February Question on the Month

Question of the Month:
Where can I find information specific to alternative fuel and advanced vehicles in my state?

Answer:
The Alternative Fuels Data Center (AFDC) State Information portal (http://www.afdc.energy.gov/states/), one of the many resources found on the AFDC Tools page (http://www.afdc.energy.gov/tools), is a great source for state-specific information on alternative fuels and advanced vehicles. Each state page is a “one stop shop” with specific information about incentives and laws, locations of alternative fueling stations, truck stop electrification (TSE) sites, fuel prices, and Clean Cities coalitions.

As an example, the Colorado state page (http://www.afdc.energy.gov/states/CO) contains: 

·         A list of Colorado laws and incentives recently added to the AFDC Laws and Incentives website (http://www.afdc.energy.gov/laws/) and links to the appropriate Web page for more information. Once on the AFDC Laws and Incentives page, use the Advanced Search options to identify information on current incentives and laws pertaining to alternative fuels and advanced vehicles. You can identify specific incentives in your state by fuel type, incentive/law type, and user type.

·         A count of the total number of Colorado alternative fueling stations in the AFDC Alternative Fueling Station Locator (http://www.afdc.energy.gov/locator/stations/), broken down by fuel and access type (public and private). Clicking on the link for each fuel type will bring you to the Station Locator results page and a map of the appropriate stations.

·         A list of the three Colorado Clean Cities coalitions, as well as Coordinator contact information and a link to Regional Manager information. 

            ·         Links to TransAtlas (http://maps.nrel.gov/transatlas) and BioFuels Atlas
                  (http://maps.nrel.gov/biomass).

o   The TransAtlas tool contains information on alternative fuel vehicle (AFV) density and biofuel production facilities. To access state specific data in TransAtlas, select “Find Location” at the top of the screen and type in “Colorado” to see the desired information for this state.

o   The BioFuels Atlas tool includes data on the use and potential production of biofuels, including feedstock availability and bioenergy plans. To access state specific information in BioFuels Atlas, select “Colorado” under the drop-down menu at the top of the screen for “State View.”  This will generate a summary of the state at the bottom of the page.

            ·         A count of the total number of Colorado TSE sites in the AFDC TSE Locator  
                  (http://www.afdc.energy.gov/afdc/locator/tse/) and a link to the Locator.

            ·         A link to the Colorado Energy Efficiency & Renewable Energy in My State page 
                 (http://apps1.eere.energy.gov/states/state_home.cfm/state=CO). This page provides
                  renewable energy information for Colorado, including statistics, renewable resource
                  maps, policies and incentives, U. S. Department of Energy projects and activities,
                  and relevant news.

In addition to the AFDC, state-specific information can be found on the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s State and Local Climate and Energy Program page (http://epa.gov/statelocalclimate/), which provides case studies, greenhouse gas emissions inventories, and climate action plans for select states. Specifically, the transportation page (http://epa.gov/statelocalclimate/state/topics/transportation.html) provides information on federal transportation partnership programs as well as ways states have promoted the use of AFVs.

Finally, state agency or legislative websites are a great source for information. Specifically, the following may be useful:

          ·         State energy agencies. For example, the Colorado Energy Office
                (http://www.colorado.gov/energy/) provides information about alternative fuels on their
                Transportation page, including activities related to compressed natural gas, electric
                 vehicles, and biofuels.

          ·         State legislatures. For example, on the Colorado General Assembly website
                (http://www.leg.state.co.us/) you can search current and past legislation about
                alternative fuels and advanced vehicles.