Effect of Sea Level Rise on Energy Infrastructure in Four Major Metropolitan Areas
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Effect of Sea Level Rise on Energy Infrastructure in Four Major Metropolitan Areas September 2014 U.S. Department of Energy Office of Electricity Delivery and Energy Reliability Pilot Study on the Effect of Sea Level Rise on Energy Infrastructure in Four Major Metropolitan Areas August 2014 Effect of Sea Level Rise on Energy Infrastructure in Four Major Metropolitan Areas Office of Electricity Delivery and Energy Reliability U.S. Department of Energy September 2014 Table of Contents 1. Introduction ................................................................................................................................................................. 1 2. Sea Level Rise Trends .............................................................................................................................................. 3 3. Approach Overview and Data ............................................................................................................................... 7 3.1. Step 1: Locate Energy Assets .................................................................................................................... 7 3.2. Step 2: Assess Against SLR Increments ................................................................................................ 8 3.3. Step 3: Assign SLR Time Component .................................................................................................... 9 3.4. Step 4: Visually Assess for Impacts ..................................................................................................... 11 3.5. Caveats ........................................................................................................................................................... 11 4. Results for the Four Pilot MSAs ........................................................................................................................ 13 4.1. New York City MSA .................................................................................................................................... 14 4.2. Miami MSA .................................................................................................................................................... 19 4.3. Houston MSA ............................................................................................................................................... 23 4.4. Los Angeles MSA ......................................................................................................................................... 26 5. Observations and Next Steps ............................................................................................................................. 29 Appendix A: Bibliography ........................................................................................................................................ 31 Appendix B: Literature Review .............................................................................................................................. 34 i List of Exhibits Exhibit 2-1. Historical and Projected Global Sea Level Rise .......................................................................... 4 Exhibit 2-2. Miami SLR Projections, based on NCA Global SLR Scenarios ............................................... 5 Exhibit 3-1. Study Approach in Four Steps .......................................................................................................... 7 Exhibit 3-2. Energy Assets Included in the Study .............................................................................................. 7 Exhibit 3-3. Mapping SLR in Miami using NOAA Data ..................................................................................... 9 Exhibit 3-4. SLR Projections Over Time for Miami by NCA Scenario, with Projected Dates for 3 feet of SLR Highlighted ................................................................................................................... 10 Exhibit 3-5. Years Corresponding to SLR Increments in Miami MSA under Four NCA Scenarios .................................................................................................................................................................. 11 Exhibit 4-1. Count of Inundated Assets under Four NCA Scenarios ....................................................... 13 Exhibit 4-2. Percent of Inundated Assets under Four NCA Scenarios .................................................... 14 Exhibit 4-3. Years Corresponding to SLR Increments in New York MSA under Four NCA Scenarios .............................................................................................................................................. 15 Exhibit 4-4. Areas and Large Energy Assets in New York MSA Inundated by SLR by Approximately 2050 under the NCA Intermediate-High Scenario (1 foot SLR)...... 17 Exhibit 4-5. Areas and Large Energy Assets in New York MSA Inundated by SLR by Approximately 2100 under the NCA Intermediate-High Scenario (4 feet SLR) ...... 18 Exhibit 4-6. Years Corresponding to SLR Increments in Miami MSA under Four NCA Scenarios .................................................................................................................................................................. 19 Exhibit 4-7. Areas and Large Energy Assets in Miami MSA Inundated by SLR by Approximately 2050 under the NCA Intermediate-High Scenario (1 foot SLR) ..................................... 20 Exhibit 4-8. Areas in Miami MSA Inundated by SLR by Approximately 2100 under the NCA Intermediate-High Scenario (4 feet SLR) ................................................................................ 21 Exhibit 4-9. Port Everglades Petroleum Terminals Inundated by SLR by Approximately 2050 (1 foot SLR) (left) and Approximately 2100 (4 feet SLR) (right) under the NCA Intermediate-High Scenario ......................................................................................................... 22 Exhibit 4-10. Years Corresponding to SLR Increments in Houston MSA under Four NCA Scenarios .............................................................................................................................................. 23 Exhibit 4-11. Areas and Large Energy Assets in Houston MSA Inundated by SLR by Approximately 2050 under the NCA Intermediate-High Scenario (2 feet SLR) ...... 24 Exhibit 4-12. Areas and Large Energy Assets in Houston MSA Inundated by SLR by Approximately 2100 under the Intermediate-High Scenario (5 feet SLR) ................ 25 ii Exhibit 4-13. Years Corresponding to SLR Increments in Los Angeles MSA under Four NCA Scenarios .............................................................................................................................................. 26 Exhibit 4-14. Areas and Large Energy Assets in Los Angeles MSA Inundated by SLR by Approximately 2050 under the Intermediate-High Scenario (1 foot SLR) ................ 27 Exhibit 4-15. Areas and Large Energy Assets in Los Angeles MSA Inundated by SLR by Approximately 2100 under the Intermediate-High Scenario (4 feet SLR) ................ 28 iii For Further Information This report was prepared under the auspices of the Energy Infrastructure Modeling and Analysis (EIMA) division of the Office of Electricity Delivery and Energy Reliability (OE). OE’s vision is a U.S. energy delivery system that is reliable in the face of all hazards and resilient to disruptions, supports U.S. economic competitiveness, and minimizes impacts on the environment. EIMA’s mission is to ensure the reliability and resiliency of U.S. energy infrastructure and systems through robust analytical, modeling, and assessment capabilities to address energy issues of national importance. The Division is focused on conducting risk analyses and predictive modeling, and providing analytical products intended to inform decision makers at the public and private levels. Leonard Crook, Kevin Chamberlain, and Peter Schultz of ICF International provided analytical support in conducting the study under the direction of David Ortiz, Deputy Assistant Secretary for EIMA and Alice Lippert, Senior Technical Advisor to EIMA. Specific questions about this report may be directed to Alice Lippert, Senior Technical Advisor, EIMA Division ([email protected]). For more information regarding the EIMA division, please contact [email protected]. iv 1. Introduction Changes in the Earth’s climate are under way, including increasing temperatures, changes in precipitation, rising sea levels, and increases in the severity and frequency of severe weather events.1 Sea level rise (SLR) has the potential to directly impact coastal infrastructure and exacerbate other coastal hazards, including storm surge, coastal erosion, and degradation of natural protective sea barriers. The President’s Executive Order on Climate Preparedness (2013) directs federal agencies to support the development of climate resilient infrastructure and provide information, data, and tools to increase climate change preparation and resilience.2 The Administration’s Quadrennial Energy Review (QER), due in January 2015, will address energy infrastructure interdependencies and vulnerabilities to climate change.3 The Office of Electricity Delivery and Energy Reliability (OE) undertook this pilot study for the four metropolitan areas of New York City, Houston, Miami, and Los Angeles—as defined by each city’s Census Bureau Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) boundary—to help establish a baseline understanding of the specific