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The legislative branch operation generated 316,000 metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions in fiscal year 2006, which is equivalent to the emissions produced by 57,455 cars, according to a Government Accountability Office (GAO) report released Thursday. Last year’s emissions were 4 percent higher than the average annual amount that was emitted from 1998 to 2001, the report says. The operation includes buildings on Capitol Hill such as the Capitol Complex, House and Senate office buildings, the Library of Congress, the Government Printing Office and other various facilities. The GAO reports that 63 percent of the emissions were from electricity produced from an external provider, which relies primarily on fossil fuel combustion in the generation of electricity. Thirty-two percent of emissions came from the Capitol Power Plant, which uses fossil fuels in the production of steam to heat and cool most buildings on Capitol Hill. Last week, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (Calif.) and other Democratic leaders introduced an initiative that would aim to have the House operate in a carbon-neutral state by the end of the 110th Congress. “With our initiative to green the Capitol, the Capitol will be not just a shining symbol of our democracy, but a symbol of our commitment to the future,” Pelosi said to the League of Conservation Voters Wednesday. Pelosi said that the House will purchase 100 percent renewable electric power and will investigate whether the Capitol Power Plant can be converted into a combined heat and power system. The GAO recommends that lawmakers institute energy audits to evaluate energy efficiency and renewable energy projects. “Energy audits are a key step because the projects identified through the audits would address the largest sources of emissions — purchased electricity and fossil fuel combustion in the Capitol Power Plant — and would include information on cost-effectiveness and the potential for reducing emissions,” the report says. |
