The mission of the Clean
Cities Program is to advance the
nation's economic, environmental, and
energy security by supporting local
decisions to adopt practices that
contribute to the reduction of
petroleum consumption. In addition to
alternative fuels and the vehicles
that runs on alt fuels, other
strategies include:
"low"-fuel blends, fuel
economy, hybrid electrics , and idle
reduction. These strategies are key
to reducing local, state and national
reliance on petroleum fuels.
Hybrid electric vehicles are
fuel-efficient and can get 40-70
miles per gallon. They pollute less
than typical vehicles because they
use less fuel, and they perform just
as well as, if not better than, a
conventional vehicle. Use this site
to learn more about the benefits of
hybrids and HEV components and
systems. See our
Hybrids
Strategy page to learn how the
Clean Cities program supports hybrid
deployment.
Conserving diesel fuel that would
otherwise be idled away represents an
opportunity to reduce petroleum
consumption. For information on how
the Clean Cities program is
supporting idle reduction
technologies, see our Idle Reduction
Strategy page.
When vehicles are not properly
maintained they get poor gas mileage
and you spend more money on gas. For
example, under-inflation shortens the
life of a tire and decreases gas
mileage. If your tires are 12 pounds
per square inch (psi) below the
proper level, this can result in an
increase of fuel consumption of five
percent.
Here are a few money-saving,
maintenance tips for air quality:
- Change your oil and oil
filter regularly
- Keep your tire pressure and
alignment correct
- Change your fuel filter and
air filter
- Monitor hoses, wiring, and
belts
- Have your vehicle tuned up
regularly
- If warning lights come on,
find out why and fix the
problem
Be sure to check your owner's
manual for service intervals and
follow the automobile manufacturer's
service recommendations.
Strategies
Low-blends mean mixing a small
amount of a biofuel with either
gasoline or diesel. Utah County,
Utah, until recently required winter
gasoline to contain up to 10 percent
(E10) of an alcohol fuel, such as
ethanol. The additive increases the
heat the burns the fuel, which means
less pollution. A
"low"-blend of diesel would
be two percent bio (B2) or ten
percent (B10.) A blend of 20 percent
biofuel (B20) with diesel is
considered an alternative fuel, and
therefore is not a
"low"-blend.
"Low"-blends are a good way
to introduce a biomass fuel to the
public. And, if the practice became
wide spread, a "low"-blend
could make a major contribution to
both air quality and petroleum
displacement.
Fuel economy typically is thought
of as "miles per gallon
(mpg)." Cars are chosen because
they have a high mpg. The U.S.
Environmental Agency provides drivers
with "Drive Wise"
suggestions. EPA also encourages
motorists to shop around when looking
for a new car and to consider
fuel economy.
Other useful sites are:
EPA's Consumer Tips
and the Utah Division of Air
Quality's new program.
Hybrids Strategy
refers to hybrid electric vehicles
(HEV) such as Honda's Insight, the
Honda Civic, and Toyota's Prius. For
more than 10 years the sell of
pickups, vans and "SUVs,"
has dominated auto sales. These
medium-sized vehicles are not
considered "light-duty" the
same as the passenger car. They get
lower fuel economy than cars and are
allowed to emit more tailpipe
emissions. Therefore, the recent
enthusiasm of Americans consumers for
hybrid electrics has been both a
surprise and a relief. Their high
fuel economy also means these
vehicles emit less pollution. With
additional makes and models of
hybrids, both our air and our oil
import costs should improve. But
congestion on our roads and highways
will continue to suffer if people
still choose to travel "one-car,
one-person."
Idle Reduction
Strategy Typically when we think
of "idling," we think of a
big diesel truck left running …
through the night … in order to
keep the fuel from gelling or
thickening. Few people think school
buses idling, or train locomotive
idling, or even waiting for the next
drive-up teller at the bank. Well,
those days are past. All of those
examples show idling. Also, what we
know is that it's harmful for school
buses to idle where children are
waiting to get onboard. We know that
extensive idling will shorten the
useful life of a diesel engine. We
know that diesel fuel does not have
to gel. And on-board auxiliary power
equipment is available to power a
long-haul trucker's TV, refrigerator,
and heater. Old habits are hard to
change, but Clean Cities is working
on this important energy saving
initiative, too. For local efforts please see
Idle Free Utah.
Energy Security
The United States accounts for
five percent
of the world's population, 26 percent
of the world's consumption, nine
percent of the world's oil
production, yet has only two percent
of the world's oil reserves. Our need
for oil is increasing, while
developing nations such as China and
India are consuming greater amount of
oil, too. The U.S., also, is put at
risk because we must buy petroleum
from a variety of countries that
aren't always stable or friendly to
America. In fact, in 1992 when
Congress passed the Energy Policy Act
saying the U.S. must reduce its
dependence on foreign oil, the U.S.
was importing 45 percent. Today we
import closer to 60
percent. This precarious condition is
what is meant by "energy
(in)security".
Unlike other energy using sectors,
which
have introduced substitute fuels and
fuel switching flexibility since the
oil shocks of the 1970s and 1980s,
the transportation sector remains
overwhelmingly dependent on
petroleum-based fuels (approximately
95 percent of transportation energy
coming
from petroleum) and on technologies
that provide virtually no
flexibility. The transportation
sector currently accounts for
approximately two-thirds of all U.S.
petroleum use and roughly one-fourth
of
total U.S. energy consumption. And,
97 percent of all transportation fuel
used is petroleum.
The other important aspect to
energy
security is America's growing
appetite for transportation fuel. In
the wake of the Arab
oil embargo and petroleum shortages
in the 1970s, Congress created the
Corporate Average Fuel Economy
(CAFÉ) program under which mandatory
fuel economy standards
are set for passenger car and light
truck fleets. Those standards have
helped keep in check the fuel usage
of automobiles. But with the huge
popularity of light trucks, which
include SUV, which do not have the
same fuel, or pollution standards as
autos, the consumption of petroleum
has rapidly increased.
How does using alternative fuel
achieve energy security?
Alternative fuels such as natural
gas, propane, biodiesel, and ethanol
are what we call "American
Fuels". They are fuels we don't
have to import, fight for, or that
don't add dollars to our huge
national trade deficit. |
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