Today, the Department of Defense (DoD), General Services Administration (GSA), and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) (collectively, the “FAR Council”) proposed amendments and revisions to the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) that would require some government contractors to indicate whether they publicly disclose greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and/or quantify corporate GHG reduction goals. Comments
Cameron Prell
DoD Issues Directive Mobilizing Agency Action on Climate Change
On January 14, 2016, the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) issued Directive 4715.21 to organize comprehensive agency-wide action to address and mitigate the risks of climate change on U.S. military assets and operations. The Directive implements for DoD the requirement established by Executive Order 13653 (Preparing the United States for the Impacts of Climate Change)…
Obama Administration Mandates New Federal Agency Sustainability Objectives
Federal agencies (and their government contractors) are about to embark on a second generation of sustainability upgrades to federal government facilities, procurement and operations. On March 19, 2015, President Obama released an executive order titled “Planning for Federal Sustainability in the Next Decade” (“EO”). The EO establishes next generation greenhouse gas (GHG) reduction and sustainability targets and mandates that agencies develop plans to deploy clean energy and resource efficiency measures to improve resilience and environmental performance throughout their supply chains. The EO mandates the establishment of a new Chief Sustainability Officer for each agency charged with overseeing implementation and compliance with EO. The 7 largest federal procuring agencies will also be required to submit a plan to implement at least five new procurements each year that will include requirements considering government contractor GHG profiles and management practices.
Climate Risk Management. Within 90 days of the EO (approximately June 16th), the head of each federal agency must propose agency-wide, 2025 GHG emission reduction plans for scope 1 (direct greenhouse gas emissions from sources owned controlled by the agency), scope 2 (direct greenhouse gas emissions resulting from the generation of electricity, heat, or steam purchased by the agency) and scope 3 (greenhouse gas emissions from sources not owned by the agency but related to agency activities, including vendor supply chains). The targets will not include emissions from certain vehicles and equipment, and electric energy generation produced and sold commercially to other parties as the primary business of the agency.
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Army Office of Energy Initiatives Releases RFP for New Renewable Energy Project at Fort Hood
On October 17, 2014, the U.S. Defense Logistics Agency (DLA) issued a solicitation for the construction and operation of large-scale solar and wind projects at the Fort Hood military base. Fort Hood is the largest active military duty post in the U.S., located approximately 60 miles north of Austin, Texas.
The RFP, which is the…