U.S. Department of Justice
Fleet AFV Program Report for FY 2007
January 2008

This U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) Fleet Report for FY 2007 presents the Department’s data on the number of alternative fuel vehicles (AFVs) acquired in FY 2007and its planned AFV acquisitions for FY 2008 and FY 2009.  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) 13423, signed by the President in January 2007.  The DOJ acquired 127 covered vehicles in FY 2007.  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 442 AFVs (including credits) in FY 2007.  Our plans indicate a continued level of compliance for FY 2008 and FY 2009.  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 13423 directs Federal agencies operating a fleet of 20 or more vehicles within the United States to reduce their annual petroleum consumption by at least 2 percent and increase the use of alternative fuels by 10 percent annually.

DOJ Approach to Compliance with EPAct and EO 13423

To achieve compliance with the requirements of EPAct and EO 13423, 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 LDV’s in FY 2007 was 3 miles per gallon greater than the baseline.

DOJ Fleet Compliance for FY 2007

Figure 1 is a graphical depiction of AFV acquisitions by DOJ’s fleet in FY 2007 and projections for FY 2008 and FY 2009.  The DOJ acquired 127 covered LDVs in FY 2007, and received credit for 633 AFVs.  The DOJ also gained an additional 16 credits for Bio diesel fuel usage, for a total of 649 AFV credits, thereby exceeding the EPAct requirement by 30 percent.  Attachment A provides detailed information on the number and types of LDVs leased or purchased by the DOJ fleet in FY 2007.

d

Figure 1.  Summary of FY 2007 Acquisitions and Planned FY 2008 and FY 2009 AFV Acquisitions

Additional vehicles were leased and purchased by DOJ that were not “covered” vehicles.  Of the total of 4,518 LDVs acquired in FY 2007, the following were not counted for compliance:

• 411 were located outside covered metropolitan statistical areas (MSAs)
• 3,980 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. 
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 13423, 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 2007

Table 1 presents total fuel use data for DOJ’s fleet in FY 2007.  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 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 2007

* Estimate based on incomplete data

DOJ Fleet AFV Acquisitions for FY 2008 and FY 2009

Attachments B and C provide detailed information on projected vehicle acquisitions and inventory for the DOJ fleet for FY 2008 and FY 2009.  In FY 2008, DOJ is planning to acquire
a cumulative total of 192 LDVs with the total number of AFV acquisition credits totaling 458, exceeding the EPAct requirement of 86 AFVs.  In FY 2009, DOJ is planning to acquire a cumulative total of 186 LDVs with the total number of AFV acquisition credits totaling 592, exceeding the EPAct requirement of 108 AFVs.

Petroleum Savings
For FY 2007, the reported covered petroleum consumption is 678,971 Gasoline Gallon Equivalents (GGE). This represents a reported decrease of 204,234 GGE compared to the baseline of 883, 205 (a 17.7 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 2007 and projects to repeat this accomplishment in FY 2008 and FY 2009.  The DOJ will continue its efforts to comply with the requirements of the EPAct, ECRA, and EO 13423.  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.  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 two thousand 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 since there are now three 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 fueling in AFV s 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 2007 Vehicle Acquisitions
Attachment B - Planned Department of Justice FY 2008 Vehicle Acquisitions
Attachment C - Projected Department of Justice FY 2009 Vehicle Acquisitions