Fleet & Transportation
Footprint Focus Area
While necessary to accomplish our land management responsibilities, our vehicle use has an environmental impact: burning fossil fuels and emitting CO2 and particulates. We will continue to drive, but with 80% of our fleet made up of four-wheel-drive pickups and SUVs, we need to make sure we are using the right vehicle for the job.
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Unlike energy and water use, our fleet data are fairly comprehensive; however, it does not convert the use of personal vehicles or corporate leases. It does cover bulk fuel purchased with credit cards which can then be used to capture gallons of fuel used. This information can then be used to estimate carbon emissions.
Miles driven is another important piece of information because, with it, we can calculate fuel efficiency. We also have information available on the numbers and types of vehicles we use. Transportation classes are divided into breaks of sedans/wagons, buses, light trucks (including SUVs), medium trucks (including most full-size pickups), and heavy trucks. Since most of the vehicles we operate are light or medium trucks, they predictably account for 89% (127,600,000 miles) of the miles driven. Less than 3% of the Forest Service fleet is made up of sedans and wagons and they account for 3% (4,269,000 miles) of the miles driven.
Quick Links to the topics on this page:
- Goal
- Guidelines
- Letters From Leadership
- Performance Criteria
- Tools
- Articles
- Presentations
- Reports
- FAQs
Goal
Lead: WO Engineering
- VEHICLES: Increase purchase of alternative fuel, hybrid, and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles when commercially available.
- PETROLEUM CONSERVATION: Reduce petroleum consumption in fleet vehicles by 2% annually through 2015.
- ALTERNATIVE FUEL USE: Increase alternative fuel consumption at least 10% annually.
- Achieve zero emissions in fleet and transportation by 2015.
Guidelines
Executive Order 13423 (2007) requirements related to fleet include the following:
- Reduce fleet total petroleum products by 2 percent annually through 2015 using a 2005 baseline. This is an accumulating one; any years missed are added to the following year.
- Increase nonpetroleum-based fuel use by 10 percent annually. Miles per gallon is reported annually on the Office of Management and Budget scorecard.
Letters From Leadership
July 2008
September 2007
- 9/17/07 USDA Implementing Executive Order 13423 Strengthening Federal Environmental, Energy, and Transportation Management [PDF, 3 pages]
Performance Criteria
Tools
- Handbook on Alternative Work Schedules
- Fact Sheet on Flexible Work Schedules
- Fact Sheet on Compressed Work Schedules
- The EcoDriver's Manual [PDF, 6 pages, 1.45 MB]
- 100+ Best Management Practices - Defining What a Green Park Looks Like - National Park Service [PDF, 12 pages, 1.14 MB]
Articles
- 8/01/08 – Government Executive.com – Time for Telework: As fuel prices, traffic and pollution peak, managers are becoming more open to letting employees work from home
- 12/28/2007 - Forest Service Joins EPA’s Climate Leaders Program
- Green and Getting Greener: Tips and Resources [PDF]
Presentations
- Sustainable Operations - Our Environmental Footprint & The Climate Change Connection - Anna J. Jones-Crabtree P.E.; Ph.D.; LEED AP; Sustainable Operations Coordinator; Rocky Mountain & Northern Regions US Forest Service [PDF, 58 pages, 2.12 MB]
Reports
- Is the Forest Service a Carbon Source or a Carbon Sink? [PDF, 2 pages]
- Leading By Example: Federal Government Environmental and Energy Efficiency Accomplishments for 2004-2006 [PDF, 104 pages, 2.04 MB]
FAQ's
Last Modified: 12/30/2008
