White House to Roll Out New Climate Agenda Focused on Natural Resources

The White House Council on Environmental Quality is poised to release a new agenda this week as part of the Obama administration's climate strategy, sources confirmed yesterday.

The agenda will focus specifically on natural resources, including the management of America's forested lands, sources said.

President Obama's Climate Action Plan, released last year, includes a section stressing the importance of conserving America's land and water resources because of their importance to the U.S. economy and people's health, as well as their ability to dampen the impacts of climate change.

The plan also notes that forests "play a critical role" in capturing greenhouse gases, absorbing about 12 percent of total U.S. annual emissions.

Without proactive conservation and sustainable management practices, forests' ability to sequester carbon may decline due to more frequent fires, invasive pests and agricultural and urban development, it states.  Groups that advocate for the U.S. forest industry said they hope the strategy includes recommendations that allow for "working forests" -- forests that can be harvested in a sustainable manner by landowners to supply materials for the building industry and the wood-to-energy industry, for example.

White House to Roll Out New Climate Agenda Focused on Natural Resources