The Navy has ordered procurement officers to stop buying computer servers or adding new data centers, the Washington Post reported.

The Obama administration has announced plans to sharply reduce the more than 2,000 federal data centers now in operation.

The Navy directive says designated commands must submit plans to reduce their data centers by 25% and increase server utilization by at least 40%.

New GSA construction standards will require that future federal buildings use less energy and water.

The agency wants all its buildings to qualify for LEED Gold certification, the second highest rating from the Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design program. Among other things, construction projects must:

•Use at least 10% recycled ma terials in building construction.

•Recycle at least 50% of construction waste.

•Use 50% less water for landscaping, compared with original building.

The standards can be found at www.gsa.gov/portal/category/27243.

Northern Virginia Rep. Gerry Connolly is calling for hearings on insourcing and the poaching of contractors’ employees by federal agencies.

Connolly is the ranking Democrat on the Oversight and Government Reform Committee’s Technology, Information Policy, Intergovernmental Relations, and Procurement Reform Subcommittee. He urged the new Republican chairman, James Lankford of Oklahoma, to strive to strike the right balance between government and contractor work.

SBA plans to expand its e200 Emerging Leaders training initiative to eight new cities this year, bringing the total to 27.

The agency says more than 600 entrepreneurs have completed the nine-month training program, and the majority have increased their revenue and hired new workers.

New cities in the program are Youngstown, OH; Fresno, CA; St. Louis, MO; Syracuse, NY; Minneapolis; Farmington, NM, Honolulu; and Helena, MT.

For more information go to www.sba.gov/e200.

The Department of Veterans Affairs has created a new Office of Tribal Government Relations to help the more than 200,000 veterans who are American Indians, Alaska Natives, Hawaiian Natives or are part of Alaska Native Corporations receive the VA benefits they have earned.

Stephanie Elaine Birdwell, a member of the Cherokee Nation from Oklahoma, has been named to head the six-person office.