United States Environmental Protection Agency FISCAL YEAR 2024 Justification of Appropriation Estimates for the Committee on Appropriations Tab 07: Buildings and Facilities March 2023 EPA-190-R-23-001 www.epa.gov/cj ------- Environmental Protection Agency 2024 Annual Performance Plan and Congressional Justification Table of Contents - Buildings and Facilities Contents Resource Summary Table 2 Program Projects in B&F 2 Homeland Security 3 Homeland Security: Protection of EPA Personnel and Infrastructure 4 Operations and Administration 6 Facilities Infrastructure and Operations 7 ------- Environmental Protection Agency FY 2024 Annual Performance Plan and Congressional Justification APPROPRIATION: Building and Facilities Resource Summary Table (Dollars in Thousands) FY 2024 FY 2023 President's Budget FY 2022 Enacted FY 2024 v. Final Operating President's FY 2023 Enacted Actuals Plan Budget Operating Plan Building and Facilities Budget Authority $31,730 $48,752 $111,685 $62,933 Total Work years 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 Bill Language: Building and Facilities For construction, repair, improvement, extension, alteration, and purchase offixed equipment or facilities of, or for use by, the Environmental Protection Agency, $111,685,000, to remain available until expended. Program Projects in B&F [Dollars in Thousands) Program Pro ject FY 2022 Final Actuals FY 2023 Enacted Operating Plan FY 2024 President's Budget FY 2024 President's Budget v. FY 2023 Enacted Operating Plan Homeland Security Homeland Security: Protection of EPA Personnel and Infrastructure $7,049 $6,676 $6,676 $0 Operations and Administration Facilities Infrastructure and Operations $24,681 $42,076 $105,009 $62,933 TOTAL B&F $31,730 $48,752 $111,685 $62,933 *For ease of comparison, Superfund transfer resources for the audit and research functions are shown in the Superfund account. ------- Homeland Security ------- Homeland Security: Protection of EPA Personnel and Infrastructure Program Area: Homeland Security Goal: Safeguard and Revitalize Communities Objective(s): Prepare for and Respond to Environmental Emergencies (Dollars in Thousands) FY 2022 Final Actuals FY 2023 Enacted Operating Plan FY 2024 President's Budget FY 2024 President's Budget v. FY 2023 Enacted Operating Plan Environmental Programs & Management $4,903 $5,188 $5,158 -$30 Science & Technology $501 $625 $501 -$124 liu'ililing anil l-'iicililies S Sfi.fi '(> Sfi.fi'O SO Hazardous Substance Superfund $1,201 $1,029 $1,530 $501 Total Budget Authority $13,653 $13,518 $13,865 $347 Total Work years 12.0 13.3 9.2 -4.1 Total work years in FY 2024 include 9.2 FTE to support Homeland Security Working Capital Fund (WCF) services. Program Project Description: EPA's Buildings and Facilities resources, in the Homeland Security: Protection of EPA Personnel and Infrastructure Program, support the protection of federal employees, contractors, grantees, and private citizens (occupants) who work within or visit EPA facilities nationwide. EPA's buildings are a combination of headquarters and regional administrative offices, program and research laboratories, and support facilities/warehouses. These facilities are either EPA owned/leased or General Services Administration (GSA) owned/leased. This funding ensures federal mandates are met as they relate to physical security and local emergency preparedness for all Agency locations. These funds support the physical security protection equipment and mechanisms required to protect occupants, facility relocation (e.g., moves, new leases, consolidations, etc.), physical equipment upgrades/modernization, or corrective actions required to address security vulnerabilities identified during security assessments. FY 2024 Activities and Performance Plan: Work in this program directly supports Goal 6/Objective 6.3, Prepare for and Respond to Environmental Emergencies in the FY 2022 - 2026 EPA Strategic Plan. In FY 2024, EPA will continue to partner with GSA on the Enterprise Physical Access Control System (ePACS). ePACS supports the Agency's modernization of its security infrastructure in compliance with Homeland Security Presidential Directive-12 (HSPD-12)1 and ensures that the Agency is undertaking every effort to enhance safety, security, and efficiency by more effectively controlling access into all EPA-controlled physical space and networks. 1 For additional information, please see: https://www.dhs.gov/homeland-security-presidential-directive-12 ------- In FY 2024, EPA will complete security projects to ensure protection of occupants and compliance with federal mandates for physical security, including: • Migrating to ePACS at the Research Triangle Park, NC Laboratory; the Ann Arbor, MI Laboratory; the Newport, OR Environmental Laboratory; the Kansas City, KS Digitization Center West; the Ann Arbor, MI Office of Air and Radiation Laboratory and Office; the Duluth, MN Office of Research and Development Laboratory; the Chicago, IL Laboratory, Office, and Warehouse; and the EPA Headquarters facilities in Washington, DC. • Upgrading closed-circuit television and physical security in response to vulnerabilities identified from previously conducted physical security assessments. The Agency will continue to utilize GSA's Managed Service Office program, USAccess, for Personal Identity Verification card enrollment and issuance. USAccess is a GSA managed, shared services solution that provides EPA the ability to produce and maintain secure and reliable forms of identification, as required per HSPD-12, for all EPA employees and contractors. Performance Measure Targets: EPA's FY 2024 Annual Performance Plan does not include annual performance goals specific to this program. FY 2024 Change from FY 2023 Enacted Budget (Dollars in Thousands): • There is no change in program funding. Statutory Authority: Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Prevention Act of 2004; Homeland Security Act of 2002; Reorganization Plan No. 3 of 1970, 84 Stat. 2086, as amended by Pub. L. 98-80, 97 Stat. 485 (codified at Title 5, App.) (EPA's organic statute). ------- Operations and Administration ------- Facilities Infrastructure and Operations Program Area: Operations and Administration Cross-Agency Mission and Science Support (Dollars in Thousands) FY 2022 Final Actuals FY 2023 Enacted Operating Plan FY 2024 President's Budget FY 2024 President's Budget v. FY 2023 Enacted Operating Plan Environmental Programs & Management $291,501 $283,330 $305,753 $22,423 Science & Technology $68,347 $67,500 $72,043 $4,543 liu'ililing anil l-'iicililies S2-IMI s-ij.tr f> swxonv Leaking Underground Storage Tanks $922 $754 $727 -$27 Inland Oil Spill Programs $854 $682 $641 -$41 Hazardous Substance Superfund $76,108 $65,634 $71,540 $5,906 Total Budget Authority $462,412 $459,976 $555,713 $95,737 Total Workyears 310.6 321.8 330.4 8.6 Total work years in FY 2024 include 5.4 FTE to support Facilities Infrastructure and Operations working capital fund (WCF) services. Program Project Description: EPA's Buildings and Facilities (B&F) appropriation supports the design, construction, repair, and improvement of EPA's federally owned and leased land and structures in accordance with applicable codes and standards; construction, renovation, and alteration projects costing more than $300 thousand must use B&F funding per statute. B&F resources ensure that the Agency complies with various mandates and goals including: the Energy Policy Act of 2005; the Energy Act of 2020; the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 (EISA); and regulatory mandates associated with soil and water pesticides testing. FY 2024 Activities and Performance Plan: Work in this program provides Cross-Agency Mission and Science Support and is allocated across strategic goals and objectives in the FY 2022 - 2026 EPA Strategic Plan. In accordance with the Memorandum on Implementation of agencywide Real Property Capital Planning (M-20-03) and the Federal Assets Sale and Transfer Act of 2016, 2'3 the Agency will continue to review its space needs. EPA is implementing a long-term space consolidation plan that aims to reduce the number of occupied leased facilities, consolidate and optimize space within owned facilities, and reduce square footage wherever practical. B&F resources are essential to the implementation of the long-term space consolidation plan. B&F resources also support facility- related construction and the repair and improvement (R&I) of EPA's aging real estate inventory, 2 For additional information, please refer to: https://www.whitehouse.gov/wp-content/uploads/2019/ll/M-20-03.pdf 3 For additional information, please refer to: Federal Assets Sale and Transfer Act of 2016, https.V/www. congress.gov/114/plaws/publ287/F'LA W-l 14publ287.pdf. ------- including the laboratory facilities necessary to support EPA's mission. Good stewardship practices demand that the physical conditions, functionality, safety and health, security, and research capabilities of the Agency's facilities are adequately maintained to ensure successful completion of EPA's mission requirements and goals. In FY 2024, EPA proposes an administrative provision to raise the B&F per project threshold from $300 thousand in FY 2023 to $350 thousand. The purpose of this proposed increase is to regularly adjust the threshold to keep it in line with construction and labor costs for smaller-scale construction and R&I projects. The current $300 thousand project threshold was set in FY 2023 after 10 years at $150 thousand. Additional information is found in the Proposed FY 2024 Administrative Provisions section. In FY 2024, the Agency proposes an investment of $62.9 million for this program. In FY 2024, the Agency will reconfigure and modernize the EPA-owned lab space at the Andrew W. Breidenbach Environmental Research Center (AWBERC) in Cincinnati, Ohio to improve the Agency's per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) research conducted by the Office of Research and Development. Currently this work is conducted across several isolated PFAS analytical laboratories in the AWBERC facility, resulting in inefficient processes that limit the timeliness and number of analyses that can be completed. This reconfiguration would create one contiguous laboratory dedicated to PFAS research, invest in state-of-the-art equipment to advance PFAS analyses, and support the implementation of a modernized and integrated Laboratory Information Management System (LIMS) for sample tracking, analysis, data validation, and data reporting. The Agency also will utilize this investment to support critical facility space consolidation, construction and the repair and improvement (R&I) of EPA's aging real estate inventory, including laboratory facilities necessary to support EPA's mission. EPA also will work on reducing its over $100 million in backlogged R&I projects across its real estate portfolio. This program supports EPA's efforts to increase facility resiliency and sustainability to combat the effects of climate change while adapting EPA space to a growing workforce.4 In FY 2024, EPA will continue to conduct climate resiliency assessments at all EPA-owned facilities and prioritize additional opportunities to reduce climate-related fiscal risks. Assessments will identify potential projects the Agency can undertake to increase facility resiliency against the impacts of climate change, such as roof stability or seawall construction projects. EPA will initiate all high- priority projects within 24 months of a climate assessment. Through master planning and nationwide efforts to use space more efficiently, EPA identifies B&F projects which support the long-term conditions and efficiency of EPA facilities. Further, B&F resources are necessary for EPA to comply with GSA leasing practices requiring agencies to fund construction initiatives, including sustainable features as tenant improvements (TI) or up front and ongoing project costs.5 These requirements significantly increase TI cost for new leases, pulling 4 Work in this program takes direction for climate change and sustainability related initiatives from the following: • EO 14008: Tackling the Climate Crisis at Home and Abroad (https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/presidential- actions/2021/01/27/executive-order-on-tackling-the-climate-crisis-at-home-and-abroad/) • EO 14057: Catalyzing Clean Energy Industries and Jobs Through Federal Sustainability (https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/presidential-actions/2021/12/08/executive-order-on-catalyzing-clean-energy- Indus tries-and-iobs-through-federal-sustainability/) 5 Many of these features are required by EISA or executive orders. ------- critical funding from ongoing efforts to consolidate space and reduce the Agency's footprint in accordance with the Federal Asset Sale and Transfer Act of 2016. Space consolidation and reconfiguration enable EPA to reduce its footprint to create a more efficient, collaborative, and technologically sophisticated workplace; in FY 2024, the Agency will continue to reconfigure EPA's workplaces to ensure the space footprint can accommodate a growing and increasingly hybrid workforce. EPA will consider all opportunities for supporting the Future of Work, in line with OMB Memoranda M-21-25, including the potential for releasing underutilized space or sharing with other federal agencies, investing in facility enhancements to assess utilization and inform future consolidations or releases, and converting workspaces to support hoteling and hybrid collaboration. EPA will ensure that its facilities continue to remain a critical place to collaborate, maintain connections - including engagement with local stakeholders and the public, and perform specialized work. Overall, EPA will work to ensure that its space footprint is optimized to keep long-term rent costs from increasing. The FY 2024 request will support the initiation of, and ongoing, projects that provide critical maintenance for aging laboratory facilities and are key to ensuring that the Agency has access to preeminent laboratory science. EPA must invest in structural infrastructure (e.g., architectural and design) and mechanical systems (e.g., electrical, water/steam, HVAC). These projects also will maintain a safe workplace, provide for high quality science, support Agency priorities, and advance the Agency's mission. EPA will focus on critical facility repairs and infrastructure upgrades to maintain an acceptable Facility Condition Index (FCI), which measures the current state of EPA owned facilities and informs B&F investment decisions.6 Delaying essential repairs results in the deterioration of EPA's facilities, which increases long-term repair costs and presents safety risks. In FY 2024, the Agency will continue to prioritize climate sustainability and resiliency investments in new construction and the rehabilitation of United States Government installations, buildings, and facilities to ensure they are climate ready. Examples of shovel-ready investments include: • Narragansett, Edison, and Newport Laboratories. EPA will invest in climate resiliency- infrastructure protection for these regional and programmatic laboratories, including sea level and storm rise protection and power resiliency. Facility climate resiliency assessments at Newport, Edison and Narragansett will be completed by the end of FY 2023; identified high priority resiliency projects must be initiated within 24 months of the completed assessment. In FY 2024, the Agency will continue the following space optimization projects with the potential for the greatest long-term cost and energy savings: • Co-Locating in the Ada, Oklahoma laboratory. EPA will continue its work to consolidate employees currently in leased laboratory space into owned space. The Agency is co-locating operations for the regional laboratory in Houston, Texas with the EPA- 6 For additional information on the Synthesis Report of the U.S. EPA Laboratory Enterprise Evaluation, please refer to: https://www.epa.gov/sites/production/files/2015-03/documents/synthesisreportoftheusepalaboratoryenterprise.pdf. ------- owned laboratory in Ada, Oklahoma. In FY 2024, EPA will begin Phase 2 and 3 of construction. • Optimizing space at the Athens, Georgia laboratory. In FY 2024, EPA will continue construction in the Main Lab Building (Office of Research and Development - Athens). • Co-Locating in the Corvallis, Oregon laboratory. The Agency is co-locating operations for the Region 9 laboratory in Richmond, California with the EPA-owned laboratory in Corvallis, Oregon. In FY 2024, the Agency will finalize construction of the Region 9 Facilities Support Services Center, which is designed for Region 9 laboratory support. In FY 2024, there will be minor renovations to the Plant Ecology Building to accommodate Region 9 laboratory storage space in Corvallis, Oregon. Performance Measure Targets: (PM CAA) Number of EPA-owned facility climate adaptation assessments completed. FY 2017 FY 2018 FY 2019 FY 2020 FY 2021 FY 2022 FY 2023 FY 2024 Units Target 2 5 6 Assessments Actual 1 (PM CRP) Percentage of priority climate resiliency projects for EPA-owned facilities initiated within 24 months of a completed facility climate assessment and project prioritization. FY 2017 FY 2018 FY 2019 FY 2020 FY 2021 FY 2022 FY 2023 FY 2024 Units Target 100 100 Percent Actual Numerator Projects Denominator FY 2024 Change from FY 2023 Enacted Budget (Dollars in Thousands): • (+$51,933.0) This program change supports implementation of EO 14057: Catalyzing Clean Energy Industries and Jobs Through Federal Sustainability requirements that will require EPA to increase facility resiliency against the impact of climate change and to advance sustainability of EPA operations. EPA will invest in climate resiliency projects at the Narragansett, Edison, and Newport Laboratories and work to modernize structural and mechanical systems. • (+$6,000.0) This program change will reconfigure lab space and invest in state-of-the-art equipment at the Andrew W. Breidenbach Environmental Research Center (AWBERC) in Cincinnati, Ohio to improve the Agency's PFAS research conducted by ORD. • (+$5,000.0) This program change is an increase to modernize and transform EPA workplaces to support a hybrid workforce and to ensure an optimal footprint to support the proposed FTE increase in the FY 2024 Budget request. ------- Statutory Authority: Federal Property and Administration Services Act; Reorganization Plan No. 3 of 1970, 84 Stat. 2086, as amended by Pub. L. 98-80, 97 Stat. 485 (codified at Title 5, App.) (EPA's organic statute). ------- |