{ "id": "RL30758", "type": "CRS Report", "typeId": "REPORTS", "number": "RL30758", "active": false, "source": "EveryCRSReport.com, University of North Texas Libraries Government Documents Department", "versions": [ { "source": "EveryCRSReport.com", "id": 105292, "date": "2005-01-07", "retrieved": "2016-04-07T19:58:38.409581", "title": "Alternative Transportation Fuels and Vehicles: Energy, Environment, and Development Issues", "summary": "The sharp increase in petroleum prices beginning in mid-1999, experiences with tighter supply,\nand\ninternational instability have renewed concern about our dependence on petroleum imports. One of\nthe strategies for reducing this dependence is to produce vehicles that run on alternatives to gasoline\nand diesel fuel. These alternatives include alcohols, gaseous fuels, renewable fuels, electricity, and\nfuels derived from coal. The push to develop alternative fuels, although driven by energy security\nconcerns, has been aided by concerns over the environment, because many alternative fuels lead to\nreductions in emissions of toxic chemicals, ozone-forming compounds, and other pollutants, as well\nas greenhouse gases.\n Each fuel (and associated vehicle) has various advantages and drawbacks. The key drawback\nof all alternative fuels is that because of higher fuel and/or vehicle prices, alternative fuel vehicles\n(AFVs) are generally more expensive to own than conventional vehicles. And while many AFVs\nhave superior environmental performance compared to conventional vehicles, their performance in\nterms of range, cargo capacity, and ease of fueling may not compare favorably with conventional\nvehicles. Furthermore, because there is little fueling infrastructure (as compared to gasoline and\ndiesel fuel), fueling an AFV can be inconvenient.\n Any policy to support AFVs must address the performance and cost concerns, as well as the\nissue of fueling infrastructure. Within this context, a \"chicken and egg\" dilemma stands out: The\nvehicles will not become popular without the fueling infrastructure, and the fueling infrastructure\nwill not expand if there are no customers to serve.\n Three key laws, the Alternative Motor Fuels Act of 1988 ( P.L. 100-494 ), the Clean Air Act\nAmendments of 1990 ( P.L. 101-549 ), and the Energy Policy Act of 1992 ( P.L. 102-486 ), as well as\nthree Executive Orders, support the development and commercialization of alternative fuels and\nalternative fuel vehicles. These legislative acts and administrative actions provide tax incentives to\npurchase AFVs, promote the expansion of alternative fueling infrastructure, and require the use of\nAFVs by various public and private entities.\n The 108th Congress considered comprehensive energy legislation, but a final bill was not\nsubmitted to the President for signature. H.R. 6 would have promoted the development\nof renewable fuels, especially ethanol and hydrogen. Further, it would have provided incentives for\nthe development and purchase of alternative fuel and advanced technology vehicles. In addition to\nthe energy bill, other bills were introduced to create vehicle purchase tax credits, promote research\nand development of fuels, and require the use of alternative fuels. It is likely that similar legislation\nwill be introduced in the 109th Congress.\n This report reviews these issues. It will be updated as events warrant.", "type": "CRS Report", "typeId": "REPORTS", "active": false, "formats": [ { "format": "HTML", "encoding": "utf-8", "url": "http://www.crs.gov/Reports/RL30758", "sha1": "504136c372711ca73e2f076d088c1996a9a8d6eb", "filename": "files/20050107_RL30758_504136c372711ca73e2f076d088c1996a9a8d6eb.html", "images": null }, { "format": "PDF", "encoding": null, "url": "http://www.crs.gov/Reports/pdf/RL30758", "sha1": "62918c04675174f6da87a4928dd58ff859f9aeb9", "filename": "files/20050107_RL30758_62918c04675174f6da87a4928dd58ff859f9aeb9.pdf", "images": null } ], "topics": [] }, { "source": "University of North Texas Libraries Government Documents Department", "sourceLink": "https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metacrs10055/", "id": "RL30758 2004-06-30", "date": "2004-06-30", "retrieved": "2007-06-20T14:39:23", "title": "Alternative Transportation Fuels and Vehicles: Energy, Environment, and Development Issues", "summary": "This report reviews several issues relating to alternative fuels and vehicles, mainly to combat dependence on petroleum imports and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. 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The report discusses the advantages and drawbacks of various alternative fuels and vehicles, as well as related legislation.", "type": "CRS Report", "typeId": "REPORT", "active": false, "formats": [ { "format": "PDF", "filename": "files/20040109_RL30758_a8d7eb982ac28048e6792884cdd7c1e90a69b14f.pdf" }, { "format": "HTML", "filename": "files/20040109_RL30758_a8d7eb982ac28048e6792884cdd7c1e90a69b14f.html" } ], "topics": [ { "source": "LIV", "id": "Energy", "name": "Energy" }, { "source": "LIV", "id": "Alternative fuels - Law and legislation - U.S.", "name": "Alternative fuels - Law and legislation - U.S." }, { "source": "LIV", "id": "Air pollution control", "name": "Air pollution control" } ] }, { "source": "University of North Texas Libraries Government Documents Department", "sourceLink": "https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc816088/", "id": "RL30758_2003Jun06", "date": "2003-06-06", "retrieved": "2016-03-19T13:57:26", "title": "Alternative Transportation Fuels and Vehicles: Energy, Environment, and Development Issues", "summary": null, "type": "CRS Report", "typeId": "REPORT", "active": false, "formats": [ { "format": "PDF", "filename": "files/20030606_RL30758_47c9f24c9026ebe97081f2b695975d8e277a10df.pdf" }, { "format": "HTML", "filename": "files/20030606_RL30758_47c9f24c9026ebe97081f2b695975d8e277a10df.html" } ], "topics": [] }, { "source": "University of North Texas Libraries Government Documents Department", "sourceLink": "https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metacrs2678/", "id": "RL30758 2002-03-07", "date": "2002-03-07", "retrieved": "2005-06-11T07:40:23", "title": "Alternative Transportation Fuels and Vehicles: Energy, Environment, and Development Issues", "summary": "This report reviews several issues relating to alternative fuels and vehicles, mainly to combat dependence on petroleum imports and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The report discusses the advantages and drawbacks of various alternative fuels and vehicles, as well as related legislation.", "type": "CRS Report", "typeId": "REPORT", "active": false, "formats": [ { "format": "PDF", "filename": "files/20020307_RL30758_e4a64cf08df65bfef00b8dafda1f4ea59c698f13.pdf" }, { "format": "HTML", "filename": "files/20020307_RL30758_e4a64cf08df65bfef00b8dafda1f4ea59c698f13.html" } ], "topics": [ { "source": "LIV", "id": "Energy", "name": "Energy" }, { "source": "LIV", "id": "Alternative fuels - Law and legislation - U.S.", "name": "Alternative fuels - Law and legislation - U.S." } ] }, { "source": "University of North Texas Libraries Government Documents Department", "sourceLink": "https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metacrs1671/", "id": "RL30758 2001-01-16", "date": "1996-01-17", "retrieved": "2005-06-11T07:39:55", "title": "Alternative Transportation Fuels and Vehicles: Energy, Environment, and Development Issues", "summary": "This report reviews several issues relating to alternative fuels and vehicles, mainly to combat dependence on petroleum imports and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. 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