Federal Agency Emissions

Will Federal Agency Emissions be Reduced?

Critics of government action which would force corporate attention to focus on environmental change, point to the fact that the federal government does not lead by example. The burgeoning organization is often touted as the country's largest polluter and seems slow to accept its responsibilities and publish the size of its energy footprint.

Within the federal government, hundreds of individual divisions and departments operate largely independently of a central mandate. While many divisions interact with each other, there does not seem to be a central approach to resource usage and agency emissions go largely unchecked.

Critics of government action which would force corporate attention to focus on environmental change, point to the fact that the federal government does not lead by example. The burgeoning organization is often touted as the country's largest polluter and seems slow to accept its responsibilities and publish the size of its energy footprint.

Much criticism has been leveled at the United States government over the years as it appeared to put corporate profits ahead of environmental sustainability. The government's position was that other countries needed to adopt a fair share of the problem or any measures to control carbon emissions would have a mute effect.

With the election of Pres. Obama, much change was promised. He swept to power on a mandate to address climate issues and realized that he had to start close to home. One of his first executive orders brought a sharp focus on agency emissions as it required each agency to calculate its carbon footprint and make plans to reduce.

Federal Government to Address Agency Emissions

No one appears to know the size or scale of agency emissions. Unlike other major organizations around the world, the US federal government has not owned up to the size of its carbon footprint, nor has it issued significant plans to curtail its energy usage. The former administration paid lipservice to the problem of greenhouse gas emissions, but this latest executive order is far more focused.

It's all well and good to issue an order forcing the federal government to accept and address agency emissions, but each agency must work out a way to calculate the position before they can act. This will require a major undertaking, as each individual asset within each division and department is scrutinized.

Federal Government Needs to Determine How to Control Agency Emissions

Pres. Obama has set a 10 year deadline. He expects agency chiefs to come up with a plan to reduce emissions by a considerable margin within that time. It remains to be seen how these agencies calculate their existing emission inventories, let alone make plans that can be judged against efficiency.

Many forward thinking organizations realize that they must take accountability for their energy use, down to the last detail. They realize that they can have a competitive advantage if they are proactive and show a discerning client base that they are "green." The federal government will have to determine how to control its own agency emissions even as Congress debates overall legislation.

About Verisae

Verisae helps measure, manage and reduce equipment and energy costs including the related business and environmental impacts of carbon emissions. The Sustainability Resource Planning (“SRP”) software platform improves operational efficiency, protects brand integrity and helps ensure regulatory compliance for distributed enterprises across many industries. Verisae delivers a broad range of sustainability solutions to dozens of clients globally with thousands of daily users including an extended network of third-party suppliers. Verisae’s integrated sustainability platform actively tracks millions of assets across thousands of sites worldwide.

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