As part of President Obama’s Climate Action Plan, Federal agencies on October 31 released their plans for reducing their greenhouse gas emissions and preparing for climate change impacts.
Over the past year, the Energy Department achieved a number of significant successes in its efforts to promote clean energy, reduce waste and cut greenhouse gas emissions. Among them:
- The Department of Energy (DoE) added 33 buildings to its green building portfolio, for a total of 101 buildings that meet the federal guiding principles for high performance and sustainable buildings, representing a 49% increase over FY 2012 performance.
- The DoE reduced fleet petroleum use by 8% from FY 2012, a 16% cumulative reduction from the FY 2005 baseline, placing the Department on track to meet its goal of a 30% cumulative reduction by FY 2020.
- This past June, the DoE completed construction of an 11.5 MW wind farm at its Pantex Plant in Amarillo, Texas, making the five-turbine wind farm the largest federally owned wind farm in the United States.
“Under President Obama’s leadership, Federal agencies have already made significant progress in cutting carbon pollution, improving energy efficiency and preparing for the impacts of climate change,” said Mike Boots, who leads the White House Council on Environmental Quality. “These agency climate plans underscore the Administration’s commitment to leading by example throughout the Federal Government, so we can leave behind a planet that is not polluted and damaged and protect our ability to provide the vital services American communities depend on.”