Taking Action on Climate Change. Jackson said that EPA must follow up the progress it made in 2009 with a range of greenhouse gas reduction initiatives with ensuring compliance with the law. EPA will finalize its mobile source GHG rules under the Clean Air Act, and “provide a framework for continued improvements in that sector.” (Earlier post.)

EPA will also expand energy conservation and efficiency programs and continue to develop solutions for reducing GHG emissions from large stationary sources like power plants.

In all of this, we must also recognize that climate change will affect other parts of our core mission, such as protecting air and water quality, and we must include those considerations in our future plans.

Improving Air Quality. ABuilding on the proposed stronger ambient air quality standards for ozone (earlier post), EPA will develop a strategy for a cleaner and more efficient power sector, with strong emission reduction goals for SO₂, NO_x, mercury and other air toxics. EPA will strengthen ambient air quality standards for pollutants such as PM, SO₂ and NO₂ and will achieve additional reductions in air toxics from a range of industrial facilities. Improved monitoring, permitting and enforcement will be critical building blocks for air quality improvement.

Other themes include:

• Assuring the Safety of Chemicals
• Cleaning Up Communities
• Protecting America’s Waters
• Expanding the Conversation on Environmentalism and Working for Environmental Justice
• Building Strong State and Tribal Partnerships

Jackson wrote that EPA will also focus on improving EPA’s internal operations, from performance measures to agency processes.