"The directive is intended to embed the cost of climate change into all federal agencies. But it is not legally binding and could come with legal and logistical challenges."
"A directive issued on Thursday by the Biden administration would, for the first time, have federal agencies consider the economic damage caused by climate change when deciding what kinds of vehicles, equipment and goods to buy.
The new guidance from President Biden could affect purchasing decisions across the government, from agriculture to defense to health care. The idea is to take into account the greenhouse gases generated by goods and projects, how they contribute to global warming, and the cost of that to the economy.
The potential impact is significant. The federal government is the world’s largest consumer of goods and services, spending roughly $600 billion each year. The changes could shift purchases for the federal government’s fleet of roughly 600,000 cars and trucks from gasoline-powered to all-electric vehicles, redirect the flow of billions of dollars of government grants and reshape or kill some major construction projects."
Coral Davenport reports for the New York Times September 21, 2023.
SEE ALSO:
"White House Directs Agencies To Consider Climate Costs In Purchases, Budgets" (The Hill)
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