White House directs federal employees to prioritize sustainable travel during official business

A new Biden administration directive instructs federal employees to prioritize making sustainable choices while on official travel.

The directive tells civil servants to rent electric vehicles on official travel when the cost of that vehicle is less than or equal to the most affordable comparable option.

It also directs them to use rail, rather than planes or cars, for trips of less than 250 miles if rail is an available and affordable option. Employees will also be expected to use public transportation when traveling locally. 

Agencies will also have to tell the White House about how they plan to follow the directive. 

“We’re adding another element to consider when federal employees travel on government business,” said Robin Carnahan, administrator of the General Services Administration, during a Thursday press conference. 

“It’s going to be [the] most expeditious, most cost-effective and most sustainable,” Carnahan added.

The effort is part of broader efforts by the administration to make government operations and the nation at large more sustainable and contribute less to climate change. 

It has taken other steps in that vein, including through an Inflation Reduction Act investment in efficiency upgrades for federal buildings and pledging to make the federal vehicle fleet electric.