Fossil fuels are not cheap, and they're also not very clean. Even our President has seen the need to reduce our dependence on fossil fuels when he announced earlier this week that he wants to consider tax credits as a way to boost advances in alternative fueled vehicles. Rhode Island's Alternative Fueled Vehicle and Filling Station Tax Credit law has been on the books since 1998, enacted in response to pressure from the Environmental Protection Agency to reduce air pollution. The law provides major tax incentives for operators of alternative fueled vehicles and filling stations. More planes mean more jet fuel fumes.
More air traffic means more vehicles arriving and leaving the airport area.
At the same time, the bill is seeking to hike the tax incentive from 50 percent to 60 percent for those companies using alternative fuel vehicles in their fleets. Air quality in the area would consequently improve, as more and more alternative fuel service vehicles making regular visits to Green, or operating in and around the airport, spew out less and less pollution. While the primary focus of his legislation is the airport and immediate surrounding areas, Representative McNamara said he hopes the proposed amendments to the law will promote general growth in the use of cleaner vehicles. The tax office was not immediately able this week to list the number of individuals or companies taking advantage of the tax credit or how much the incentive amounts to in tax savings. It did, however, indicate there are seven or eight fleets of vehicles on Rhode Island roads using alternative fuels, including one major utility company.