Obama, Dow and Waste Management Unveil Latest Green Fleet Moves

Published May 27, 2011

You may never see President Barack Obama, Dow Chemical and Waste Management ever again used in the same sentence, but this week the three generated separate headlines making the case for how undertaking fleet improvements today may blunt some of the petroleum-related pain of tomorrow.

Not that companies aren't feeling the pinch right now. With the summer driving season upon us, the outlook for gas prices is grim. Though the cost of a gallon of gas has fallen in recent weeks, the Energy Information Administration still predicts the retail price of a gallon will average $3.81 through late September. That's nearly 40 percent higher than last summer.

This of course threatens many a bottom line at a time when the economy is still in the midst of recovery. Though commercial fleets have been moving down greener roads at varying speeds for years, it remains to be seen if or how the current gas prices will accelerate the trend. In the meantime, here is a look at the most recent green fleet news from around the web that caught our eye this week.

Obama Orders Nation's Largest Fleet to Get Greener by 2015

President Obama ordered the General Services Administration (GSA) on Wednesday to take several steps that would move the country toward his goal of reducing oil imports by one-third by 2025. Obama previously ordered federal agencies to cut petroleum consumption by 30 percent by 2020.

To mark the announcement, the GSA detailed a pilot project aimed at incorporating electric vehicles in the federal fleet. The government has ordered 101 Chevrolet Volts and 15 all-electric vehicles that will be leased to 20 agencies.

Obama's latest directive orders agencies to:

• Lay the groundwork and infrastructure for the government to purchase or lease only alternative fuel passenger vehicles and light-duty trucks by 2015. This may include vehicles powered by gasoline-electricity (hybrids), 100 percent electricity, compressed natural gas or bio-fuel.

• Devise and use methodologies to determine optimal fleet size and develop recommendations for acquisitions and optimization. Eliminate unnecessary or non-essential vehicles.

• Set targets for the size and composition of the federal fleet, as well as an action plan by 2015.

Next page: Dow's PHEVs, Waste Management's CNGs

Tilde Herrera is an editor at GreenBiz Group.

This is great for the long

Jessica Janes (not verified), June 14, 2011 - 14:36

This is great for the long run, and absolutely should be done. However, bigger tax breaks for businesses and individuals who make sustainable energy changes are better for the current economy by encouraging more spending, which means more jobs. We need both.

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Obama, Dow and Waste Management Unveil Latest Green Fleet Moves

Comments (1)

This is great for the long

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Obama, Dow and Waste Management Unveil Latest Green Fleet Moves

Comments (1)

This is great for the long

GreenBiz Events