The U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Vehicle Technologies Program manages several transportation-related regulatory activities established by the Energy Policy Act of 1992 (EPAct) (PDF 5.0 MB), as amended by the Energy Conservation Reauthorization Act of 1998 (PDF 133 KB), EPAct 2005 (PDF 3.1 MB), and the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 (EISA) (PDF 932 KB). Download Adobe Reader. These activities seek to reduce U.S. dependence on imported oil through the use of alternative fuels and alternative fuel vehicles (AFVs), as well as through the use of other petroleum-displacement methods. EPAct 1992 defined certain fuels as alternative fuels and directed DOE to undertake regulatory activities that focus on building an inventory of fleet AFVs in Metropolitan Statistical Areas/Consolidated Metropolitan Statistical Areas, which were selected to serve as launching pads for alternative fuels and advanced vehicle technologies.
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Standard Compliance Reporting
Alternative Compliance Reporting
Pursuant to EPAct 1992, DOE established the Alternative Fuel Transportation Program and associated regulatory requirements. The Program encompasses the State and Alternative Fuel Provider program, which requires certain state government and alternative fuel provider fleets to acquire a specific percentage of AFVs annually. This AFV-acquisition requirement is referred to as Standard Compliance.
In 1998, Congress amended EPAct 1992 to award covered fleets credits toward compliance based on the use of biodiesel blends. In 2005, Congress amended EPAct 1992 again to include provisions allowing covered state and alternative fuel provider fleets to reduce petroleum consumption in lieu of acquiring AFVs, through what is termed Alternative Compliance.
EISA calls for DOE to allocate credits for a number of electric drive vehicles. The rulemaking to determine the allocations is underway.
EPAct 1992 also established two related activities not covered here: the Federal Fleet and Clean Cities programs.
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