Ada Recinos at ada.recinos@sierraclub.org (Pacific Time)
WASHINGTON, DC – Yesterday, President Trump quietly rescinded Executive Order 14057 – Catalyzing Clean Energy Industries and Jobs Through Federal Sustainability. The order defined Buy Clean–a green procurement program, created a federal Buy Clean task force, and extended its directive across agencies to support the production of clean critical materials like steel, cement, and asphalt. E.O. 14057 also included requirements to adopt clean federal vehicle fleets and clean power for federal buildings and operations by 2035. Eliminating Buy Clean guidance means that government purchasing won't prioritize commitments to American manufacturers making new investments in American facilities.
Yong Kwon, Senior Policy Advisor for Sierra Club’s Industrial Transformation Campaign shared the following statement:
“Billions in public and private investment have supported breakthrough technologies to make American clean steel and cement. The new administration’s refusal to purchase these goods to build public roads and buildings undermines job-creating facilities and discourages engineering excellence in our manufacturing sector. If cost, rather than quality, is the only thing that drives our federal purchasing decisions, billions in government purchases bankrolled by American tax dollars could end up going to manufacturers that have invested the least in new jobs to support new cutting-edge production.
“Cheap is cheap. Abandoning public support for high-quality American goods does not make sense for the economy, working people, nor the environment. Our federal government must reverse course and emphasize clean domestic materials across building projects, highways and bridges, vehicles, and energy infrastructure. Sierra Club also looks to state leadership hosting these innovative facilities to ensure that the United States is a manufacturing leader in the 21st century.”
Background
Over the past two years, the federal government made ambitious investments in adopting new technologies that promise to sustainably produce materials like steel and cement that undergird our modern economy. As these are groundbreaking manufacturing methods, engineers at these facilities will need time to learn and build up knowledge to make these new processes efficient.
Under the previous administration, the promise by the federal government to purchase goods made from these facilities helped ensure that these innovators who committed to keep manufacturing in the United States would have the breathing space to learn and succeed. The elimination of this Buy Clean program at this critical juncture is a major headwind – particularly as facilities abroad are also adopting innovative technologies and are on the cusp of leaving U.S. manufacturers behind. This is part of recent efforts by Trump to roll back Biden-era investments in clean manufacturing, though largely symbolic as an estimated 84% of funding from the IRA has already been released.
About the Sierra Club
The Sierra Club is America’s largest and most influential grassroots environmental organization, with millions of members and supporters. In addition to protecting every person's right to get outdoors and access the healing power of nature, the Sierra Club works to promote clean energy, safeguard the health of our communities, protect wildlife, and preserve our remaining wild places through grassroots activism, public education, lobbying, and legal action. For more information, visit www.sierraclub.org.