Obama takes control of climate change policies with executive order that will bypass Congress

President Obama used his executive powers on Friday to create a 'Task Force on Climate Preparedness and Resilience. '

Obama's plan would be put in place through executive order, bypassing Congress, which has stalemated over climate legislation in recent years.

A year after Superstorm Sandy devastated the East Coast, the President signed the order which is designed to make it easier for states and local governments to respond to weather disasters.



Trick or treat? President Barack Obama and first lady Michelle Obama give Halloween treats to children at the White House. On Friday Obama used executive powers to create a 'Task Force on Climate Preparedness and Resilience'

The executive order establishes a task force of state and local officials to advise the administration on how to respond to severe storms, wildfires, droughts and other potential impacts of climate change.

The task force includes governors of seven states - all Democrats - and the Republican governor of Guam, a U.S. territory.



Fourteen mayors and two other local leaders also will serve on the task force. All but three are Democrats.

The task force will look at federal money spent on roads, bridges, flood control and other projects.



It ultimately will recommend how structures can be made more resilient to the effects of climate change, such as rising sea levels and warming temperatures.



The White House said the order recognizes that even as the United States acts to curb carbon pollution, officials also need to improve how states and communities respond to extreme weather events such as Sandy.



Destruction: Satellite image from October 2012 of Superstorm Sandy on the eastern seaboard. A year after Sandy devastated the East Coast, President Obama signed an order which is designed to make it easier for states and local governments to respond to weather disasters

Building codes must be updated to address climate impacts and infrastructure needs to be made more resilient, the White House said in a statement.



The task force includes Govs. Jerry Brown of California, Jay Inslee of Washington and Neil Abercrombie of Hawaii, as well as Delaware Gov. Jack Markell, Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley, Vermont Gov. Peter Shumlin and Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn.



The panel also includes several big-city mayors, including Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti, Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter and Houston Mayor Annise Parker. All three are Democrats.



An administration official who asked not to be identified said the White House asked several organizations, including the National Governors Association, to recommend task force members.



Members were chosen based on those who were recommended or who nominated themselves, the official said.



The official asked to not be identified because he was not authorized to discuss the task force makeup.



Flood: Inundated farmland next to the Mississippi River in Tennessee. The new task force will ultimately recommend how structures can be made more resilient to the effects of climate change, such as rising sea levels and warming temperatures

The task force builds on efforts Obama announced in June to combat global warming, including the first-ever limits on climate pollution from new and existing power plants.



Obama's plan is intended to reduce domestic carbon dioxide emissions by 17 percent between 2005 and 2020.



The plan also would boost renewable energy production on federal lands, increase efficiency standards and prepare communities to deal with higher temperatures.

