Padilla Applauds Creation of Biden Administration’s Buy Clean Task Force
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, U.S. Senator Alex Padilla (D-Calif.), a member of Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works, issued the following statement on the Biden-Harris Administration’s creation of the first-ever federal Buy Clean Task Force to support the procurement of construction materials with lower emissions and pollutants made in American factories. The Task Force established by the Council on Environmental Quality and the White House Office of Domestic Climate Policy will create a government-wide approach to purchasing cleaner building materials for infrastructure projects funded by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.
“I applaud President Biden’s creation of the new Buy Clean Task Force. California has been a leader in promoting the use of more sustainable construction materials in public projects, and I am glad to see that vision gaining national momentum,” said Senator Padilla. “As we repair and rebuild our nation’s infrastructure over the next decade, it is imperative that we use American-made, low-carbon materials. Incentivizing the use of cleaner cement and steel is a great example of how we can build a more resilient economy that creates good-paying jobs, reduces climate pollution, and safeguards clean air and water. Meaningful progress in creating more environmentally friendly construction requires this level of collaboration between government agencies and between the public and private sectors.”
Other members of the Task Force include the Departments of Defense, Energy, and Transportation; the Environmental Protection Agency; the General Services Administration; and the White House Office of Management and Budget.
The Task Force, which will continue to expand, is convening to develop recommendations on:
- Identifying materials as well as pollutants to prioritize for consideration in federal procurement and federally funded projects;
- Increasing the transparency of embodied emissions through supplier reporting, including incentives and technical assistance to help domestic manufacturers better report and reduce embodied emissions; and
- Launching pilot programs to boost federal procurement of clean construction materials.
California passed its own Buy Clean law in 2017. California’s state law targets carbon emissions associated with the production of structural steel, concrete reinforcing steel, flat glass, and mineral wool board insulation.
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