Federal government to cut emissions 28% by 2020

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The U.S. government is planning to reduce its greenhouse emissions 28% by 2020, President Obama announced this morning.

“As the largest energy consumer in the United States, we have a responsibility to American citizens to reduce our energy use and become more efficient,” Obama said in a prepared statement. “Our goal is to lower costs, reduce pollution, and shift federal energy expenses away from oil and towards local, clean energy.”

Congress has been working on a bill to cut emissions, but that legislation was a back burner issue last year. The administration has been hoping for legislation this year, but that could be tough in an election year where Republicans have been less than enthusiastic about pending targets.

Last October, Obama signed an executive order setting goals for federal agencies to cut emissions. Today’s target is the sum of reports from 35 federal agencies, the White House said.

The federal government is the largest single energy consumer in the U.S. economy, the White House said. The government spent more than $24.5 billion on electricity and fuel in 2008 alone.

Achieving the target will reduce federal energy use by the equivalent of 646 trillion BTUs -- which is equal to 205 million barrels of oil, having the effect of taking 17 million cars off the road for one year, the government said.

-- Michael Muskal

Twitter.com/LATimesmuskal