Remengesau urges car pooling for gov’t workers

In Presidential Directive No. 08-02, the president said the use of government vehicles should also be part of the cost saving measures and that daily office errands should be combined so that it can be completed in as few trips as possible.The Executive Order also added that each ministry should make a list of all vehicles under its control that get less than 25 mpg in city driving.The order said that each minister shall submit a list to the Division of Property and Supply which will begin replacing these vehicles with smaller automobiles and motorbikes as practical and without reducing the capability of the Ministry to perform their duties.Earlier the Palau Energy Task Force recommended energy saving measures that can be instituted to cut cost on the operating budget of the National government.The president said that the recommendations provided by the Task Force provide “common-sense and achievable measures to minimize the energy use and the resulting cost to the taxpayers.”The president said cost energy saving measures should be applied within the government offices because it is the government obligation to the citizens.The president also asked that each government ministries that air conditioning units will only be turned on from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. daily and that the thermostat shall be set no lower than 75 degrees Fahrenheit.The president added that he ministries should also practice measures with regards to lighting such as that all lights not necessary to daily work shall be immediately de-lamped. The president also ordered all government employees to turn off all workstation equipment.The ministry also added that each building should only have one fax machine and scanner and that computers should be turned off automatically when not in use for a period of time.The ministries were also asked to turn off electrical appliances.The Palau Energy Office were also directed to begin immediately the conversion of all national government offices in Koror to pre-paid electricity meters to enable the national government to effectively monitor electricity usage and implement appropriate budgets to meet reduction goals.