Biden-Harris Administration Reflects on Sustainable Progress

By Fay Harvey  

WASHINGTON — As President Biden approaches the end of his second term, the White House has released a fact sheet detailing the administration’s environmental impact thus far, and the progress Biden and his team intend on seeing through.  

As part of Biden’s national promise, he pledged to work with the federal government to restore the nation’s climate leadership.  

Executive Order (E.O.) 14057 on Catalyzing Clean Energy Industries and Jobs Through Federal Sustainability and the accompanying Federal Sustainability Plan, established at the start of Biden’s term, directed the U.S. government to achieve net-zero greenhouse gases (GHG) by 2050. Presently, GHG emissions are down 38%, about halfway to Biden’s goal of 65% emissions reduction from federal operations by 2030. Additionally, the U.S. government has invested more than $12 billion into the President’s Investing in America agenda, while launching projects that increase electric vehicle usage, utilize sustainable building materials, ensure energy efficient operations and more. 

High Number of Zero-Emission Vehicles Hit the Road  

• At the start of Biden’s term, the federal fleet — the largest in the world with more than 600,000 cars and trucks — included fewer than 2,000 zero-emission vehicles (ZEV). Since then, Biden has ordered approximately 82,000 ZEVs for the federal use, installed an estimated 10,500 EV charging ports at federal facilities and aimed for a 100% ZEV acquisition by 2035. In addition, the U.S. Postal Service, which utilizes 200,000 vehicles, will also acquire 100% electric delivery trucks by 2026.  

Clean Electricity in Federal Operations  

• The U.S. government is making rapid progress toward Biden’s goal of powering all federal operations with carbon-free electricity by 2030. The Biden-Harris administration has developed a clean electricity procurement process across 36 states, the Department of Defense cut the ribbon on a 4,000-acre solar and battery storage project for the Air Force in California, and the Department of Energy is establishing a 14,000-acre development in eastern Washington, D.C., reserved for 1,500 megawatts of new carbon-free energy through its Clean Up to Clean Energy Initiative. Overall, the federal government has generated energy equal to 10% of total electricity consumed by all U.S. government operations.  

Building Emissions Steadily Decline 

• To achieve the goal of a net-zero emissions building portfolio by 2045, 2,700 federal buildings encompassing over 40 million square feet have been upgraded or are transitioning to net-zero emissions, contributing to an 8% reduction in emissions over the past four years. 

Building a Green Economy  

• The Biden-Harris administration has set out to build a sustainable supply chain by connecting federal suppliers with programs, tools and information on how to decarbonize the industry, and the administration utilized nearly $4.5 billion in Inflation Reduction Act funding to source American-made, low-carbon steel, concrete, asphalt and glass for federal infrastructure projects. On top of this, a goal of phasing out single use plastics from food-service operations, events and packaging by 2027, and from all federal operations by 2035, has been established. 

Sustainability in the White House and Beyond 

• Biden’s administration has secured clean electricity to power 95% of White House complex operations, including its facilities, vehicle fleets and new EV charging infrastructure, saving taxpayer dollars through lowering both utility bills and operational costs.  

• The administration has further implemented rules requiring sustainability, equity and community engagement to be crucial factors in determining the locations of federal facilities. Under the Good Neighbor Program, 13 federal buildings across 10 states will receive modernizations and upgrades in hopes of bringing impactful, positive benefits, such as economic opportunities or environmental improvements, to the surrounding communities. 

The full fact sheet is accessible on the White House website.