The federal government’s buildings and contracts for goods and services will be carbon neutral, and its fleet of cars and trucks will be all electric by 2050.
President Joe Biden signed an executive order Wednesday that will make the federal government carbon-neutral by 2050, with other benchmarks set along the way. Overall, the plan aims for a 65 percent reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 2030 by changing the source of electricity for government buildings and updating the fleet of US government vehicles to electric cars and trucks by 2035. All government buildings are supposed to use 100 percent carbon pollution-free electricity like wind and solar by 2030 and be entirely carbon-free by 2045, and federal contracts purchasing goods and services are to be carbon-free by 2050. “As the single largest land owner, energy consumer and employer in the nation, the federal government can catalyze private-sector investment and expand the economy and American industry by transforming how we build, buy and manage electricity, vehicles, buildings and other operations to be clean and sustainable,” the order said. The White House said the order will utilize the nation’s 300,000 government buildings,600,000 cars and trucks, and the country’s yearly purchasing of about $650 billion in goods and services to reduce emissions. The administration also said the order will “lead by example” that can be followed by the private sector hoping to profit by helping the government meet those targets, and for American businesses to take their own steps to reduce pollution.
