Executive Order 13423
Executive Order (E.O.) 13423, Strengthening Federal Environmental, Energy, and Transportation Management, was signed on January 24, 2007, to strengthen key goals for the Federal Government. It set more challenging goals than the Energy Policy Act of 2005 (EPAct 2005) and superseded E.O. 13123 and E.O. 13149.
E.O. 13423 sets numerous Federal energy and environmental management requirements in several areas, including but not limited to:
- Implementing Instructions
- Reducing Energy Intensity
- Increasing Use of Renewable Energy
- Reducing Water Intensity
- Designing and Operating Sustainable Buildings
- Managing Federal Fleets
This summary below is intended as a reference only. You should refer to the full text of E.O. 13423 for more details relevant to your work.
Implementing Instructions
In consultation with the Director of the Office of Management and Budget, the Chairman of the Council on Environmental Quality issued instructions and defined requirements for implementing E.O. 13423. The implementation instructions identify the entities responsible for coordination and oversight of the executive order and define strategies for agencies to meet the requirements.
Reducing Energy Intensity
E.O. 13423 requires Federal agencies to reduce energy intensity by 3% each year, leading to 30% by the end of fiscal year (FY) 2015 compared to an FY 2003 baseline. This goal was given the weight of law when ratified by EISA 2007.
Increasing Use of Renewable Energy
To comply with E.O. 13423, Federal agencies must ensure that at least half of all renewable energy required under EPAct 2005 comes from new renewable sources (developed after January 1, 1999).
To the maximum extent possible, renewable energy generation projects should be implemented on agency property for agency use. Agencies can also purchase renewable energy to help meet E.O. 13423 requirements.
For general background on implementing renewable energy, see the Renewable Energy section of the FEMP Web site. Project implementation information is also available to help Federal agencies decide on a cost-effective renewable energy project for their facility. See FEMP's Renewable Energy Requirements Guidance for clarification and assistance in meeting statutory and executive order requirements.
Reducing Water Intensity
E.O. 13423 mandates that Federal agencies reduce water intensity (gallons per square foot) by 2% each year through FY 2015 for a total of 16% based on water consumption in FY 2007.
| Fiscal Year | Percentage Reduction |
|---|---|
| 2008 | 2 |
| 2009 | 4 |
| 2010 | 6 |
| 2011 | 8 |
| 2012 | 10 |
| 2013 | 12 |
| 2014 | 14 |
| 2015 | 16 |
FEMP developed guidance to help Federal agencies meet water intensity reduction goals:
Designing and Operating Sustainable Buildings
E.O. 13423 requires Federal agencies to ensure new construction and major renovations comply with the 2006 Federal Leadership in High Performance and Sustainable Buildings Memorandum of Understanding (MOU), which was signed at the White House Summit on Federal Sustainable Buildings. It also requires that 15% of the existing Federal capital asset building inventory of each agency incorporate the sustainable practices in the Guiding Principles by the end of fiscal year 2015.
E.O 13423 Guidance on Sustainability includes revised Guiding Principles for new construction, new Guiding Principles for existing buildings, clarification of reporting guidelines for entering information on the sustainability data element (#25) in the Federal Real Property Profile, and an explanation of how to calculate the percentage of buildings and square footage that are compliant with the Guiding Principles for agencies' scorecard input.
For more information, FEMP's Sustainable Design and Operations Web site provides information and resources on designing, constructing, operating, and maintaining high performance and sustainable buildings
Managing Federal Fleets
With E.O. 13423, Federal agencies with 20 or more vehicles must ensure fleet petroleum reduction of 2% each year measured against baselines set in fiscal year 2005. Federal agencies must also increase use of alternative fuels by 10% each year compared to the previous year. E.O. 13423 also covers the use of plug-in hybrids.
FEMP's Sustainable Federal Fleets website is another resource for information on reducing petroleum use, increasing alternative fuel use, and acquiring alternative fuel vehicles.