On March 19, President Obama issued a new Executive Order, “Planning for Federal Sustainability in the Next Decade,” which directs federal agencies to cut their greenhouse gas emissions by 40 percent by 2025. The new EO focuses on efficiency improvements, increased renewable electricity use and reductions in greenhouse gas emissions associated with energy used at federal facilities and in agency motor vehicle fleets.

Importantly, however, the EO also includes new requirements for measuring and reducing the greenhouse gas footprint of the federal supply chain. In future purchases, the seven largest procuring agencies must now plan to include, as appropriate, contract requirements for vendors or evaluation criteria that consider contractor emissions and greenhouse gas management practices.

The American Clean Skies Foundation applauds the adoption of these new supply chain management requirements. This new guidance reflects the recommendations of ACSF’s 2012 Oil Shift report, which the Foundation issued to encourage the federal government to reduce its environmental footprint. ACSF’s landmark report urged federal agencies to apply to third-party suppliers the same kinds of alternative fuel targets, efficiency standards and reporting practices they applied to their own vehicle fleets.

The Foundation has worked to urge the Department of Defense, the General Services Administration, and other federal agencies to value cleaner fuel use when awarding new multi-billion dollar contracts, and we look forward to continuing the focus on ways we can help the federal government purchase greener, more fuel efficient, lower cost shipping and delivery services.

The new Executive Order is available here: https://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2015/03/19/executive-order-planning-federal-sustainability-next-decade