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President Joe Biden is learning it doesn't do a lot of good to make unrealistic promises. Back in January 2021, Biden was vowing to convert the entire U.S. government fleet to electric vehicles -- passenger cars by 2027 and all other vehicles by 2035.
"We're going to harness the purchasing power of the federal government to buy clean, zero-emission vehicles," he said.
Not so fast. According to the General Services Administration, there are no guarantees that timeline is on track. One good example is the U.S. Postal Service, which owns one-third of the federal fleet. The USPS has conceded that half of its initial purchase of 50,000 next-generation vehicles will be powered by electricity.
Understandably, agencies don't want to dump the perfectly useful vehicles they already have (and which were purchased at taxpayer expense). Supply issues and remaining questions about infrastructure and practicality are also a problem.
So, while poor Biden is stuck on the one side with bureaucrats explaining to him why his goal for five years from now isn't realistic, he is beset on the other side by climate advocates who wonder why he and federal agencies aren't doing more, faster.
"USPS should now go all-electric or virtually all electric with its new vehicles," said Luke Tonachel, senior director of clean vehicles and buildings at the Natural Resources Defense Council. It seems climate folks have no regard for taxpayer dollars.
"The future is electric, and the federal government has built a strong foundation ... that's going to deliver on this journey," said the White House's Andrew Mayock.
Maybe. But politicians aren't very good at admitting when they might have over-promised and are under-delivering. Biden's goal of an all-electric federal fleet may well come to pass one day. But he is learning that the kinds of transitions we are asking of individuals, businesses, industry and government cannot be forced before their time.