Government-wide emissions target coming soon, White House official says

The Obama administration will soon announce an “ambitious” government-wide target for reducing greenhouse gas emissions that was called for under a White House executive order last year, said White House Council on Environmental Quality Deputy Director Gary Guzy on Thursday.

The executive order President Obama signed in October requires a range of pollution-cutting measures by federal agencies and establishment of 2020 greenhouse gas reduction targets. The order also calls for the agency plans to be rolled into an aggregate federal target.

The agency targets are currently under White House review, Guzy said.

“I expect that we will have an announcement soon about a government-wide approach and a government-wide target that is ambitious, that is something that we can be proud of,” he said at a briefing hosted by the consulting firm ICF International.

He said the federal effort would demonstrate “leadership” in saving taxpayer money and undertaking the types of emissions cuts that the White House is seeking in domestic legislation and international agreements.