environmental sustainability

Biden Administration expands use of procurement to encourage economically friendly purchasing

In today’s Federal Newscast: The Biden Administration expands the use of procurement to encourage economically friendly purchasing. American embassies…

Federal Newscast

GSA

Can government go green without overhauling procurement rules?

Green Buildings

FILE - A sign is displayed outside the Internal Revenue Service building on May 4, 2021, in Washington. Conservative politicians and candidates are distorting how a major economic bill passed over the weekend by the Senate would reform the IRS and affect taxes for the middle class. The Inflation Reduction Act, which awaits a House vote after passing in the Senate on Sunday, would increase the ranks of the IRS — but it wouldn’t create a mob of armed auditors looking to harass middle class taxpayers, as some Republicans are claiming. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky, File)

IRS could have trouble spending billions of Inflation Reduction Act dollars on new employees

Federal Newscast

(AP Photo/Eric Gay)

FILE - Border Patrol agents hold a news conference prior to a media tour of a new U.S. Customs and Border Protection temporary facility near the Donna International Bridge in Donna, Texas, May 2, 2019. A special Customs and Border Protection unit used sensitive government databases intended to track terrorists to investigate as many as 20 U.S.-based journalists, including a Pulitzer Prize-winning Associated Press reporter, according to a federal watchdog. (AP Photo/Eric Gay, File)

Even Customs and Border Protection is getting into the green movement

Workforce

FILE - Framed by the Manhattan skyline, electricians with IBEW Local 3 install solar panels on top of the Terminal B garage at LaGuardia Airport, Nov. 9, 2021, in the Queens borough of New York. President Joe Biden is promising “strong executive action” to combat climate change, despite dual setbacks that have restricted his ability to regulate carbon emissions and boost clean energy such as wind and solar power. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer, File)

Environmental spending bill tees up multi-year federal hiring, training investments

Hiring/Retention

FILE - A child rinses a toothbrush at a shelter in San Francisco, Calif., June 18, 2019. Tap water is subject to a rash of government standards but people in many communities across the U.S. remain exposed to unhealthy drinking water. A Supreme Court decision on EPA regulation of carbon emissions from power plants this past week could make it harder to expand federal regulation in other areas. (Gabrielle Lurie/San Francisco Chronicle via AP, File)

Water water everywhere: EPA using Bipartisan Infrastructure Law funds to make it safer to drink

Workforce

In this undated image provided by Climeworks AG shows a geothermal power plant near Reykjavik, Iceland. The Iceland plant, called Orca, is the largest such facility in the world, capturing about 4,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide per year. (Arni Saeberg/Climeworks AG via AP)

Yet another avenue for trying to make federal buildings go green

Green Buildings

Pete McGrail, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Energy Department

Energy explores new way to harvest precious metals to help U.S. reserves

Workforce

Department of the Navy’s new strategy for climate challenges expands scope

Navy

In this photo made on Thursday, May 6, 2021, a 2021 Ford Mustang Mach E is seen as it is charging at a Ford dealer in Wexford, Pa. Taking sustainability efforts to the next level by switching to clean energy or purchasing an electric vehicle might feel daunting. Several federal incentives, such as the electric vehicle tax credit and home energy tax credits, may help offset the cost of the commitment for those who made upgrades last year or for those looking to take the leap in 2022. (AP Photo/Keith Srakocic)

Navy cutting back emissions, moving toward green vehicles in coming years

Navy

Expect more shifts in IT procurement language to reflect sustainability goals

Contracting

Data centers pose prime opportunity to cut federal electricity consumption

Currently data centers account for approximately 2% of total U.S. energy use, equivalent to 10 to 50 times the energy per floor space of a typical commercial…

Big Data

President Joe Biden speaks about status of the country's fight against COVID-19 in the South Court Auditorium on the White House campus, Wednesday, March 30, 2022, in Washington. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky)

Biden admin. hopes to make government services more inclusive for transgender people

In today’s Federal Newscast, the White House wants to boost inclusion for transgender people in federal services.

Federal Newscast

FILE - Voters arrive to cast the their ballots on Election Day at City Hall, Tuesday, Nov. 2, 2021, in Alexandria, Va. The first major election day following a year of relentless attacks on voting rights and election officials went off largely without a hitch. The relative calm was a relief to those who oversee state and local elections, but election experts say that might not matter to the millions of Americans who now believe in conspiracy theories trumpeting rampant electoral fraud. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon, File)

Federal employees can now take paid leave to vote and work at the polls

Federal Newscast

In today’s Federal Newscast: Federal agency CIOs are finalizing plans to create and fund a zero-trust architecture. A former head of the TSA has died. And you can now sport ombre nails while in a Marine Corps uniform.