"The White House is reviewing two rules that could push the federal government to spend billions each year on climate-friendly products and services, potentially sending reverberations across the economy.

Federal agencies spend an estimated $630 billion a year on goods that range from the mundane, like notebooks, to the extraordinary, such as warships. If guided by new regulations that prioritize products with lower carbon footprints, the government could accelerate the uptake of goods like electric vehicles, efficient heating and cooling units, and cement that emits fewer greenhouse gases.

“The federal government is such a large purchaser of so many items that when they start to look at something or encourage it, it can spread to the private sector, not as a mandate, but on a voluntary basis,” said Steven Rothstein, managing director of Ceres’ Accelerator for Sustainable Capital Markets program. He noted that the federal government pays for half of all cement purchased in the U.S."

Jean Chemnick reports for E&E News February 9, 2024. [2]