In a September BNA article, Husch Blackwell's Steve Neeley discusses the impact Executive Order 13,514 will have on government contractors, specifically those in construction. According to the article, the order "requires 95 percent of new contracts to qualify as energy-efficient, water-efficient, or otherwise be environmentally beneficial." Neeley, a Government Contracts attorney, said the construction industry will be impacted by the government's energy saving plan more than other industries, and the new requirements will be harder on small companies with less money to invest on green initiatives. Neeley concluded the move towards sustainability is not a fad, but a change that's here to stay, and the executive order should push contractors to take the necessary steps to go green sooner rather than later. "These environmental requirements have been out there already as things agencies should aspire to,” he said. “The executive order shifts those aspirations to requirements. The writing is on the wall that sustainability is a big part of the future for federal construction.”