Several federal departments and agencies, including the Defense Department, last week proposed a rule that would require agencies to purchase sustainable products and services pursuant to an executive order from President Biden directing the federal government to do its part in environmental sustainability.
The Dec. 8, 2021 executive order, Catalyzing Clean Energy Industries and Jobs Through Federal Sustainability (E.O. 14057), among other things “directs agencies to reduce emissions, promote environmental stewardship…incentivize markets for sustainable products and services, purchase sustainable products and services in accordance with relevant statutory requirements, and, to the maximum extent practicable, purchase sustainable products and services identified or recommended by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).”
The proposed rule, published in the Federal Register on Aug. 3, highlights guidance provided by various White House offices in conjunction with E.O. 14057 that the relevant products to be purchased based on statute include those containing covered materials in EPS’s procurement guideline program, biobased products designated by the Department of Agriculture, certain energy and water efficient products, and products made with alternatives to ozone-depleting substances under EPA’s Significant New Alternatives Policy.
The proposed rule by DoD, the General Services Administration, and NASA follows another proposal by the same agencies that would require certain federal contractor to disclose their direct and indirect greenhouse gas emissions. House Republicans are opposing such a requirement and the Senate Armed Services Committee is proposing a two-year delay in any DoD requirement for contractors to report their carbon emissions.
Of the latest proposed rule, a spokesperson for the Aerospace Industries Association told Defense Daily last Friday that “For many companies, especially small companies, doing business with the federal government is already challenging enough with the many layers of requirements and associated costs. Additional requirements, though well-intentioned, have the potential to stress an already vulnerable supply chain. The Aerospace Industries Association will review this proposed rule closely to understand how it might affect our members and create new costs and burdens that could drive them from the defense industrial base.”