Biden Executive Order Calls for Government to Become Carbon Neutral

(Credit: Pexels)

by | Dec 9, 2021

This article is included in these additional categories:

(Credit: Pexels)

President Joe Biden has signed an executive order to make the United States federal government carbon neutral by 2050.

The executive order is just another piece of the Biden Administration’s sweeping sustainability goals and calls for the government to reduce emissions by 65% by 2030 and be completely net zero by 2050. It also aims for the use of 100% carbon free electricity by 2030, move to complete zero emissions vehicle acquisitions by 2035 and make buildings net zero by 2045.

The US government has 300,000 buildings, 600,000 vehicles in its fleet and a purchasing power of $650 billion of goods and services, which will help it improve domestic supply chains and energy production as a result of the order.

The executive order says the government will work with utilities, developers, technology manufacturers and other resources to develop no-carbon electricity using sources like wind and solar power. It also says it will procure clean energy resources that are always functional, which will result in developing at least 10 gigawatts of new US electricity by 2030.

The administration says it will work with US vehicle, battery and charging equipment manufacturers to transition its federal fleet. The General Services Administration says it currently spends more than $1.5 billion on government vehicles each year.

The order also sets to improve building efficiency during new construction and renovations, which will improve energy and water efficiency and reduce waste. The administration is implementing a Federal Building Performance Standard as part of the process.

Additionally, the executive order will require federal agencies to be more adaptive and resilient to climate risks and agencies will need to implement actions outlined in the climate adaption and resilience plans.

The order aims to increase sustainability of federal supply chains and achieve net zero emissions from procurement by 2050. It says by doing so it will provide a stable market for sustainable goods in the US.

In recent months the Biden Administration has outlined its goals to reach carbon neutrality by 2050, pushed the Build Back Better Act, which includes $555 billion toward sustainability goals through the House, as well as an extensive infrastructure bill. At COP26 the US and China, the world’s largest emissions producers, also pledged to work together to reach climate goals.

 

Additional articles you will be interested in.

Stay Informed

Get E+E Leader Articles delivered via Newsletter right to your inbox!

This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.
Share This