The Trump administration appears to have canceled the Green Proving Ground program, a federal initiative launched in 2011 to test and implement energy-saving building technologies, Fast Company reports. Run by the General Services Administration (GSA) and the Department of Energy (DOE), the program evaluated private-sector building technologies by installing them in federal buildings.
Since the program began, over 100 technologies have been tested, with more than 20 currently integrated into the GSA’s portfolio of green building retrofits. In addition to reducing carbon dioxide emissions, it's estimated that the program has helped save $28 million in energy costs annually. The program’s termination could halt these savings and slow the advancement of new green building technologies.
In general, construction is a major contributor to global carbon emissions, with an estimated 11% of all carbon emissions coming from the construction of new buildings. Additionally, operating buildings accounts for an estimated 30% of U.S. greenhouse gas emissions. While previous administrations have seen these figures as a reason to become more energy efficient, the removal of the program would align more closely with the current administration’s goal of cutting environmentally focused programs.
Though no official announcement has yet been made, the cancellation of the Green Proving Ground program aligns with the agenda being pursued by the GSA’s new acting administrator, Stephen Ehikian, who was appointed to the position by President Donald Trump. In an email obtained by Federal News Network, Ehikian outlined his priorities for the GSA, which include removing “extremist Green New Deal and ESG (environmental, social and governance) requirements from federal building construction, leasing and procurement to prioritize economic efficiency over ideological mandates.”
The Green Proving Ground program appears to be one of the environmentally-focused programs being removed. Trump has also withdrawn the U.S. from the Paris climate agreement, and revoked some elements of the funding of the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA). Read more
