With the tighter standards, some of Utah's counties will, once again, face non-attainment. Under the Clean Air Act, the EPA can impose sanctions on a state's highway fund if it determines a state has not adequately implemented plans to attain air quality standards, a sanction which, as I have suggested, may actually be counterproductive. Nevertheless, non-attainment can be a costly enterprise, whether due to the loss of federal highway money or to the expensive measures taken to reach attainment. And, as I have suggested, may be counterproductive. Take natural gas as an example.
Natural gas is one of the cleanest burning fuels available.
Add to this, methanol, propane, electric, hydrogen, and fuel cell vehicles, and our nation has a variety of options that would allow Americans to continue to drive their cars, while dramatically cutting back on air pollution. Mr. President, research has brought us a number of excellent options to replace our dependency on traditional gasoline powered autos. It appears that our last obstacle remains bringing these alternatives to the marketplace. Past efforts to do so have failed to produce the hoped-for results because they have been too heavy on mandates and too weak on incentives to car buyers and to improve infrastructure. This is where the Alternative Fuels Promotion Act comes into play.