The guidance highlights ways federal agencies can reduce petroleum consumption by reducing vehicle miles traveled, increasing fleet fuel efficiency, and switching to alternative fuels with lower GHG emissions. The document calls for federal agencies to optimize the size of their fleets, encourage transit options such as bicycling, and purchase alternative fuel vehicles, including electric and plug-in hybrids. The guidance also provides federal agencies with methods to track petroleum reductions and alternative fuel use.
On October 5, 2009, the president signed Executive Order 13514, calling on federal agencies to reduce petroleum fuel use by 2% each year from 2005 through 2020, for a total 30% reduction. Agencies will be accountable for meeting these goals and are required to annually report on their progress and make adjustments as necessary.
Each vehicle purchase must demonstrate how it helps support the agency's mission and sustainability targets. The guidance follows the General Service Administration's recently announced plans to double the federal hybrid fleet this year and to buy about 100 plug-in hybrids in 2011.
See the DOE press release, the Federal Fleet Management Guidance (PDF 755 KB), and a summary of Executive Order 13514 from DOE's Federal Energy Management Program.
DOE, EPA Bolster Energy Star Program
DOE and the U.S. EPA jointly announced changes to the Energy Star product certification process to ensure that only products meeting Energy Star energy efficiency requirements can receive the label.
Effective immediately, manufacturers wishing to qualify their products for Energy Star must submit complete lab reports and results for review and approval by EPA prior to labeling. EPA has strengthened its approval systems and no longer relies on an automated approval process - all new applications will be reviewed and approved individually by EPA. These changes accelerate steps DOE and EPA initiated over the past several months to bolster the verification, testing, and enforcement aspects of the Energy Star program.
The certification process will further be strengthened at the end of the year when all manufacturers must submit test results from an approved, accredited lab for any product seeking the Energy Star label. Testing in an accredited lab is currently required for certain product categories, including windows, doors, skylights, and compact fluorescent lighting, but the new process will extend the requirement to each of the more than 60 eligible product categories.
These efforts are in addition to enforcement and testing procedures already in place to ensure compliance with the Energy Star specifications. DOE is conducting off-the-shelf product testing for some of the most common household appliances - a recent Inspector General audit found that 98% of products tested fully complied with the Energy Star requirements. See the DOE press release and the Energy Star Web site.
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Offers Wind Turbine Siting Guidelines
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) sent a set of final recommendations on how to minimize the impacts of land-based wind farms on wildlife and habitats to Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar on April 13.
