White House announces effort to curtail emissions at federal buildings

By Jarrett Renshaw

May 17 (Reuters) - The Biden administration on Monday announced its latest push to cut carbon emissions by setting new efficiency standards for federal buildings and homes.

The U.S. government will for the first time develop "building performance standards" for federal buildings in an effort to conserve energy and reduce emissions, the White House said in a statement.

It said it is also setting new 'Energy Star' standards for heat pumps and directing millions of new dollars to help create incentives for emissions-saving technology.

The moves are part of President Joe Biden's push to achieve 100% clean electricity in the United States by 2035 and do not need congressional approval.

The development of building performance standards will be overseen by an interagency process that includes the Department of Energy, the Environmental Protection Agency and the General Services Administration, the White House said.

The White House said it "will establish metrics, targets, and tracking methods to reach federal carbon emissions goals" but did not release any specific timelines or details on developing building performance standards.

The standards will eventually identify performance milestones as well as the resources that agencies need to meet them, the White House said.

The White House also announced a slew of programs aimed at boosting carbon-cutting technology and investing in a workforce capable of working in the green-energy field. (Reporting by Jarrett Renshaw; Editing by Rosalba O'Brien)