White House Requests Staff to Use Trains and Electric Vehicles for Travel When Feasible

According to the White House, U.S. federal employees should consider renting electric vehicles and choosing rail trips when possible to significantly reduce emissions during government travel.

In 2022, U.S. government employees spent $2.8 billion on official travel, taking more than 2.8 million flights, 2.3 million vehicle rentals, and 33,000 rail trips. Federal travel accounts for 1.8% of federal greenhouse gas emissions, the White House reported.

White House Council on Environmental Quality chair Brenda Mallory stated, “The federal government will save taxpayers money, reduce emissions, strengthen our growing electric vehicle industry and create good-paying union jobs.”

President Joe Biden issued an executive order in December 2021 directing the government to cease purchasing gas-powered vehicles by 2035 and require all light-duty federal acquisitions by 2027 to be electric or plug-in hybrid vehicles (PHEV).

To date, the federal government has acquired over 14,000 zero-emission vehicles and installed 5,500 charging ports. Robin Carnahan of the General Services Administration noted that 19% of vehicles purchased for government fleets this year are EVs, up from 1% in 2021.

The U.S. government owns more than 650,000 vehicles and purchases about 50,000 annually.

In a directive on Thursday, federal employees were instructed to rent EVs for official travel when costs are equal to or less than comparable gas-powered vehicles and charging is accessible. They were also told to utilize rail for trips less than 250 miles (402 km) when cost-effective and feasible, rather than opting for airplane travel. Additionally, federal employees were directed to avoid using private vehicles for official travel.

The memo also encouraged government employees to choose electric vehicle Lyft, Uber, or taxi rides if available, as well as increase their use of public transit.

The Biden administration plans to develop a sustainable aviation strategic plan, including requiring airlines to submit information on fuel and operational efficiency initiatives, such as sustainable aviation fuel investments.

Last year, the federal government spent $1.66 billion on flights and $4.2 million on rail trips.

In 2021, Biden set a goal, supported by automakers, aiming for 50% of all new vehicles by 2030 to be EVs.