CONGRESSMEN BARTLETT, SHIMKUS, ENGEL, ISRAEL TOUT SUPPORT FOR OPEN FUEL STANDARD
Presidential Memo Directly Ties In With Legislation; Outside Groups Also Support; Baltimore Sun excerpt
Washington,
Jun 2, 2011 -
Congressmen Roscoe Bartlett (R, Maryland-6), John Shimkus (R, Illinois-19), Eliot Engel (D, New York-17), and Steve Israel (D, New York-2) joined interest groups today in expressing support for the Open Fuel Standard (OFS) Act (HR 1687) at a news conference in Washington, DC.
The OFS would require that 50 percent of new automobiles in 2014, 80 percent in 2016, and 95percent in 2017, would be warranted to operate on nonpetroleum fuels in addition to or instead of petroleum based fuels. Compliance possibilities include the full array of existing technologies – including flex fuel, natural gas, hydrogen, biodiesel, plug-in electric drive, and fuel cell – and a catch-all for new technologies. This requirement will then provide certainty to investors to produce alternative fuels and fueling stations to have a variety of pumps supplying those alternative fuels.
*On May 24 President Obama issued a memorandum, “Federal Fleet Performance,” encouraging the purchase of alternative fuel vehicles for the federal fleet. The directive specifically requires all agency purchases of light duty vehicles be “alternative fueled vehicles, such as hybrid or electric, compressed natural gas, or biofuel” by December 31, 2015.
Last night, the House approved by voice vote an amendment offered by Congressman Engel to the FY 2012 Homeland Security Appropriations bill. The amendment codifies the Presidential memorandum on Federal Fleet Performance. It would ensure that no funds may be used by the Department of Homeland Security for its fleet of vehicles except in accord with the President’s Memorandum.
Congressman Bartlett said that “since the International Energy Agency (IEA) projects that world conventional oil production peaked in 2006-07, there is an increased risk of supply disruptions and price shocks for petroleum with more pain at the pump for consumers. We don’t know what fuel we will burn in our cars in the future, but we know that we need alternatives to petroleum for transportation. That is what the Open Fuel Standard bill will provide.”
Joining the Congressmen were former National Security Advisor Robert McFarlane, President and CEO of the Renewable Fuels Association Bob Dinneen, and Executive Director of the Americas/Europe of the Methanol Institute Gregory Dolan.
The Big Three automobile companies have in the past stated their willingness to make 50 percent of new vehicles flex fuel by 2012. The cost of doing so is about $100 per vehicle. In Brazil the ratio of flex fuel vehicles went from zero to 70 percent in just three years.
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President Obama issued a Memorandum on May 24, 2011 to break the monopoly of petroleum to fuel the federal fleet. Key excerpt is here: “By December 31, 2015, all new light duty vehicles leased or purchased by agencies must be alternative fueled vehicles, such as hybrid or electric, compressed natural gas, or biofuel. Moreover, agency alternative fueled vehicles must, as soon as practicable, be located in proximity to fueling stations with available alternative fuels, and be operated on the alternative fuel for which the vehicle is designed. Where practicable, agencies should encourage development of commercial infrastructure for alternative fuel or provide flex fuel and alternative fuel pumps and charging stations at Federal fueling sites.” full text is here: http://tinyurl.com/3eyotpm
Follow developments about the Open Fuel Standard:
On the web at: OpenFuelStandard.org
On Facebook at: Facebook.com/OpenFuelStandard
On Twitter @OpenFuel
Video of President Ronald Reagan’s National Security Advisor Bud McFarlane’s remarks at the news conference in support of the Open Fuel Standard bill, H.R. 1687, are posted here:
http://www.youtube.com/repshimkus#p/u/2/SKWb4jHZNBU
Video of President and CEO of the Renewable Fuels Association Bob Dinneen’s remarks at the news conference in support of the Open Fuel Standard bill, H.R. 1687, are posted here:
http://www.youtube.com/repshimkus#p/u/1/6t9ebm83W3g
Video of Executive Director of the Americas/Europe of the Methanol Institute Gregory Dolan’s remarks at the news conference in support of the Open Fuel Standard bill, H.R. 1687, are posted here: http://www.youtube.com/repshimkus#p/u/0/vbLjr_VJwwY
Bartlett calls for more alternative-fuel cars
The Baltimore Sun
June 2, 2011
EXCERPT
As gas prices in Maryland hover just under $4 a gallon, Rep. Roscoe G. Bartlett joined a bipartisan group of lawmakers on Capitol Hill Thursday to press for legislation that would require auto manufacturers to produce more alternative-fuel vehicles.
The bill, known as the Open Fuel Standard Act, would require that 50 percent of new automobiles manufactured in 2014 be able to run on non-petroleum fuels in addition to regular gasoline. By 2017, the measure would require 97 percent of new vehicles to run on alternative fuels.
“It is a certainty that we’re going to have to be burning different fuels in the future in addition to the oil we burn now,” said the Western Maryland Republican, who has long warned of the nation’s reliance on oil.
http://tinyurl.com/6eej7zw
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