DATE: December 4, 2014
MEDIA CONTACT: Jason Liechty
Environmental Planning and Community Resilience Division
PHONE: 954-519-0310
EMAIL: jliechty@broward.org

BROWARD COUNTY, FL – The US Department of Energy (DOE) has recognized Broward County and the Southeast Florida Regional Climate Change Compact (“Compact”) as Climate Action Champions following a nationwide competition.

Only sixteen cities, regions, and tribal governments across the county were selected as the first group of Climate Action Champions. Broward County and partners in the 4-County Compact join Seattle, San Francisco, Portland (OR), Boston, Minneapolis, the DC metro area, and other climate-leader communities.

The designation honors the “decisive action to cut carbon pollution and build resilience” already undertaken by the four Compact counties—Broward, Palm Beach, Miami-Dade, and Monroe. Since its establishment in 2009, the Compact has produced a series of technical
documents providing a common framework for planning, including a unified sea level rise projection; published a five-year Regional Climate Action Plan (RCAP) and undertaken significant efforts to implement its 110 recommendations; and held annual summits engaging hundreds of local and regional leaders.

According to documents released by the White House, “selected communities will benefit from facilitated peer-to-peer learning and mentorship and targeted support from a range of Federal programs.” Each Champion will also receive a national coordinator to help connect and communicate with federal agencies, foundations, and organizations, and take full advantage of federal funding opportunities and technical assistance programs.

In their application, the Compact counties reaffirmed individual county-level greenhouse gas emissions reduction targets and identified region-wide goals of 10 percent reduction by 2020 and 80 percent by 2050. The Climate Action Champion award will significantly assist Compact efforts and Broward County in meeting these targets and build a more efficient, resilient region.

The Compact, the nation’s leading example of coordinated regional climate action, was also recently highlighted as a model in the Third National Climate Assessment and the report of the President’s State, Local, and Tribal Leaders Task Force on Climate Preparedness and Resilience.

About Environmental Planning and Community Resilience
Broward County’s Environmental Planning and Community Resilience Division protects, restores and enhances the quality, abundance and diversity of the County’s natural resources through coordinated management efforts in five areas: water resource policy and planning, urban and natural lands management, beach and marine resources, energy and sustainability, and environmental monitoring. For more information call 954-519-1270, visit Broward.org/NaturalResources or follow us on Twitter@BrowardENV.