To ensure these funds are spent on programs that will alleviate pollution, I along with Congressman Boehlert and Congressman Serrano are leading a New York congressional delegation letter to U.S. Transportation Secretary, Rodney Slater, urging DOT to issue a rule for the implementation of this program. The draft rule would send a strong message that the Administration is serious and committed to seeing the program implemented. Although the initial cost of purchasing alternative fuel vehicles is higher than conventional diesel-fueled buses, these clean fuels are a wise investment in the long run. However, natural gas costs an average of 15 to 40 percent less than gasoline or diesel. And these buses require less maintenance.
Natural gas is among the cleanest of alternative fuels.
By removing conventional diesel-fueled buses from city streets, air quality will improve and respiratory related health problems would decrease. Over its lifetime, a CNG bus will save 190,000 gallons of diesel fuel, drastically decreasing our dependency on petroleum. The use of alternative fuels would lessen the economic impact of an oil supply shortage such as the one we are currently experiencing. Like a typical New Yorker, I always use public transportation, but constituents have called and written my office shocked by escalating fuel prices. Officials tell us that prices are likely to climb even higher before leveling off or returning to a reasonable level.