Why "Clean Fuels" ?

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Pollution is...

..unpleasant, unhealthy, and can be dangerous.

For example, exposure to carbon monoxide can cause carbon monoxide poisoning or asphyxiation. In lower doses, it can cause headaches and place additional stress on persons with heart disease.

Other vehicle emissions can cause shortness of breath and lung damage, especially in children or persons with asthma, heart problems or lung disease.

Some vehicle emissions can cause cancer.

If we want to keep our air clean, do we have to stop using cars and buses and trucks? How will we (and our food, building products, etc.) get around?

It's true that using bicycles, walking, and carpooling can help; so can improved land-use plans, telecommuting, and other methods of transportation demand reduction.

For the remaining buses, trucks, and cars, there's something else to consider: using cleaner fuels.

Clean Fuels:

Clean fuels -- also called "alternative fuels" -- produce less carbon monoxide, ozone, particulates, smoke, and other pollutants.

Electric vehicles and vehicles that use clean-burning fuels -- such as natural gas (Compressed Natural Gas, CNG); methanol (85% methanol, M85); ethanol; and Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG, commonly referred to as "propane") -- produce fewer pollutants than current gasoline or diesel-powered vehicles. One example of this (from the CleanFleet program) is shown in Figure 1.

Figure 1. Alternative fuels have lower emissions of carbon monoxide,
reactive (ozone-forming) hydrocarbons, and toxins.

 

More good
things about
"clean fuels"

In addition to being cleaner, these fuels help to DIVERSIFY our energy sources. Instead of being dependent on imported petroleum (oil) for our transportation system, we can use LOCALLY AVAILABLE materials (such as waste cooking oils or sugarcane molasses) and energy sources (such as solar, wind, hydropower, or biomass).

This is good for ENERGY SECURITY and the ECONOMY.
  

Fact Sheets:

Clean fuels and vehicles are described on these fact sheets:

 
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Air Links:

These links provide more information on air quality and how vehicle exhaust affects the air we breathe:

• Sacramento's "spare the air" page - includes "air quality 101", frequently asked questions, air quality insider, and more.. http://www.sparetheair.com/
• Smog City - an interactive air pollution simulator that shows how people's choices, environmental factors, and land use contribute to air pollution, particularly ozone. http://www.sonomatech.com/smogcity/