Green fleet is in

State and local officials are trying to get in the driver’s seat when it comes to making their fleets green.

Gov. Robert “Bob” McDonnell signed legislation and an executive order to promote alternative fuels – such as propane autogas, biodiesel, natural gas, solar and electric – for vehicles and equipment used by the state government.

He ceremonially signed into law a bill converting the state fleet, and another bill allowing major retailers to offer charging stations for electric cars.

McDonnell also signed an executive order requiring that a plan to update the state’s fleet of vehicles be completed by Jan. 1, 2012, and that the Department of General Services (DGS) and the Department of Mines, Minerals and Energy (DMME) survey the state’s fleet for type and fuel habits, with a proposal on “the best available path ahead” due by May 2012.

The governor’s announcement was made in Richmond next to the DGS Office of Fleet Management Services, with a backdrop of alternative energy examples such as garbage trucks powered by natural gas and electric passenger cars.

Currently, about 1,200 state vehicles run on E-85, an ethanol blended with gasoline, and a few diesel trucks owned by the Virginia Department of Transportation run on biodiesel. More than 175 state agencies and institutions manage about 15,000 vehicles.

Read the full story in the Sept. 30 issue of the Bull Run Observer.