The ACSF report finds that shifting federal transportation contracts to vans and trucks running on alternative fuels could reduce oil imports by billions of gallons annually; cut greenhouse gas (GHG) pollution by over 20 million metric tons a year; and stimulate the nationwide introduction of tens of thousands of new alternative fuel vehicles.

“When it comes to shipping goods to the government, we think it’s high time for Washington to start ‘Buying American’ and using more carriers that rely upon cleaner domestic fuels. That will not only save billions of taxpayer dollars but also lead to cheaper and less polluting freight transportation options for everyone else,” said Gregory C. Staple, CEO of ACSF and co-author of the report.

According to Warren Lavey, ACSF’s Senior Regulatory Counsel, freight services which are used by the government and major product suppliers provide a 30 times larger opportunity for oil savings and emissions reductions than the cars and trucks that the government owns itself. “Moreover, our proposal does not require any new legislation or spending as federal agencies already have the legal authority required to track the oil used and pollution associated with third-party shipping services. And agencies also have the authority to begin buying those services from freight carriers that increasingly rely on cleaner, domestically sourced alternative fuels,” added Lavey.

Source: American Clean Skies Foundation