Green Transportation

The Environmental Protection Agency estimates that Americans currently drive over three trillion miles a year, using 3.5 million barrels of oil per day or about 21% of the nation's 17 million barrel daily consumption. The resulting emissions of more than a billion tons of carbon dioxide account for about 17 percent of total U.S. yearly carbon dioxide generation. Nationally, the number of miles driven continues to grow by about 2 percent per year. In Pennsylvania last year's increase was only about a half of a percent. Motorists are driving about 295 million miles on Pennsylvania roads every year. Passenger vehicles account for over 70 percent of miles driven; 48 percent in urban areas and 23 percent in rural areas. Small and medium trucks make up about 23 percent of the overall vehicle miles while tractor-trailers are responsible for only 4.4 percent.

With high fuel costs and increasingly scarce and potentially unstable supplies, the Rendell Administration has taken several initiatives.

• Building on his leadership in developing an energy policy designed to provide energy security and jobs, the Governor has initiated a Penn Security Fuels Initiative. Taking advantage of Pennsylvania's resources, the initiative looks to:
  • Replace 900 million gallons of the state's transportation fuels over the next decade with alternatives, such as ethanol, biodiesel, or fuels derived from coal liquefaction processes equipped with carbon offsets. The 900 million gallons represents the forecasted amount of fuels that will be imported to Pennsylvania from the Persian Gulf 10 years from now.

    Fuel nozzle for an 85 percent blend of corn produced ethanol and gasoline

  • Establish a clean fuels standard requiring a certain percentage of transportation fuels retailed in Pennsylvania to contain eligible fuels, such as ethanol, biodiesel, coal-derived fuels, methane gas derived from landfills or coalmine methane. Substitution of biofuel for petroleum-based home-heating products and biodiesel used as a replacement for petroleum engine lubricants would also receive credit.
  • Invest $30 million in existing funds from the state's Alternative Fuels Incentive Grant program over the next five years to build the re-fueling and production infrastructure to supply alternative fuel to consumers.

    Switch grass as a cellulostic alternative for ethanol production

  • Create incentives that open new markets to Pennsylvania farmers who grow the feedstock to produce ethanol and biodiesel, and encourage clean technology that puts to use the state's vast coal reserves to reduce foreign fuel dependency, creates new jobs, improves the environment and builds a diversified energy base. Extra credits will be provided for fuels derived from Pennsylvania feedstock.
  • Provide safeguards against price increases by allowing alterations or delays in the compliance schedule if prices of eligible alternative fuels rise above conventional fuels by a certain level for a prolonged period. Additionally, a credit trading system will be set up to further enhance the suite of compliance options.
• To further support the production and deployment of indigenous, clean, alternative fuels the Rendell Administration is investing another $3.67 million from the Alternative Fuels Incentive Grants program to leverage more than $16 million in private funding for projects including:
  • $2 million to promote use of liquefied natural gas produced from methane gas generated from the Seneca Landfill in Butler County. Seneca will construct both a liquefaction facility to produce 6,000 gallons of LNG per day and a LNG refueling facility.
  • Grants to schools, municipal governments and authorities, business and non-profit entities for hybrid passenger fleet vehicles.
  • Helping to buy down the difference between the cost of conventional diesel fuel and B20 biodiesel for selected school districts.
  • Continued demonstration of hydrogen and compressed natural gas blends in Centre Area Transit buses and Penn State vans.
  • Support for a vehicle to compete in the U.S. Department of Energy Advanced Vehicle Technology Competition.

• Kathleen McGinty, DEP Secretary, highlights one of the five new Ford Escape Hybrids purchased in 2005

  Commonwealth agencies are also taking actions to keep minimize fuel use.
  • The Department of General Services cut a further 124 vehicles from the state's fleet. Over the past two years 216 SUVs have been eliminated.  Overall, the Department is moving to downsize new purchases. By the end of this year it will have bought 45 U.S. made hybrid electric vehicles for use by the Departments of Environmental Protection, Conservation and Natural Resources, Corrections, General Services and the Fish and Boat Commission. The Public Utility Commission is also ordering its first hybrid electric vehicle.
  • Universities within the State System of Higher Education have responded in a variety of ways to help "green" their transportation systems.
    • Edinboro University has expanded its popular shuttle service, operated in conjunction with the municipality, and shuttle bus programs have been instituted at Bloomsburg, Clarion and East Stroudsburg universities.
    • Universities are downsizing their fleets: Clarion University recently replaced three 15-passenger vans with smaller vehicles: Millersville exchanged three pickup trucks for smaller, more fuel efficient vehicles; and Shippensburg replaced two SUV police vehicles with more economical sedans.
    • Alternative fuel vehicles continue to find their way into the state system.
      • West Chester University is the leader, maintaining a fleet of more than 20 compressed natural gas vehicles and replacing four older gasoline powered trucks with new compressed natural gas vehicles this year. The university hit a new high by increasing the gasoline gallon equivalents of CNG used last year by 3.4%. The compressed natural gas program began in 1998 with the opening of a quick-fill refueling facility. The initial fleet of four vehicles quickly expanded to nine, using the approximately 8,350 cubic feet of natural gas. Plans are under way to expand its alternative fuels capacity by providing the infrastructure to use biodiesel fuels.
      • Shippensburg University replaced two gasoline-powered maintenance vehicles with battery-powered vehicles and Cheyney University replaced its gasoline powered maintenance vehicles with battery driven turf carts.
      • Cheyney, Clarion, East Stroudsburg, Edinboro, Indiana, Kutztown, Shippensburg and West Chester Universities have all either switched to, or increased existing use of, bicycle or foot security patrols which offer the added benefit of a heightened sense of security resulting from the direct interaction with students.  

        Turnpike Commission diesel fueled vehicle running on a blend of alternative fuel produced from agriculturally produced soy oil

  • Other agencies maintaining alternative fuel vehicles include the Turnpike Commission, with a fleet of 150 autos, 26 SUV's and 48 pickup trucks which are all ethanol-85 compatible and over 300 biodiesel fueled construction vehicles, and the Department of Environmental Protection with 11 ethanol-85 compatible vehicles and two compressed natural gas vehicles.
• A number of agencies are limiting their travel, reducing costs and pollution.
  • Every year the Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency expands its video conferencing program to reduce the need for travel. This year it conducted 15 video and four teleconferences, saving $12,439 and 1,080 gallons of fuel.
  • The State Employee's Retirement System held over forty videoconferences with investment advisors in 2005 and approximated the savings at $20,000.
  • The Pennsylvania Rural Development Council continues to provide video conferencing services so that people in remote locations can take part in important Rural Issues Forums. An average of seven forums are held annually, each "attended" by at least 75 people.
  • Video conferencing capabilities are available at all major Department of Public Welfare facilities as well as the majority of County Assistance Offices.

    The Historical and Museum Commission's Distance Learning Center utilizes a video conference link to all its facilities statewide

    The Bureau of Juvenile Justice Services uses video conferencing throughout its system enabling staff to conduct court hearings, probation officer meetings and family conferences with greatly reduced physical risk.
  • The Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission has installed video conferencing equipment at its headquarters and all sites across the state. Since 2004 the agency calculates that it has held approximately 129 conferences resulting in significant savings.