U.S. Department of Justice
Fleet AFV Program Report for FY 2003
January 2004

This U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) Fleet Report for FY 2003 presents the Department's data on the number of alternative fuel vehicles (AFVs) acquired in FY 2003 and its planned AFV acquisitions for FY 2004 and FY 2005. The report has been developed in accordance with the Energy Policy Act of 1992 (EPAct) (42 U.S.C. 13211-13219) as amended by the Energy Conservation Reauthorization Act of 1998 (Public Law 105-388) (ECRA), and Executive Order (EO) 13149, signed by the President in April 2000. The DOJ acquired 200 covered vehicles in FY 2003. The EPAct mandates that the Department acquire at least 150 AFVs to comply with the 75 percent AFV acquisition requirement. The DOJ exceeded this requirement by acquiring 242 AFVs (including credits) in FY 2003. Our plans indicate a continued level of compliance for FY 2004 and FY 2005. Detailed vehicle acquisition tables are shown in the Attachments B and C.

Summary of Federal Requirements

EPAct requires that 75 percent of all covered light-duty vehicles (LDV) acquired for Federal fleets in FY 1999 and beyond must be AFVs (where the fleets have 20 or more vehicles, are capable of being centrally fueled, and are operated in a metropolitan statistical area with a population of more than 250,000 based on the 1980 census). Certain emergency, law enforcement, and national defense vehicles are exempt from these requirements. EPAct also sets a goal of using replacement fuels to displace at least 30 percent of the projected consumption of motor fuel in the United States annually by the year 2010. The ECRA amended EPAct to allow one alternative fuel vehicle acquisition credit for every 450 gallons of pure Biodiesel fuel consumed in vehicles over 8,500 pounds gross vehicle weight rating. "Biodiesel credits" may fulfill up to 50 percent of an agency's EPAct requirements. EO 13149 directs Federal agencies operating a fleet of 20 or more vehicles within the United States to reduce their annual petroleum consumption by at least 20 percent by the end of FY 2005 (compared to FY 1999 levels) by using alternative fuels in AFVs more than 50 percent of the time, improving the average fuel economy of new light-duty petroleum-fueled vehicle acquisitions by one mile per gallon (mpg) by FY 2002 and three mpg by FY 2005, and using other fleet efficiency measures.

DOJ Approach to Compliance with EPAct and EO 13149

To achieve compliance with the requirements of EPAct and EO 13149, DOJ will acquire 75 percent of all covered LDVs as AFVs, and use alternative fuel in these vehicles when possible a majority of the time. It will also acquire LDVs with a higher fuel economy of one mpg in FY 2002 and three mpg in FY 2005.

DOJ Fleet Compliance for FY 2003

Figure 1 is a graphical depiction of AFV acquisitions by DOJ's fleet in FY 2003 and projections for FY 2004 and FY 2005. The DOJ acquired 200 covered LDVs in FY 2003, but received credit for 228 AFV's because non covered vehicles purchased as AFV's are counted towards the EPAct requirement. The DOJ also gained an additional 14 credits for acquiring dedicated light, medium, and heavy-duty AFVs, for a total of 242 AFV credits, thereby exceeding the EPAct requirement by 46 percent. Attachment A provides detailed information on the number and types of LDVs leased or purchased by the DOJ fleet in FY 2003.

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Figure 1. Summary of FY 2003 Acquisitions and Planned FY 2004 and FY 2005 AFV Acquisitions

Additional vehicles were leased and purchased by DOJ that were not "covered" vehicles. Of the total of 3,992 LDVs acquired in FY 2003, the following were not counted for compliance:

· 260 were located outside covered metropolitan statistical areas (MSAs)

· 3,532 were exempt as law enforcement vehicles

Special Projects of the DOJ Fleet Related to AFV and Infrastructure Acquisitions

The Department is continuing with plans for infrastructure upgrades including installation of compressed natural gas refueling stations at Bureau of Prison (BOP) facilities where feasible with plans for conversions/installations at several other BOP and Federal Bureau of Investigation facilities. There have been delays and setbacks for implementation of these plans due to budget constraints. We are also reviewing the feasibility of converting facilities that currently use diesel fuel to bio-diesel.

Alternative Fuel Use by the DOJ Fleet in FY 2003

Table 1 presents total fuel use data for DOJ's fleet in FY 2003. A small percentage of the Department's vehicles are leased, and the lease contracts include the maintenance and fuel costs for the vehicles. This is accomplished by the use of a General Services Administration (GSA) credit card that the fleets use to purchase alternative fuel. However, since product code standards are not uniform among suppliers of alternative fuels (e.g., ethanol or E-85), it is impossible for credit vendors to accurately track the purchase of alternative fuels with this credit card.

The exception is natural gas, which is usually purchased at local utility refueling sites, allowing the fleet to contact the utility for an accurate accounting of purchased fuel.

Table 1. DOJ Fuel Use in FY 2003

* Estimate based on incomplete data

DOJ Fleet AFV Acquisitions for FY 2004 and FY 2005

Attachments B and C provide detailed information on projected vehicle acquisitions and inventory for the DOJ fleet for FY 2004 and FY 2005. In FY 2004, DOJ is planning to acquire a cumulative total of 93 LDVs with the total number of AFV acquisition credits totaling 242, exceeding the EPAct requirement of 70 AFVs. In FY 2005, DOJ is planning to acquire a cumulative total of 109 LDVs with the total number of AFV acquisition credits totaling 242, exceeding the EPAct requirement of 82 AFVs.

Petroleum Savings

In FY 1999, DOJ's original baseline petroleum consumption was 1,210,491 gasoline gallon equivalent (GGE). That figure has since been revised to 741,491 as a result of a reclassification of some vehicles that previously were considered as covered, but were in fact law enforcement vehicles. That figure will again be revised as a result of a reorganization of the Department due to the creation of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). This reorganization will cause the number of covered vehicles and fuel total to change with the incorporation of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATFE), and the departure of the Immigration and Naturalization Services (INS). In FY 2003, the ATFE became part of DOJ and INS became part of DHS. The Department of Energy and GSA made the decision that all agencies would report as they did in FY 2002, since the restructuring of all agencies affected by the creation of DHS was not completed before the end of FY 2003. Thus, this report reflects data from INS but not ATFE. In FY 2003, the reported petroleum consumption was 459,060 GGE. This represents a decrease of 282,431 GGE in FY 2003 compared to the 1999 revised baseline (a 38 percent decrease in fuel use). This decrease is due primarily to the fact that INS reported their covered fuel total as 1,221 gallons compared to 276,152 gallons in FY 2002. This decrease is attributed to INS reclassifying many of their covered vehicles as law enforcement in order meet the mission requirements of DHS.

Additionally, since the events of September 11, 2001, many bureaus within DOJ are now utilizing vehicles in law enforcement functions that were previously categorized as administrative. This action will also change the number of vehicles and fuel amount to be figured as the Department's covered baseline for EO 13149. As the chief law enforcement agency in the Federal Government, the mission requirements will dictate the Department's vehicle use which can fluctuate from year to year.

Summary

As detailed in this report and the attached appendices, DOJ exceeded the AFV acquisition requirements of the EPAct in FY 2003 and projects to repeat this accomplishment in FY 2004 and FY 2005. The DOJ will continue its efforts to comply with the requirements of the EPAct, ECRA, and EO 13149. By full compliance with the requirement to acquire 75 percent AFVs and a commitment to acquire vehicles with increased fuel efficiency, the Department's goal is to achieve at least a 20 percent reduction in the fleet's annual petroleum consumption in FY 2005.

There are still many obstacles with regard to obtaining alternative fuel as detailed in the Department's latest strategy revision. The automotive manufacturers are increasingly making more AFV's available for purchase in order to decrease dependency on petroleum oil. However, until the fuel is more prevalent and readily available, acquiring an AFV is of little or no value. Despite the obstacles, the Department will continue to support the efforts contained in EO 13149.

Attachment A - Department of Justice AFV Report 2003 - Actuals
Attachment B - Department of Justice AFV Report 2004 - Planned
Attachment C - Department of Justice AFV Report 2005 - Projected