Initiation and Implementation of an Alternative Fuels Program

The Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) has initiated an aggressive plan to convert its on-road motor vehicle fleet of 9,000 vehicles to alternative fuels. State legislation passed in 1989 requires that TxDOT have 90% of its fleet converted by 1998. This undertaking has radically changed the way the Department both purchases and manages its fleet and thus has required major changes in the planning, procurement and utilization of its vehicles. The initial implementation of an alternative fuels program should consider and account

1. Incentives:
   Energy abundance, environmental protection, economic concerns
2. Initiatives:
   (Federal) Clean Air Act Amendment, Energy Policy Act, individual state legislation
3. Barriers:
   Equipment cost, fuel availability, market inertia, underdeveloped infrastructure