|
 Jefferson
City, MO
– The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)
has always been a leader in technology, innovation, and
scientific exploration. Recently, NASA has begun to
expand their leadership role through the use of
clean-burning, alternative transportation fuels – such as
E85.
“Alternative fuels reduce vehicle emissions and aid in
reducing reliance on foreign petroleum,” said William
Gookin, Agency Manager of Transportation Programs for
NASA.
NASA
has added their ‘One NASA’ concept to their Alternative
Fuel Vehicle (AFV) Strategy.
Gookin added, “Our AFV strategy encourages all
agency centers to comply with the Energy Policy Act of
1992 (EPAct) and Executive Order 13149, not just ones
located in Metropolitan Statistical Areas (MSA).” EPAct
requires the acquisition of alternative fuel vehicles for
federal fleets and Executive Order 13149 requires that
federal fleets reduce their petroleum use by 20 percent by
next year, 2005. MSA is defined by the Census Bureau as
an urbanized area of at least 50,000 inhabitants with a
total metropolitan population of at least 100,000.
“A
good example of this is the Stennis Space Center located
in Mississippi. Stennis is located outside the MSA but
still acquired 100 percent AFV's during fiscal year 2003.
Additionally, Stennis opened a compressed natural gas, an
E85 station, and will soon open a bio-diesel station,”
stated Gookin.
Four
E85 pumps were installed throughout the NASA community in
2003. These locations included those at Stennis Space
Center in Mississippi, Kennedy Space Center in Florida,
Glen Research Center in Ohio, and Langley Research Center
in Virginia.
“During fiscal year 2004 we have plans to install E85
pumps at Johnson Space Center in Texas, Goddard Space
Flight Center in Maryland, and White Sands Test Facility
in New Mexico,” Gookin said.
“We
look forward to seeing new E85 pumps established
throughout the NASA community this year and in years to
come,” said Phil Lampert, Executive Director of the
National Ethanol Vehicle Coalition. “Federal agencies are
subject to the requirements of both federal statute and
Presidential Executive Orders regarding alternative fuels
and clearly NASA takes these directives seriously. We
appreciate the leadership that has been provided by NASA
and encourage other units of the federal government to
duplicate their efforts.”
### |
