Technology solutions will be key to reducing the U.S. transportation system’s use of petroleum-based fuels. And, as those clean energy and energy efficiency technologies are developed and fielded, we need them to be domestic solutions such that we do not substitute overseas oil resource dependence with overseas technology dependence. Keeping the technologies home-grown also helps to ensure that the resulting jobs stay onshore. A recent study found that our economy could create approximately two million jobs from clean energy over the next 10 years if we move towards getting 25 percent of our electricity and motor fuel needs from renewables by 2025. And, aggressive energy efficiency improvements over the next decade could help create more than one million new jobs in California alone over the next decade, and as many as five million nationwide.
The threat to our national security and economic wellbeing are reason enough to curb our oil consumption and thereby reduce our dependency on imported oil. More recently we have become aware of another compelling reason: the threat of global warming. Most scientists agree that human activity contributes significantly to global warming. CO2 emissions from using oil-based transportation fuels are the second largest contributor in the U.S., the first being CO2 emissions from coal-burning electrical generating plants. Transportation contributions have increased by 25 percent since 1990 and now account for approximately two billion metric tons annually of U.S. CO2 emissions. The most prudent course requires that we reverse this trend. In addition, global warming raises the specter of fresh water shortages in the West. The Western states are facing chronic drought conditions. The impact of global warming on fresh water supplies is likely to be further exacerbated by expected growth in population and economic activity.
With all of this in mind, the Western Governors decided a policy roadmap was needed to integrate alternative fuels into a transportation fuel portfolio, taking into account the specific resource attributes of the West. The Advisory Committee took the Alternative Fuels and Vehicle Fuel Efficiency Teams’ recommendations and developed the roadmap outlined in this report. It addresses:
• Potential resources, technologies and capabilities of the Western states to develop alternative fuels and the policy measures needed to achieve this potential.
• Issues surrounding sustainable feedstock development, environmental impacts, and availability of conversion technologies.
• Infrastructure that will be necessary for the full range of alternative fuels to succeed.
Section II discusses the challenge of changing a century-old practice of fueling our transportation sector with oil.
Section III sets out “cross-cutting” recommendations. These recommendations apply to multiple fuels and fuel efficiency. They address:
• Leadership and the tools available to change the status quo.
• Measurable goals and developing a set of analytical tools that will enable states to determine and mitigate the environmental impacts of the new fuels.
• Challenges common to the five fuel types and propulsion technologies: electricity, biofuels, coal-to-liquids (CTL), hydrogen and natural gas/propane.
Section IV addresses five fuel types, as well as fuel efficiency measures, and presents recommendations for each.

By: Western Governors’ Association

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