Published: May 29, 2025
By Concentric Staff Writer
Key takeaways:
- The U.S. Department of Energy stayed 2024 rules requiring new federal buildings or those undergoing certain renovations to reduce usage of fossil fuels.
- Energy Secretary Chris Wright said the stay will allow federal buildings to utilize the most efficient energy resources that are available.
- Under the stay, federal buildings are not currently required to comply with the rules created under the administration of President Joe Biden.
The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) on April 30 stayed for one year compliance deadlines for rules requiring the federal government to reduce fossil fuel consumption in new buildings or those undergoing certain renovations.
DOE announced the stay May 5, saying it will review deadlines for “newly adopted provisions regarding Clean Energy for New Federal Buildings and Major Renovations of Federal Buildings.” Effective May 5, compliance deadlines in the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) for 10 CFR part 433, subpart B, and 10 CFR part 435, subpart B are stayed until May 5, 2026.
“Under President Trump’s leadership, the Department of Energy is embracing a strategy of energy addition – leveraging all sources that are affordable, reliable and secure. This pause will ensure that our federal buildings are able to utilize the most efficient power available, lowering costs and reducing regulatory overreach,” U.S. Secretary of Energy Chris Wright said in a written statement.
DOE issued the regulations on May 1, 2024 under President Joe Biden. The regulations require new buildings undergoing major renovations to be designed in a way that reduces usage of fossil fuels and provides a process for federal agencies to petition for the requirements to be adjusted downward if applicable. The final rule, which applied the standards to certain renovations or new buildings for which construction began after May 1, 2025, became effective July 15, 2024.
The rules apply to construction and major renovation of federal buildings, including commercial buildings, multi-family high-rise residential buildings, and low-rise residential buildings. They require reductions in the usage of fossil fuels, including coal, petroleum, natural gas, oil shales, bitumens, tar sands, and heavy oils.
President Donald Trump announced new energy goals for the federal government shortly after DOE published an implementation guideline document and a petition template, the agency said in a Federal Register notice.
“DOE is currently reviewing the recent implementation guidance and the template for petitions for downward adjustments to ensure that they are consistent with the policies of the current Administration,” DOE said. “To avoid regulatory burdens that would result if Federal agencies adhered to these guidance documents, DOE will not process petitions for downward adjustment during its review of the implementation guidance documents.”
Because of the stay, federal agencies are not currently required to comply with the standards, DOE said.
The rules had applied to two subsets of federal buildings: any federal building that is new or undergoing major renovations that is a public building if a total expenditure in excess of $1.5 million is required to construct, alter, or acquire the public building; and those that are not public buildings and for which the construction cost or major renovation cost is at least $2.5 million, in 2007 dollars, adjusted for inflation. They required that buildings be designed so that a building’s fossil fuel consumption be reduced as compared to a similar building as of fiscal year 2003, as measured by the Commercial Buildings Energy Consumption Survey or Residential Energy Consumption Survey.
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All views expressed by the author are solely the author’s current views and do not reflect the views of Concentric Energy Advisors, Inc., its affiliates, subsidiaries, related companies, or clients. The author’s views are based upon information the author considers reliable at the time of publication. However, neither Concentric Energy Advisors, Inc., nor its affiliates, subsidiaries, and related companies warrant the information’s completeness or accuracy, and it should not be relied upon as such.
