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2 <br />Background on Proposed CFE Resolution on a Recommendation that Orange County <br />Use Vehicle Emissions and Fuel Economy as Criteria in County Vehicle Procurements <br />There are many approaches available for reducing vehicle emissions and increasing fuel <br />economy, some of which are addressed in another CFE resolution. The purpose of this <br />resolution is to promote the immediate implementation of one simple approach that is currently <br />available -- to direct all agencies of the County to use vehicle emissions and fuel economy as a <br />criteria in all County vehicle procurements. <br />New-vehicle emission standards have been improving over time. Currently, there are a number <br />of initiatives that have resulted in some models of "low emission vehicles" (LEVs) being <br />available across the U.S., and more such vehicles will be available in the next few years as <br />California and national LEV programs progress. Due to varying vehicle standards by vehicle <br />type and weight, there are also considerable differences in the emissions and fuel efficiencies of <br />vehicles that could be used for the same purposes, particularly in the truck/van/utility vehicle <br />categories. Where it does not impact critical performance criteria for vehicles such as police <br />and fire vehicles, adding emissions and fuel economy as ahigh-priority criteria for the selection <br />of vehicles by the County should considerably reduce the contribution of County vehicles to the <br />carbon monoxide, hydrocarbon and nitrogen oxide emissions of our area, as well as saving fuel <br />and reducing greenhouse gas emissions. <br />A separate resolution proposes developing a County plan for longer-range initiatives such as <br />the use of alternative-fuel vehicles. However, many of the available LEVs are standard gasoline <br />vehicles with advanced control systems and some are the standard models in their lines and, as <br />such, easily deployed in the County fleet. <br />Additional information on LEV programs is available from the California Air Resources Board's <br />"Buyer's Guide to Cleaner Cars" (http://www.arb.ca.gov/msprog/ccbg/ccbg.htm), which lists <br />specific models and engine families currently certified to California's progressive LEV standards <br />and the federal EPA Office of Mobile Sources' "National Low Emission Vehicle Program" WWVV <br />page (http://www.epa.gov/OMSWWW/lev-nlev.htm), which describes the anticipated progress of <br />regulated LEV sales across the U.S. In addition, some local vehicle dealers are aware of LEVs <br />in their inventories, and other dealers and/or manufacturers should be able to provide similar <br />information for the County's consideration. Information of the fuel economy of new vehicles is <br />available from the annual "Fuel Economy Guide" (http://www.eren.doe.gov/feguide~. <br />(It should be noted that gasoline quality is a critical issue for some of the most advanced LEVs. <br />The current sulfur levels of our gasoline supply should probably be checked to determine if this <br />may be a concern for vehicles being considered for procurement.) <br />