On November 9 & 10, 2021, the American Association for the Advancement of Science’s Center for Scientific Evidence in Public Issues (AAAS EPI Center) hosted a convening for federal employees and contractors working on green and nature-based infrastructure projects, policy, programs, and research. The goal of the two-day event was to advance the conversation around federal efforts for the equitable planning and implementation of green and nature-based infrastructure across agencies through a multi-disciplinary, cooperative approach.
The two-day event, “Coordination of Federal Agency Research and Programmatic Efforts on Green Infrastructure and Nature-Based Solutions,” was attended by representatives of 12 federal agencies and planned in close collaboration with the US EPA Office of Water’s Green Infrastructure staff. The discussion focused on identifying successful models, lessons learned, lingering data gaps, challenges and barriers, and opportunities for collaboration.
Participants in the convening discussed how to advance projects, update programs, and streamline efforts across the federal agencies on green and nature-based infrastructure.
Key issues emerged from the two days of discussions
Scaling and timing of projects
- Simplifying the application process
- Estimating value and communicating benefits
- Committing to projects long-term
Sharing resources and information across agencies
- Making use of key resources from agencies
- Sharing success stories and case studies
- Prioritizing hazard mitigation across agencies
Simplifying and aligning processes throughout the federal government
- Standardizing the grant application process
- Documenting sequence of federal agency engagement
- Establishing multidisciplinary, cross-agency collaboration
Centering equity
- Peer-to-peer learning among the agencies
- Increasing opportunities for workforce development
- Including communities in the process
Participating federal agencies:
- Economic Development Administration (EDA)
- U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (US EPA)
- Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)
- Federal Highway Administration (FHWA)
- Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD)
- National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)
- National Park Service (NPS)
- US Army Corps of Engineers (USACE)
- US Department of Agriculture (USDA)
- US Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS)
- US Forest Service (USFS)
- US Geological Survey (USGS)
- White House’s Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP)
Last updated January 14, 2022
