President Trump has issued an executive order on energy and water efficiency, high performance buildings, renewable energy consumption, purchasing and other aspects of managing federal facilities, vehicle fleets, and operations.
The order requires agencies to: achieve and maintain annual reductions in building energy use and implement energy efficiency measures that reduce costs; meet statutory requirements relating to the consumption of renewable energy and electricity; reduce potable and non-potable water consumption, and comply with stormwater management requirements; utilize performance contracting to achieve energy, water, building modernization, and infrastructure goals; ensure that new construction and major renovations conform to applicable building energy efficiency requirements and sustainable design principles; consider building efficiency when renewing or entering into leases; implement space utilization and optimization practices; and annually assess and report on building conformance to sustainability metrics.
Also, they are to: implement waste prevention and recycling measures and comply with all federal requirements with regard to solid, hazardous, and toxic waste management and disposal; acquire, use, and dispose of products and services, including electronics, in accordance with statutory mandates for purchasing preference, Federal Acquisition Regulation requirements, and other applicable federal procurement policies; and frack and report on energy management activities, performance improvements, cost reductions, greenhouse gas emissions, energy and water savings, and other appropriate performance measures.
Agencies may exempt certain operations due to national security or law enforcement interests under the order, which in some ways consolidates and in some ways overrides prior requirements.
The order requires the Council on Environmental Quality to streamline existing energy and environmental requirements and directives, and creates an Office of Federal Sustainability there, to be headed by a new government-wide Chief Sustainability Officer. Also, each agency is to appoint a chief sustainability officer of its own and OMB is to “prepare periodic scorecards evaluating agency performance and identify additional actions needed to implement this order.”
