U.S. Department of Justice
Fleet AFV Program Report for FY 2006
January 2007

This U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) Fleet Report for FY 2006 presents the Department’s data on the number of alternative fuel vehicles (AFVs) acquired in FY 2006 and its planned AFV acquisitions for FY 2007 and FY 2008. 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 193 covered vehicles in FY 2005. The EPAct mandates that the Department acquire at least 145 AFVs in order to comply with the 75 percent AFV acquisition requirement. The DOJ exceeded this requirement by acquiring 169 AFVs (including credits) in FY 2006. Our plans indicate a continued level of compliance for FY 2007 and FY 2008. 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. The average fuel economy of newly acquired LDVs in FY 2006 was 5 miles per gallon greater than the baseline.

DOJ Fleet Compliance for FY 2006

Figure 1 is a graphical depiction of AFV acquisitions by DOJ’s fleet in FY 2006 and projections for FY 2007 and FY 2008. The DOJ acquired 197 covered LDVs in FY 2006, and received credit for 163 AFVs. Six additional credits were gained, 6 for acquiring, 6 biodiesel used, bringing the total AFV credits to 169. This exceeded the EPAct requirement by 7 percent. Attachment A provides detailed information on the number and types of LDVs leased or purchased by the DOJ fleet in FY 2006.

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Figure 1. Summary of FY 2006 AFV Acquisitions

Additional vehicles were leased and purchased by DOJ that were not covered under the EPAct. Of the total of 4,805 LDVs acquired in FY 2006, the following were not accountable for compliance:

• 247 were located outside covered metropolitan statistical areas (MSAs)
• 4,361 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 Prisons (BOP) facilities where feasible.

Alternative Fuel Use by the DOJ Fleet in FY 2006

Table 1 presents total fuel use data for DOJ’s fleet in FY 2006. A small percentage of the Department’s vehicles are leased, and the lease contract includes 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 or with any government issued fleet card. This problem continues to persist and is well-known by government agencies requiring this information. 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 2006

* Estimate based on incomplete data

DOJ Fleet AFV Acquisitions for FY 2007 and FY 2008

Attachments B and C provide detailed information on projected vehicle acquisitions and inventory for the DOJ fleet for FY 2007 and FY 2008. In FY 2007, DOJ is planning to acquire a cumulative total of 177 LDVs with the total number of AFV acquisition credits totaling 373, exceeding the EPAct requirement of 85 AFVs. In FY 2008, DOJ is planning to acquire a cumulative total of 244 LDVs with the total number of AFV acquisition credits totaling 386, exceeding the EPAct requirement of 88 AFVs.

Petroleum Savings

For FY 2006, the reported covered petroleum consumption is 736,674 Gasoline Gallon Equivalents (GGE). This represents a reported decrease of 145,602 GGE compared to the baseline of 882,276 (a 16.7 percent decrease in fuel use).

Summary

As detailed in this report and the attached appendices, DOJ exceeded the AFV acquisition requirements of the EPAct in FY 2006 and projects to repeat this accomplishment in FY 2007 and FY 2008. 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 continue to reduce fleet’s annual petroleum consumption.

However, there are still many obstacles with regard to complying with these goals. Even though the automotive manufacturers are producing more AFVs, predominately E85 capable vehicles, many of these vehicles are of the larger class and size such as Sport Utility Vehicle’s and pick-up trucks. Acquiring these types of vehicles is not the best strategy since the availability of E85 fuel, although increasing, is still not enough. E85 fuel is predominately available in the Midwest with the highest concentration in Minnesota. The Department has made progress here in the Metropolitan DC area since there are now two fueling sites in the immediate area where E85 is available. This has been a help, but until the number of fueling sites is substantially increased throughout the United States, the goal of using alternative fuel in AFVs is extremely difficult, and in some cases impossible. Despite these obstacles, the Department will continue its efforts to support and promote the use of alternative fuel.

Attachment A - Actual Department of Justice FY 2006 Vehicle Acquisitions
Attachment B - Planned Department of Justice FY 2007 Vehicle Acquisitions
Attachment C - Projected Department of Justice FY 2008 Vehicle Acquisitions