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Pollution Concerns Drive Arkansas Officials To Think Hybrid Vehicles December 2004Ecologically minded state leaders are hoping to steer Arkansas toward cleaner air with a push to replace government vehicles with fuel-efficient hybrid cars.Phasing in hybrids to Arkansas public fleets has been slow going so far, with only a handful of the gasoline-and-electricitypowered vehicles on the road for government business. Thats partly because the Department of Finance and Administration doesnt yet have hybrids on its procurement list, a roster of goods that can be had for government use at reduced prices. But Joe Giddis, director of the state procurement office, said he still thinks he can find good deals on the cutting-edge vehicles if he can buy in bulk. "The more you buy, the better price you get," Giddis told members of the Arkansas Pollution Control and Ecology Commission on Friday morning. "Thats always been the problem with this program. Its always been onesies or twosies." But Audree Miller, a member of the pollution prevention steering committee of the Arkansas Department of Environmental Quality, thinks more government agencies will soon be enticed by the lower fuel and maintenance costs and higher resale values of hybrid cars. While hybrids cost an average of $4,000 more than their traditionally powered equivalents, the reduced costs of gasoline and maintenance add up to a net savings, she said. Hybrid vehicles also are far less taxing on air quality than traditional automobiles. Their manufacturers say the cars produce significantly fewer of the emissions that react in the atmosphere to form ozone, a primary component of ground-level smog and a threat to public health. "The car of the future may be fueled by hydrogen, but the car of the near future is the hybrid," she said. Hybrid automobiles have a combination electric-and-gasoline engine that switches between the two depending on the amount of energy being used. The electric battery recharges with power from the cars brakes. Public bodies across the United States are slowly incorporating hybrids into their fleets and reporting good results. New York Citys experiment with hybrids was successful enough to persuade leaders there to buy 650 for city business. The trend is catching on in Pulaski County on a much smaller scale. County Judge Buddy Villines, himself a hybrid-car driver, issued an executive order in May that all future purchases of county vehicles be hybrids. The 13-member Pollution Control and Ecology Commission, which is charged with forming environmental policy for the state, includes six state agency representatives. Two of those representatives spoke up Friday to support buying more hybrids for state use. "Id like to do this, but I always thought we had to buy under a state contract," said John Shannon, state forester with the Arkansas Forestry Commission. "When can we get hybrid fourwheel-drive pickups?" Health Department representative Charles McGrew said a conversion to a hybrid fleet of state vehicles could make a big dent in air pollution. "Arkansas has been very fortunate with air quality," he said. "That wont continue unless we start doing things in a very proactive way." Marcus Devine, director of the Arkansas Department of Environmental Quality, said hed like his department to buy more hybrids. The department, which carries out the directives of the commission, has one Honda Civic hybrid in its fleet. "Its good for us to make sure our walk matches our talk," he said. The Office of State Procurement is sending surveys to state agencies to gauge the interest in hybrid vehicles. The office will use survey results to negotiate contracts with vendors to buy the cars at lower prices. | ||
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