The U.S. Department of Energy has implemented a rule banning fossil fuels in new federal buildings.
The U.S. Department of Energy has finalized a rule that will ban the use of fossil fuels in new and renovated federal buildings. The regulation, which is a result of the Energy Independence and Security Act (EISA) of 2007, stipulates that the federal buildings must eliminate the consumption of fossil fuel-generated energy by the year 2030.
Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm stated, “The Biden-Harris Administration is practicing what we preach. Just as we are helping households and businesses across the nation save money by saving energy, we are doing the same in our own federal buildings.”
Some federal buildings, like Philadelphia's Independence Hall, have continued to install gas-fired appliances. However, projects already in progress prior to the rule’s finalization are exempt from its requirements.
The new rule is part of a larger Federal Sustainability Plan, including Executive Order 14057, with the stated goal of achieving net-zero emissions across federal operations by 2045. The Department of Energy's Federal Energy Management Program (FEMP) has been tasked with enforcing compliance with the new rule.
