WASHINGTON (CN) - The Department of Energy seeks comment on its plans for reducing gasoline use and increasing use of alternative fuels by federal fleets.
The Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 and an executive order issued by former President George W. Bush the same year set targets for reducing annual federal fleet gasoline consumption by 20 percent by 2015 beginning in 2010, relative to consumption in 2005.
Over the same time frame, Bush's order and the EISA set a goal of increasing alternative fuel use by 10 percent.
The DoE proposal sets out non-mandatory milestones for each year up to 2015. Each federal agency would have to submit a plan to DoE detailing how it will reach the milestones and the overall reduction. The plans would have to be updated yearly.
The means to hitting the targets are largely left to the agencies but could include reductions in total miles traveled, buying more fuel-efficient vehicles, buying alternative fuel vehicles, and more efficient use of vehicles.
According to the DoE, the largest federal consumer of gasoline is the U.S. Postal Service which, in 2005, burned through 144,801,193 gallons of gasoline or gasoline equivalent. To meet its planned reductions, it will have to burn just 115,840,954 gallons by 2015.
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