Press Contact: Sophie Cardona: (212) 361-2400, ext. 244 , or email cardona@informinc.org

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE, ­ Wednesday, December 20, 2000

NEW RESEARCH REVEALS LACK OF PROGRESS BY NEW YORK STATE ON CLEAN-FUEL TRANSPORTATION

In New York, The Results Do Not Match the Rhetoric

New York, NY -- ­ A report released today by INFORM, a national environmental research organization that has studied clean-fuel transportation technologies for more than a decade, reveals slow progress in New York State in putting clean-fueled vehicles on its roads.

"The lack of progress is particularly discouraging," said Joanna Underwood, the founder of INFORM, "because 77 percent of New York's 18 million residents live in areas with unhealthy air, compared to just under 40 percent of the population nationally. INFORM's research found that the number of alternative- fuel vehicles (AFVs) on the road in New York State is 20 percent below the national average. This is especially bad news for children in New York City, who are hospitalized for asthma at nearly twice the national rate."

Among the findings of the report, entitled Clean Transportation for New York: A Long Road Ahead, are the following:

• Only 0.16 percent of the state's 10 million vehicles are equipped to use clean fuels.
  
• The 829 alternative-fuel vehicles in New York State agency fleets represent less than 6 percent of the total.
  
• Of the 54,579 school buses in New York State ­ more than any other state and more than Texas and California combined ­ only about 70 run on alternative fuels. None of the 5,575 school buses in New York City run on alternative fuels.
  
• The New York City Transit (NYCT) bus fleet, controlled by the state's Metropolitan Transit Authority (MTA) and the largest bus fleet in the nation, has been among the slowest to adopt clean fuels. Fewer than 5 percent of NYCT's buses run on alternative fuels, compared to 20 percent or more buses running on compressed natural gas (CNG) in 36 transit agencies nationwide. Both the Long Island Bus Company and the Central New York Regional Transportation Authority have already committed to converting their entire fleets to natural gas.
  
• NYCT's commitment to purchase 300 CNG buses over the next five years is overshadowed by its decision to purchase 707 conventional diesel buses, thereby continuing to invest in an inherently toxic fuel. Furthermore, the MTA's capital plan risks $100 million on 350 commercially unproven hybrid electric buses.
  
• Only 2 percent of the 12,000 taxis in New York City use natural gas.
  
• New York State has approximately 200 public and private alternative-fuel refueling stations, compared to 6,000 retail gas stations. Refueling stations for natural gas, propane, methanol, and electric combined amount to only about 3 percent of the state's total ­ compared to the 10 to 15 percent needed for any one fuel to achieve market penetration.

"While Governor George Pataki has affirmed the goal of making New York State a leader in clean vehicles," Underwood said, "his initiatives have not jump-started a significant shift in the state to alternative fuels. Quite a variety of natural gas vehicles are ready to go, from commercial buses to taxis such as Ford's Crown Victoria and cars like the Honda Civic. But to make these vehicles feasible, the state needs to make significant investments in accessible refueling infrastructure."

"The slow pace in the shift away from gasoline and diesel fuels to much cleaner natural gas is also alarming because New York remains the state most reliant on foreign oil. It depends on foreign sources for an extraordinary 80 percent of its oil, compared to 50 percent nationwide," added Underwood.

"The Governor's support is enormously important, but his administration needs to turn his commitments into more far-reaching results." The report also recommends actions that could be taken to speed New York's transition to clean, alternative fuels.

The full text of Clean Transportation for New York: A Long Road Ahead is available on INFORM's website at http://www.informinc.org/cleantransny.php Copies can also be obtained by calling INFORM at 212-361-2400 x 239. There is also a December 2000 update [PDF] available for this report.

INFORM is a national nonprofit organization that identifies practical ways of living and doing business that are environmentally sustainable. For more than a decade, INFORM's reports on alternative transportation fuels and advanced vehicle technologies have been respected resources worldwide.