Comments and Testimonies

February 17, 2004

Testimony Concerning House Bill 1946 From Clean Air Council And The Greater Philadelphia Clean Cities Program

Good afternoon Committee members. My name is Eric Cheung. I am a staff attorney for the Clean Air Council and Coordinator for the Greater Philadelphia Clean Cities Program. Today, I speak on behalf of both organizations.

Clean Air Council is a nonprofit, environmental advocacy group dedicated to protecting everyone's right to breathe clean air. The Council has over 8,000 members throughout Pennsylvania and Delaware. The major programs of the Council are renewable energy; sustainable transportation; waste and recycling; indoor air quality and children's environmental health; and addressing air pollution. Current projects of the Council include the Philadelphia Diesel Difference program; the Clean Energy Challenge interactive online website; and tobacco smoke pollution awareness.

The Greater Philadelphia Clean Cities Program is a public/private partnership, which promotes the increased use and support for alternative fuel vehicles and other advanced technologies that help reduce America's petroleum consumption. Designated as a member of U.S. Department of Energy's National Clean Cities Program in 1993, Philadelphia Clean Cities believes that curbing its region's reliance on gasoline and diesel improves the nation's energy security and its air quality. PECO Energy Co., the City of Philadelphia, Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission, Philadelphia Gas Works and Clean Air Council are among the Board of Directors for this organization, which became a nonprofit entity in 1997.

The Council and Philadelphia Clean Cities are in full support of House Bill 1946 and urge that it be passed into law in Pennsylvania. By requiring State agencies to ensure that 10% of their new vehicle acquisitions be hybrid electric vehicles, this Bill will result in improved air quality and reduced petroleum consumption. Two additional benefits include the likelihood of economic savings over the life of the vehicles and the increase in availability of such vehicles for interested consumers. Finally, support for hybrids hastens development of advanced technologies that will ultimately make hydrogen fuel cell vehicles possible.

On-road vehicles are a significant source of some of Pennsylvania's worst air pollutants. Exhaust from cars and trucks is responsible for two-thirds of the carbon monoxide and one-third of the pollutants that form ozone present in the air. Both the Pittsburgh and the Philadelphia regions have failed to meet the federal health standards for ozone. Also known as smog, this pollutant inhibits the ability of human beings to breathe and exacerbates adverse respiratory symptoms. Mobile source pollution also contributes to Pennsylvania's highly acidic precipitation. Hybrid electric vehicles on average are cleaner than their traditional counterparts, because they can travel further on the same gallon of gasoline or diesel. It is the burning of fuel that releases pollutants into the air. All three models of hybrid vehicles currently available on the market are certified as Super Ultra Low Emission Vehicles, which means they are over 95% cleaner than the average car on our roadways today in terms of smog production.

Of the 20 million barrels of petroleum America consumes each day, more than 12 million are imported. For energy security reasons, America needs to be more fuel independent and not rely on foreign sources of oil that could be located in volatile regions of the world. Given that two-thirds of all oil consumed is for use in the transportation sector, fuel economy is an effective and reasonable means of meeting this goal. The typical passenger car on the road today is getting about 21.9 miles per gallon. Given that the least fuel-efficient hybrid is rated at 45 miles per gallon on the highways, moving towards these vehicles would result in significant fuel savings. With 1.6 trillion vehicle-miles traveled a year by cars, if everyone switched to a hybrid electric vehicle, about 2.4 million barrels of oil a day could be saved or more than the total amount of oil America currently imports from the Persian Gulf.

Another important benefit of driving fuel-efficient hybrid vehicles is the amount of money that can be saved over the life of the vehicle. The average household drives 11,000 miles a year. By switching to a hybrid electric car, the average household could save 256 gallons of gasoline a year. At current gasoline prices of $1.66 a gallon, that amounts to a $424 in savings a year per vehicle. Hybrid electric vehicles are up to $3,000 more expensive than their traditional gas-powered counterparts. Fuel savings could pay for the increased cost in a little over 7 years time. Unlike an individual, the State is not pressured by the demands of fashion or whim to replace vehicles frequently, so it can ensure cost recovery by keeping the vehicles for more than 7 years. Of course, if the car is heavily used and/or fuel prices increase, the payback time would be shorter.

Last year, the President of the United States publicly committed the country to moving towards a hydrogen fuel economy in his State of the Union Address. The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania has made it clear it wants to be a leading state in the development of hydrogen technologies. The continued proliferation of hybrid electric vehicles can only help Pennsylvania. Hydrogen-powered fuel cell vehicles rely on an electric drive system for propulsion - the same system that hybrid electric vehicles use. The greater the demand for hybrid electric vehicles, the greater the incentives for manufacturers to improve electric drive technology. As more and more carmakers enter the hybrid electric market, the competition will force costs down and enable the production of hydrogen vehicles at affordable prices.

Clean Air Council and Philadelphia Clean Cities believe House Bill 1946's provisions are noncontroversial and in the best interests of all Pennsylvanians. The Bill does not restrict the behavior or free choice of individual consumers. Rather, it simply requires the State to lead by example in embracing a new, environmentally sound technology. Taxpayer dollars ought to be spent on vehicles that minimize the harm to the Commonwealth's air and promote the Nation's energy security. Hybrid electric cars represent those types of vehicles.

Having Pennsylvania be a buyer of hybrid electric automobiles will improve the market for these vehicles. As already noted, only three types are currently available for sale and all of them are compact to midsize cars. As of the end of 2002, a combined total of 64,000 of them have been sold. Starting next month General Motors will be offering a hybrid pick-up truck in limited quantities. Meanwhile, Ford's hybrid Escape SUV is expected to debut this summer. Greater variety of hybrid vehicle sizes and styles is needed in order to ensure mainstream acceptance. By contributing to the demand for these vehicles, Pennsylvania will encourage manufacturers to offer a greater range of hybrid automobiles.