On December 8, President Biden issued an Executive Order (EO) on Catalyzing Clean Energy Industries and Jobs Through Federal Sustainability.
This wide-reaching EO sets several lofty goals for the federal government that are meant to lead by example in order for the country to achieve a carbon pollution-free electricity sector by 2035 and net-zero emissions economy-wide by 2050.
While the EO applies only to federal buildings and federal purchasing, several of the stated goals are of concern to APGA members, as many of our members’ systems provide natural gas to heat federal buildings and fuel their operations. Of note, the EO requires federal buildings to acquire 100% carbon pollution-free electricity by 2030; transition federal buildings to achieve net-zero emissions by 2045 by prioritizing the elimination of onsite fossil fuel use; and directs all federal light-duty vehicle acquisitions to be zero-emission vehicles 2027, while maximizing the purchase of zero-emission vehicles in all other classes. The EO also directs each agency to increase facility energy efficiency, which seems to be in conflict with the call to eliminate the direct-use of natural gas in buildings and achieve climate resilience.
The EO comes on the heels of a petition from the Center of Biological Diversity to the General Services Administration (GSA) earlier this month, which urged the agency “to use its unique buying power to advance climate goals by purchasing renewable energy and zero-emission vehicles.”
The petition called for GSA to transition all federal buildings to renewable energy by 2025, mandate renewable energy for all federal utility procurement by 2025, and have a zero-emission vehicle fleet by 2035. While not identical, the goals outlined in Biden’s EO are strikingly similar to those requested in the petition.
APGA staff is reviewing the EO and the detailed description of the plan to determine the most appropriate path forward.
For questions on this article, please contact Renée Lani of APGA staff by phone at 202-464-0836 or by email at rlani@apga.org