The White House issued new guidelines requiring federal government employees favor the use of electric vehicles (EV)trains and public transportation when conducting official business.
These actions, which the White House said were in keeping with President Biden’s promise to “lead by example” in fight against climate change, are looking to take advantage of the federal government’s $2.8 billion annual business travel purchasing power and its status as the nation’s largest employer. In total, civil servants on official business took more than 2.8 million flights, rented 2.3 million vehicles and made 33,000 train trips last year.
“These operational changes will accelerate the clean transportation transformation, increase good-paying union jobs, and create healthier communities,” the White House said in a statement Thursday.
“President Biden’s Federal Sustainability Plan aims to achieve net zero emissions from all federal operations by 2050, including a 65% emissions reduction by 2030,” it adds. “With new guidance on federal employee travel released today, the Biden-Harris Administration is advancing this goal by directing federal agencies to prioritize the use of sustainable transportation for official and local travel, both nationally and internationally. »
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President Biden previously set a goal of ensuring 50% of car purchases are electric by 2030. (Getty Images)
Under the direction of officials must rent an electric vehicle while on official travel when the cost of the EV is less than or equal to that of the most affordable comparable gasoline vehicle available. Additionally, employees should opt for electric vehicles when using taxis and ride-sharing platforms when their costs are competitive.
Additionally, employees should only use the train for trips requiring less than 250 miles of travel instead of driving or flying. For local travel, employees will be forced to use public transporta rule that includes travel upon arrival at an off-site location.
“This will save taxpayers’ money and reduce pollution that endangers people’s health and fuels the climate crisis,” the White House said.
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As part of the announcement, car rental and ride-hailing companies made a series of commitments to help the government achieve its targets. For example, Hertz is pledging to “significantly increase” electric vehicle rentals for business travelers next year, and Uber is expanding its “airport green curb” program that offers passengers the benefits of going green.
The California state government also pledged Thursday to issue guidelines within the next six months to encourage its employees to opt for EV options during official travel.
President Biden arrives at General Motors’ Factory ZERO electric vehicle assembly plant in Detroit in 2021. (Nic Antaya/Getty Images)
Shortly after taking office in 2021, Biden set a goal of ensuring that 50% of total domestic vehicle purchases are electric by 2030, a first-of-its-kind goal hailed by industry groups across the country. green energy and climate advocates. Since then, the administration has implemented various regulations that, while not explicitly requiring electric vehicles, would create strong financial incentives for manufacturers to produce more zero-carbon options and to encourage consumers to switch to these options.
In April, the EPA proposed the Most Aggressive Federal Exhaust Emissions rules on emissions from light and medium vehicles never developed. If finalized and implemented, 67% of purchases of new sedans, crossovers, SUVs and light trucks, up to 50% of purchases of buses and garbage trucks, 35% of purchases of short-haul cargo tractors and 25% of long-haul freight tractor purchases could be electric by 2032, the White House projected.
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A few months later, in July, the Ministry of Transport National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has issued its most aggressive fuel economy standards ever, a move that critics say would increase costs for the consumer.
“We are transforming clean energy development by creating good-paying jobs, including union jobs, across America,” Biden remarked last month. “We’ve already attracted over half a tri… we’ve attracted half a trillion dollars – half a trillion dollars of private sector investment for my Investing in America program in clean energy and manufacturing peak.
“We’re just getting started – and we’re just getting started. And we really are. We’re just getting started.”
