Repeal of Fossil Fuel Restrictions for New Federal Buildings and Major Renovations of Federal Buildings

Published

Sep 2, 2026

Citation

91 FR 56371

Docket

EERE-2026-FEMP-0067

Notification of stay.

Summary

The Department of Energy (DOE) announced that it is temporarily pausing the deadline for federal agencies to meet the new clean‑energy requirements that apply to the design of new federal buildings and major renovations. The pause gives DOE time to review and possibly revise the guidance it issued on how the requirements—added to the federal regulations earlier this year—should be carried out. By staying the compliance date, the agency aims to ensure that the rules are clear, practical, and consistent with the policy goal of reducing carbon emissions from government facilities. The rule is issued by the DOE and affects all federal entities that construct new buildings or undertake major renovation projects, such as the General Services Administration, the Department of Defense, and other agencies that manage federal real‑estate portfolios. These agencies will not be required to demonstrate compliance with the clean‑energy standards until the stay is lifted. The stay took effect on the publication date of the notice, September 2, 2026, as indicated in the Federal Register (91 FR 56371). No specific comment deadline was included in the notice, and DOE has not announced a new compliance timeline. The agency will continue its review of the implementation guidance, and once it completes that work it will issue an updated schedule and any additional instructions for agencies to follow.

AI-generated summary — verify against the Federal Register text.

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