DOE Releases Climate Adaptation and Resilience Plan with Supply Chain Considerations

The Biden administration recently released its 2021 Climate Adaptation and Resilience Plan, setting goals to develop new approaches to ensure the U.S. is best prepared to handle the impending effects of climate change. The plan was developed in conjunction with more than 20 federal agencies, ensuring an all-of-government approach to tackling the climate crisis. In January, President Biden released an Executive Order outlining his administration’s goals to address climate change; this plan puts words into actions, outlining a strategy for the U.S. to address real issues brought on by climate change now and in the coming years.

According to the White House, “The plan leverages procurement decisions to drive innovation and increase resilience against supply chain disruptions.” Developing a more resilient supply chain is one of the main components of the new plan. Each agency is working to revise their supply chain policies and operations to plan ahead for climate-resilient systems. The Department of Energy specifically is establishing climate adaptation requirements for contractors to ensure DOE’s supply chain is resilient moving forward.

The plan pays particular attention to infrastructure to ensure that federal investments consider how the changing climate will impact infrastructure needs. The plan calls on agencies to consider upgrades to power infrastructure for a more resilient America in the face of adverse weather events. The White House also identifies the programs and missions most “at risk” from climate change and lays out a plan to address those first. Existing loan and grant programs at the Department of Transportation will now incorporate resilience planning criteria in an effort to make changes immediately.

Each federal Department (Agriculture, Commerce, Defense, Education, Energy, Justice, Labor, State, Transportation, Environmental Protection Agency, NASA, and more) have their own “2021 Federal Climate Adaption Plan” documents guiding individual agency climate-resilient practices. The complete list of documents can be found here: https://www.sustainability.gov/adaptation/.