Nor do we want to leave our children a world in which the air is so thick with smog they cannot go outside. The district I represent in northern Virginia is one of over 20 areas nationnwide which do not meet the National Clean Air Act standards and must reduce emissions or lose crucial highway funding. At the same time, we must ensure that our transportation industries have adequate resources. One solution to our quandry is yet to be fully explored. Alternative fuels such as methanol, ethanol, liquid propane gas, bio-diesel, and liquefied and compressed natural gas can reduce our dependence on foreign oil and reduce air pollution.
Most alternative fuels are readily available here in the United States.
Use of these fuels can power a cleaner-burning engine that runs longer and requires less maintenance. Our nation's transportation system can enter a new era of clean air and home-grown fuel supplies. As a member of the House Public Works and Transportation Committee, I have struggled with the question of how to lower our dependence on foreign oil and bring alternative fuels into wider use. Although heavy truck fleets are exempt from the AFV targets, many operate in Clean Air non-attainment areas and are contribuitng to air pollution problems. Rather than mandating a course for the industry to follow, Congress enacted incentives to let the industry chart its own course.