President Biden issued an executive order Wednesday requiring the federal government to achieve net-zero climate emissions by 2050. “The government is a significant driver of demand,” former deputy treasury secretary Sarah Bloom Raskin told the Washington Post, adding that the federal procurement’s $650 billion purchasing power, according to the AP, can influence markets without new laws or regulations. The EO requires the government to reduce its overall emissions by 65% and run on entirely renewable-generated electricity by 2030. It also requires that the government’s 300,000 buildings use carbon-free electricity 2030 and its 600,000 vehicles be electrically-powered by 2035. Some environmental advocates praised the move, while others panned it as insufficiently urgent. (Washington Post $, AP, Axios, Politico, Grist, E&E News, New York Times $, The Hill, CNBC)
