STATE OF ARKANSAS

EXECUTIVE DEPARTMENT

PROCLAMATION

TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS COME -- GREETINGS:

EXECUTIVE ORDER TO ENCOURAGE THE REDUCTION OF ENERGY CONSUMPTION BY STATE AGENCIES AND THE ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT OF STATE AGENCY OPERATIONS

WHEREAS: Arkansas State government is a highly visible model for Arkansas's citizens, businesses, industries, and local governments; and

WHEREAS: The daily activities and routine operations of State government have a significant impact on the quality of Arkansas's environment and consumption of scarce natural resources; and

WHEREAS: The cost of energy continues to rise, and traditional sources of non-renewable energy continue to be depleted at a rapid pace; and

WHEREAS: State government is a leading consumer of energy throughout the State; and

WHEREAS The systematic evaluation, adoption, and implementation of simple practices and policies in all Executive Branch Agencies can lead to significant cost savings to taxpayers, while promoting the national interest by eliminating wasteful and unnecessary energy consumption and by reducing the negative environmental impact of State government operations;

NOW, THEREFORE, I, MIKE BEEBE, acting under the authority vested in me as Governor of the State of Arkansas, do hereby order the following:

1. All Executive Branch Agencies under the jurisdiction of the Governor shall, with the assistance of and in consultation with the Arkansas Energy Office, the Arkansas Building Authority, the Department of Finance and Administration's Office of Procurement, and the Department of Information Systems, begin developing individual agency Strategic

Energy Plans (SEPs) with the twin goals of 1) reducing each agency’s annual maintenance and operating budget devoted to energy consumption, and 2) promoting agency operations and practices that will reduce, to the extent practicable, the environmental impact of the agency’s overall operation.

2. Each SEP must contain detailed provisions for the collection and periodic monitoring of data on the agency’s annual energy use, which shall include the collection and monitoring of data that will permit the agency to evaluate with specificity where and how energy is used. To facilitate the collection and evaluation of such data, each agency shall utilize available evaluative tools and criteria, such as the United States Environmental Protection Agency’s Energy Star for State Government tool or the United States Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design (LEED) certification program.

3. Following the collection and evaluation of the aforementioned data, each agency shall develop and adopt a detailed plan for the reduction of annual agency energy costs and agency environmental impact. In developing such plans, each agency shall adopt, to the extent consistent with existing law, policies and practices that mandate or encourage no cost or low-cost energy conservation measures for all State-owned and leased buildings and office spaces, which may include but shall not be limited to the following:

(a) The development of new, or the revision of existing, standards and criteria for purchasing or using materials, products, and services:

(1) That align with the Environmental Protection Agency’s Energy Star Qualified Products program;

(2) That consider the availability of bio-based products, as required by Act 542 of 2005;

(3) That express a preference for the purchase of products that are made from, and/or packaged with, recycled materials, and products that are, themselves recyclable in whole or in part;

(b) The establishment of criteria for vehicle purchases that, to the extent appropriate for the vehicles’ intended use, will result in a more fuel-efficient agency and State-vehicle fleet;

(c) The establishment, within agencies, of recycling programs for paper and plastic waste, and the participation in any statewide equipment recycling program that may be established for equipment that can be utilized by other State agencies;

(d) Implementation of policies and practices that will reduce energy consumption attributable to lighting systems, including, but not limited to:

(1) Policies that ensure that lighting systems are turned off during nonoperating hours;

(2) The conversion to more energy-efficient lighting systems and bulbs as existing systems and bulbs warrant repair or replacement, including the use of occupancy light sensors to prevent energy waste in unoccupied buildings;

(3) Maximizing use of natural lighting whenever possible and consistent with temperature control; and

(4) Removal and reduction of other non-essential lighting.

(e) Measures to ensure that HVAC systems operate at reduced levels during nonoperating hours;

(f) Policies and practices designed to ensure that all electrically-powered equipment, including computer equipment, is turned off when not in use, and that personal computers are configured with default settings that ensure that computers go into “sleep” after 30 minutes or less of non-use;

(g) Policies and practices designed to reduce the use of paper, including but not limited to:

(1) The phasing-out of the use of personal on-desk printers and the establishment of multi-user print stations that include printers, copiers, and scanners;

(2) The use of duplexer add-ons to printers that automatically print dual-side prints of multi-page documents;

(3) The setting of typeface fonts and default page margins in word-processed or other agency-printed documents, so as to maximize paper use;

(4) Encouraging and requiring, where appropriate, the use of electronic, “paperless” communication between agency employees, in lieu of printed materials.

(h) The establishment of agency-wide policies designed to reduce “plug load” attributable to the use of non-essential appliances, such as personal coffee makers, toasters, space heaters, refrigerators, microwave ovens, fans, televisions, radios, etc.

(i) The establishment of training programs for agency employees in the implementation of low- and no-cost operation and maintenance conservation measures, and the designation and training of agency supervisory personnel, who will be responsible for monitoring and enforcing energy-efficiency measures within the agency.

4. Each affected agency shall transmit a copy of its SEP to the Office of the Governor, along with a proposed timeline for implementation of each aspect of its plan, on or before October 31, 2009.

5. Legislative, Judicial, and other constitutionally-independent agencies or entities not under the Governor’s jurisdiction are encouraged to voluntarily participate in and comply with the provisions of this Order.

6. The provisions of this Order supplement, not supplant or repeal, any and all applicable statutory provisions governing procurement and State agency operations. Nothing in this Order shall be construed or interpreted as limiting in any way any agency’s ability to adopt and implement additional policies and procedures, consistent with existing law, that are designed to reduce agency energy consumption and environmental impact.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand and caused the Great Seal of the State of Arkansas to be affixed at the Capitol in Little Rock on the 28th day of May, in the year of our Lord 2009.

ORIGINAL SIGNED

MIKE BEEBE, GOVERNOR

ORIGINAL SIGNED

CHARLIE DANIELS, SECRETARY OF STATE