U.S. Department of Justice
Fleet AFV Program Report for FY 2004
January 2005

This U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) Fleet Report for FY 2004 presents the Department’s data on the number of alternative fuel vehicles (AFVs) acquired in FY 2004 and its planned AFV acquisitions for FY 2005 and FY 2006. The report has been developed in accordance with the Energy Policy Act of 1992 (EPAct) (42 U.S.C. 13211-13219) as amended by the Energy Conservation Reauthorization Act of 1998 (Public Law 105-388) (ECRA), and Executive Order (EO) 13149, signed by the President in April 2000. The DOJ acquired 254 covered vehicles in FY 2004. The EPAct mandates that the Department acquire at least 191 AFVs in order to comply with the 75 percent AFV acquisition requirement. The DOJ exceeded this requirement by acquiring 218 AFVs (including credits) in FY 2004. Our plans indicate a continued level of compliance for FY 2005 and FY 2006. Detailed vehicle acquisition tables are shown in the Attachments B and C.

Summary of Federal Requirements

EPAct requires that 75 percent of all covered light-duty vehicles (LDV) acquired for Federal fleets in FY 1999 and beyond must be AFVs (where the fleets have 20 or more vehicles, are capable of being centrally fueled, and are operated in a metropolitan statistical area with a population of more than 250,000 based on the 1980 census). Certain emergency, law enforcement, and national defense vehicles are exempt from these requirements. EPAct also sets a goal of using replacement fuels to displace at least 30 percent of the projected consumption of motor fuel in the United States annually by the year 2010. The ECRA amended EPAct to allow one alternative fuel vehicle acquisition credit for every 450 gallons of pure Biodiesel fuel consumed in vehicles over 8,500 pounds gross vehicle weight rating. “Biodiesel credits” may fulfill up to 50 percent of an agency’s EPAct requirements. EO 13149 directs Federal agencies operating a fleet of 20 or more vehicles within the United States to reduce their annual petroleum consumption by at least 20 percent by the end of FY 2005 (compared to FY 1999 levels) by using alternative fuels in AFVs more than 50 percent of the time, improving the average fuel economy of new light-duty petroleum-fueled vehicle acquisitions by one mile per gallon (mpg) by FY 2002 and three mpg by FY 2005, and using other fleet efficiency measures.

DOJ Approach to Compliance with EPAct and EO 13149

To achieve compliance with the requirements of EPAct and EO 13149, DOJ will acquire 75 percent of all covered LDVs as AFVs, and use alternative fuel in these vehicles when possible a majority of the time. It will also acquire LDVs with a higher fuel economy of one mpg in FY 2002 and three mpg in FY 2005.

DOJ Fleet Compliance for FY 2004

Figure 1 is a graphical depiction of AFV acquisitions by DOJ’s fleet in FY 2004 and projections for FY 2005 and FY 2006. The DOJ acquired 254 covered LDVs in FY 2004, and received credit for 215 AFVs. The DOJ also gained an additional 3 credits for acquiring dedicated light-duty AFVs, for a total of 218 AFV credits, thereby exceeding the EPAct requirement by 11 percent. Attachment A provides detailed information on the number and types of LDVs leased or purchased by the DOJ fleet in FY 2004.

d

Figure 1. Summary of FY 2004 Acquisitions and Planned FY 2005 and FY 2006 AFV Acquisitions

Additional vehicles were leased and purchased by DOJ that were not “covered” vehicles. Of the total of 4,427 LDVs acquired in FY 2004, the following were not counted for compliance:

· 207 were located outside covered metropolitan statistical areas (MSAs)

· 3,966 were exempt as law enforcement vehicles

Special Projects of the DOJ Fleet Related to AFV and Infrastructure Acquisitions

The Department is continuing with plans for infrastructure upgrades including the installation of Biodiesel refueling sites at Bureau of Prison (BOP) facilities where feasible. There were plans by the Federal Bureau of Investigation to have compressed natural gas (CNG) infrastructure installed at key locations. However, due to the automotive manufacturers halting the production of key models of CNG vehicles, those plans have been put on hold.
The Department has a shuttle bus service contract with Reston Limousine that provides transportation service to our buildings in the District of Columbia. The contract stipulates the use of biodiesel in these buses when it is available. Biodiesel has recently become available at the Navy Exchange refueling facility near the Pentagon. As a result, these contracted shuttle buses will begin using biodiesel fuel at an expected amount of approximately 400 gallons per week. Even though these buses are not part of the Department’s fleet inventory, and therefore not considered as part of EPAct or EO 13149, we are committed to the prospect and opportunity of reducing dependence on petroleum fuel, even where it is not required to do so.

Alternative Fuel Use by the DOJ Fleet in FY 2004

Table 1 presents total fuel use data for DOJ’s fleet in FY 2004. A small percentage of the Department’s vehicles are leased, and the lease contracts include the maintenance and fuel costs for the vehicles. This is accomplished by the use of a General Services Administration (GSA) credit card that the fleets use to purchase fuel. However, since product code standards are not uniform among suppliers of alternative fuels (e.g., ethanol or E85), it is not always possible to accurately track the purchase of alternative fuels with this credit card. This problem continues to persist. The exception is natural gas, which is usually purchased at local utility refueling sites, allowing the fleet to contact the utility for an accurate accounting of purchased fuel.

Table 1. DOJ Fuel Use in FY 2003

* Estimate based on incomplete data

DOJ Fleet AFV Acquisitions for FY 2005 and FY 2006

Attachments B and C provide detailed information on projected vehicle acquisitions and inventory for the DOJ fleet for FY 2005 and FY 2006. In FY 2005, DOJ is planning to acquire a cumulative total of 114 LDVs with the total number of AFV acquisition credits totaling 202, exceeding the EPAct requirement of 86 AFVs. In FY 2005, DOJ is planning to acquire a cumulative total of 144 LDVs with the total number of AFV acquisition credits totaling 123, exceeding the EPAct requirement of 108 AFVs.

Petroleum Savings

In FY 1999, DOJ’s original baseline petroleum consumption was 1,210,491 gasoline gallon equivalents (GGE). As a result of a reclassification of some vehicles that were previously considered as covered but were in fact exempt as law enforcement vehicles, that figure was revised to 741,491 GGE. The baseline has been revised again as a result of internal changes and the formation of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), causing many agencies to be reorganized. The number of DOJ covered vehicles and fuel totals have changed with the incorporation of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) from the Department of Treasury, and the departure of the Immigration and Naturalization Services to DHS. The covered fuel use for ATF vehicles was under reported for FY 2004 due to technical issues in the transfer of GSA leased vehicles related to the formation of DHS. This discrepancy is taken into account in the determination of the new baseline. Additionally, the Bureau of Prisons has added new institutions that became active in FY 2004, requiring the acquisition of additional vehicles, and therefore increasing its fuel use. The U.S. Marshals (USMS) also acquired 81 AFV Ford Explorers near the end of FY 2004. These vehicles weren’t in service long enough to accumulate an accurate fuel total for the year. This has also been factored into the new baseline. Taking all of these issues into account, the new baseline has been calculated to be 842,256 GGE. For FY 2004, the reported petroleum consumption is 573,434 GGE. This represents a reported decrease of 268,822 GGE compared to the newly revised baseline (a 31.9 percent decrease in fuel use). However, due to the extenuating circumstances previously mentioned, this is not an accurate reduction. When adding the fuel that would have been used in USMS vehicles had they been in service the entire year, and applying a logical fuel use for ATF vehicles that were under reported, the estimated petroleum consumption would have been 732,364 GGE. This amount would represent a decrease from the baseline by 109,892 GGE, or a 13 percent reduction.

Additionally, if the fuel use in vehicles added to new BOP institutions were not included, the petroleum consumption would be further reduced to 698,650 GGE. This would represent a 143,606 decrease from the baseline, or a 17 percent reduction. These figures are believed to be much more accurate

Summary

As detailed in this report and the attached appendices, DOJ exceeded the AFV acquisition requirements of the EPAct in FY 2004 and projects to repeat this accomplishment in FY 2005 and FY 2006. The DOJ will continue its efforts to comply with the requirements of the EPAct, ECRA, and EO 13149. By full compliance with the requirement to acquire 75 percent AFVs and a commitment to acquire vehicles with increased fuel efficiency, the Department’s goal is to achieve at least a 20 percent reduction in the fleet’s annual petroleum consumption in FY 2005. However, there are still many obstacles with regard to complying with these goals. The automotive manufacturers are increasingly producing more AFVs, predominately E85 capable vehicles. Until the E85 fuel is more prevalent and readily available, acquiring an E85 AFV does not guarantee the reduction of petroleum fuel. There are still less than one hundred E85 fueling sites in the United States, with the majority of these in the Midwest, that accept a government or commercial credit card. The Department has made progress here in the Metropolitan DC area by replacing commercially leased vehicles with General Services Administration leased vehicles that are E85 capable. There are now two fueling sites in the immediate area where E85 is available. This will be a help, but until the number of fueling sites are dramatically increased throughout the United States, the goals in this report are severely hampered. Additionally, data contained within this report, from which the goals for EO 13149 are derived, is compiled from very diverse and disparate systems. Because of the method in which this data is collected, and the fact that most of the fuel data is dependent upon the information that is provided electronically by the fuel venders, much of the data cannot be validated or verified. As a result, much of the information is derived from calculations based on averages and assumptions. The Department is in the process of establishing an arrangement for utilizing a proven state of the art fleet management system through an agreement with UNICOR and the Maximus Company. This single solution system for the entire Department will enable a greater ability for maintaining data integrity and accountability in all aspects of fleet management. Despite these obstacles, the Department will continue its efforts to support and promote the use of alternative fuel and the benefit of reducing the nation’s dependence on petroleum sources of fuel.

Attachment A - Department of Justice AFV Report 2004 - Actuals
Attachment B - Department of Justice AFV Report 2005 - Planned
Attachment C - Department of Justice AFV Report 2006 - Projected