Biden Signs Executive Order to Mandate Greening of Federal Vehicles, Buildings by 2050

President Joe Biden on Wednesday signed an executive order (EO) to spend taxpayer money to make the vast fleet of government vehicles and thousands of federal buildings nationwide carbon-emission free by 2050.

“The executive order will reduce emissions across federal operations, invest in American clean energy industries and manufacturing, and create clean, healthy, and resilient communities,” the White House said of the executive order.

The order also calls for the government to cut its carbon dioxide emissions by 65 percent by the end of this decade.

AOL reported on the EO:

As the country’s largest employer, the federal government has about $650 billion in annual purchasing power for goods and services, the White House said. That makes the government and its purchasing plans significant factors for businesses and manufacturers looking for lucrative contracts as they decide what products to offer.

The government intends to spend tens of billions from the bipartisan infrastructure law and the Build Back Better Act, if it passes, to replace its 600,000 cars and trucks with an all-electric fleet, as well as upgrade efficiency in its 300,000 buildings.

Tax-payer funded National Public Radio (NPR) reported the Executive Order is a redux of one issued by President Barack Obama but “even stronger.”

“So realistically, how much of these – the changes in these orders, how much can this administration accomplish before a potential change in administration?” a host on All Things Considered asked reporter Jeff Brady.

“Certainly getting all of this done would be a tall order, but there are some specific examples,” Brady said. “The Interior Department plans to transition its fleet of about 100 motorcycles that the U.S. Park Police use. They appear to be on track to do that mostly before the end of Biden’s first term.”

The reporter praised Biden for starting the transition from fossil fuels to alternative energy.

“But, you know, what’s really important here is that by setting deadlines for agencies to accomplish these goals, they aim to start these transitions now,” Brady said. “So even if a future president reverses the executive order, there’s still a lot that’s already been done.”

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