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Food News
- Farm Income and CostsThe Farm Income and Costs briefing room provides indicators of economic performance for the U.S. farm sector and major crop and livestock farm groups. Farm balance sheet estimates are used by USDA and other public and private sector clients to form a perspective about the financial health of the U.S. agricultural economy. Distributional analyses identify sub […]
- Livestock and Meat Trade DataThe Livestock and Meat Trade Data Set contains monthly and annual data for imports and exports of live cattle, hogs, sheep, and goats, as well as beef and veal, pork, lamb and mutton, chicken meat, turkey meat, and eggs. The tables report physical quantities, not dollar values or unit prices. Data on beef and veal, pork, and lamb and mutton are on a carcass- […]
- Feed OutlookExamines supply, use, prices, and trade for feed grains, including supply and demand prospects in major importing and exporting countries. Focuses on corn; also contains information on sorghum, barley, oats, and hay. […]
- Farm Household Economics and Well-BeingThe Farm Household Economics and Well-Being briefing room focuses on indicators of the economic well-being of the households of the principal operators of family farms. It includes USDA's forecast for 2010. Indicators of well-being include household income and wealth (from both farm and off-farm sources), and indicators of health insurance coverage. The […]
- Wheat OutlookExamines supply, use, prices, and trade for wheat, including supply and demand prospects in major importing and exporting countries. Contains data and information on U.S. wheat by class. […]
- Farm Income and Costs
What Everyone Should Know About Energy
- What is a cap-and-trade program and how does it work?A cap-and-trade program is designed to reduce emissions of a pollutant by placing a limit (or cap) on the total amount of emissions. The cap is implemented through a system of allowances that can be traded to minimize costs to affected sources. Cap-and-trade programs for greenhouse gas emissions would increase the costs of using fossil fuels. […]
- What is the status of the U.S. nuclear industry?There are currently 104 commercial nuclear reactors at 65 nuclear power plants in 31 States. Since 1990, the share of the Nation's total electricity supply provided by nuclear power generation has averaged about 20%, with the level of nuclear generation growing at roughly the same rate as overall electricity use. Between 1985 and 1996, 34 new reactors w […]
- How can we compare or add up our energy consumption?To compare or aggregate energy consumption across different energy sources like oil, natural gas, and electricity, we must use a common unit of measure. This is similar to calculating your food energy intake by adding up the calories in whatever you eat. […]
- What is a cap-and-trade program and how does it work?
Invasive Species
- Ireland -- Zebra Mussels Invade Lough Bresk (Feb 2, 2010) February 5, 2010Zebra Mussels Invade Lough Bresk (Feb 2, 2010) Northern Ireland... […]
- Massachusetts -- Help Out and Become a SWEET (Sudbury Weed Eradication and Education Team) Volunteer!!! (Jan 28, 2010) February 5, 2010Help Out and Become a SWEET (Sudbury Weed Eradication and... […]
- Ireland -- Zebra Mussels Invade Lough Bresk (Feb 2, 2010) February 5, 2010
Making the Federal Government More Sustainable
by Nancy Sutley
Yesterday I had the opportunity to co-convene a meeting with the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) and leaders from across the Federal community who are helping to make sustainability a reality for the Federal government. Following up from President Obama’s announcement on Friday when he set a government-wide greenhouse gas emissions reduction of 28 percent by 2020, I can speak for all who were there when I say there is a lot of excitement in the air!
So what does this goal mean? Achieving this 28 percent reduction will reduce Federal energy use by 646 trillion BTUs, which is equal to 205 million barrels of oil, or taking 17 million cars off the road for one year. And this is also equivalent to a cumulative total of $8 to $11 billion in avoided energy costs through 2020 based on current energy prices. Now that is impressive.
The next step towards Federal Sustainability is an important one: each agency is developing a “Sustainability Plan” that defines how they’ll meet their GreenGov goals, reduce energy use, drive long-term savings, save taxpayer dollars, and help create local clean energy jobs.
Cities, states, and American businesses have helped to forge the way by showing that greening their operations is not only good for the environment, but good for business; we have ample best practices and lessons to look to from our colleagues around the country.
And Federal Departments and Agencies are already taking actions to achieve greenhouse gas pollution reductions, such as installing solar arrays at military installations, tapping landfills for renewable energy, putting energy management systems in Federal buildings, and replacing older vehicles with more fuel efficient hybrid models. You can view examples of projects that are underway here.
The 28% Federal target announced on Friday is the aggregate of 35 Federal Agency self-reported targets. For example, the Department of Defense announced it will reduce greenhouse gas emissions from non-combat activities by 34% by 2020 and the Department of the Treasury will reduce its emissions by 33%.
We are very excited by the progress that is already occurring, and will continue to watch these developments in the future. Moving forward, implementation of the Executive Order will focus on integrating achievement of sustainability goals with agency mission and strategic planning. The goal is to optimize performance and minimize costs.
You will all be able to chart the Federal government’s progress through “scorecards” that will grade each agency on how well it is meeting its performance targets. And to ensure transparency and accountability, annual progress will be reported online to the public. I’m looking forward to sharing more updates in the months ahead!
Nancy Sutley is the Chair of the White House Council on Environmental Quality