6 /1 2 /13



# U.S. Environmental Protection Agency

Climate Change Adaptation Plan

Office of Administration & Resource Management (OARM)



# June 20136 /1 2 /13



## Disclaimer

To the extent this document mentions or discusses statutory or regulatory authority, it does so for informational purposes only. This document does not substitute for those statutes or regulations, and readers should consult the statutes or regulations to learn what they require. Neither this document, nor any part of it, is itself a rule or a regulation. Thus, it cannot change or impose legally binding requirements on EPA, States, the public, or the regulated community. Further, any expressed intention, su ggestion or recommendation does not impose any legally binding requirements on EPA, States, tribes, the public, or the regulated community. Agency decision makers remain free to exercise their discretion in choosing to implement the actions described in

th is Plan . Such implementation is contingent upon availability of resources and is subject to change.6 /1 2 /13

Preface

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is committed to identifying and responding to the challenges that a changing climate poses to human health and the environment.

Scientific evidence demonstrates that the climate is changing at an increasingly rapid rate, outside the range to which society has adapted in the past. These changes can pose significant challenges to the EPA’s ability t o fulfill its mission. The EPA must adapt to climate change if it is to continue fulfilling its statutory, regulatory and programmatic requirements. The Agency is therefore anticipating and planning for future changes in climate to ensure it continues to f ulfill its mission of protecting human health and the environment even as the climate changes.

In February 2013, the EPA released its draft Climate Change Adaptation Plan to the public for review and comment. The plan relies on peer

- reviewed scientific i nformation and expert judgment to identify vulnerabilities to EPA’s mission and goals from climate change. The plan also presents 10 priority actions that EPA will take to ensure that its programs, policies, rules, and operations will remain effective unde r future climatic conditions. The priority placed on mainstreaming climate adaptation within EPA complements efforts to encourage and mainstream adaptation planning across the entire federal government.

Following completion of the draft Climate Change Ada ptation Plan , each EPA National Environmental Program Office, all 10 Regional Offices, and several National Support Offices developed a Climate Adaptation Implementation Plan to provide more detail on how it will carry out the work called for in the agency

- wide plan. Each Implementation Plan articulates how the office will integrate climate adaptation into its planning and work in a manner consistent and compatible with its goals and objectives.

Taken together, the Implementation Plans demonstrate how the EPA will attain the 10 agency

wide priorities presented in the Climate Change Adaptation Plan . A central element of all of EPA’s plans is to build and strengthen its adaptive capacity and work with its partners to build capacity in states, tribes, and loca l communities. EPA will empower its staff and partners by increasing their awareness of ways that climate change may affect their ability to implement effective programs, and by providing them with the necessary data, information, and tools to integrate cl imate adaptation into their work.

Each Program and Regional Office’s Implementation Plan contains an initial assessment of the implications of climate change for the organization’s goals and objectives. These “program vulnerability assessments” are living documents that will be updated as needed to account for new knowledge, data, and scientific evidence about the impacts of climate change on EPA’s mission. The plan then identifies specific priority actions that the office will take to begin addressing its vulnerabilities and mainstreaming climate change adaptation into its activities. Criteria for the selection of priorities are discussed. An emphasis is placed on protecting the most vulnerable people and places, on supporting the development of adaptive c apacity in the tribes, and on identifying clear steps for ongoing collaboration with tribal governments.6 /1 2 /13

Because EPA’s Programs and Regions and partners will be learning by experience as they mainstream climate adaptation planning into their activities, i t will be essential to evaluate their efforts in order to understand how well different approaches work and how they can be improved. Each Implementation Plan therefore includes a discussion of how the organization will regularly evaluate the effectiveness of its adaptation efforts and make adjustments where

necessary.

The set of Implementation Plans are a sign of EPA’s leadership and commitment to help build the nation’s adaptive capacity that is so vital to the goal of protecting human health and the

env ironment. Working with its partners, the Agency will help promote a healthy and prosperous nation that is resilient to a changing climate.

Bob Perciasepe Deputy Administrator

September 20136 /1 2 /13



# O ffice of Administration and Resource Management Climate Change Adaptation Implementation Plan

June 2013

CONTENTS

1. Introduction

2. High

- Level V ulnerability A ssessment

3. Current Efforts to Address Climate Change

4. Possible New Action Items

5. M onitoring and E valuation

6. Appendix: Potential Analysis Tools6 /1 2 /13



# Introduction

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is committed to the safety of its personnel, the efficient operation of its buildings, and the sustainability of the communities in which its
facilities are located. One of the areas where EPA demonstrates its mission is preparing for and mitigating the potential effects of global c limate change , including severe weather events, water shortages, and sea level rises . Adaptation planning to protect EPA’s workforce, facil ities,
and continued operations is an integral part of OARM’s mission

.

As the office within EPA responsible for facilities, transportation, security, health and safety, human resources, grants, and procurement, OARM is responsible for ensuring the safe an d continued operation of the Agency’s buildings, contracts, grants, and personnel. EPA’s people, buildings, and operations could be impacted by any number of potential climate change effects

. As required by the EPA Policy Statement on Climate Change Adapta tion (June 2011), OARM has
drafted this Climate Change Adaptation Implementation Plan.

In general, EPA has made great strides in both preparing for and mitigating climate change effects wherever possible. The Agency’s Strategic Sustainability Performance Plan, for example, outlines numerous goals and achievements in reducing the Agency’s greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, energy dependence, water use requirements, solid waste, pollution, and other environmental impacts. EPA also has in place an extensive cont inuity of operations plan (COOP) designed to address natural disasters and other events that could interrupt Agency operations.

Where necessary, EPA will develop and implement new action items to protect its workforce

, facilities, and operations against climate change
effects . For example, EPA will consider enhanc ing the resilience of existing facilities in coastal areas to protect them from severe weather, flood damage, and sea level rise. The Agency will also work with other government agencies, particularly the U.S. General
Services Administration (GSA) , to account for climate change effects in the design and construction of new facilities, or wh en new buildings are leased . Before undertaking any actions, EPA will asses s the need and evaluate the potential for effectiveness of each activity, as well as estimating the resources needed to implement it

.

This plan i ncludes the following key componen ts:

• High

- level v ulnerability a ssessment

• Current efforts to address climate change

• Possible new action items

• Measurement and performance e valuation

• Additional analysis tools and criteria for prioritizing action items OARM Primary Functions

Office of Human Resources (OHD): Manages
traditional human resources functions and provides Agency

- wide policy development, strategic planning, and direction for EPA’s human resource programs.

Office of Administration (OA): Enables, manages, and maintains sustainable, safe
and secure wor kplaces and manages facilities, safety, and security activities in support of the Agency’s mission.

Office of Grants & Disbarment (OGD):
Provides cradle

- to

- grave administrative management of all Headquarters

administered grants, loans, cooperative

agreem ents, fellowships, interagency agreements, and Suspension and Debarment program management.

Office of Acquisition Management (OAM): Manages the planning, awarding

, and administering of contracts and procurement policy for the Agency.6 /1 2 /13


# High

- Level V ulnerability Assessment

In 2011, OARM developed a high

- level assessment of the Agency’s vulnerabilities to climate change specific to its functional areas. Based on the potential effects of climate change, OARM
has identified the following vulnerabilities as medium to high priority

. Note: This a ssessment does not address EPA research capabilities that might be affected, only its ability to maintain the facilities, operations, procurement, security, and personnel in support of those needs.

Water Qu ality and Supply: Changes to water ecosystems

— i ncluding

increas ing water temperatures, decreasing precipitation days, and increasing drought intensity

— c ould mean a change in the disposition of water supplies and potentially compromise the quality and quantity of water available for use. EPA laboratories require water to conduct experiments and meet building cooling requirements. Water shortages and quality issues will require
better water conservation planning, especially in drought

- prone regions.

Severe Weather or Flooding Damage: Facilities in coastal or flood

- prone areas could face the effects of increasing floods, intense hurricanes, and
extreme temperature s hifts . In addition to planning and preparing for such severe weather events before they occur, EPA may have to shift its real estate priorities and resources to respond to damaged incurred by facilities in coastal regions and other affected locations.

Field Worker Safety : Because a portion of EPA employees and contractors are engaged in field work, they may be vulnerable to extreme temperatures or other weather events. Emergency management mission support must include procuring the proper personal protective equipm ent to be prepared for such types of working conditions while conducting sampling, remediation, and other outdoor/field activities.

Physical Security: In many EPA locations, closed

- circuit television (CCTV) security cameras, intrusion detection systems, outdoor lighting, and access
control devices must run continuously; EPA should ensure that these devices
are secure in severe weather conditions and cont inue to be powered by an uninterruptible power supply (UPS) or have access to a backup generator as needed if climate

- related conditions cause interruptions in the power supply.

Security Operations and Emergency Communications: Severe weather events
and other climate

- related conditions causing interruptions in power c ould
limit electronic communications

, cell phone service , Nextel, and analog phones in EPA locations where public address systems are not connected to backup power. EPA’s COOP should address emergency communications in
such instances. Vulnerability

Medium Vulnerability

High

Vulnerability

Medium

Vulnerability

Medium Vulnerability

Medium6 /1 2 /13


# Current Efforts to Address Climate Change

Even before such measures were required under Executive Order (EO) 13514, EPA undertook a variety of climate change mitigation strategies, s etting aggressive goals to quantify and reduce
the carbon footprint associated with its facilities, employees, and operations

. Following are just
a few of OARM ’s efforts and recent results in this area.

GHG Emissions Inventory and Reductions

In fiscal year (FY) 2012, EPA’s Scope 1 and 2 GHG emissions were 54.1 percent lower than its

FY 2008 emissions baseline ( far exceeding the Agency’s goal to reduce Scope 1 and 2

emissions 25 percent by FY 2020 ), thanks in large to part energy efficiency projects at i ts facilities, improved fleet management practices, and extensive green power purchases. EPA’s Scope 3 GHG emissions decreased 32.3 percent compared to its FY 2008 baseline, due to reductions in business air travel, increased use of telework, and cuts in t ravel budgets.

Energy Efficiency

EPA’s FY 2012 energy intensity was 23.7 percent below the FY 2003 baseline, exceeding the EO 13514 requirements . EPA closely track s and manage s its energy use and plans to continue making significant progress in reducing its energy intensity by focusing on implementing key projects identified during facility energy assessments. The Agency also exceeded EO 13514 requirements to reduce its petroleum consumption 30 percent by FY 2020 eight years early

.

High Performance Sustainable Buildings

Approximately 9.8 percent of EPA’s Federal Real Property Profile buildings met the Guiding Principles for Federal Leadership in High Performance and Sustainable Buildings in FY 2012.

Water Conservation

In FY 2012, EPA’s water intensity reduction of 22.5 percent far exceeded the EO 13514 requirement of 10 percent. EPA also far exceeded requirements for reducing landscaping water use, achieving a 94.8 percent reduction compared to FY 2010.

Pollution Prevention and Was te Reduction

EPA adopted a more aggressive waste reduction goal of 55 percent compared to the 50 percent goal required by EO 13514. Th e Agency already exceeded that goal with an FY 2012 waste diversion rate of 63 percent.

Electronic Stewardship and Data Centers

EPA’s purchasing and IT policies require: energy

- efficie nt and environmentally preferable features on electronic products; achieving a 100 percent power management enabling rate on computers and monitors; and reusing, donating, recycling, or disposing of electronic equipment in an environmentally sound manner. EPA plan s to reduce its number of data centers as well

.6 /1 2 /13



# Possible New Action Items

In addition to addressing its high

- level vulnerabilities described previously , OARM will consider possi ble new action items to pursue as part of its climate adaptation plans , depending on funding and available resources (including personnel and other Agency resources)

.

Lead
Office Action Item Priority &
Timeframe

OA Make Adaptation Part of High Performance Sustainable Buildings

• Consider Adaptation as Part of Building Management Plan Guidelines (BMPG): As part of its efforts to meet the Guiding Principles for Federal Leadership in High Performance Sustainable Buildings (Guiding Principles) , EPA de veloped and is working to implement the BMPG in its owned facilities. OARM will review the BMPG for existing mitigation strategies and identify opportunities to address climate change adaptation when assisting existing facilities in meeting the Guiding Pri nciples

.

• Work W ith GSA: For facilities that EPA does not own, OARM will work with its counterparts at GSA to ensure climate change adaptation is taken into account in procuring, renewing leases, and maintaining existing facilities, especially

in communitie s where severe weather and other climate

related events could have the most impact.

• Update Best Practices (Environmental) Lease Provisions (BPLP): EPA includes the BPLP with GSA’s stand ard
Solicitation for Offer template to facilitate inclusion of environmental provisions in new lease actions. EPA will
review the BPLP to determine if climate change adaptation requirements should be added in the future.

• Incorporate Adaptation Into GreenCheck: GreenCheck, OARM’s process for evaluating new construction and renovation projects for various environmental initiatives and high performance sustainable building characteristics, will
consider measures to ensure building additions, construction, and other efforts take adaptation to s evere weather an d other climate change

- related effects into account when projects are undertaken. Medium/

2014

OA Incorporate Adaptation Into Water Conservation Planning As part of its ongoing work to reduce water intensity across all of its reporting facilities, EPA will revisit its existing Water Conservation Strategy to ensure that water is being used as efficiently as possible
in its facilities

, and that laboratories a re prepared to respond in the event of a drought or other water shortage or quality event. Medium/

20146 /1 2 /13

OA Reduce Energy Reliance EPA laboratories demand higher

- than

- average energy use to meet the Agency’s research requirements. Because severe weather events and rising temperatures can impact the consistent delivery of power
from the nation’s electrical grid, EPA will continue to red uce its reliance on traditional energy sources through energy conservation measures, fleet efficiency, and onsite renewable energy generation

. Medium/ Ongoing

OAM Prepare for Contract Continuity Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) Part 18 address es emergency contracting policies at the federal regulatory level, and the Office of Federal Procurement Policy (OFPP) Emergency Acquisitions Guide provides supplemental guidelines, as does OARM’s COOP

. Low/2015

OHR Educate Employees on the Impacts of Climate Change Once the final Climate Adaptation Plan is published, OARM will integrate with other Agency

- wide adaptation efforts to i ncrease employee awareness of climate change effects that may affect their ability to implement effective programs . OARM w ill work with the EPA Office of Policy to provide the necessary data, information

, training, and tools to employees to ensure continuity of operations. Low/2015

OHR Redirect Personnel as Needed Following severe weather and other events, EPA response personnel may need to be redirected to assist emergency management personnel, assess environmental damage, and test sites for air quality, water quality, and other environmental health concerns. As needed6 /1 2 /13


# Monitoring and Evaluation

OARM recognizes that evaluating progress on climate change adaptation is important . Much of the work described in this plan is evaluated annually as part of the SSPP, OMB Scorecard, and federal agency environmental compliance process. In addition, EPA will gather and review
lessons learned over time as the Agency responds to severe weather events, addresses changing priorities, and m ainstream s climate adaptation planning into personnel, facilities, and operations processes. We will use thi s information to continually improve our climate change adaptation and mitigation planning and response actions

.

Looking ahead, OARM could track progress on climate change adaptation by incorporating new action items into future SSPP updates. As an exist ing, annually updated strategy that encompasses both climate change mitigation activities and EPA’s progress on specific Agency

wide goals regarding facilities, personnel, and operations, the SSPP is the most appropriate way to track actions taken to adapt to climate change effects such as severe weather events that impact its facilities and operations.6 /1 2 /13


# Appendix : Potential Analysis Tools

Regional Climate Scenarios

In January 2013 , the U

. S

. Global Change Research Program (USGRP) made available the first standardized set of regional climate scenarios and global sea level rise scenarios that all federal agencies can use in their adaptation planning efforts. The scenarios provide pictures of future climate and sea level rise that EPA can use as it anticipate s and prepares for climate change.

OARM and each Region could, depending on funding availability, evaluate the potential impacts of climate change on their facilities, personnel, and operations using the I ntegrated Climate and Land Use Scenarios (ICLUS) ( http://www.epa.gov/ncea/global/iclus/ ) developed by EPA’s Office of Research and Development . These are nationwide housing

- density scenarios consistent with climate change storylines. Combined with the US GCRP’s regional climate scenarios, ICLUS can help answer the question, “What should we plan for?” They can help evaluate how interactions

between climate and land

- use changes may affect air and water quality, human health, and

ecosystems.

EPA’s Climate Resilience Evaluation and Awareness Tool

Version 2.0 of EPA’s Climate Resilience Evaluation and Awareness Tool (CREAT) is now available

for download at www.epa.gov/climatereadyutilities

. The tool assists drinking water, wastewater, and stormwater utilities in identifying climate change threats, assessing potential consequences, and evaluating adaptation options.

Eight Regions Defined by the National Climate Assessment