U.S. ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY
Climate Adaptation Action Plan
SEPTEM BER 2021
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U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Climate Adaptation Action Plan
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o
September 2021
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UNITED STATES ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY
WASHINGTON, D.C. 20460
May 26, 2021
THE ADMINISTRATOR
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Policy Statement on Climate Change Adaptation
The impacts of climate change are affecting people in every region of the country, threatening lives and
livelihoods and damaging infrastructure, ecosystems, and social systems in communities across the
nation. Certain communities and individuals are particularly vulnerable to these impacts, including low-
income communities and communities of color, children, the elderly, tribes and indigenous people.
Climate change can also exacerbate existing pollution problems and environmental stressors. All of
these impacts challenge the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's ability to accomplish its mission of
protecting human health and the environment. As your Administrator, I believe we must take the actions
necessary to ensure we continue to fulfill our mission even as the climate changes and work with other
federal agencies to increase the resilience of the nation.
In his first week in office, President Joe Biden directed all federal agencies to integrate climate
adaptation planning into their missions, programs and management functions to ensure their success in
enhancing preparedness for and resilience to the climate crisis. For the EPA, this includes evaluating
how climate change might affect our efforts to attain environmental standards given heat waves and
more intense storms, increased use of pesticides given expanded lifespans and habitat of insects and
impacts of rising seas and storm surges on hazardous waste sites and critical water infrastructure.
Identifying strategies that deliver co-benefits for mitigation of greenhouse gases and other pollution,
public health, economic growth and job creation, national security and environmental justice will be
central to building a more resilient future.
In 2014, the EPA developed its first Climate Change Adaptation Plan and began to mainstream
adaptation planning into the agency's work. We have partnered with other federal agencies, states,
tribes, territories, local governments and international partners to promote climate resilience across the
nation and internationally. Nevertheless, more needs to be done given the magnitude of this global
challenge.
I am directing my leadership team, including assistant administrators, general counsel, associate
administrators and regional administrators, to update the agency's 2014 Plan and to proactively
incorporate climate adaptation planning into the agency's programs, policies, rules and operations, while
we also work to reduce greenhouse-gas emissions. Specifically, I direct all EPA offices to work with the
Office of Policy to complete or update their Implementation Plans, as relevant, to:
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1.
Integrate climate adaptation planning into EPA programs, policies and rulemaking processes.
2. Consult and partner with states, tribes, territories, local governments, environmental justice
organizations, community groups, businesses and other federal agencies to strengthen adaptive
capacity and increase the resilience of the nation, with a particular focus on advancing
environmental justice.
3. Implement measures to protect the agency's workforce, facilities, critical infrastructure, supply
chains and procurement processes from the risks posed by climate change.
4. Modernize EPA financial assistance programs to encourage climate-resilient investments across
The EPA will actively engage with organizations representing overburdened and underserved
communities that are more vulnerable to climate impacts to ensure the EPA's adaptation plans reflect
the principles of environmental justice and equity.
The Associate Administrator for the EPA's Office of Policy is designated as the agency's Senior
Climate Change Adaptation Official and is responsible for working with EPA programs and regions to
develop and carry out the activities described in the Action Plan.
Working together, we will act based on science and seize the opportunities that tackling the climate
crisis presents.
the nation.
Michael S. Regan
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Table of Contents
Page
Section 1: Introduction 1
Section 2: Leadership 1
Section 3: Climate Adaptation Vision for EPA 2
Section 4: Vulnerability Assessment 3
Section 5: Agency-Wide Climate Adaptation Priorities 7
Section 6: Enhancement of Climate Literacy in EPA Workforce 24
Section 7: Agency Actions to Ensure Climate-ready Sites and Facilities 25
Section 8: Ensuring a Climate-ready Supply of Products and Services 26
Conclusion: Contribution to a Healthy and Prosperous Nation 27
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1. Introduction
Climate change poses a real and present danger to communities all across the country. Its impacts are
already being felt. President Biden's Executive Order 14008, Tackling the Climate Crisis at Home and
Abroad, requires federal agencies to develop Climate Action Plans that describe their agency's climate
vulnerabilities and the steps it will take to bolster adaptation and increase resilience to the impacts of
climate change.
This 2021 EPA Climate Adaptation Action Plan ("Plan") builds on a strong foundation. The agency
released its first Climate Change Adaptation Plan in June 2014, followed by 17 Climate Change
Adaptation Implementation Plans prepared by its National Environmental Program Offices, National
Support Offices, and 10 Regional Offices. The 2021 Plan accelerates action and focuses agency attention
on priority actions it will take to fulfill our mission and increase human and ecosystem resilience even as
the climate changes.
This Plan will be followed by updates to the 17 Implementation Plans produced in 2014. Every office will
report on its progress since 2014 and identify future actions to address the agency-wide priorities
identified in this Plan. EPA offices will engage with states, tribes, territories, local communities, and
other stakeholders when updating their plans.
2. Leadership
EPA's FY 2023-2026 Strategic Plan includes a new goal focused on tackling the climate crisis. The goal
includes three objectives that reflect priorities in Executive Order 14008, Tackling the Climate Crisis at
Home and Abroad:
Objective 1: Reduce Emissions that Cause Climate Change
Objective 2: Accelerate Resilience and Adaptation to Climate Change Impacts
Objective 3: Advance International and Subnational Climate Efforts
The 2021 EPA Climate Adaptation Action Plan contains five agency-wide priority actions and measures
for evaluating performance that support Objective 2. The Plan also supports the agency's and
government-wide efforts to advance environmental justice.
The Office of Policy is responsible for the development, management, and execution of this Plan. The
Associate Administrator for EPA's Office of Policy is designated as the agency's Senior Climate Change
Adaptation Official. The official will work with the agency's Chief Sustainability Officer and with EPA
programs and regions to ensure implementation of the agency-wide priority actions and management
activities described in this Plan.
The Cross-EPA Work Group on Climate Change Adaptation will support the goals of the Senior
Adaptation Official and Chief Sustainability Officer by coordinating the implementation of this Plan
across National Programs and Regional Offices. The work group includes representation from every
National Environmental Program Office, Regional Office, and National Support Offices. The Senior
Advisor for Climate Adaptation in the Office of Policy will chair the work group.
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3. Climate Adaptation Vision for EPA
We live in a world in which the climate is changing. According to the U.S. Global Change Research
Program, the Earth's climate is warming and changing faster than at any point in the history of modern
civilization, primarily because of emissions of heat-trapping greenhouse gases from fossil fuel
combustion, deforestation, and land-use change. The changing climate is affecting people's health and
livelihoods and damaging infrastructure, ecosystems,
and social systems in communities in every region of the
nation.
In this changing world, the United States Environmental
Protection Agency (EPA) is working to fulfill its mission
to protect human health and the environment. EPA will
take actions necessary to anticipate and plan for future
changes in climate and continue to fulfill its mission while advancing resilience and environmental
justice across the nation. EPA will ensure its programs, policies, rules, enforcement and compliance
assurance activities, and operations consider current and future impacts of climate change and how
those impacts will disproportionately affect certain communities. It will develop and implement
measures to protect its workforce, facilities, supply chains, and procurement processes from risks posed
by climate change. Through climate change adaptation planning and implementation, EPA will continue
to protect human health and the environment by reducing risks from climate change impacts while also
working to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
EPA will also work with its partners across the country to strengthen adaptive capacities and increase
the resilience of the nation, with a particular focus on advancing environmental justice, in ways that
support attaining the agency's mission and that are within its statutory authority. States, tribes,
territories, and local communities, as well as federal and international partners, share responsibility with
EPA for protecting human health and the environment. These partnerships are critical for efficient,
effective, and equitable implementation of climate adaptation strategies. EPA will also
assist international partners that seek assistance on climate adaptation and capacity building issues.
EPA recognizes the need to holistically address mitigation of greenhouse gas emissions to limit the
magnitude and rate of climate change while also adapting to those impacts that are unavoidable. In
crafting and implementing its adaptation plan, the agency will identify strategies that deliver co-benefits
for mitigation of greenhouse gases and other pollution, public health, economic growth and job
creation, national security, and environmental justice—all of which will be central to building a more
resilient future.
Of particular concern is that the impacts of climate change within and across U.S. regions and across the
world will not be distributed equally. Certain communities and individuals are particularly vulnerable to
the impacts of climate change, including low-income communities, children, the elderly, and
Climate Adaptation Vision
EPA continues to fulfill its mission of
protecting human health and the
environment even as the climate changes
and disruptive impacts increase.
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communities of color, tribes, and indigenous people. EPA will
prioritize the most vulnerable populations with the goal of
attaining a more equitable, just, and resilient future within and
across communities.
EPA's commitments are part of a larger federal effort to pursue
actions at home and abroad to avoid the most catastrophic
impacts of climate change. As part of this whole-of-government
approach, EPA will closely coordinate with other federal agencies
on climate change adaptation challenges that cut across agency
jurisdictions to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of the
combined federal effort.
4. Vulnerability Assessment
This section briefly describes the vulnerabilities of EPA's mission,
facilities, and operations to climate change, and is organized by
major program areas. Limitations in the adaptive capacity and
resilience of our partners, the disproportionate impacts climate
change has on certain communities, and the costs associated with
implementing changes are also vulnerabilities for EPA across all
program areas.
4.1 Air quality
Although tremendous progress has been made improving air quality across the nation, climate change
makes it more difficult to attain air quality standards and protect the quality of the air we breathe,
posing higher risks to public health, and especially overburdened and vulnerable populations.
• Tropospheric ozone levels may increase. Higher temperatures and changes in circulation patterns,
such as increased inversions, can increase tropospheric
ozone levels and change the length of the ozone season
unless ozone precursor emissions are reduced. This
threatens attainment of air quality standards, thus
necessitating stricter pollution controls, and increases risks
of respiratory illness and premature death, especially in
vulnerable populations.
• Particulate matter (PM) concentrations may increase. More frequent and severe wildfires due
to climate change and windblown dust from regions affected by drought diminish air quality.
Climate change increases the frequency of temperature inversions, which can trap particulate
matter.
Definitions
Climate change adaptation or climate
adaptation means taking action to
prepare for and adjust to both the
current and projected impacts of
climate change.
Adaptive capacity is the ability of a
human or natural system to adjust to
climate change (including climate
variability and extremes) by moderating
potential damages, taking advantage of
opportunities, or coping with the
consequences.
Climate resilience can be generally
defined as the capacity of a system to
maintain function in the face of stresses
imposed by climate change and to adapt
the system to be better prepared for
future climate impacts.
Climate change mitigation refers to
actions limiting the magnitude and rate
of future climate change by reducing
greenhouse gas emissions.
Increases in ozone due to climate
change may make it more difficult to
attain or maintain air quality
standards.
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• Climate change can worsen indoor air quality. For example, changes in ambient humidity, and more
frequent heavy rainfalls and floods can increase moisture in
buildings, leading to higher mold concentrations, dust mites,
bacteria, and other biological contaminants indoors. Wildfire
smoke, airborne allergens, and other particle pollution from
outdoors can infiltrate homes and buildings. More frequent
power outages and use of portable generators can increase
the risk of carbon monoxide poisoning indoors. Increased
indoor pesticide applications in response to geographic shifts in
lead to higher exposures.
• Climate change can make stratospheric ozone layer recovery more difficult. The interactions
between the changing climate and stratospheric ozone layer are complex, including changes in
chemical transport, atmospheric composition, and temperature. These impacts could pose serious
risks to human health, such as increased exposure to extreme heat and UV radiation.
• Atmospheric deposition of pollutants may harm the environment. The combination of patterns in the
atmospheric deposition of sulfur, nitrogen, and mercury with global climate change has implications
for the health of ecosystems, shifts of species, the chemistry of surface waters, and the production
of methylmercury and its bioaccumulation in food webs.
• The ability to measure, communicate, and model air quality may be affected. Changes in
meteorology (i.e., increasing temperatures, changes in circulation, inversions) could alter where
maximum concentrations occur, thereby affecting air monitoring network adequacy and EPA's
ability to effectively model future air quality and provide useful information to the public. As the
climate becomes less predictable and more dynamic, EPA's capacity to manage these worsening
endpoints will degrade as the likelihood of extreme events increases and predictions become more
difficult.
4.2 Water quality
The quality of the nation's water bodies has substantially improved over the last half century but faces
climate-related challenges.
• Climate change degrades water quality through many pathways. Impacts include lower stream flows
or lake levels that concentrate pollutants; higher temperatures that reduce dissolved oxygen levels;
higher carbon dioxide concentrations that increase the
acidity of waterbodies; increased runoff of nutrients and
other pollutants due to heavier precipitation events; more
sewer overflows and wastewater bypasses; and, if combined
with sufficiently high nutrient levels and temperatures, more
harmful algal blooms, pathogens, and water related
illnesses.
• Sea level rise, higher temperatures, increasingly frequent
and intense storm events, and acidification are degrading
coastal ecosystems and reducing water supplies. Coastal aquifers are already experiencing higher
Lower indoor air quality often
disproportionately poses health risks
to the young, the elderly, and other
highly vulnerable people.
pests and pest-borne disease can
Vulnerable and underserved
communities may be particularly at
risk, from lack of access to clean and
safe water as well as from limitations
on their ability to prepare for and
respond to climate- related events
affecting their water infrastructure.
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salinity levels because of rising sea levels that intrude into groundwater supplies. Waterlines and
coastline areas are shifting, threatening public safety and property. The inland migration of coastal
wetlands can be blocked by human-made structures (e.g., levees, seawall), while higher water
temperatures and salinity can alter the location of fish and coastal vegetation. These changes also
lead to an increasing presence of invasive species.
• Changes in snowpack and precipitation will affect water supplies. Shrinking snowpack, earlier
snowmelt, higher evaporation, and reduced precipitation can reduce water supplies and lead to
more drying that can increase the risk of wildfires. Higher temperatures can also increase demand
for water. Such impacts can increase competition for water across uses, including drinking water,
agriculture, energy, recreation, and ecosystem protection.
• Climate change is already harming water infrastructure. Drinking water and wastewater treatment
infrastructure can be overwhelmed or damaged by flooding, sea level rise, higher storm surges, and
extreme events. These impacts may impede the functioning of drinking water intakes and
wastewater outflows. They will also challenge the functioning and performance of stormwater
infrastructure.
4.3 Contaminated sites
Despite ongoing progress in cleaning up contaminated sites and ensuring the safety of industrial
facilities, climate change can exacerbate the already toxic conditions at contaminated sites, including
polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) cleanup sites subject to the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA), and can
disrupt existing cleanup remedies.
• Wildfire, more intense flooding and coastal storms, and sea level rise, can release pollution from
contaminated sites and/or industrial facilities. Wildfire ash, water inundation, and flooding may
transport pollution out of sites, while increased salinity of aquifers from sea level rise may mobilize
formerly stable contaminants. Many industrial areas are located near rivers, bays, harbors and other
waterbodies, which makes contaminated sites more prone to releases of toxic materials to waters
during floods. The release of these pollutants threatens the quality of waterways and groundwater
sources of drinking water. It can also affect other services valued by the public, such as recreational
opportunities.
• Increased temperatures and changes in runoff can adversely
affect cleanups. Droughts can reduce water supplies for
water-intensive remedies, while runoff from fire-scorched
areas can introduce new contaminants to sites.
Contaminants may become more volatile with higher
temperatures, and climate change-induced changes in
vegetation can affect ecological revitalization efforts.
Droughts can increase wildfire frequency and intensity,
which can damage containment infrastructure.
• Unexpected, climate-driven conditions can compromise the effectiveness of cleanup remedies
selected without those impacts in mind. Sea level rise, rising groundwater tables, permafrost melt, or
storm events may release formerly stable contaminants into groundwater or soil. Treatment
Contaminated sites are often in or
near overburdened and
underserved communities. These
communities are likely to bear
greater risks and burdens from
climate-driven extreme events and
to have a harder time recovering.
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systems, caps, and other remedies may be rendered ineffective. For example, Alaskan landfills
situated on melting permafrost are contaminating local water supplies and threatening the health of
ecosystems and communities.
• Climate impacts can increase the amount of debris sent to landfills and can also encroach on the
landfills. Climate change is expected to produce more frequent and powerful natural disasters,
which will increase the amount of disaster-related wastes.
4.4 Chemical safety and pollution prevention
Rising temperatures, changes in precipitation, runoff and soil moisture, and shifts in ecosystems can
affect the presence and concentration of chemicals in the environment.
Climate change and subsequent alteration of ecosystems will likely result in changes in where crops are
grown and in the presence of pests and diseases. As pests move into new areas, pest management
practices and application of pesticides may expand. This may lead to more chemicals present in soil and
water. Chemical safety may be affected by changing chemical use patterns resulting from climate
change. An increase in the frequency of new pest problems could trigger requests for emergency
exemptions under the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA) if currently registered
pesticides are ineffective.
4.5 EPA's facilities and operations
The EPA has identified the following vulnerabilities to the agency's continued safe and efficient
operations (elaborated on in parts 6 and 7 of the Plan):
Increased frequency and severity of extreme weather events can
affect the agency's personnel safety, facilities, physical security,
and emergency communications. EPA facilities, particularly in
coastal areas, can be damaged by more intense high winds,
flooding, or storm surges. More intense or frequent flooding can
also block road access to EPA facilities. Long-term environmental
monitoring assets can be damaged by more high winds, floods, or
lightning, which can also disrupt the supplies of electric power to
EPA facilities. In addition, changes in water supply or quality can
impair the agency's ability to manage its facilities and conduct important research, particularly in
drought-prone areas. These impacts can also pose challenges to the EPA labs, researchers, and
companies EPA works with to accomplish their work.
Flooding and other climate change hazards can damage records or monitoring equipment needed to
evaluate compliance with environmental laws. EPA's enforcement and compliance assurance and
monitoring activities are based on records and site visits and/or remote monitoring by EPA and
regulated facilities. Agency enforcement and compliance systems assurance activities could be
compromised if EPA, state, or regulated facilities were damaged.
The planning and management of emergency operations can be limited by increased frequency and
severity of extreme weather. Increased extreme weather can reduce availability of the agency's staff and
Poor air quality, fires, floods,
hurricanes, and other extreme
events present risks to EPA
employees and contractors
engaged in field work, such as
sampling, remediation, and
inspections.
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resources to support the dispatch of emergency management personnel to assess environmental
damage and to test sites for air quality, water quality, and other human health and environmental
threats.
5. Agency-wide Climate Adaptation Priorities
EPA has identified priority actions it will take to integrate climate change adaptation into its programs,
policies, rules, enforcement and compliance assurance activities, and operations. These priorities
represent EPA's commitment to address its programs' vulnerabilities to climate change.
The following tables provide detailed information about the work EPA will do in each of the
priority areas.
Climate Adaptation Priorities
1.
Integrate climate adaptation into EPA programs, policies, rulemaking processes, and
enforcement activities.
2.
Consult and partner with states, tribes, territories, local governments, environmental
justice organizations, community groups, businesses, and other federal agencies to
strengthen adaptive capacity and increase the resilience of the nation, with a particular
focus on advancing environmental justice.
3.
Implement measures to protect the agency's workforce, facilities, critical infrastructure,
supply chains, and procurement processes from the risks posed by climate change.
4.
Measure and evaluate performance.
5.
Identify and address climate adaptation science needs.
Priority Action 1: Integrate climate adaptation into EPA programs, policies,
rulemaking processes, and enforcement activities.
Action Description: As much as possible and consistent with its authorities and available
resources, the EPA will account for the impacts of climate change and
related environmental justice concerns as it designs, implements, and
assesses its programs, policies, rules, and enforcement and compliance
assurance activities to ensure they are effective and resilient to climate
change. The agency will train its management and staff to integrate
adaptation into decision-making processes. EPA will develop decision-
support tools and provide technical assistance to enable staff to integrate
climate adaptation into programs and to identify strategies that will also
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yield co-benefits, such as reducing greenhouse gases and other pollution,
and advancing environmental justice.
Action Goal:
Effectively integrate climate adaptation planning into EPA's programs,
policies, rulemaking processes, and enforcement activities.
Agency Leads:
Office of Policy and Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance
Risk or Opportunity:
The opportunity is to enhance the agency's ability to fulfill its mission of
protecting public health and the environment even as the climate changes.
Scale:
The agency will implement this priority across all the Programs and Regional
Offices.
Timeframe:
The agency will commence these activities in FY 2021. It is anticipated this
will be an ongoing process.
To successfully achieve this priority action, EPA will:
Integrate climate change adaptation into rulemaking processes
EPA will integrate information about the impacts of climate change into
rulemaking processes consistent with its authorities. EPA will consider a
variety of "entry points," including the development of the rule itself;
related policy and guidance development; outreach to stakeholders,
especially overburdened and underserved communities that are more
vulnerable to climate impacts; post-rule permitting; and monitoring and
enforcement and compliance assurance activities.
EPA will update guidance on rulemaking processes to include more explicit
consideration of climate change. EPA developed this process to guide the
agency's rulemaking activities from the start of the rulemaking process
through the analysis of regulatory options to the final publication of a
regulation. EPA will integrate climate adaptation into these processes by:
• Pinpointing process points where climate change adaptation
considerations warrant identification and analysis. The rulemaking
process includes opportunities to discuss climate change adaptation
considerations, both internally and with stakeholders.
• Developing guidance documents and training rule writers to
understand the implications of climate change impacts and
incorporate these considerations into rulemaking. EPA will develop a
guide for climate change adaptation and provide training in the same
Implementation
Methods:
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way it has issued guidance on addressing children's health and
environmental justice for all rulemakings.
• Engaging the most vulnerable communities from the beginning of the
rulemaking process. Meaningful engagement will help EPA to
understand the disproportionate vulnerabilities of certain communities
and consider these vulnerabilities throughout the rulemaking process.
Integrate climate adaptation criteria into financial mechanisms
The agency will modernize its financial assistance programs to encourage
and support smarter, more climate-resilient investments by states, tribes,
territories, and local communities. It will do so by integrating climate
adaptation considerations, as appropriate, into discretionary and non-
discretionary financial mechanisms. This includes agency grants, cooperative
agreements, loans, technical assistance, contracts, and awards where the
project's desired outcomes are sensitive to climate change (e.g., clean air;
safe drinking water; site cleanups).
Integrate climate adaptation remedy selection for cleanup sites
EPA will update and develop policies addressing sea level rise in remedy
selection for cleanup sites managed by EPA under RCRA and TSCA. EPA will
develop guidance on how to address sea level rise in PCB cleanup approvals
with input from PCB Regional Coordinators. EPA will update its Guidance on
RCRA Corrective Action Decision Documents: Statement of Basis to address
sea level rise considerations.
Develop Decision-Support Tools that Enable EPA Staff and Partners to
Integrate Climate Adaptation Planning into their Work
Many standard analytical practices may be less effective unless they account
for climate change. For example, standard methods used for estimating the
probability and expected frequency of floods for flood plain mapping,
designing infrastructure, and estimating runoff of pollutants and sediments
entering rivers and streams are based on historical data rather than
scientifically credible expectations of future conditions. EPA and its partners
need to alter their standard practices and decision routines to account for a
continuously changing climate and how climate change will
disproportionately affect certain communities.
The development of decision-support tools plays a central role in EPA and
our stakeholder's efforts to adapt to climate change. Following the
recommendations of the National Research Council, EPA is committed to
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developing decision-support tools to improve the quality and efficacy of
decisions sensitive to climate change and related environmental justice
considerations. These tools will empower EPA staff and their partners to
consider climate, as well as changes in social and economic conditions that
are influenced by climate change. They will enable staff to integrate climate
adaptation and justice considerations into their work and decision-making
processes. Priority will be given to the development of tools that support the
agency's direct program implementation requirements and benefit multiple
end users within and outside EPA.
Update National Program and Regional Office Implementation Plans
Upon publication of this Plan, the EPA National Program Offices and
Regional Offices will update their respective Implementation Plans to report
on progress they have made integrating climate adaptation into their work
and to identify actions they will take to address the five agency-wide
priorities identified in the new EPA Climate Action Plan.
The updated Implementation Plans will ensure climate adaptation and
resilience are a high priority within the core missions and priorities of the
Program and Regional Offices. In addition, the Office of Policy and the Office
of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance will develop plans for the first
time. All Program and Regional Offices will report annually on progress with
implementation efforts.
Performance: The agency will monitor progress using the following measures:
Long-Term Measure:
• Starting in 2021, EPA will increase integration of climate change
adaptation into programs, policies, and rules and is committed to
developing and implementing Climate Adaptation Implementation Plans
for all EPA Programs and Regions.
Interim Measures:
• Program and Regional offices will develop and implement Climate
Adaptation Implementation Plans that contain goals, measures,
commitments, and implementation strategies.
• EPA programs will develop adaptation training for programs and staff.
• EPA will train managers and staff on how to integrate climate adaptation
into their job duties.
• The number of agency employees who access the internal Adaptation
Resource Center and/or the public ARC-X system for programmatic tools
and information will increase by 25% per year.
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Intergovernmental EPA will support capacity building for state, tribal, territorial, local, and
Coordination: international partners by working with them to develop and use effective
decision-support tools. EPA will coordinate with other Federal agencies on
developing decision-support tools with partners, when appropriate.
Resource
Implications:
The agency will need additional personnel and funding resources to
successfully implement this priority action.
Challenges/Further
Considerations:
Management of limited resources (personnel and funding) to support the
breadth of climate adaptation activities across all Programs and Regions.
Examples of
Accomplishments to
Date:
Adaptation training for all new EPA employees.
Training for partners: Local Government Climate Adaptation Training
and Understanding Climate Change Impacts on Water Resources.
Visual mapping tool: Region 1 tool to assist EPA in assessing climate
impacts on contaminated sites.
Integrating climate change into Superfund cleanup processes:
Training and technical support for remedial project managers on
conducting site-level risk assessments that incorporate information
on potential impacts of climate change effects.
Priority Action 2: Consult and partner with states, tribes, territories, local
governments, environmental justice organizations, community groups, businesses,
and other federal agencies to strengthen adaptive capacity and increase the resilience
of the nation, with a particular focus on advancing environmental justice.
Action Description: States, tribes, territories, and local governments, in partnership with EPA
and other Federal Agencies, share responsibility for increasing resilience and
adapting to climate change in a manner that advances environmental
justice. These partnerships will be critical for efficient, effective, and
equitable implementation of climate adaptation strategies. EPA's Regional
and Program Offices will work with their partners, engage local
stakeholders, and use a diversity of approaches to build adaptive capacity
and encourage locally relevant climate action.
The EPA will support states, tribes, territories, communities, and businesses
by producing and delivering the training, tools, technical support, data, and
information they need to adapt and increase resilience to climate change.
The agency will also support more climate-resilient investments by states,
tribes, territories, and local communities and encourage the use of more
climate-friendly adaptation measures (e.g., solutions that reduce, rather
than increase, energy use).
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Action Goal:
Build and strengthen the adaptive capacity of states, tribes, territories,
communities and businesses.
Agency Lead: Office of Policy
Risk or Opportunity:
The opportunity is to help increase the resilience of the nation to the
impacts of extreme weather events and climate change.
Scale:
The agency will implement this priority across all the Programs and Regional
Offices.
Timeframe:
The agency will commence these activities in FY 2021. It is anticipated this
will be an ongoing process.
Implementation
Methods:
To successfully achieve this priority action, EPA will:
Implement Mechanisms for Building Adaptive Capacity
• Training: increasing awareness of ways climate change may affect
their ability to implement effective programs.
• Tools and information: providing access to tools, data, and
information to support decision making.
• Technical assistance: working with states, tribes, territories, and
communities to help develop and implement locally led plans
• Financial incentives: supporting climate-resilient investments in
communities
Advance Environmental Justice
The agency places special emphasis on working with overburdened and
vulnerable populations to increase their resilience to climate change. Such
populations include communities of color, low-income communities,
children, persons with disabilities, the elderly, tribes, and indigenous people
These groups and individuals may be especially vulnerable to climate change
impacts due to a variety of factors including, higher pollution burdens,
disproportionate exposure to environmental contaminants, lack of financial
resources, limited access to quality health care, and other barriers.
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For example, the elderly are more vulnerable to heat stress because they are
often in poorer health, have chronic diseases, and are less able to regulate
their body temperature during periods of extreme heat. Communities of
color often face
disproportionate climate risks
from the continuing impacts
of inequitable treatment and
discrimination.
Climate change poses risks to
children's health. It increases
children's risk of becoming ill or dying due to extreme heat; decreases lung
maturation due to exposure to ground-level ozone and particulate matter;
increases asthma and other allergic respiratory diseases from exposure to
aeroallergens and ozone, among others; increases illness from harmful algal
blooms and other waterborne pathogens; exacerbates adverse impacts on
cognitive development and the capacity of the body to regulate emotions;
and has the potential to worsen depression, anxiety, phobia, and panic
because of exposure to disasters and displacement.
The EPA's efforts to anticipate and adapt to the effects of climate change
will help the most vulnerable people and places reduce their exposure to
climate change and improve their capacity to prepare for or avoid adverse
impacts. For example, EPA will actively engage with community-based
organizations from overburdened and underserved communities that are
more vulnerable to climate impacts to ensure National Program and
Regional Office Implementation Plans reflect the principles of environmental
justice and equity.
The agency will make special efforts to work with those who have been
historically underrepresented in decision making, such as tribal nations and
communities of color, to develop adaptation plans that improve their
capacity to prepare for, cope with, and recover from climate change
impacts. The agency will also continue to focus on the life stages during
which people are most vulnerable to climate change. Development of
effective, equitable, and just adaptation plans and strategies will require EPA
to identify how pre-existing social inequities limit a community's adaptive
capacity and respond accordingly.
Support Tribes and Indigenous Peoples to Increase Adaptive Capacity
EPA recognizes that tribes and indigenous peoples are disproportionately
vulnerable to the impacts of climate change, due in part to their
dependence on specific geographic areas for their livelihoods; unique
The Agency will support the most
overburdened and vulnerable
communities to improve their
capacity to prepare for, cope with,
and recover from climate change
impacts.
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cultural, economic and political characteristics; and limited resources to
prepare for, respond to and recover from climate-related hazards.
The agency, in keeping with the Federal Trust Responsibility, will assure that
tribal concerns and interests are considered whenever EPA's actions and/or
decisions may affect Indian country. Pursuant to EPA's Policy on
Consultation and Coordination with Indian Tribes, EPA engages in
government-to-government consultation with tribes when actions or
decisions may affect their tribal interests. EPA is committed to engaging in
timely consultation and coordination on a government-to-government basis
to implement this plan and help tribes address their climate adaptation
concerns.
The EPA Policy on Environmental Justice for Working with Federally
Recognized Tribes and Indigenous Peoples (EJ Tribal/Indigenous Policy)
guides how EPA conducts work with federally recognized tribes, indigenous
peoples, other federal and state agencies, and other stakeholders in Indian
country and throughout the United States to advance environmental justice,
such as climate justice. EPA engages and works with indigenous peoples (as
defined in the EPA Tribal/Indigenous Policy) separately and differently from
our work with federally recognized tribes. Our work with indigenous peoples
may include support for community-based climate adaptation efforts.
The agency will support the development of climate science to meet priority
research needs and decision-support tools useful to the tribes and
indigenous peoples. EPA will work with tribes and indigenous peoples to
identify and support the use of climate change relevant traditional ecological
knowledge (TEK) in decision making. EPA recognizes that TEK, as an
expression of key information that links historical, cultural, and local
ecological conditions, may help tribes and indigenous peoples choose how
they adapt to climate change while also protecting resources and the uses of
those resources important to their culture and livelihood. These efforts will
leverage existing EPA partnerships with the tribes, tribal networks,
indigenous peoples, and indigenous networks.
On a national level, EPA will work with other Federal agencies to collectively
support tribes and indigenous peoples as they assess their vulnerabilities to
climate change and plan and implement adaptation actions. Regional Offices
will seek opportunities to work together with other Federal agencies'
regional offices to provide strong support to tribes and indigenous peoples
on their climate change challenges.
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Performance:
The agency will monitor progress using the following measures:
Long-Term Measure:
• EPA will strengthen the adaptive capacity of states, tribes, territories,
local governments, environmental justice organizations, community
groups, and businesses, with a particular focus on advancing
environmental justice, by increasing the number EPA has assisted,
through grants or technical assistance, to 1) develop or update their
climate resilience/adaption plans and/or 2) implement an action to
anticipate, prepare for, and adapt to climate change.
Interim Measures:
• Increase the number of climate adaptation or community resilience-
building planning or implementation efforts in overburdened and
underserved communities in which EPA contributes resources, technical
assistance, and/or actively participates.
• Increase the number of unique and returning external visitors to the
ARC-X system.
• Increase the number of state-level and regional-level versions of the
ARC-X system developed by universities with EPA support.
• Include climate adaptation evaluation criteria in Grant Guidance and
Requests for Proposals.
• Increase the number of states, territories, local governments,
environmental justice organizations, community groups, and businesses,
with a particular focus on advancing environmental justice, that have
incorporated climate change adaptation into the implementation of
their environmental programs supported by major EPA financial
mechanisms.
• Support federally recognized tribes in incorporating climate adaptation
into at least one program supported by an EPA grant.
Intergovernmental EPA will consult and partner with states, tribes, territories, environmental
Coordination: justice organizations, community groups, businesses, and other federal
agencies to successfully implement this priority action.
Resource
The agency will need additional personnel and funding resources to
Implications:
successfully implement this priority action.
Challenges/Further
Management of limited resources (personnel and funding) to support the
Considerations:
breadth of climate adaptation activities across all Programs and Regions.
Examples of
• EPA's Climate Change Adaptation Resource Center (ARC-X) is an
Accomplishments to
innovative system designed to help all 40,000 communities across the
Date:
United States anticipate, prepare for, and adapt to the impacts of
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climate change (www.epa.gov/arc-x). It provides users with an
integrated package of information tailored specifically to their needs.
• EPA has supported the development of state-level and regional-level
versions of the ARC-X system by universities. The Indiana University ERIT
system is one example (https://eri.iu.edu/erit/index.html).
• EPA has modernized the financial assistance programs below to
encourage climate-resilient investments. These programs now
incorporate specific criteria, allow for adaptation planning, or otherwise
encourage communities to anticipate, plan for, and adapt to the
changing climate. Examples include:
o Brownfields grants
o Indian General Assistance Program
o Environmental Justice Small Grants Program
o State Revolving Funds
o Wetland program grants
• EPA has provided technical support:
o Support for tribes in the Pacific Northwest and Alaska: New EPA
Region 10 webpage providing support to tribal communities on
climate adaptation issues in Alaska, Idaho, Oregon, and
Washington.
o Providing adaptation planning assistance to Tribes: Support for
the Pala Band of Mission Indians to build Tribal capacity to
address the health effects of climate change.
• EPA has provided tools:
o EJSCREEN: Climate is incorporated into EPA's environmental
justice mapping and screening tool,
o Climate Resilience Evaluation and Awareness Tool (CREAT): A
software tool to assist drinking water and wastewater utility
owners and operators in understanding potential climate
change threats and in assessing the related risks at their
individual utilities,
o Stormwater Calculator with Climate Assessment Tool: Desktop
application that estimates the annual amount of rainwater and
frequency of runoff from a specific site anywhere in the United
States. The calculator includes future climate vulnerability
scenarios.
Priority Action 3: Implement measures to protect the agency's workforce, facilities,
critical infrastructure, supply chains, and procurement processes from the risks posed
by climate change.
Action Description: The EPA is committed to the safety of its personnel, the integrity of its
buildings, the efficiency of its operations, and the sustainability of the
communities in which its facilities are located. However, the impacts of
climate change, including more frequent and intense storms, wildfires,
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water shortages, and sea level rise, pose risks to meeting these objectives.
Climate change could disrupt the operation of the agency's programs,
compromise the safety of its staff, or affect the integrity of its physical
infrastructure. Adaptation planning to protect EPA's workforce, operations,
underlying infrastructure, and supply chains is crucial.
Where appropriate, EPA will develop and implement new measures to
protect its workforce and increase the resilience of its facilities and
operations to climate change. More detailed information about the specific
actions the agency will take to ensure climate-ready sites and facilities
appears in Part 7 of this Plan. Information about the specific actions the
agency will take to ensure a climate-ready supply of products and services
appears in Part 8 of this Plan.
Action Goal:
Increase the resilience to climate change of the agency's facilities and
operations, including critical supply chains.
Agency Lead:
As the office within EPA responsible for facilities, transportation, security,
health and safety, human resources, grants, and procurement, the Office of
Mission Support (OMS) is responsible for ensuring the safe and continued
operation of the agency's facilities, contracts, grants, and human resources
programs.
Risk or Opportunity:
Without specific action, climate change may (1) adversely affect critical
facilities and assets across the nation, and (2) jeopardize the availability of
essential services and supplies.
Scale:
This agency will implement these actions at mission-critical assets across the
nation.
Timeframe:
The agency will commence these activities in FY 2021. It is anticipated this
will be an ongoing process.
Where possible, EPA will enhance 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 the General Services Administration and
other government agencies, including local government agencies, to
account for climate change in the location, design, and construction of
new facilities, or when new buildings are leased so the agency invests in
long-term climate-smart infrastructure and operations.
Implementation •
Methods:
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Performance:
The agency will monitor progress using the following measures:
Long-Term Measure for Facilities:
• EPA will initiate priority climate resiliency projects for EPA-owned
facilities within 24 months of a completed facility climate assessment
and project prioritization.
Interim Measures for Facilities:
• EPA will 1) define climate resiliency for EPA facilities and 2) conduct a
climate assessment of all 20 owned facilities to determine which
facilities require investments to protect against climate and weather
change.
• EPA may prioritize identified projects based on multiple factors - ability
to execute, impact on facility resiliency, cost, etc.
• EPA will initiate 100% of the highest priority projects within 24 months
of assessment completion and prioritization.
Interim Measures for Acquisitions:
To further advance a climate-robust supply of goods and services that
prioritize climate readiness and prompt innovation in materials, products,
and contracting to meet mission needs, EPA will:
• Develop and implement acquisition policy to incorporate climate change
considerations in the advance acquisition planning process
(requirements and solicitation development for contractor response)
through consideration and assessment of climate change risks and
climate change innovations associated with the goods and services to be
procured.
• Develop and implement a Supply Change Management Program which
will include assessment of supply chain risk, with emphasis on climate
change risk assessment and mitigation to ensure consistent monitoring.
• Perform an in-depth assessment of climate change supply chain risk for
EPA mission critical contracts by applying the "GSA Framework for
Managing Climate Risks in Federal Supply Chains" and the seven
screening questions provided by CEQ.
Intergovernmental
OMS works in close coordination with the Federal Chief Sustainability
Coordination:
Officer, the General Services Administration, and other Federal agencies.
Resource
The agency will need additional personnel and funding resources to
Implications:
successfully implement this priority action.
Challenges/Further
Management of limited resources (personnel and funding) to support the
Considerations:
breadth of climate adaptation activities across all Programs and Regions.
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Examples of EPA has made progress in both mitigating greenhouse gas emissions and
Accomplishments to preparing for climate change. The agency's Strategic Sustainability
Date. Performance Plan (SSPP), for example, outlines numerous goals and
achievements in reducing the agency's greenhouse gas emissions, energy
dependence, water use requirements, solid waste, pollution, and other
environmental impacts. EPA also has in place an extensive continuity of
operations plan (COOP) designed to prepare for natural disasters and other
events that could interrupt agency operations.
Priority Action 4: Using Measurement, Data and Evidence to Evaluate Performance
Action Description: The EPA recognizes the importance of monitoring and evaluating
performance and acting on the lessons learned. The EPA will evaluate its
climate change adaptation actions on an ongoing basis to assess its progress
toward (1) integrating climate adaptation throughout the agency's
programs, policies, rules, enforcement and compliance assurance activities,
and operations; (2) modernizing financial assistance programs in ways that
encourage climate-resilient investments; (3) providing the information,
tools, training, and technical support that communities need to increase
resilience and adapt to climate change; and (4) advancing equity and justice
to support the needs of the most overburdened and vulnerable
communities in responding to climate change. Through ongoing evaluation,
the agency will learn how to effectively integrate climate adaptation into its
activities. The EPA will evaluate what worked and why, as well as what didn't
work and why not. Based on the lessons, the EPA will adjust the way
adaptation is integrated into its activities.
The EPA will track and evaluate its progress toward integrating climate
adaptation into the agency's programs, policies, rules, enforcement and
compliance assurance activities, and operations and its progress in
supporting partners to do the same. EPA is committed to building and using
data, measurement, and other evidence to evaluate the effectiveness of
climate adaptation tools, activities, program management, and policy
approaches. Through ongoing evaluation, the agency will learn how to
integrate climate adaptation planning more effectively across its programs
and across the country.
Adaptation to climate change will happen in stages, and measures should
reflect this evolution. The earliest changes in many programs will be changes
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in knowledge and awareness [e.g., increase in the awareness of EPA staff
and their external partners of the relevance of adaptation planning to their
programs). Building on this knowledge, they then will begin to change their
behavior [e.g., increase their use of available decision support tools to
integrate adaptation planning into their work). Finally, in the long term,
adaptation planning efforts will lead to changes in conditions [e.g.,
percentage of flood-prone communities that have increased their resilience
to storm events) to directly support EPA's mission to protect human health
and the environment.
The EPA will establish long-term measures under the agency's FY 2022-2026
Strategic Plan, as well as supporting annual measures in the FY 2023
Congressional Justification and appropriate internal metrics.
Action Goal:
Through ongoing evaluation, the agency will learn how to effectively
integrate climate adaptation into its activities.
Agency Lead:
Office of Policy
Risk or Opportunity:
Limitations on the agency's ability to use particular data collection
techniques [e.g., surveys of local government officials to evaluate the
usefulness of EPA tools), will limit its ability to conduct informative
evaluations.
Scale:
All EPA Programs and Regions.
Timeframe:
The agency will commence these activities in FY 2021. It is anticipated this
will be an ongoing process.
Implementation The EPA will use a combinatior
Methods: of long-term and interim
measures to assess progress.
However, it will be an ongoing
challenge to measure the
direct impact of EPA's
adaptation planning activities
on the resilience of its
programs and on the human
health and environmental outcomes it is striving to attain. Long-term
measures assess the climate adaptation outcomes we are ultimately trying
to influence, but the results often come months or years after EPA provides
support. The interim measures are more immediate actions EPA staff can
take [e.g., including adaptation criteria in grant solicitations, training,
EPA will use performance
measurement, data analysis,
evaluation, and other evidence-
building activities to understand
which climate adaptation strategies
work, what can be improved, and
what information gaps exist.
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development of decision support tools) to move us closer to achieving our
climate adaptation goals.
Performance: The agency will monitor progress using the following measures:
Long-Term Measure:
• EPA will measure its progress on enhancing the adaptive capacity of
states, tribes, territories, and communities by creating a robust
measurement system that includes both output and outcome measures.
Interim Measures:
• EPA will include Climate Adaptation in its 2022-2026 Strategic Plan and
develop both Long-Term Performance Goals and Annual Performance
Goals to track progress.
• EPA will update this plan and report on progress annually.
• EPA will evaluate progress on its climate adaptation support for
overburdened and vulnerable communities.
Intergovernmental
The agency will work closely with OMB to seek approval for the use of
Coordination:
survey mechanisms.
Resource
The agency will need additional personnel and funding resources to
Implications:
successfully implement this priority action.
Challenges/Further
Management of limited resources (personnel and funding) to support the
Considerations:
breadth of climate adaptation activities across all Programs and Regions.
• Using Google Analytics, EPA has monitored the use of its Climate
Change Adaptation Resource Center (ARC-X) from October 2016
through June 2021. Data indicate: (1) a steady increase in annual
repeat, unique users of the system, and (2) usage of the system in all
50 states. Desired enhancements to the system have been
identified.
Examples of
Accomplishments to
Date:
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Priority Action 5: Identify and address climate adaptation science needs.
Action Description: Implementing effective strategies to adapt to the changing climate requires
that decisions be grounded in the best available science on climate change
risks, impacts and vulnerabilities, and adaptive management practices.
Throughout EPA, there is a growing need for up-to-date information on the
existing data and information, models, and tools relevant to climate change
adaptation.
EPA has made progress
conducting climate-related
research and developing
models and tools. EPA will
support an agency-wide
approach to identify and
update priority research
needs, including social
science research, related to
climate change adaptation.
EPA will advance a rigorous exploratory and applied climate adaptation
science program by conducting climate-related research in its labs and
centers, supporting research through its grants program, conducting policy-
relevant assessments, communicating research and assessment results, and
delivering innovative and sustainable solutions. EPA will coordinate and
collaborate with other agencies and the scientific community to provide
access to the best available science, technologies, and practices.
Action Goal: Production and delivery of research results that benefit multiple Programs
and Regional Offices across EPA, our partners, and others across the world.
Agency Lead: Office of Research and Development: The EPA Office of Research and
Development (ORD) has the primary responsibility for coordinating with the
Program and Regional Offices to identify the priority science needs of the
agency and its partners. ORD is also EPA's primary representative to the U.S.
Global Change Research Program (USGCRP).
Risk or Opportunity: The opportunity is the production of research results that yield benefits to
multiple EPA Programs and Regions, as well as partners across the nation.
Scale: ORD will engage all the EPA National Program Offices and the 10 Regional
Offices, other federal agencies, and partners across the nation.
EPA's Office of Research and
Development will reinforce scientific
integrity and coordinate with the
Program and Regional Offices to
identify and address priority research
needs for the entire agency to support
the integration of adaptation planning
into the agency's activities.
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Timeframe:
The agency will commence these activities in FY 2021. It is anticipated this
will be an ongoing process as new scientific information emerges (e.g., with
the production of the 5th National Climate Assessment).
A Subgroup of the Cross-EPA Work Group on Climate Adaptation will be
established to oversee this priority action. ORD will chair the Subgroup.
The Subgroup will adhere to EPA's Scientific Integrity Policy. This policy
provides a framework intended to ensure scientific integrity throughout
the EPA and promote scientific and ethical standards.
To facilitate the ongoing sharing of information, the EPA will establish a
central repository of information and EPA tools related to climate
adaptation. The repository will also include information ("lessons
learned") about methods for integrating climate adaptation that EPA
offices have used that may be applicable to other users within the
agency or by EPA's federal, state, tribal, territorial, or local government
partners. EPA will collaborate with other federal agencies to develop and
maintain a means to ensure access to climate adaptation data.
ORD resources will be used to establish an EPA Regional Climate Science
Network which will address the growing need in each Regional Office for
local and region-specific scientific and technical expertise to inform
citizens, communities, and agency decision makers in their efforts to
anticipate, prepare for, adapt to, and recover from climate-driven
extreme events and their impacts to clean air, water, and land.
Performance: The agency will monitor progress using the following measures:
Long-Term Measure:
• EPA will have a rigorous exploratory and applied climate adaptation
science program that provides climate-relevant data, tools and
information to EPA staff and partners.
Interim Measures:
• EPA will assess priority climate adaptation science needs for its Program
and Regional Offices and develop a proposal for meeting those needs.
• ORD will support EPA Programs and Regions to base climate adaptation
decisions on sound science and in alignment with the Scientific Integrity
Policy.
• EPA will establish a central repository of information and EPA tools
related to climate adaptation.
• ORD will play a major role representing EPA's needs to other federal
agencies and in partnering with other organizations, including those
based in-or partnering with-overburdened and vulnerable
communities, to develop nationally and internationally relevant research
and information and the means to deliver that information to users at all
levels.
Implementation •
Methods:
Intergovernmental
Coordination:
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• ORD will coordinate with the U.S. Global Change Research Program
(USGCRP) and its 13 member agencies to advance a rigorous exploratory
and applied climate adaptation science program and to engage partners
across the nations to identify their priority research needs.
• ORD will support development of the 5th National Climate Assessment
by contributing to interagency coordination and leadership, authorship,
and review.
Resource
Implications:
Challenges/Further
Considerations:
The agency will need additional personnel and funding resources to
successfully implement this priority action. Establishment of an EPA Regional
Climate Science Network will require significant additional funds and
personnel in order to support all 10 EPA Regional Offices.
Management of limited resources (personnel and funding) to support the
breadth of climate adaptation activities across all Programs and Regions.
Examples of
Accomplishments to
Date:
Development and updating of EPA's Scientific Integrity Policy.
EPA Contributions to the 4th U.S. National Climate Assessment.
EPA Contributions to the USGCRP report, "The Impacts of Climate
Change on Human Health in the United States"
ORD contributions to the development of numerous decision support
tools for climate adaptation, such as the BASINS environmental analysis
system designed to help regional, state, and local agencies perform
watershed- and water quality-based studies.
6. Enhance Climate Literacy of the EPA Workforce and Our Partners
An organization must craft and adopt new means of achieving its goals as circumstances change. To
respond to climate change, EPA needs its personnel and partners to adopt new ways of achieving its
mission. EPA will build capacity through ongoing education and training. Equipped with an
understanding of projected climate-related changes and adaptation approaches and trained on how to
use new decision-support tools, EPA and its partners will be better able to incorporate climate
adaptation into their plans and decisions.
EPA's training, education, and outreach programs focused on climate adaptation are evolving. EPA will
develop, update, and expand the existing climate adaptation training modules for its staff and partners.
The training will have two primary goals. The first is to increase awareness about the importance of
climate adaptation and encourage all EPA staff and partners to consider the changing climate in the
normal course of business. The second is to introduce its staff and partners to specific methods and
tools for integrating climate adaptation into decision-making processes.
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7. Agency Actions to Ensure Climate-ready Sites and Facilities
Climate resiliency has been an integral component of EPA's site planning and facility support for more
than a decade. In preparation for severe weather effects on its buildings, infrastructure, operations, and
mission-critical activities, EPA's Office of Mission Support (OMS) has conducted climate resiliency
assessments at several key facilities in coastal, plains, and mountain regions to identify vulnerabilities
and opportunities for climate readiness and adaptation. EPA will conduct additional facility climate
resiliency assessments to identify new vulnerabilities and determine best practices for withstanding
severe weather events, enhancing IT security, ensuring resilient power supplies, and continuing EPA's
mission-related work in the event its buildings or operations are compromised by climate change.
In addition to resiliency assessments, EPA employs a variety of management strategies to ensure its
buildings are safe, resilient, and sustainable. The agency will continue to audit its facilities for safety,
physical security, and sustainability opportunities such as energy reduction, water conservation, and
fleet efficiency to reduce the agency's greenhouse gas emissions and climate change impacts. EPA will
also use its master planning process, which revisits facility plans every five years, to consider renovations
and other projects to enhance resilience and reduce the greenhouse gas emissions associated with its
operations.
Based on the results of its assessments and the efficiency measures it has reported in the Federal Energy
Management Program's Compliance Tracking System (CTS), EPA will update its master plans with
projects that reinforce facilities and operations to withstand and mitigate both short- and long-term
climate change impacts. Through its annual Operating Plan, EPA will identify both Buildings and Facilities
(B&F) and non-B&F funding, as well as the staff resources necessary to conduct some of the following
efforts, where feasible, to enhance building and operational resilience:
• Strategically relocate mechanical equipment, IT infrastructure, and other mission-critical equipment
if it can be disrupted by heavy wind, rain, floods,
or fires.
• Review site drainage and landscaping to prevent
flooding issues from intense storms.
• Commission new buildings and review existing
building envelope systems for compliance with
updated codes on water and wind resistance.
• Develop drought resiliency strategies for water
reuse and reduction in drought-prone areas and
consider creating "clear zones" around facilities
in areas with wildfire risks.
• Assess and address employee thermal comfort during extreme temperature shifts through design,
while also addressing additional burdens on energy and water use during peak utility use periods.
• Harness the power of procurement to ensure that the mechanical and operational equipment for its
facilities—as well as materials, furnishings, and fixtures—are resilient to and mitigate the effects of
EPA will work to ensure that its
adaptation efforts do not result in
adverse impacts on already vulnerable,
underserved or pollution-burdened
communities. EPA will give priority to
addressing the impacts of climate change
in and around its facilities located in
these communities.
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climate change [e.g., windows, roofing, and cladding materials used in coastal areas will be both
energy-efficient and able to withstand high-level hurricane winds and floods).
A variety of agency management systems will ensure comprehensive project evaluation and
coordination among key real estate, safety, security, and sustainability staff at EPA, as well as with the
U.S. General Services Administration (GSA). Each project is assigned a coordination checklist, provided
by EPA's Office of Administration, which is currently being updated to incorporate questions about
climate resiliency and greenhouse gas mitigation. The coordination checklist supports the required
National Environmental Policy Act reviews conducted on all construction projects. EPA also has a
GreenCheck process in place to review design drawings, specifications, and construction plans for any
new construction or major repair or renovation project; this process will ensure that climate-resilient
designs, materials, and methods are incorporated throughout the building process.
OMS has already identified more than 14 large and 120 small projects to enhance EPA facility resilience,
support resilient power and water supply, and ensure continuity of operations and computation in the
event of severe weather events. EPA will coordinate with local utilities, fire safety officials, GSA, and
other stakeholders to implement resiliency best practices and prepare contingency plans as needed.
8. Ensuring a Climate-ready Supply of Products and Services
To advance a climate-robust supply of goods and services that prioritize climate readiness and prompt
innovation in materials, products, and contracting to meet mission needs, EPA has done a very general,
high-level assessment of potential types of contract work that may be at risk from climate change-
related events. Some examples include:
Contracts requiring personnel performing essential work onsite. Many EPA facilities run 24/7 with a
minimum number of personnel needed to maintain operations and security, including animal care
contractors who must be on site and laboratory testing contractors who must be on site to ensure
samples in progress are not affected. Also, some equipment in EPA facilities need to be maintained by
technical contracts involving personnel with specialized expertise, such as high-dollar-value boilers for
maintaining facilities and nuclear magnetometers, which, if not properly maintained, could cease to
function and even destroy the buildings where they are housed. Additionally, EPA contractors
maintain emergency response and other equipment in warehouses across the country; a lack of
routine maintenance or calibration of that equipment could render it ineffective.
In a climate change-related emergency event, contractor personnel may not be able or willing to come
to the facility to perform the essential work, and critical supplies needed to continue their performance
may be in jeopardy. Adaptation could possibly include developing an "essential worker" clause for
relevant contracts and broadening the scope of acquisition planning to identify and consider alternative
sources to supplement or replace reduced or unavailable contractor capabilities and capacities.
Contracts for Superfund remediation and emergency response. Superfund sites that are in the process
of clean-up may need to be temporarily closed during a climate change-related event, requiring
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contractors to secure the site from further contamination and unauthorized physical access to the
site. Adaptation could include assessing the current portfolio of Superfund remediation and emergency
response contracts to ensure adequate site coverage.
Contracts for desktops, laptops, and mobile devices. Disruption in the supply chain from increased
storms and drought can compromise access to the materials and other components necessary to
manufacture these goods domestically and abroad. Adaptation could possibly include
increasing the variety of devices that are deemed "Agency Standard" to allow for more flexible
sourcing and supply chain diversity.
Contracts involving critical intellectual property. Intellectual property could be rendered inaccessible
due to contractor unavailability because of a climate change-driven event. Adaptation could include
more extensive market research to identify alternative systems and applications to reduce reliance on
custom or proprietary systems, software, and applications.
To further advance a climate-robust supply of goods and services that prioritize climate readiness and
prompt innovation in materials, products, and contracting to meet mission needs, EPA will:
• Develop and implement acquisition policy to incorporate climate change considerations in the
advance acquisition planning process (requirements and solicitation development for contractor
response) through consideration and assessment of climate change risks and climate change
innovations associated with the goods and services to be procured.
• Develop and implement a Supply Change Management Program that will include assessment of
supply chain risk, with emphasis on climate change risk assessment and mitigation to ensure
consistent monitoring.
• Perform an in-depth assessment of climate change supply chain risk for EPA mission critical
contracts by applying the "GSA Framework for Managing Climate Risks in Federal Supply Chains"
and the seven screening questions provided by the Council on Environmental Quality.
Conclusion: Contribution to a Healthy and Prosperous Nation
The priority placed on integrating climate adaptation within EPA complements efforts to encourage and
integrate climate adaptation across the entire federal government. Federal agencies now recognize that
climate change poses challenges to their missions, operations, and programs. Ensuring the capacity of
federal government agencies to maintain essential services and achieve their missions in the face of
climate change is vital to ensuring the resilience of the entire nation. The federal government has an
important and unique role in climate adaptation but is only one part of a broader effort that must
include public and private partners throughout the country and internationally. Partnerships with states,
tribes, territories, local communities, other governments, and international organizations are essential.
EPA's leadership and commitment to building the nation's adaptive capacity are vital to its mission of
protecting human health and the environment. Working with its partners, EPA will help promote a
healthy and prosperous nation that is more resilient to a changing climate.
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epa.gov/climateadaptationplari
EPA PUBLICATION NUMBER: 231R21001
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