Obama Establishes Enviro, Energy Targets for Federal Government

The Obama administration today ordered federal agencies to aim for aggressive targets to reduce energy use, and incorporate environmental sustainability in federal government operations.

The executive order "Federal Leadership in Environmental, Energy, and Economic Performance," signed today by President Obama, builds off an executive order signed by President Bush in 2007, as well as momentum created by clean energy and energy-efficiency measures funded by the stimulus act.

Under this new mandate, federal agencies must set 10-year energy reduction and environmental sustainability goals within the next 90 days. Clearly identified targets in the order include:

• 30% reduction in vehicle fleet petroleum use by 2020;
• 26% improvement in water efficiency by 2020;
• 50% recycling and waste diversion by 2015;
• 95% of all applicable contracts will meet sustainability requirements;
• Implementation of the 2030 net-zero-energy building requirement;
• Implementation of the stormwater provisions of the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007, section 438; and
• Development of guidance for sustainable Federal building locations in alignment with the Livability Principles put forward by the Department of Housing and Urban Development, the Department of Transportation, and the Environmental Protection Agency.

Over at Get Energy Smart Now, Adam Siegel is especially encouraged by this section of the executive order:

It is further the policy of the United States that to achieve these goals and support their respective missions, agencies shall prioritize actions based on a full accounting of both economic and social benefits and costsand shall drive continuous improvement by annually evaluating performance,extending or expanding projects that have net benefits, and reassessing or discontinuing under-performing projects.

"To be honest, seeing that requirement for continuous improvement' with continuing performance evaluation, providing the window for reinforcing successful programs and discontinuing 'under-performing projects' is the sort of good governance approach that all thoughtful citizens should applaud," Adam writes.

The direct impact of this executive order is potentially profound, of course: According to the document, the federal government currently "occupies nearly 500,000 buildings, operates more than 600,000 vehicles, employs more than 1.8 million civilians, and purchases more than $500 billion per year in goods and services."

As for indirect impacts: As these agencies establish their targets and figure out how to meet them, those successes can serve as templates for how regions, states, cities, and large companies can successfully adopt and integrate the same efficiency and sustainability practices into their operations as well.  And with the federal government throwing its purchasing might at building green, conserving water, and cutting fuel use, the needed devices and materials will hopefully become more readily available, and less expensive, for  local and state governments as well as citizen consumers.

That said, it's the cities and states that have led cutting energy use, establishing green building and development standards, cutting greenhouse gas emissions, and preparing for global warming over the past decade.  It'll be interesting to see what happens next -- economically, environmentally, and even in terms of international climate treaty negotiations -- now that the federal government is getting with the program.

Image: Detail from a mural by Shepard Fairey near the Warhol Museum, Pittsburgh, Sept. 2009