HIGHLIGHTS
» In July 2021, the U.S. Department of Commerce issued a revised environmental guide titled “Environmental Compliance Management Manual” for use by all operating units. The updated manual includes an improved section on Cultural Resources Management. Within the Department of Commerce, NOAA’s Facilities Engineering Office is also beginning work on more detailed tracking and evaluation of embodied carbon in their projects. » DoD recognizes climate change impacts and established policy to include climate change considerations in decision making for operations, planning activities, business processes, and resource allocation. In September 2021, DoD issued the Department of Defense Climate Adaptation Plan, outlining their approach to mitigating effects of climate change. This was followed by service branch-level plans, which describe strategies to retain operational capability, increase resiliency, and help mitigate future climate impacts through specific and measurable objectives and results. » In order to assist it in implementation of the directives of EO 13514 (“Federal Leadership in Environmental, Energy, and Economic Performance”), NPS created a Sustainable Operations and Climate Change (SOCC) Branch. Part of the Park Facility Management Division, SOCC develops comprehensive and high-quality programs to assist parks in implementing sustainable best practices in the following four areas: climate change mitigation and facilities adaptation, energy conservation, sustainable building design and operation, and pollution prevention. » NPS’s Guidelines on Flood Adaptation for Rehabilitating Historic Buildings provide information about how to adapt historic buildings to be more resilient to flooding risk in a manner that will preserve their historic character and meet The Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for Rehabilitation. These guidelines are intended to focus primarily on historic buildings and their site and setting and present various ways for preserving historic properties located in floodplains to make them more resilient to flooding hazards. » TVA’s Archaeological Site Monitoring & Protection Program focuses on identifying areas of TVA land where archaeological sites are at the greatest risk of damage due to erosion, looting, or other impacts. Each year, TVA identifies sites that are at the greatest risk for these types of impacts and implements protection measures, such as shoreline stabilization of eroded riverbanks. In the past three years, this work has been focused on the protection of Native American graves that have been impacted as a result of major weather events. » In August 2021, VA adopted its Climate Action Plan, which outlines the agency’s response to projected impacts of climate change to the Department with the goal of ensuring sustained operations to support the uninterrupted delivery of benefits and services. VA generated this plan in response to the requirements in Section 211 of EO 14008 “Tackling the Climate Crisis at Home and Abroad,” which places greater emphasis on taking a government-wide approach to the climate crisis. » In November 2022, VA’s Construction and Facilities Management Office established a Sustainability Program Office to meet VA’s Climate Action Plan goals of providing sustainable and resilient facilities to address climate change. The VA Historic Preservation Office has been working closely with the Sustainability Program Office to meet Administration sustainability goals and address ways of incorporating these with historic property stewardship initiatives.
TVA staff monitors archaeological sites at risk from erosion. (TVA)
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IN A SPIRIT OF STEWARDSHIP: A Report on Federal Historic Properties • 2024 | 49
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