Following in the tradition of Presidents Bush’s “greening the government” and Obama’s “federal sustainability” efforts, President Trump ordered federal agencies to meet statutory requirements for environmental performance and prioritize actions that reduce waste and enhance the resilience of federal infrastructure and operations. Trump’s May 17 Executive Order Regarding Efficient Federal Operations takes a less prescriptive approach and provides agencies greater flexibility in meeting existing requirements than Obama’s now rescinded 2015 order – which set far-reaching goals for federal buildings and fleets beginning in 2016 through 2025 and beyond.
In the coming months, the Office of Federal Sustainability will work with agency-level Chief Sustainability Officers to develop metrics and provide guidance on improving the efficiency (and reducing costs) of the federal government’s more than 350,000 buildings and 600,000 vehicles. According to the White House, “Federal agencies spent more than $6 billion on energy for buildings and $635 million on water” last year.
For more information, contact Melinda Tomaino at tomainom@agc.org or (703) 837-5415.