United StateS Office Of PerSOnnel ManageMent

2022 Climate Adaptation 

Plan Progress Report

OPM.GOV OCTOBER 2022
U.S. Office of Personnel Management 

2022 Climate Adaptation Plan Progress Report 

The U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM) supports Executive Order (EO) 14008, Tackling the Climate 

Crisis at Home and Abroad, which addresses how the Federal government can tackle climate change while 

producing economic opportunity. OPM leads and serves the Federal Government in enterprise human 

resources management by delivering policies and services to achieve a trusted, effective civilian workforce. 

OPM shares the President’s concern that climate change poses an existential threat to the well-being of the 

nation and is committed to supporting the Federal workforce as it powers a government-wide response to this 

urgent challenge. 

OPM is committed to integrating an awareness of climate threads into our daily work across all relevant 

programs and through our partnerships with stakeholders. OPM’s Climate Action Plan, which is consistent with 

the requirements of EO 14008, is our agency-wide plan to integrate climate change adaptation planning and 

actions into the agency’s programs, policies, and operations. To address the climate crisis and promote 

resilience and adaptation, OPM has and will continue to take the following actions: 

• Integrate climate information to address and promote climate change adaption and climate resilience

across our mission, programs, and operations.

• Develop, implement, and evaluate climate-ready policies and programs which address climate change

challenges and further Government-wide climate change adaptation, climate literacy, and climate

resilience goals.

• Establish and maintain strong partnerships with other agencies in addition to local, regional, state, and

other Federal entities to develop policies and programs that promote / enhance climate adaptability

and resilience, mitigate climate-related risk to Federal workers and property, and address climate

change-related effects.

Since submitting our Climate Action Plan last year, OPM is proud to have helped raise the minimum wage for 

Federal employees to $15 per hour, which led to a raise for approximately 70,000 Federal employees – 

including wildland firefighters. Additionally, with our colleagues at USDA and DOI, OPM has taken bold steps 

and actions to establish a new wildland fire management job occupational series for Federal firefighters, 

increased pay for Federal wildland firefighters across the nation, and created new mental health and wellness 

supports. Per EO 14008, we have conducted a government-wide survey and are currently exploring additional 

training offerings which will further expand the Federal workforce’s awareness of and competencies in climate 

adaptation and resilience efforts. Please see our 2022 Progress Report for additional details and information 

and we look forward to sharing our progress in future reports.

Kiran A. Ahuja 

Director 
1 

Climate Adaptation Plan 2022 Progress Report 

Agency U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM)

Climate Adaptation Official E. Reid Hilliard

Agency Climate Adaptation 

Webpage 

https://www.opm.gov/sustainability

Section 1: Updates on Priority Actions

1. Priority Action Progress Summary

Action

[Priority Action #] 

Current

Status

Not started / 

In progress / 

Complete

Estimated date of 

completion 

Month / Year

Brief Description of Progress

1-2 sentences describingprogress to date

Leveraging workforce 

flexibilities as a strategic 

asset to promote climate 

resilience and adaptation 

In progress M-21-25 issued

6/2021.

FAQs completed 

6/2021. 

Updated Guide to 

Telework and 

Remote Work

completed 

11/21/2021. 

An annual review 

of telework data 

will be compared 

by the end of 2022. 

OPM is actively working with agencies on ways to 

use telework and remote work as a strategic 

management tool to effectively deliver on their 

mission. For many agencies, this will mean 

increased use of telework and remote work 

compared to pre-pandemic levels. This increased 

use of telework and remote work furthers the goals 

of the E.O. 14008 by limiting Federal employees’ 

commute and reducing commuting-based carbon 

emissions. OPM has been issuing regular guidance 

as needed and will continue.
2 

Action

[Priority Action #] 

Current

Status

Not started / 

In progress / 

Complete

Estimated date of 

completion 

Month / Year

Brief Description of Progress

1-2 sentences describingprogress to date

Increasing support for 

wildland firefighters and 

other occupations critical 

to Federal adaptation and 

resilience efforts

 In progress Increase in 

minimum wage to 

$15/ hour 

completed 1/2022. 

Issued new 

wildland 

firefighter 

occupational 

series 6/2022.

OPM raised the minimum wage for Federal 

employees to $15 / hour. This increase led to a 

raise for approximately 70,000 Federal employees, 

including wildland firefighters. Please see the 

Achieving a $15 Per Hour Minimum Pay Rate for 

Federal Employees policy memo for additional 

information. 

On June 21, the White House announced that 

OPM, USDA, and DOI took a series of actions and 

bold steps to increase pay, create new mental 

wellness and health supports, and establish a new 

wildland fire management job series for Federal 

firefighters. These measures are a significant step 

forward that will deliver an immediate, temporary 

pay raise to Federal wildland firefighters across the 

nation and sets Federal agencies on a path to 

continue working with stakeholders towards an 

updated, competitive, and equitable pay structure, 

along with a support system that will address the 

many challenges that have plagued our wildland 

firefighter workforce for decades. 

For more information, please see the WH fact 

sheet. Details on the occupational series can be

found here, and a detailed overview of the agency

actions can be found here. 

Attracting top talent to 

promote adaptation across 

agencies through the 

creation of the President’s 

Sustainability Executives 

Program 

Deferred per 

CEQ

 2022 In partnership with CEQ, OPM seeks to enable 

agencies to bring innovative senior leaders from 

the private, non-profit, and academic sectors 

directly into Federal agencies to support agencies’ 

efforts to address challenges and help solve 

complex problems related to the climate crisis. A 

model was drafted and provided to Council on 

Environmental Quality (CEQ). The CEQ decided 

to defer full adoption in FY 22 and is conducting a 

limited (Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) 

only) test case. 

Expanding availability of 

effective training to 

expand government’s 

awareness and 

competencies related to 

climate adaptation and 

resilience.

 In progress 2024 OPM conducted a government-wide study per the 

E.O. and provided draft report to CEQ on 

4/29/2022 for comments.
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2. Priority Action Progress Examples

Example 1: OPM is assisting agencies with how to apply remote work and telework policies to transition to a hybrid

work environment. OPM expects that agencies will adopt more telework and remote work than they did pre-pandemic. 

This increased adoption will reduce the overall carbon footprint of the Federal workforce and will also improve

government’s resilience in the event of climate-connected natural disasters that disrupt regular government operations. 

Example 2: OPM issued policy in January 2022 to ensure that Federal wildland firefighters—and almost all Federal

employees—now earn a minimum of $15 per hour for their critical work. As noted above, OPM has taken the 

necessary step of creating the Wildland Fire Management occupational series established under the Bipartisan 

Infrastructure Law. No such series has existed for 50 years. The new occupational series better identifies Federal

firefighters with the work they do. It defines the duties of wildland firefighters and is responsive to the calls of 

firefighters and their unions to provide opportunities for career advancement. It also gives a boost to recruiting, as 

agencies can now post job opportunity announcements that specifically target people interested in wildland firefighting 

jobs. Additionally, the occupational series will help with retention, as our wildland firefighter workforce will benefit 

from a clear career path with detailed requirements for advancement, providing wildland firefighters with a job title 

and position description that more accurately reflects their contributions.

Over the coming summer months, the Administration is implementing a new set of temporary pay increases that will 

put retroactive pay (from October 1, 2021) into wildland firefighters’ pockets, increasing their bi-weekly pay, up to the 

lesser of $20,000 or 50% of their annual base salary through September 2023. Federal agencies will begin processing

these payments in the coming weeks, with additional payments to occur throughout July and August. The $600 million 

in the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law serves as a bridge as the Administration works with Congress on longer-term 

reforms.

Example 3: At the appropriate time, the Office of Personnel Management will work with the Council on 

Environmental Quality (CEQ) to enable agencies to bring senior leaders from the private, non-profit, and academic 

sectors directly into Federal agencies to support agencies’ efforts to address challenges and help solve complex

problems related to the climate crisis through the President’s Sustainability Executives Program. OPM and CEQ will 

work with agencies to identify opportunities to significantly improve adaptation, resilience, or sustainability programs. 

In the short term, OPM will support the pilot CEQ is currently running at EPA. 

Example 4: As directed by E.O. 14008, the Office of Personnel Management’s Center for Leadership Development

(CLD) completed a detailed review of existing training curriculum available to Federal employees to identify 

opportunities to expand the Federal workforce’s competencies and awareness of sustainability and resilience issues.

CLD focused on reviewing its leadership, management, and professional development curricula for the initiative and 

conducted a deep dive into trainings available from other agencies to determine opportunities for further expansion of 

this training across government. OPM’s CLD team looks forward to continued partnership with CEQ to refine these 

recommendations and begin implementation on a timeline consistent with available resources. 

Section 2: Updates on Other Initial Plan Topics 

1. Climate Risk Reduction

While OPM does not own or construct new buildings or perform major modernizations, OPM will continue to reduce 

fossil fuel use in the facilities the agency operates and manages to help reduce greenhouse gas emissions. One of the 

important steps in reasserting OPM’s commitment to addressing the existential crisis of climate change is increasing

its consumption of renewable electricity at its headquarters building to 50 percent effective November 2021. OPM 

participates in GSA’s group renewable power procurement. 
4 

These initiatives at OPM align with the President’s pledge to tackle the climate crisis and invest in innovation to spur 

transformational technologies that can help reduce emissions, while also creating new economic opportunities to build 

the industries of the future. 

2. Climate Vulnerability Assessments

Since the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) conducted its last vulnerability assessment in 2014, OPM’s climate 

adaptation team will conduct a new assessment as part of the implementation of E.O. 14008. This assessment will

focus on how OPM can better prepare for weather-related crises affecting the government’s operating status and

promote the health and safety of employees. OPM will review these procedures during FY 2022. 

3. Climate Literacy

The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) will identify climate adaptation learning content from across the

government and academic/non-profit organizations to expand the availability of effective training to further expand 

government’s awareness and competencies related to climate adaptation and resilience.

OPM is at the beginning stages of an effort to identify best in class climate adaptation training content to be made 

available through OPM’s Center on Leadership Development (CLD). 

4. Tribal Engagement

The Office of Personnel Management supported the Department of Interior (DOI) in converting 153 tribal positions 

into permanent jobs that can support wildfire response. 

OPM works on tribal outreach in other areas. 

5. Environmental Justice

OPM will use the Climate Action Plan to identify ways our policy can better support Federal workers and communities 

that may be disproportionately impacted by climate-change disruptions. We will also evaluate policies to promote 

equitable access to flexibilities and supports.

OPM continues its environmentally sound disposition of all agency excess and surplus electronics, consistent with 

Federal policies on recycling and disposing of electronic assets, measure, and report compliance. 

6. Partnerships

The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) will continue to work closely with agencies across government via the

Chief Human Capital Officers Council and the President’s Management Council. OPM will work with the Chief 

Learning Officers Council as well as agencies with existing expertise in training around climate adaptation resilience 

(e.g., DOE, EPA, and FEMA). 

In increasing its support for wildland firefighters and other occupations critical to Federal adaptation and resilience 

efforts, OPM will work closely with the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), the United States 

Department of Interior (DOI), and the Office of Management and Budget (OMB). 

Section 3: New Topics from E.O. 14057 

1. Policy Review

Based on the vulnerability identified in 2014, the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) will examine its policies 

and procedures to identify ways OPM can, within existing laws, enhance response to extreme weather events. 
5 

OPM’s Office of Procurement Operations (OPO) informs vendors to reduce their impacts on emissions on awarded 

contracts to conform to E.O. 14008 and E.O. 14057 and is reviewing and updating OPM acquisition policies 

accordingly.

2. Climate Scenario Analysis

The Office of Personnel Management will measure government-wide statistics on telework and remote work with the 

priority adaptation action for leveraging workforce flexibilities as a strategic asset to promote climate resilience and

adaptation. The Office of Personnel Management will examine its policies and procedures to identify ways OPM can

enhance responses to extreme weather events. The Office of Personnel Management can align existing resources for its 

decision-making to the initiative on leveraging workforce flexibilities as a strategic asset to promote climate resilience 

and adaptation. 

Chief

Sustainability 

Officer (CSO)

•Office of Personnel Management, Facilities, Security, and Emergency Management (FSEM)

• FSEM/CSO has overall responsibility for implementing the agency’s sustainability program to meet the goals of Executive Order

14008 and EO 14057.

•Office of Personnel Management, Employee Services (ES), Talent Acquisition

• ES will lead the priority adaptation action for leveraging workforce flexibilities as a strategic asset to promote climate resilience 

and adaptation.

• ES will also lead the priority adaptation action for increasing support for Wildland Firefighters and other occupations critical to 

Federal adaptation and resilience efforts.

•Office of Personnel Management, Human Resources Solutions (HRS), Center for Leadership Development (CLD)

• HRS/CLD will lead the priority adaptation action for expanding availability of effective training to expand government’s awareness 

and competencies related to climate adaptation and resilience. 

•Office of Personnel Management, HRS, Center for Leadership Development (CLD) and Employee Services (ES), Talent Acquisition

• HRS/CLD and ES will serve as co-leads for the priority adaptation action and attracting top talent to promote adaptation across

agencies through the creation of the President’s Sustainability Executives Program.

Employee 

Services (ES) 

Talent 

Acquisition

Center for 

Leadership 

Development 

(CLD)

Center for 

Leadership 

Development & 

Employee 

Services
U.S. Office of Personnel Management

Facilities, Security, and Emergency Management

1900 E Street, NW, Washington, DC 20415

OPM.GOV

FSEM-03485-10/2022