Obama Sets Emissions Target For Greenhouse Gases

President Obama announced Friday morning a pledge to reduce the federal government's greenhouse gas emissions by 28% by 2020.

According to Whitehouse.gov:

[This] will ensure that the Federal Government leads by example in building the clean energy economy. Actions taken under this Executive Order will spur clean energy investments that create new private-sector jobs, drive long-term savings, build local market capacity, and foster innovation and entrepreneurship in clean energy industries.

President Obama went on to say:

"As the largest energy consumer in the United States, we have a responsibility to American citizens to reduce our energy use and become more efficient," said President Obama. "Our goal is to lower costs, reduce pollution, and shift Federal energy expenses away from oil and towards local, clean energy."

Whitehouse.gov went on the emphasize the savings from the plan, estimating that the measure would save between $8-11 billion.

The Washington Post reports:

The announcement came hours after the Obama administration delivered a non-binding pledge to other countries that the United States would cut its greenhouse gas emissions by 2020.

The Obama administration submitted its reduction target to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change Secretariat under the Copenhagen Accord, a non-binding deal brokered by the United States last month at the U.N.-sponsored climate talks. Under the deal President Obama helped secure in Copenhagen, major emitters of greenhouse gases are expected to "inscribe" their reduction targets by Jan. 31.