Fossil fuels will be prohibited in new and renovated federal buildings as per a regulation recently approved by the Department of Energy.
This regulation is based on Section 433 of the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007, which mandates the elimination of “fossil fuel-generated energy consumption” in federal buildings by 2030. The Energy Department had not implemented this provision earlier due to the absence of finalized regulations, which has now been rectified.
“Just as we are helping households and businesses across the nation save money by saving energy, we are doing the same in our own federal buildings,” said Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm in a statement announcing the final rule.
Section 433 of EISA was supposed to help speed along the electrification of federal sites. The American Institute of Architects (AIA) led the effort to include the language in the 2007 legislation. The thinking was that the government should lead the way to advance technologies and bring down the costs of climate-friendly measures for everyone.
“I think it’s really important to lead by example. And the General Services Administration, the GSA, is the largest property owner and manager [in the country],” Julie Hiromoto, principal at Dallas-based HKS and a member of AIA, told NPR in 2023.
The Energy Department was supposed to implement this rule within a year of the 2007 law being enacted. A combination of factors delayed the rule for years, most notably opposition from natural gas utilities that faced the likelihood of losing business.
The American Gas Association, which represents utilities, criticized the final rule, calling it “expensive and counterproductive.”
“Unfortunately, this rule will raise costs on taxpayers to operate our federal government without any guarantee of real environmental gain,” Karen Harbert, AGA president and chief executive officer wrote in a statement.
But the Energy Department analyzed those questions as part of the rulemaking process, and found that the rule will reduce infrastructure costs. Buildings without gas hookups can be cheaper because it’s not necessary to install gas equipment.
Over three decades the department estimates “the new rule will reduce carbon emissions from federal buildings by 2 million metric tons and methane emissions by 16 thousand tons—an amount roughly equivalent to the emissions generated by nearly 310,000 homes in one year.”
This directive follows the provisions of the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 (EISA), which mandated a phased reduction in fossil fuel-generated energy consumption in federal buildings by 2030. However, due to various factors, including opposition from the natural gas industry, these regulations were delayed for years.
The transition to electrify buildings, replacing gas with cleaner electricity sources like wind and solar power, is considered the preferred strategy to tackle the 13% of total greenhouse gas emissions attributed to commercial and residential buildings in 2022, according to the Environmental Protection Agency. This shift towards electrification, moving away from natural gas, is projected to notably lower emissions. The Energy Department anticipates a decrease of 2 million metric tons of carbon emissions and 16 thousand tons of methane emissions in the coming thirty years. This overall impact is akin to the emissions produced by approximately 310,000 homes in one year.
The new rule does not affect projects already in progress, like the one at Philadelphia’s historic Independence Hall, it does set a precedent for future federal building projects. Brenda Mallory, chair of the White House Council on Environmental Quality, highlighted President Biden’s initiative for the federal government to “lead by example by transforming its footprint of over 300,000 buildings to be more energy efficient and climate resilient.”
Relevant articles:
– Fossil fuels are banned from federal buildings in a new rule, npr.org, 04/27/2024
– Biden Bans the Use of Fossil Fuels in New Federal Buildings, Yahoo Finance, Wed, 24 Apr 2024 18:01:14 GMT
– Biden Bans Gas Stoves and Appliances in Federal Buildings, Daily Signal, Wed, 24 Apr 2024 21:25:52 GMT