Executive Order 13693

Executive Order 13693
Number	13693
Signedby	Barack Obama
Date signed	2015-03-19
Title	Planning for Federal Sustainability in the Next Decade

Executive Order 13693 Executive Order 13693 was a 2015 presidential directive issued by President Barack Obama that addressed federal sustainability, energy, and environmental performance. It sought to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, increase renewable energy use, and modernize federal facilities and fleets across agencies such as the United States Department of Energy, General Services Administration, and Department of Defense. The order built on prior actions from the Clinton administration, George W. Bush, and earlier Obama administration initiatives and influenced later actions by the Donald Trump and Joe Biden administrations.

Background and Purpose

The order arose amid international and domestic attention to climate change following events like the 2015 United Nations Climate Change Conference and scientific assessments by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. Policymakers including John Podesta, Ernest Moniz, and advisors from the White House Office of Energy and Climate Change Policy framed the directive as part of broader commitments alongside agreements such as the Paris Agreement. It responded to prior executive actions exemplified by the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 and executive orders from Bill Clinton and George W. Bush while coordinating with agencies including the Environmental Protection Agency and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration.

Provisions and Requirements

The order established targets and requirements for federal operations, specifying goals for greenhouse gas reduction, energy efficiency, water conservation, and renewable energy procurement. It mandated agency plans consistent with frameworks used by the Department of Defense and standards from the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers and the National Institute of Standards and Technology. Requirements referenced benchmarks used by LEED certifications administered through the U.S. Green Building Council and procurement rules enforced by the General Services Administration. The order set quantitative goals for emissions reductions, directed use of on-site and off-site solar power and wind power projects, and required lifecycle cost analysis consistent with guidelines from the Office of Management and Budget.

Implementation and Agency Responsibilities

Implementation assigned detailed responsibilities to heads of executive departments and agencies including the Department of Defense, Department of Homeland Security, Department of Veterans Affairs, and civilian agencies like the National Institutes of Health and the Smithsonian Institution. Agencies were required to submit strategic sustainability plans, report to the Council on Environmental Quality, and coordinate with the Federal Energy Management Program within the Department of Energy. The order relied on tools developed by the Government Accountability Office and metrics used by the Office of Personnel Management and required engagement with partners such as the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the Federal Emergency Management Agency for resilient infrastructure planning.

Environmental and Economic Impacts

Projected environmental impacts included reductions in carbon dioxide and methane emissions aligned with scenarios modeled by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change and analyses similar to those by the National Academy of Sciences and MIT Energy Initiative. Economic analyses cited savings from energy efficiency measures comparable to studies by the Brookings Institution, Resources for the Future, and the Rhodes Center for Energy Policy; anticipated effects touched federal procurement markets dominated by firms like Siemens, General Electric, and Johnson Controls. The order aimed to stimulate demand for renewable technologies produced by companies linked to the Solar Energy Industries Association and affected regions including California, Texas, and Massachusetts where federal facilities and labs such as Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory and Sandia National Laboratories operate.

Legal Challenges and Subsequent Developments

Legal issues arose in the broader policy environment surrounding presidential directives; litigation and statutory review involved parties including congressional committees like the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, state attorneys general such as those from Texas and West Virginia, and interest groups including the Chamber of Commerce and environmental NGOs like the Sierra Club and Natural Resources Defense Council. Subsequent developments included administrative actions by the Trump administration that reviewed and rescinded aspects of federal sustainability directives, and later renewed emphasis under the Biden administration through new executive actions and agency rulemaking at the Department of Energy and the Environmental Protection Agency.

Legacy and Relationship to Other Executive Orders

The order sat within a lineage of executive actions on environmental performance following directives associated with Bill Clinton and George W. Bush and alongside contemporaneous instruments like the Presidential Policy Directive series. It influenced federal sustainability planning, procurement, and facility management, contributing to frameworks adopted in interagency documents and guidance by entities such as the Council on Environmental Quality and the Office of Management and Budget. Its legacy intersects with climate diplomacy exemplified by the Paris Agreement and with domestic initiatives at institutions like the National Labs network, shaping policy discussions involving leaders such as Nancy Pelosi, Mitch McConnell, and agency secretaries including Gina McCarthy and Jennifer Granholm.

Category:United States executive orders