Obama to Fed Workers: Cut Travel to Help Climate
President Barack Obama wants federal workers to cut down on business travel and commuting by car as he seeks to reduce heat-trapping emissions produced by the federal government.
Employee travel and commuting account for the biggest category of what the White House calls indirect sources of pollution, so the main way to limit them will be encouraging employees to travel less for business and to use mass transit for their commutes.
The announcement allows the president to show some forward movement on cutting greenhouse gases even as the Senate prepares to take up energy legislation without the broad, economy-wide greenhouse gas emission caps Mr. Obama hoped for.
In a statement, President Obama noted that the government is the biggest energy user. "The government has a responsibility to use that energy wisely, to reduce consumption, improve efficiency, use renewable energy, like wind and solar, and cut costs," he said