GAO Releases Durbin Report on Carbon Footprint

Press Release

GAO RELEASES DURBIN REPORT ON CARBON FOOTPRINT

U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) applauded the release of a Government Accountability Office (GAO) report today, which documents greenhouse gas emissions of the legislative branch and proposes concrete methods to reduce output of carbon dioxide. The report, issued at Senator Durbin's urging, investigated the output of carbon from the 36 buildings and over 300 cars that make up the legislative branch's operations. The legislative branch is comprised of 11 agencies, including the US Senate and House of Representatives, and employs over 28,000 people.

The GAO determined that in fiscal year 2006, carbon emissions from legislative branch operations was 316,00 metric tons, an amount equal to that of over 57,000 cars, marking a nearly 4 percent increase from the average emissions levels from 1998 - 2001. The largest single source of carbon emissions comes from electricity consumption, namely from the use of electricity created from the burning of fossil fuels by an outside provider. This alone accounts for over 60 percent of the carbon output of legislative branch operations. The remaining carbon output comes from natural gas, chilled water purchases, business travel in government owned and government leased vehicles and the Capitol Power Plant.

To accomplish the goals of reducing greenhouse gas emissions, the report recommends each agency conduct an audit of their individual energy consumption and carbon emissions. These audits will provide critical information on how to effectively implement energy efficiency measures that will save taxpayers money.

"The United States Congress and its related offices have the opportunity to lead by example," Durbin said. "By conducting audits on our energy consumption, we'll have the information necessary to make changes in how we consume energy. The path we're on now is not sustainable. The legislative branch should agree to regular audits so that we can reduce our carbon footprint and save the American taxpayers money."

As a member of the Senate Rules Committee and the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on the Legislative Branch, Durbin has consistently promoted energy efficiency within the Capitol complex. Durbin's own office was one of the first in the Senate to join a pilot program, through the Architect of the Capitol (AOC) to reduce his office's energy consumption. The AOC has already started the process to update his office by installing modernized, energy efficient lighting which, when combined with occupancy sensors will result in a decrease in the electricity used by his office.

The report also suggests some ways to reduce energy consumption. Agencies could purchase energy efficient appliances, increase the use of renewable sources of energy, and acquire fuel-efficient vehicles and vehicles that run on renewable fuels.

Source