President Obama has signed an executive order instructing federal agencies to cut the government’s greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions 40 percent over the next decade from 2008 levels and increase the share of electricity the Federal Government consumes from renewable sources to 30 percent.
The White House says that the government is the single largest energy consumer in the nations and that emissions reductions thus will have broad impact. “With a footprint that includes 360,000 buildings, 650,000 fleet vehicles, and $445 billion spent annually on goods and services, the Federal Government’s actions to reduce pollution, support renewable energy, and operate more efficiently can make a significant impact on national emission,” a White House document says.
The order directs agencies to: ensure 25 percent of their total energy (electric and thermal) consumption is from clean energy sources by 2025; reduce energy use in Federal buildings by 2.5 percent per year between 2015 and 2025; reduce per-mile GHG emissions from Federal fleets by 30 percent from 2014 levels by 2025, and increase the percentage of zero emission and plug in hybrid vehicles in federal fleets; and reduce water intensity in federal buildings by 2 percent per year through 2025.
