Alternative Fuels Council Debates Future Motor Fuels Policy

Abstract

The newly formed U.S. Alternative Fuels Council met for the first time earlier this month to begin its task of assessing environmental and economic impacts of alternative fuels, their effects on national energy security, and research necessary to make these fuels viable. A part of the Department of Energy, the council is set up as an advisory body to the government's Interagency Commission on Alternative Motor Fuels, which is chaired by DOE deputy secretary W. Henson Moore. This commission was established in 1988 by the Alternative Motor Fuels Act, which was intended to provide long-term solutions to the U.S.'s need for fuels. The commission includes members from DOE; the departments of Transportation, Labor, and Defense; the Environmental Protection Agency; the General Services Administration; and the U.S. Postal Service. Members of the Alternative Fuels Council come from industry, academe, state agencies, and private foundations. Cochairing the council will be Charles R. Imbrecht, chairman of the Califo...