California Flex Fuel Promise Rings Hollow

The Administration is virtually stalled in its efforts to develop a meaningful plan to increase the availability of E85 fuel, and federal support for such an effort has been anemic. In 2006, the administration announced a federal grant of less than $500,000 to develop 15 new E85 stations that would be open to the public - a drop in the bucket when you consider it costs as much as $200,000 per station to install pumps and tanks. According to Cal EPA Secretary Adams there are 30 – 40 E85 stations in the “planning” process. Just three of these stations have opened and no timeline has been given for the rest.

In his recent confirmation hearing, Will Bush, Director of the State’s Department of General Services admitted that the fleet is still running on traditional gasoline and stated, “If we don’t make [E85] fuel as seamless to use as we do gasoline, people are just going to continue to put gasoline in their car.” He also acknowledged that the state does not have a final plan that would make E85 fuel available in a meaningful way in the foreseeable future.

This led me to ask Director Bush why we don’t just buy hybrids.

When asked if the state could seek a waiver from the federal flex fuel mandate, Director Bush responded that only two such waivers have been granted and that winning approval for a waiver was, “difficult at best,” and “probably not possible.”

Director Bush’s testimony did not reflect the facts. In the last round of federal waivers, 25 entities pursued waivers and 9 were granted.

I’m struck by the Administration’s reluctance to either challenge the federal mandate or seek a waiver.

The U.S. Department of Energy’s “Advantages of Alternative Compliance” waiver guidelines read as follows:

“Alternative Compliance offers more flexibility in complying with annual requirements. For some fleets, alternative fuels and/or Alternative Fuel Vehicles are unavailable. Therefore, some of these fleets should pursue petroleum reduction. Subpart 1 allows these fleets to pursue various options, including purchasing hybrids and other advanced technology vehicles…”

The federal guidelines for a waiver sound like a perfect match for the State of California, particularly since hybrid technology has been so enthusiastically embraced by the people of California. More than 80,000 hybrids are on the roads of our state. They produce less emissions and get better gas mileage, thereby reducing our dependence on foreign oil – not someday, but today. They also create jobs, with American automakers GM, Ford and Chrysler manufacturing hybrid models and Japanese automakers Toyota and Nissan manufacturing hybrid sedans here in the U.S.

The state should request, and the federal government should grant, a flex fuel vehicle waiver. If the federal government is sincere about ubiquitous use of E85, it should first invest in, and incentivize, the build-out of an E85 infrastructure of tanks and pumps. Absent significant federal and private dollars for fuel infrastructure, flex fuel vehicles will not deliver a fraction of the efficiency they claim. Only when the E85 fuel is in place should states be mandated to purchase cars that can use it.

In the meantime, hybrid technology is here, now. We should be taking greater advantage of it. And when we build out an E85 infrastructure, we should move to E85 hybrids that would further reduce our dependence on foreign oil and further reduce emissions.

Rather than blindly accept a federal flex fuel vehicle mandate, California should flex its political muscle in Washington and challenge the federal government to lead, follow or get out of way as California works to become cleaner, greener and less dependent on foreign oil.

Senator Padilla represents the San Fernando Valley in the City of Los Angeles. On his first day in the Senate, Padilla was appointed to the powerful Senate Rules Committee which confirms gubernatorial appointments and refers all bills in the Senate.