Newsroom
All News Releases By Date
Steps Are Taken to Save Energy in EPA Buildings
Release Date: 10/07/2005
Contact Information:
Contact: Enesta Jones, 202-564-4355 / jones.enesta@epa.gov
(Washington, D.C.-October 7, 2005) In response to the President Bush's recent directive to all federal agencies on energy conservation, EPA is taking immediate actions to conserve natural gas, electricity, gasoline and diesel fuel in all its DC buildings. These actions will reduce the overall demand of fuel and, in turn, allow extra supplies to be used for the efforts associated with Hurricanes Katrina and Rita.
"Day in and day out, we at EPA are protecting our nation's shared environment and conserving our country's precious resources," said Administrator Stephen L. Johnson. "By taking actions, both big and small, to reduce our facilities' energy usage, we are responding to the president's call to conserve and promoting the common-sense efforts we can all make as individuals to reduce our energy demand."
Actions that EPA is taking include:
(1) Adjusting the temperatures in our buildings to an average of 68 degrees;
(2) Removing unnecessary lightbulbs in some of our hallways;
(3) Turning off the historic fountains in the courtyard areas; and
(4) Limiting the courtyard lighting at night and turning it off during the day.
The president called on all executive departments and agencies in a Sept. 26 memo to take appropriate energy and fuel conservation actions using existing budget authority. He asked federal agencies to temporarily curtail non-essential travel and other activities that use gasoline or diesel fuel, and encourage employees to carpool, telecommute and use public transportation to reduce fuel use.
In addition, the president asked federal agencies to take action to conserve natural gas and electricity during periods of peak consumption by shifting energy-intensive activities to non-peak periods wherever possible and by procuring and using efficient Energy Star-rated energy intensive appliances and products.
The president has asked that the agencies report by Oct. 26 on their fuel conservation actions.
Search this collection of releases | or search all news releases
View selected historical press releases from 1970 to 1998 in the EPA History website.
