President Barack Obama in a presidential memorandum issued this week took federal sustainability efforts further than ever with a new pledge requiring all vehicles purchased for the federal fleet to be alternative-fuel vehicles by 2015.
Agencies are also directed to meet the required 30 percent decrease in petroleum consumption by 2020 under a previous executive order.
The administration’s clean-energy gurus are now getting in on the act.
In connection with the president’s new memo, the General Services Administration this week launched a electric-car pilot project to begin incorporating those technologies into the federal fleet. GSA has already purchased an initial 100 electric vehicles for the project.
“As the nation’s largest vehicle fleet operator, the president’s fleet management directives and GSA’s electric-vehicle pilot will cut the federal fleet’s petroleum use and support the development of domestic, clean-energy technologies,” said Nancy Sutley, chair of the White House Council on Environmental Quality.
GSA Administrator Martha Johnson called building up the federal hybrid fleet a “priority.â€
“Under the presidents fleet management directives, we will continue driving agencies toward the president’s goals,†she added.
Meanwhile, the Energy Department is also working closely with the private sector to transition commercial vehicles to fuel-efficient ones. As part of the National Clean Fleets Partnership launched last month, DOE is helping companies reduce diesel and gasoline use.
“Diversifying our transportation fleet with hybrids, electric vehicles and other alternative fuel vehicles is a critical element in President Obama’s long-term plan to break our dependence on foreign oil and invest in America’s growing clean-energy economy,” said Energy Secretary Steven Chu.
News like this is really encouraging. It’s heartening to see an increased focus on sustainability in both the public and private sectors.