Local executive orders
On September 12, 2013, Delaware Governor Jack Markell signed Executive Order 41: Preparing Delaware for Emerging Climate Impacts and Seizing Economic Opportunities from Reducing Emissions. Executive Order 41 directs agencies to address both the causes and consequences of climate change by developing actionable recommendations to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions that contribute to climate change, increase resilience to climate impacts, and avoid and minimize flood risks due to sea level rise.
The Climate Framework for Delaware unveiled by the Governor March 2 summarizes the work to date and recommendations from the three workgroups formed under Executive Order 41: Mitigation, Adaptation, and Flood Avoidance.
The Mitigation Workgroup has recommended that a mitigation target of 30 percent greenhouse gas reduction from a 2008 baseline by 2030 be adopted for the state of Delaware. In the coming months, strategies to achieve this goal will be proposed and evaluated.
The Adaptation Workgroup has proposed more than 150 recommendations for a wide range of actions that address public health and safety needs, impacts to facilities and infrastructure, and capacity to deliver services to constituents in Delaware. Prior to implementation, many of the recommendations will require additional discussion and outreach with affected stakeholders and other interested parties to ensure coordination and efficiency of action. The adaptation recommendations can be found in their full text in Appendix D of the Framework.
The Flood Avoidance Workgroup is developing technical guidance and tools for use by state agencies for the siting and design of structures and infrastructure, with an emphasis on avoidance of current and future flood risk. These tools include a Flood Risk Adaptation Map that depicts flood exposure from a combination of sea level rise and coastal storms. In addition, the workgroup identified existing state programs, policies, and tools that will help ensure compliance with guidelines.