Wednesday, 11 November 2009

Obama's Executive Order - Energy Constraints

By Daniel Stouffer

Through the release of an executive order, energy reform and emission reduction has gained a significant spotlight around the country. President Obama's latest EO may have been received with little fanfare in the populist media, but is likely to have a very significant effect on overall energy use in the United States.

Pres. Obama has received some criticism for not being more vocal in his support for climate change, for not recognizing that the USA must take a lead in environmental issues. After signing his latest executive order, energy change advocates granted him some credibility for at least taking a step to curb the carbon emissions of the country's largest polluter, the federal government.

Pres. Obama's predecessor was not seen as a friend of climate change legislation or overall energy restrictions. Bush had issued his own executive order, but it was not seen as far-reaching, nor did it directly address the issue of carbon emissions.

Looking closely at the details of Obama's executive order, energy usage must be thoroughly analyzed within each of the country's many federal agencies. The individual Chiefs have been instructed to come up with their own percentage reduction targets, together with a method of achieving these goals. Agencies will no doubt face a very considerable challenge as they try and initiate such a system.

In order to address the requirements of the executive order, energy reduction requirements and reporting needs, agency chiefs must first take stock of their existing greenhouse gas emissions inventories. The federal government has never been asked to show the size of its own carbon footprint and the agencies will undoubtedly face considerable challenge as they try and determine the scale for the first time.

The federal government is the largest energy consumer in the country and consequently the largest emitter of greenhouse gases. As agencies comply with the executive order, there is bound to be a significant effect on the overall problem of carbon emissions across the country. In addition, a "knock on" effect is likely as a significant number of federal employees become accustomed to new measures and new ways of doing business.

As indicated by the executive order, agency officials must work with each other to try and establish best practices. The federal government may not be known for its ultimate efficiency and as it will now be necessary to analyze the output of each individual asset, solutions must be sought to assist in the gathering and interpretation of this data.

Copenhagen will be the setting for a gathering of world leaders as a new international climate change protocol is debated. With legislation stalled in the U.S. Congress, Pres. Obama's new administration and his latest executive order will be closely scrutinized as their stance on overall environmental protection is judged.

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