Executive Order on Greening Federal Facilities

On June 3, President Clinton released an Executive Order on “Greening the Government Through Efficient Energy Management.” Recognizing that with more than 500,000 buildings the Federal Government is the nation’s largest energy consumer—roughly $8 billion per year—the Executive Order calls for federal agencies to reduce greenhouse gas emissions 30% by 2010, compared with 1990 emissions. Along with direct energy savings in buildings, agencies can count indirect, nonfacility energy savings toward this goal, such as vehicle energy savings. In addition to agency-wide reductions, the order calls for energy consumption per-gross-square-foot of facility to be reduced 30% by 2005 and 35% by 2010, compared with 1985, with somewhat lower targets for industrial and laboratory facilities (20% by 2005 and 25% by 2010, compared with 1990 levels).

There are many other provisions to the executive order, just a few of which include: