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By: FEDweek StaffFederal agencies have only a “mixed record” in meeting energy and water efficiency requirements in a series of executive orders and laws over 1999-2021, the GAO has said.
It said that 24 of 27 agencies that use an Energy Department system to track compliance have met goals to identify their facilities accounting for three-fourths of their energy or water use and to designate energy managers for those facilities. However, only seven had entered energy use data into a benchmarking system and Energy was not tracking water use data nor whether agencies had carried out energy and water conservation measures.
“Without tracking performance on these requirements, Congress cannot know the extent to which agencies have the data they need to make effective decisions to improve energy and water efficiency,” it said.
Officials GAO interviewed from selected agencies “cited varied successes and challenges” including in the latter category “insufficient funding or staffing.” Several cited a lack of money designated for those purposes in their budgets, requiring use of funds from areas such as maintenance or real property and leaving them to “choose between implementing energy conservation measures and other priorities, such as fixing a leaking roof.”
The report said that Energy Department officials agreed with recommendations to enter water use data into a benchmarking system and follow up on implementation of conservation measures.
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