, response and resilience capability and expanding capacity. A second is a lack of full
understanding of the "strings" that are often attached to recovery funding; often limiting the
opportunity to rebuild in such a way as to mitigate impact of future extreme events.
•	Members of the NAC recommend attention to information as a critical resource in the context of early
warning, preparedness, response and adaptation/resilience efforts. For example, creating lists at the
local level of safe places to shelter in a variety of extreme events, such as extreme heat. Developing
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such information resources and making them publically available could be parlayed into advice on a
best practice for extreme events.
Long-Term Planning
•	Members of the NAC recommend the development of longitudinal analysis of the impact of current
planning processes on effectiveness of extreme event early warning, preparedness, response and
resilience efforts. If such efforts are not informed by insights about the value of past practices - then
we won't increase effectiveness of future practices.
•	Members of the NAC recommend the development of new understanding of the impact of "second-
order" events such as long-term power outages in Puerto Rico after Hurricane Maria and in NYC
after Hurricane Sandy and the lack of attention or investment in this problem. For example, of the 120
million that was spent after sandy, 75 million went to relief leaving only 45 million for rebuilding.
SECTION 2. NAMES OR TITLES OF ACTORS WHO HAVE THE REQUESTED EXPERTISE,
EXPERIENCES OR RESOURCES
Members of the NAC recommend inviting representatives from a set of specific communities with
experience preparing for and responding to extreme weather events that should be represented on the
North America Extreme Events Advisory Group. Recommended communities are:
•	Alaskan Athabascans (flooding)
•	Calexico, California (extreme heat)
•	Colorado Springs, Colorado (wild fires)
•	GRIC (flooding)
•	Houston, Harris County, Texas (flooding)
•	Miami (sea level rise)
•	New Orleans (hurricane)
•	Phoenix and the Paso del Norte Region that includes, El Paso, Texas, Las Cruces, New Mexico
and Ciudad Juarez, Mexico (extreme heat and flooding)
•	Todono O'odham Nation (flooding)
Specific individuals recommended for membership to the NAEEAC are:
•	Raed Aldouri University of Texas at El Paso
•	Cornelius Antone, Environment Director, Tohono O'odham Nation
•	Jerard Brotzge, Ph.D., Program Director, NYS' MESONET
•	Andy Carey, Border Philanthropy Partnership, San Diego, CA
•	Victor de Leon, Private Sector Office, Department of Homeland Security
•	Alfredo Estrada, Fire OES, Imperial County, California
•	Greg Garfin, University of Arizona
•	Hunter Jones, NOAA
•	Lisa Jones, Director, Office of Emergency Management, City of Phoenix
•	Jayson Kratoville, Interim Director, National Center for Security and Preparedness, University at
Albany, State University of New York
•	Brian LaFlure, Chief and Director, Fire Coordinator, Warren County Office of Emergency
Services, Warren County, NYS
•	Sarah Leroy, University of Arizona
•	Miguel Velez-Reyes, University of Texas at El Paso
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SECTION 3. ENTITIES THAT HAVE THE REQUESTED EXPERTISE, EXPERIENCES OR
RESOURCES.
Members of the NAC recommend the following community anchor institutions and other organizations
for membership on the NAEEAC:
•	EPA's own Local Emergency Planning Committees (LEPCs).
o LEPC's have responsibility for planning and running drills at the community level. LEPCs
include representatives from hospitals, religious communities, local professional and
volunteer firefighters and other critical community anchor institutions,
o State EPC's are often represented on such bodies - but local representation will provide an
important alternative perspective.
•	State and local government planning committees such as:
o Planning for Resilient Communities, Michigan
¦ Attachment # 1 contains a list of resources produced by such entities. NAEEAC members
should be aware of the rich robust resources being produced by such entities across the
country and leverage such planning activities to the fullest extent possible.
•	Regional Associations of Government (ex: SAND AG in San Diego)
•	Embassy of Mexico and Consular network based across the USA - largest of any country with over
50 consulates in the USA.
•	Other Embassies to be considered based on population numbers (Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador,
Ecuador, Colombia, Brazil)
•	Organizations who with vulnerable communities at the neighborhood level such as:
o The Community Builder program, https://www.atimeforteens.com/.
o Climate Assessment of the Southwest (CLIMAS) Program, https://www.climas.arizona.edu/
•	Non-profit groups and other national and international organizations with local reach including:
o The American Red Cross
o Rockefeller Foundation's Resilient Cities
o The Walmart Corporation
o United Way of America
o AmeriCorps Disaster Response Team
o Team Rubicon
o Arizona Hospital and Healthcare Association
•	The National Association of Counties Resilient Counties Initiative
o https://www.naco.org/resources/signature-proiects/resilient-counties-initiative
•	The National League of Cities Public Safety Program
o https: //www .nlc. org/topics/public-safetv
•	Associations of relevant Public Health and Emergency Response Professionals, for example:
o National Association of City and County Health Officials, https://www.naccho.org/
o NYS Association of Fire Chiefs, https://www.nvsfirechiefs.com/
o Western Fire Chiefs Association, https://wfca.com/
•	Associations for Volunteer Firefighters. For example:
o The Volunteer Fire Fighter Alliance.
http://www.volunteerfirefighteralliance.org/programs.html
o The National Volunteer Fire Council, https://www.nvfc.org/
• Volunteer groups who have been recognized for playing a significant role in extreme events, for
example:
o The Cajun Navy. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caiun Navv: https://louisianacn.com/
•	Organizations with responsibilities for pets - such as SPCA and local humane societies.
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National Advisory Committee (NAC)
To the U.S. Representative to the
Commission for Environmental Cooperation (CEC)
Advice 2018-2
Meeting - October 12-13, 2018
Attachment # 1
RESOURCE: MICHIGAN CLIMATE ACTION PLAN
https://www.adaptationclearinghouse.org/resources/michigan-climate-action-plan.html
The Michigan Climate Action Plan (CAP), produced by the Michigan Climate Action Council (MCAC),
provides greenhouse gas emissions inventory and forecast, recommended emission reduction goals, and
advice for state and local governments on measures to address climate change. The Plan focuses mainly on
climate change mitigation through reduction of greenhouse gas emissions. Adaptation is recognized as one
of the key elements and recommendations in the CAP. Specifically, the MCAC recommends that Michigan
further analyze actions needed for adaptation. According to the report, the MCAC was unable to examine
the impacts of climate change on Michigan's natural resources and the Great Lakes due to time and resource
constraints. As such, MCAC recommended that Michigan conduct additional analyses of the state's
vulnerability to the impacts of climate change and develop specific adaptation plans for key sectors. The
Plan focuses on the following sectors, describing key challenges facing each and offering policy
recommendations to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions:
•	Energy Supply Sector
•	Residential, Commercial, and Industrial Sectors
•	Transportation and Land Use Sectors
•	Agriculture, Forestry, and Waste Management Sectors
RESOURCE: STRENGTHENING LOCAL COMMUNITIES TO MEET GLOBAL
CHALLENGES
http://www.resilientmichigan.org/
Land Information Access Association (LIAA) is a nonprofit community service and planning
organization headquartered in Traverse City, Michigan. Planning for Resilient Communities is a
community engagement and technical services program developed by LIAA with numerous
statewide partners. The program is helping citizens, local leaders and public officials plan
communities that are more resilient to global challenges such as climate variability, extreme
weather events and economic challenges. With grant funding and direct assistance from project
partners, LIAA provides a full range of professional planning and technical support services to
participating communities, including public education and participation processes, data gathering
and analyses, evaluation of future scenarios, vulnerability analyses, visioning and goal setting, task
identification, and formal master plan development.
RESOURCE: PLANNING FOR RESILIENCE IN MICHIGAN HANDBOOK
http://www.resilientmichigan.org/downloads/michigan resiliency handbook web.pdf
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According to the Rockefeller Foundation, community resilience is defined as "the capacity of
(communities) to function, so that the people living and working in (communities) - particularly the poor
and vulnerable - survive and thrive no matter what stresses or shocks they encounter." Land use planners
and policy makers throughout Michigan are committed to thinking long-term about how change, trends and
unanticipated shocks will impact their community. This Handbook is intended to be used as a reference
tool by a diverse array of land use policy and planning practitioners in local efforts to bring about greater
resilience in their community.
RESOURCE: MICHAGAN CLIMATE ACTION PLAN
https://www.michigan.gov/documents/deq/deq-miclimateactionplan-partl 276563 7.pdf
The Michigan Climate Action Plan was a developed through a collaborative effort by a diverse
array of state agencies, private companies, and non-profits.
RESOURCE: A SUMMARY OF LOCAL BEST MANAGEMENT PRACTICES
www.planningmi.org
RESOURCE: PLANNING PORTAL
http: //www, mi chi gancoastal communiti es. com.
MAP Creates Resource for Master Planning for Resiliency and Sustalnablllty. This information
portal is designed to help communities plan for, protect, and preserve their waterfronts. Michigan is a state
rich in lakes and rivers and home to the longest freshwater coastline in the world. The list of communities
that do not have some sort of waterfront is much shorter than the list of communities that do.
RESOURCE: RESILIENCY WORKSHOPS
Workshops, being held in Oscoda, Escanaba, and Monroe, provide professional planners, elected and
appointed municipal leaders, and other public servants with the tools, applications and best practices to
empower intentional actions that will help your community mitigate the impacts of severe weather events
and fluctuating water levels in the Great Lakes through planning, policy, and regulatory solutions.
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