§ 6374. Alternative fuel use by light duty Federal vehicles

(a) Department of Energy program

(1) Beginning in the fiscal year ending September 30, 1990, the Secretary shall ensure, with the cooperation of other appropriate agencies and consistent with other Federal law, that the maximum number practicable of the vehicles acquired annually for use by the Federal Government shall be alternative fueled vehicles. In no event shall the number of such vehicles acquired be less than the number required under section 13212 of this title.

(2) In any determination of whether the acquisition of a vehicle is practicable under paragraph (1), the initial cost of such vehicle to the United States shall not be considered as a factor unless the initial cost of such vehicle exceeds the initial cost of a comparable gasoline or diesel fueled vehicle by at least 5 percent.

(3)

(A) To the extent practicable, the Secretary shall acquire both dedicated and dual fueled vehicles, and shall ensure that each type of alternative fueled vehicle is used by the Federal Government.

(B) Vehicles acquired under this section shall be acquired from original equipment manufacturers. If such vehicles are not available from original equipment manufacturers, vehicles converted to use alternative fuels may be acquired if, after conversion, the original equipment manufacturer’s warranty continues to apply to such vehicles, pursuant to an agreement between the original equipment manufacturer and the person performing the conversion. This subparagraph shall not apply to vehicles acquired by the United States Postal Service pursuant to a contract entered into by the United States Postal Service before October 24, 1992, and which terminates on or before December 31, 1997.

(C) Alternative fueled vehicles, other than those described in subparagraph (B), may be acquired solely for the purposes of studies under subsection (b) of this section, whether or not original equipment manufacturer warranties still apply.

(D) In deciding which types of alternative fueled vehicles to acquire in implementing this part, the Secretary shall consider as a factor—

(i) which types of vehicles yield the greatest reduction in pollutants emitted per dollar spent; and

(ii) the source of the fuel to supply the vehicles, giving preference to vehicles that operate on alternative fuels derived from domestic sources.

(E)

(i) Dual fueled vehicles acquired pursuant to this section shall be operated on alternative fuels unless the Secretary determines that an agency qualifies for a waiver of such requirement for vehicles operated by the agency in a particular geographic area in which—

(I) the alternative fuel otherwise required to be used in the vehicle is not reasonably available to retail purchasers of the fuel, as certified to the Secretary by the head of the agency; or

(II) the cost of the alternative fuel otherwise required to be used in the vehicle is unreasonably more expensive compared to gasoline, as certified to the Secretary by the head of the agency.

(ii) The Secretary shall monitor compliance with this subparagraph by all such fleets and shall report annually to Congress on the extent to which the requirements of this subparagraph are being achieved. The report shall include information on annual reductions achieved from the use of petroleum-based fuels and the problems, if any, encountered in acquiring alternative fuels.

(F) At least 50 percent of the alternative fuels used in vehicles acquired pursuant to this section shall be derived from domestic feedstocks, except to the extent inconsistent with the multilateral trade agreements (as defined in section 3501 (4) of title 19). The Secretary shall issue regulations to implement this requirement. For purposes of this subparagraph, the term “domestic” has the meaning given such term in section 13211 (7) of this title.

(G) Except to the extent inconsistent with the multilateral trade agreements (as defined in section 3501 (4) of title 19), vehicles acquired under this section shall be motor vehicles manufactured in the United States or Canada.

(4) Acquisitions of vehicles under this section shall, to the extent practicable, be coordinated with acquisitions of alternative fueled vehicles by State and local governments.

(b) Studies

(1)

(A) The Secretary, in cooperation with the Environmental Protection Agency and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, shall conduct a study of a representative sample of alternative fueled vehicles in Federal fleets, which shall at a minimum address—

(i) the performance of such vehicles, including performance in cold weather and at high altitude;

(ii) the fuel economy, safety, and emissions of such vehicles; and

(iii) a comparison of the operation and maintenance costs of such vehicles to the operation and maintenance costs of other passenger automobiles and light duty trucks.

(B) The Secretary shall provide a report on the results of the study conducted under subparagraph (A) to the Committees on Commerce, Science, and Transportation and Governmental Affairs of the Senate, and the Committee on Energy and Commerce of the House of Representatives, within one year after the first such vehicles are acquired.

(2)

(A) The Secretary and the Administrator of the General Services Administration shall conduct a study of the advisability, feasibility, and timing of the disposal of vehicles acquired under subsection (a) of this section and any problems of such disposal. Such study shall take into account existing laws governing the sale of Government vehicles and shall specifically focus on when to sell such vehicles and what price to charge, without compromising studies of the use of such vehicles authorized under this part.

(B) The Secretary and the Administrator of the General Services Administration shall report the results of the study conducted under subparagraph (A) to the Committees on Commerce, Science, and Transportation and Governmental Affairs of the Senate, and the Committee on Energy and Commerce of the House of Representatives, within 12 months after funds are appropriated for carrying out this section.

(3) Studies undertaken under this subsection shall be coordinated with relevant testing activities of the Environmental Protection Agency and the Department of Transportation.

To the extent practicable, at locations where vehicles acquired under subsection (a) of this section are supplied with alternative fuels, such fuels shall be offered for sale to the public. The head of the Federal agency responsible for such a location shall consider whether such sale is practicable, taking into account, among other factors—

(1) whether alternative fuel is commercially available for vehicles in the vicinity of such location;

(2) security and safety considerations;

(3) whether such sale is in accordance with applicable local, State, and Federal law;

(4) the ease with which the public can access such location; and

(5) the cost to the United States of such sale.

(d) Federal agency use of demonstration vehicles

(1) Upon the request of the head of any agency of the Federal Government, the Secretary shall ensure that such Federal agency be provided with vehicles acquired under subsection (a) of this section to the maximum extent practicable.

(2)

(A) Funds appropriated under this section for the acquisition of vehicles under subsection (a) of this section shall be applicable only to the portion of the cost of vehicles acquired under subsection (a) of this section which exceeds the cost of comparable gasoline or diesel fueled vehicles.

(B) To the extent that appropriations are available for such purposes, the Secretary shall ensure that the cost to any Federal agency receiving a vehicle under paragraph (1) shall not exceed the cost to such agency of a comparable gasoline or diesel fueled vehicle.

(3) Only one-half of the vehicles acquired under this section by an agency of the Federal Government shall be counted against any limitation under law, Executive order, or executive or agency policy on the number of vehicles which may be acquired by such agency.

(4) Any Federal agency receiving a vehicle under paragraph (1) shall cooperate with studies undertaken by the Secretary under subsection (b) of this section.

(e) Detail of personnel

Upon the request of the Secretary, the head of any Federal agency may detail, on a reimbursable basis, any of the personnel of such agency to the Department of Energy to assist the Secretary in carrying out the Secretary’s duties under this section.

(f) Exemptions

(1) Vehicles acquired under this section shall not be counted in any calculation of the average fuel economy of the fleet of passenger automobiles acquired in a fiscal year by the United States.

(2) The incremental cost of vehicles acquired under this section over the cost of comparable gasoline or diesel fueled vehicles shall not be applied to any calculation with respect to a limitation under law on the maximum cost of individual vehicles which may be acquired by the United States.

(g) Definitions

For purposes of this part—

(1) the term “acquired” means leased for a period of sixty continuous days or more, or purchased;

(2) the term “alternative fuel” means methanol, denatured ethanol, and other alcohols; mixtures containing 85 percent or more (or such other percentage, but not less than 70 percent, as determined by the Secretary, by rule, to provide for requirements relating to cold start, safety, or vehicle functions) by volume of methanol, denatured ethanol, and other alcohols with gasoline or other fuels; natural gas; liquefied petroleum gas; hydrogen; coal-derived liquid fuels; fuels (other than alcohol) derived from biological materials; electricity (including electricity from solar energy); and any other fuel the Secretary determines, by rule, is substantially not petroleum and would yield substantial energy security benefits and substantial environmental benefits;

(3) the term “alternative fueled vehicle” means a dedicated vehicle or a dual fueled vehicle;

(4) the term “dedicated vehicle” means—

(A) a dedicated automobile, as such term is defined in section 32901 (a)(7) ^[1] of title 49; or

(B) a motor vehicle, other than an automobile, that operates solely on alternative fuel;

(5) the term “dual fueled vehicle” means—

(A) dual fueled automobile, as such term is defined in section 32901 (a)(8) ^[1] of title 49; or

(B) a motor vehicle, other than an automobile, that is capable of operating on alternative fuel and is capable of operating on gasoline or diesel fuel; and

(6) the term “heavy duty vehicle” means a vehicle of greater than 8,500 pounds gross vehicle weight rating.

(h) Funding

(1) For the purposes of this section, there are authorized to be appropriated such sums as may be necessary for fiscal years 1993 through 1998, to remain available until expended.

(2) The authority of the Secretary to obligate amounts to be expended under this section shall be effective for any fiscal year only to such extent or in such amounts as are provided in advance by appropriation Acts.

[1] See References in Text note below.

U.S. Code

§ 6374. Alternative fuel use by light duty Federal vehicles