The Center for Biological Diversity released a petition on Thursday in which they requested that the General Services Administration (GSA) impose new rules for the federal government that require them to use exclusively renewable greenhouse gas pollution-free electricity sources by 2025 and exclusively electric zero-emission vehicles by 2035.
The Center is a “nonprofit environmental organization dedicated to the protection of imperiled species and their habitats through science, education, policy, and environmental law.” Under the Administrative Procedure Act (APA), the Center may petition the government or governmental agencies like the GSA over their potential issuing, amending, and repealing of agency rules. The APA requires that they respond to the petition issued Thursday within a timely manner.
The petition filed by the Center was done so based on their belief that such legislation by the GSA is necessary to address worsening threats that greenhouse gas emissions pose to the climate, energy security, health, safety, and biodiversity. Further, they explain that the legislation aligns with the Biden administration’s climate change goals.
The GSA is well-positioned to address the climate crisis since they can aid in streamlining the goals of the Biden Administration throughout the federal government, the petition argued. Since the federal government is the largest energy consumer in the United States, a shift in their climate efforts would “provide a model template for a broader societal shift towards an emission free, renewable electricity and transportation sector.” In addition to addressing the climate efforts of the United States, the enactment of these policies by the GSA would also create opportunities for economic advancement in the energy, manufacturing, and automotive sectors.
The petition expanded on the Center’s request to push the Biden administration’s agenda, stating that, “the federal government can accelerate the achievement of these objectives by adopting electricity and vehicle procurement practices that focus on zero emissions renewable electricity sources and zero emissions electric vehicles.”
The Center asserts that the climate situation poses an “existential threat to every aspect of society,” or a threat so severe that the requested action from the GSA is well-warranted.
