U.S. Department of Energy Climate Change Adaptation Plan
On February 7th, 2013 35 federal agencies released their third annual Strategic Sustainability Performance Plans (SSPPs), which for the first time included Climate Change Adaptation Plans to help federal agencies reach climate change resilience goals.
President Obama signed Executive Order 13514 on October 5, 2009, which requires each federal agency to issue an SSPP, to set new sustainability standards for operations, and directs agencies to improve their environmental, energy and economic performance. Agencies are charged with evaluating their climate change risks and vulnerabilities to manage the effects on the agency's mission and operations in both the short- and long-term. Under this E.O. and the Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) Implementing Instructions, agencies are required to submit a Climate Adaptation Plan for implementation in 2013. (More information on E.O. 13514 and the Implementing Instructions can be found in this clearinghouse.)
The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) issued this climate change adaptation plan as an appendix to its 2012 SSPP. The plan addresses the national and international context of the DOE mission, the local context of DOE facilities and nearby stakeholders, and other Federal climate change adaptation efforts.
As one of its priority actions for Fiscal Year (FY) 2012, DOE initiated a study to characterize the impacts of climate change on the U.S. energy sector and infrastructure, identifying gaps and opportunities for DOE to support climate change resiliency efforts.
During FY 2013, DOE continued to update all appropriate Departmental planning documents to address climate change adaptation. All Departmental Directives, companion Guides, and Technical Standards are to be reviewed to determine which require updating to include climate adaptation planning considerations, and will prioritize these updates according to a multi-year schedule. DOE Directives, Guides, and Technical Standards for emergency response planning were already scheduled for updating in FY 2012 to better address beyond design basis events; and to integrate climate change resiliency considerations.
Publication Date: June 29, 2012
Related Organizations:
- Department of Energy
- U.S. Department of Energy (DOE)
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Resource Types:
- Adaptation plan
