Introduction
The West Virginia Green Fleet Initiative is an energy and environmentally-friendly process for vehicle purchasing, providing Environmental Protection Act compliance, establishing a benchmark and long-range goals for improved energy-efficient operation and management of the State's diverse vehicle fleet.
The Green Fleet Initiative sets guidelines to minimize greenhouse-gas (GHG) emissions for current and future fleet vehicles helping the state meet its sustainability goals while reducing the short and long-term costs of purchasing, maintaining, and operating state vehicles.
The overall objectives of the Green Fleet Initiative are to:
- Inventory and report fleet-wide GHG emissions.
- Optimize the fleet size, by providing state agencies with emerging technology to develop vehicle utilization trends and recommending the elimination or reassignment of unused or under-utilized vehicles where appropriate.
- Encourage and educate state employees in eco-driving best practices such as speed reduction, reduced idling, trip optimization planning, etc.
- Reduce tailpipe emissions (e.g., through advanced emissions controls).
- Purchase, when necessary, new vehicles that provide the best available net reduction in vehicle fleet emissions, considering life-cycle economic and environmental impacts by purchasing more efficient or alternative fuels vehicles.
Establishing a Baseline Inventory
The baseline year for the inventory and for the Green Fleet Initiative will be Fiscal Year 2011. The Department of Administration, Fleet Management Office will establish and maintain an inventory of the vehicles in the state’s fleet. The inventory will also be used to support the State’s broader GHG-reduction initiatives and to monitor vehicle-specific emissions that have been captured since the base year.
Reporting and Recommendations
Beginning in fiscal year 2012, the Green Fleet Team will present an annual report of findings to the executive and legislative branches. The annual report will provide the environmental impact of the State’s vehicle fleet from the preceding year; incremental costs for improved environmental performance based on fuel price, fuel savings, and vehicles available for purchase on statewide contracts; and report on potential future opportunities to meet Federal and State mandates, regulations, and policies.
Team Composition
The Green Fleet Team composition is intended to include representatives from the Department of Administration, Fleet Management Office and Central Purchasing Division, Department of Environmental Protection, Department of Commerce, Division of Energy, and other State Agencies desiring to participate.