White House Aims to Curtail Federal Energy Use

Noting that “it is the policy of the United States that federal agencies conduct their … missions in an environmentally, economically, and fiscally sound, integrated, continuously improving, efficient, and sustainable manner,” President George W. Bush signed an executive order titled “Strengthening Federal Environmental, Energy, and Transportation Management” (EO 13423) in January 2007. In early April, the White House’s Council on Environmental Quality issued instructions that explain the implementation requirements for federal agencies.

The order both consolidates and expands the federal government’s internal environmental policies, said Alison Kinn Bennett, co-chair of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Green Building Workshop.