The White House is preparing to issue a new mandate ordering government employees to use electric vehicles, trains, and other modes of transportation when conducting official business.
According to Fox News, the action, “which the White House said fulfilled President Biden’s promise to ‘lead by example’ on tackling climate change, seek to take advantage of the federal government’s annual business travel purchasing power of $2.8 billion and status as the nation’s largest employer.”
It’s not likely that President Biden’s motorcade, however, will be going fully electric anytime soon, and ditto for Air Force One.
The network also reported that, overall, government employees took 2.8 million flights, engaged in 2.3 million vehicle rentals, and made 33,000 trips by rail last year.
“These operational changes will accelerate the clean transportation transformation, increase good-paying union jobs and create healthier communities,” the White House said in a statement Thursday.
“President Biden’s Federal Sustainability Plan aims to reach net-zero emissions from overall Federal operations by 2050, including a 65 percent emissions reduction by 2030,” it added. “Through new Federal employee travel guidelines issued today, the Biden-Harris Administration is advancing this goal by directing Federal agencies to prioritize the use of sustainable transportation for official and local travel, both domestically and internationally.”
Fox News added:
Under the guidance, government employees must rent an EV on official travel when the cost of the EV is less than or equal to the most affordable comparable gas-powered vehicle available. Additionally, employees must opt for EVs when using taxis and ride-share platforms when they are cost-competitive.
In addition, employees must only use rail on trips that require less than 250 miles of travel instead of driving or flying. For local travel, employees will be required to use public transportation, a rule that includes travel upon arriving at an offsite location.
“This will save taxpayer money and reduce pollution that jeopardizes people’s health and fuels the climate crisis,” the administration claimed.
Earlier this month, Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin of West Virginia railed at the Biden regime for its EV push, which he says is benefitting China the most after the administration released guidelines allowing Chinese companies to exploit taxpayer-supported EV credits.
Manchin, chair of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, expressed disdain with the Treasury Department’s guidance, arguing that it goes against the intent of the 2022 Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), legislation he authored.
He announced plans to pursue legislation to counter the guidance and pledged support for any legal challenges against it, Fox News noted in a separate report. The Treasury Department’s guidance potentially allows Chinese companies to supply EV battery components to electric vehicles eligible for tax credits.
“I remember waiting in line at the gas station in 1974 after the oil embargo, and I can tell you that I do not intend to wait in line for a battery produced in China if I am forced to buy an EV. The United States has never had to rely on foreign adversaries to build our cars and trucks,” Manchin said in his statement earlier this month.
“We’ve always been able to make our own transmissions, our own alternators, and our own engines, and I do not understand why President Biden is allowing his administration to now route our essential supply chains through China,” he continued. “The proposed Treasury rules on Foreign Entities of Concern are another example of the Biden administration clearly breaking the law to try to implement a bill that it could not pass.”
