Casten Applauds Biden’s Executive Order to Further Net Zero Emissions Goals
Washington, D.C. – Today, U.S. Congressman Sean Casten (IL-06) released the following statement after President Biden issued his Executive Order to reduce federal emissions, decrease PFAS exposure, and build a climate and sustainable-focused workforce. Specifically, it directs the federal government to leverage its portfolio of 300,000 buildings, fleet of 600,000 cars and trucks, and annual purchasing power of $650 billion to transition federal infrastructure to vehicles and buildings powered by carbon pollution-free electricity:
"I'm glad to see President Biden continue to show leadership on reducing our federal government's emissions footprint by issuing this transformational Executive Order. His commitment to a carbon free future will be essential to ensuring the private sector and other nations follow suit," said Rep. Casten.
The Executive Order will reduce the Federal Government's greenhouse gas emissions by 65 percent by 2030, and mandates a net-zero emissions building portfolio by 2045, including a 50 percent emissions reduction by 2032.
"The Executive Order builds on my provisions in the National Defense Authorization Act to drastically reduce emissions across the entire federal government. I'm thrilled to see this progress I've fought for since I came to Congress applied across our government where we can use our scale and procurement power to rapidly address the threats posed by climate change," said Rep. Casten.
Representative Sean Casten (IL-06) worked hand in hand with the Council on Environmental Quality to ensure the Executive Order involved a whole-of government effort to tackle the climate crisis in a way that creates well-paying jobs, grows industries, and makes the country more economically competitive.
Importantly, the Executive Order also directed the federal government to orient its procurement and operations efforts in line with climate and safety principles, including prioritizing the purchase of sustainable products, such as products without added perfluoroalkyl or polyfluoroalkyl substances. On December 6, 2021, Rep. Casten joined over 30 Democratic Members of the House of Representatives urging the Executive Order to end unnecessary exposures to these toxic forever chemicals.
# # #