What Contractors Think of the Proposed Rule on Climate Reporting
The proposed rule is part of the Biden administration’s larger environmental agenda, but it comes with costs for contractors
COURTNEY BUBLÉ | NOVEMBER 16, 2022 09:00 AM ET
WHITE HOUSE CLIMATE INDUSTRY
The Biden administration is looking to make covered federal contractors disclose their climate emissions, in a move that is in keeping with its broader environmental agenda but could place some heavy financial and administrative burdens on contractors, according to experts.
The Federal Acquisition Regulatory Council published a proposed rule in the Federal Register on Monday in support of executive orders on climate-related financial risks and federal sustainability, which the administration said covers about 85% of the emissions associated with the federal supply chain. In addition to addressing greenhouse gas emissions, this proposal will “protect the federal government’s supply chains from climate-related financial risks,” the White House said. Already more than half of federal contractors are sharing climate-related information, which is part of a world-wide movement, the White House added. Public comments on the proposal are due January 13.
“Social justice and climate change, big picture wise, what we’ve seen is that the Biden administration really is making every effort to be pervasive…[and] to make this a culture movement versus just a contracting movement,” said Stephanie Kostro, executive vice president for policy at the Professional Services Council, a trade association that represents over 400 companies that contract with the federal government. This proposed rule has been anticipated for a while, she told Government Executive, as the administration issued an advanced notice of proposed rulemaking on it about a year ago that received about 35,000 responses, many of which the administration incorporated into the new proposal.
https://www.defenseone.com/business/2022/11/heres-what-contracting-community-thinks-about-new-proposed-rule-climate-reporting/379771/
