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The White House pushed back a 2025 goal for decarbonizing the
federal US government's real estate by at least five years, among a
series of actions aimed at achieving nationwide net-zero goals
under an executive order released 8 December.
Under the Catalyzing Clean Energy Industries
and Jobs Through Federal Sustainability order, President Joe
Biden announced the federal government will use its "scale and
procurement power" to achieve 100% carbon-pollution free
electricity on a net-annual basis by 2030, including a requirement
that half of that supply arise from "locally sourced clean energy
sources" to meet the 24-hour demand cycle.
Earlier this year on Earth Day, the US General Services
Administration (GSA), which is responsible for managing the federal
government's assets including buildings and vehicles, announced a
2025 deadline for purchasing 100% renewable energy for its real
estate portfolio.
With the executive order, Biden changed the timeline for the
federal government to "lead by example" by harnessing its
purchasing power as part of achieving a carbon pollution-free
electricity sector by 2035 and net-zero emissions across the
economy by 2050.
Using annual purchasing power of $650 billion in goods and
services, Biden expects the US government will transform its
portfolio of 300,000 buildings and fleet of 600,000 cars and
trucks.
Timelines for transitioning
For instance, Biden gave the government until 2035 to purchase
100% zero-emission vehicles, and an interim deadline of 2027 for
light-duty vehicles.
Biden's order also included a "buy clean" policy for federal
purchases that would achieve "net-zero emissions" across the supply
chain, including construction materials with a low-carbon
footprint.
He also announced 2045 as the goal under this directive for
federal agencies to reach net-zero levels at each of its buildings,
campuses, and installations; with an interim goal of 50% reductions
by 2032 from 2008 levels.
According to the US Department of Energy's most recent
statistics, the US government purchases nearly 53.8 million MWh of
electricity annually, making it the largest energy consumer in the
nation.
Questioning rationale for timelines
The nonprofit Center for Biological Diversity (CBD), which petitioned GSA on 2 December to
use its existing authorities to transition federal power supply to
renewables and to purchase electric vehicles was disappointed.
"It is odd that the president's order pushes back deadlines from
five to 15 years, depending on the category we are talking about,"
Bill Snape, the center's senior counsel, told Net-Zero Business
Daily.
Noting that the order isn't even legal binding, Snape questioned
the use of vague "carbon-neutral" language that he said he fears
will "open the door" to natural gas, biomass, and nuclear.
"Whatever the dates are, what I cannot understand is why the
government has chosen to push back these dates when we have the
technology today," Snape said. "What is the hold up?" We have the
wind, solar, and battery technology today."
Effusive support
Unlike the CBD, environmental groups such as the Sierra Club,
the Union of Concerned Scientists, and Evergreen Action were
enthusiastic about Biden's order.
"As the largest energy consumer in the country, the federal
government is uniquely positioned to catalyze our transition to a
clean energy economy. The commitments outlined in today's order
will not only empower federal agencies to lead by example, but will
also generate powerful downstream effects for the entire country,"
Sam Ricketts, action co-director for Evergreen, a nonprofit group
devoted to tackling the climate crisis.
The Union of Concerned Scientists tweeted that the federal
government's action to decarbonize its electricity will catalyze at
least 10 GW of new clean power and contribute to the goal of
achieving a 100% carbon-free electricity sector by 2035.
According to the US Environmental Protection Agency,
transportation remains the top source of global warming emissions
in the US so "it is crucial the federal government does everything
it can to cut these emissions off at the source," Environment
America Global Warming Solutions Associate Eve Lukens-Day said in a
statement following the order's release.
"Backbreaking move"
Meanwhile, Republicans were aghast upon learning of Biden's
order for the federal government.
The top-ranking Republican on the US Senate and Energy Natural
Resources Committee, Senator John Barrasso of Wyoming, said Biden's
plan is not about "build back better—it's another backbreaking
move to build bigger bureaucracy."
In contrast, the US Chamber of Commerce was more circumspect in
its response, while reiterating earlier calls for streamlining the
federal permitting process. The chamber was supportive of the prior
administration's efforts to ease the permitting process for
infrastructure projects.
"While we are still reviewing the Executive Order, we appreciate
President Biden's continued focus on tackling climate change,"
Marty Durbin, the chamber's vice president of policy, wrote in an 8
December statement.
However, Durbin added that the most important factors for the
success of ambitious climate goals are "the pace of innovation and
the ability of government to modernize permitting processes" that
will allow technology to be developed and deployed without undue
delay.
Posted 08 December 2021 by Amena Saiyid, Senior Climate and Energy Research Analyst
RT @SPGlobal: Many nations have set #NetZero Emissions by 2050 as their climate goal. Will be enough minerals to meet the requirements? Joi…
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