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President Bush Issues Executive Order to Agencies to Reduce Fuel Consumption, Use Biofuels and Buy Plug-in Hybrid Vehicles

The morning after his State of the Union Address (earlier post), President Bush issued an executive order to Federal Agencies that, among other things, requires a 2% reduction in consumption of petroleum products per year through the end of 2015 in fleets larger than 20 vehicles.

The order also specifies an increase of total fuel consumption that is non-petroleum-based by 10% and requires the use of plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) when the plug-ins are commercially available at a cost reasonably comparable, on the basis of life-cycle cost, to non-PHEVs.

Today I signed an executive order that says we’re going to commit the government to the following things: that we’re going to purchase more hybrid and flexible-fuel vehicles that run on ethanol—because we own a lot of cars, and therefore, it’s one thing to say, this is the goal; it’s another thing to actually participate in achieving that goal, and that’s what we’re going to do.

Secondly, we're going to purchase plug-in hybrid vehicles as soon as they hit the market. I think that will give some surety to those who have invested in new technologies to know that the federal government is going to be a purchaser, when commercially available.

—President Bush, speaking at DuPont 24 Jan 07

The Executive Order consolidates a number of pre-existing orders and adds new requirements. Other requirements in the Executive Order are:

  • A reduction in energy intensity of 3% annually through the end of fiscal year 2015, or 30% by the end of fiscal year 2015, relative to the baseline of the agency’s energy use in fiscal year 2003;

  • Ensuring that at least half of the statutorily required renewable energy consumed by the agency in a fiscal year comes from new renewable sources, and that to the extent feasible, the agency implements renewable energy generation projects on agency property for agency use;

  • Beginning in FY 2008, to reduce water consumption intensity, relative to the baseline of the agency’s water consumption in fiscal year 2007, through life-cycle cost-effective measures by 2% annually through the end of fiscal year 2015 or 16% by the end of fiscal year 2015;

  • Requiring in agency acquisitions of goods and services the use of sustainable environmental practices, including acquisition of bio-based, environmentally preferable, energy-efficient, water-efficient, and recycled-content products; and use of paper of at least 30% post-consumer fiber content;

  • Ensuring that the agency reduces the quantity of toxic and hazardous chemicals and materials acquired, used, or disposed of by the agency, increases diversion of solid waste as appropriate, and maintains cost-effective waste prevention and recycling programs in its facilities;

  • Ensuring that new construction and major renovation of agency buildings comply with the Guiding Principles for Federal Leadership in High Performance and Sustainable Buildings set forth in the Federal Leadership in High Performance and Sustainable Buildings Memorandum of Understanding,, and 15% of the existing Federal capital asset building inventory of the agency as of the end of fiscal year 2015 incorporates the sustainable practices in the Guiding Principles; and

  • Ensuring that the agency when acquiring an electronic product to meet its requirements, meets at least 95% of those requirements with an Electronic Product Environmental Assessment Tool (EPEAT)-registered electronic product, unless there is no EPEAT standard for such product, enables the Energy Star feature on agency computers and monitors, establishes and implements policies to extend the useful life of agency electronic equipment, and uses environmentally sound practices with respect to disposition of agency electronic equipment that has reached the end of its useful life.

The Order directs agency heads to implement within their agencies environmental management systems (EMS) at all appropriate organizational levels to ensure the use of EMS as the primary management approach for addressing environmental aspects of internal agency operations and activities, including environmental aspects of energy and transportation functions, the establishment of agency objectives and targets to ensure implementation of this order, and the collection, analysis, and reporting of information to measure performance in the implementation of this order.

The head of an agency may exempt law enforcement, protective, emergency response, or military tactical vehicle fleets of that agency from the provisions of the order.

Comments

jwogdn

‘when the plug-ins are commercially available at a cost reasonably comparable, on the basis of life-cycle cost, to non-PHEVs.’

At that point why would a mandate be needed?

fyi CO2

2% petroleum reduction per annum is dribble, considering how many Chevy Tahoes/Suburbans are in the gov. fleet.

Jeff

Why mandate hybrids? Just forbid SUVs unless there's a genuine need for them and mandate compact cars instead.

Matthew

One of the useful things government can do is establish a market for new technologies. If the feds are committed to buying PHEVs when they're available at a reasonable cost, that will help the business case for those manufacturers considering whether or not to enter the market.

And...SUVs are not the entirety of the problem, or even a majority of it. Even if we junked every last one of them today, we'd still be burning too much gas from too many unpleasant places.

Rafael Seidl

iwoqdn -

even if the primae facie total cost of ownership were equal for a PHEV and a conventional vehicle today, small agencies might still be reluctant to be the first in a given area to buy them. First, they have to adjust their cap-ex and expense budget priorities to do so. Second, a variety of cost factors, such as the availability of qualified mechanics in the area, wait times for exotic parts and especially, residual asset value are all poorly defined for brand-new technologies. This executive order means they simply cannot play it safe.

FYI CO2 -

those vehicles were presumably bought either because there is some legitimate need for them or, because the agency in question got a good deal on them. Besides, taxpayers tend to prefer that their government buys domestic rather than foreign-made vehicles, and at least until very recently, Detroit had too little to offer in the lower vehicle segments.

Jeff -

you right, mandating the adoption of any given technology is not in the taxpayers' best interest. Ideally, targets should be technology neutral. However, politicians like to make friends with specific campaign donors and, the average voter has trouble translating an abstract policy goal into a concrete solution. Telling them exactly how you're going to achieve your goal makes it easier to sell.

Stan Peterson

Hooray !

Once agasin the only true ecological and petroleuum reductions come from the realists using the recomendations of scientists and engineers.

Mindless mouthings by watermelon greenies once again prove hollow. But they can all go and fondle their 1870 mass transit "solutions".

Wasting prodigious amounts of money and providing useless transit systems that no one uses. All to get the proletariat masses off the roads so their government furnished limousines can speed about as they wish, without traffic.

Just like the nomenklatura did in the Soviet paradise.

Thank You for your support of PHEV's and ITER anbd advnced Nuclear, Mr. Bush.

bat

At least it's something. According to the fact sheet it requires the feds to purchase alternative fuel, hybrid vehicles, or plugins. And there are hybrids of various sizes available now. Here is the full text of the order.


http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2007/01/20070124-2.html

Freddy

The solution of the energy crisis is so simple, it should be no surprise the government can't figure it out. First and foremost, every government vehicle that is purchased should be a hybrid if a hybrid model can satisfy the driver's needs. Publically advertising such a policy will send a clear message to the car companies that it's time to ramp up production. Since everybody pays taxes, everybody contributes to the purchase of these vehicles.
Second, pick a high target MPG for each car category and charge $10/yr per each mile per gallon below the target. Keep adding $10/yr for each year after that until the cost to buy these gas guzzlers become prohibitive. This incremental tax will give the general public and car manufacturers to re-adjust their buying and building habits respectively. The biggest offenders will pay the biggest penalties.
Third, reward the people buy cars that can beat the highest MPG target (for subcompacts) by giving back $20/yr for each mile per gallon above the highest target. The biggest contributors to the solution of the energy crisis will get the biggest rewards. As I said before, the solution is too simple for government work.

LochDhu

To the aliens who have abducted our president and replaced him with this signifigantly greener one,
I and every other plant, animal and bacteria who inhabit this planet are eternally greatfull. Please probe our real president's anus very throughly.

wintermane

Actauly if you look at what bush has always done its just normal for him. Whats changed isnt bush its congress.and thus what he thinks he can get.

Ya hes no Al gore thats for sure but hes not anywhere near the opposite either.

Roger Pham

LochDhu, you are such a grateful person and so easy to please. I would demand no less than 50% reduction in petroleum consumption by 2017, with plan to phase out petroleum and fossil fuel altogether by 2030, if we are going to have any chance of halting global warming. We have the technologies now to start to phase out fossil fuel consumption. We just have to get our act together to build more wind turbines, more solar electric projects...cellulosic biomass gasification projects to produce bioH2...modify ICE-HEV to run on H2...develop FC-PHEV like the Ford HySeries platform to run on H2 and home electricity...pray that EEstor will soon be able to release a petroleum-replacing EESU that will make petroleum history...
It's all doable, you know!

Tell the aliens that we want more from the new-and-greener Bush...
and talking about anal probing, he he he...go as deep as Big Oil have to drill for new oil wells...for the man is still full of $#!+... :P

lars

Hey, baby steps are better than no steps at all. You gotta walk before you can run. We can't fix the problem if we do nothing at all about it. 2% reduction is better than a sharp stick in the eye.

Way to go Dubya !!!

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