After the release of an executive order, energy reform has been thrust into the spotlight by Pres. Barack Obama. While his edicts may have been overshadowed by other events taking place when it was delivered, it is nevertheless likely to have a significant effect on the overall level of carbon emissions and environmental damage around the United States.

Pres. Obama has received some criticism for not being more vocal in his support for climate change, for not recognizing that the USA must take a lead in environmental issues. After signing his latest executive order, energy change advocates granted him some credibility for at least taking a step to curb the carbon emissions of the country’s largest polluter, the federal government.

Pres. George W. Bush was known for his reticence when it came to anything associated with climate change and energy restrictions. While he was responsible for his own executive order on the overall subject, it did not directly address the subject of carbon emissions.

Through Obama’s executive order, energy use must be curtailed at federal agency level. The president has instructed each agency head to come up with a nominal percentage figure, representing a 10 year reduction. Once these figures have been determined, each agency must put in place provisions to ensure that they achieve the percentage reduction.

Details of the Executive Order, energy conservation, methods of implementation and reporting will all pose a challenge for the government. Each agency must take stock of its greenhouse gas inventories, a process never achieved before and we will for the first time learn the size of the federal carbon footprint.

As the largest consumer of energy in the country, the federal government must take the lead when it comes to reducing greenhouse gases. Due to to the sheer size of the government and its many employees, there is bound to be an additional effect as these measures become widely interpreted and adopted by suppliers and communities.

As indicated by the executive order, agency officials must work with each other to try and establish best practices. The federal government may not be known for its ultimate efficiency and as it will now be necessary to analyze the output of each individual asset, solutions must be sought to assist in the gathering and interpretation of this data.

Copenhagen will be the setting for a gathering of world leaders as a new international climate change protocol is debated. With legislation stalled in the U.S. Congress, Pres. Obama’s new administration and his latest executive order will be closely scrutinized as their stance on overall environmental protection is judged.

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