Biden administration plan prioritizes lower-carbon construction materials

The U.S. General Services Administration (GSA) has announced details of a plan to invest more than $1 billion through President Joe Biden’s Investing in America agenda to modernize dozens of federal Land Ports of Entry (LPOEs) while boosting domestic clean manufacturing and sustainable technologies.

Funding would allow 38 LPOE projects to use clean construction materials and state-of-the-art sustainable technologies, as well as enabling 23 of the projects to fully electrify standard building operations.

“By incorporating clean construction materials and clean energy technologies into these projects, we’re not only supporting bringing these border stations into the 21^st century—we’re also supporting the clean energy industries that will lead our economy in the future," GSA Administrator Robin Carnahan says. “These critical investments from the President’s Investing in America Agenda help strengthen security while creating good-paying jobs, reducing harmful emissions and boosting domestic manufacturing.”

The federal government is the largest purchaser in the world, with an annual purchasing power of more than $630 billion. Through the Biden administration’s Buy Clean initiative, the federal government is for the first time prioritizing the use of American-made, lower-carbon construction materials.

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The LPOE Inflation Reduction Act investments include about $850 million for low-embodied carbon materials and $60 million for emerging and sustainable technologies for 26 major land port of entry modernization projects. In addition, GSA is investing another $100 million in low-embodied carbon materials for 13 land port of entry paving projects.

“Under President Biden’s Federal Sustainability Plan, agencies are leading by example to make government operations more efficient, resilient and sustainable,” says Andrew Mayock, chief sustainability officer and co-chair of the Federal Buy Clean Task Force. “As part of our Buy Clean Initiative, the Biden-Harris Administration has begun procurement of over $4 billion in American-made clean construction materials as it works to make federal buildings more efficient, all-electric and powered by 100 percent carbon-free electricity.”