"Hagel Co-Sponsors Bill to Increase Consumer Availability of Alternative Fuels"

Chuck Hagel's Senate Office put out the following press release yesterday, once again showing his concern for energy indepdence and for alternative fuels.

Hagel Co-Sponsors Bill to Increase Consumer Availability of Alternative Fuels

January 18th, 2007 - WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Chuck Hagel (R-NE) joined a bi-partisan group of Senators today in re-introducing legislation that would authorize the Secretary of Energy to use Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) penalties to provide grants to eligible entities who install alternative fuel pumps for fuel types such as E-85 ethanol and natural gas. U.S. Senator Chuck Hagel (R-NE) was an original co-sponsor of this bill in the 109th Congress.

U.S. automakers are producing an increasing number of vehicles that run on alternative fuels, such as E-85 ethanol blend gasoline, but only one percent of all gas stations in the U.S. provide consumers with E-85 fuel. This legislation will provide grant funding for the construction or expansion of infrastructure necessary to increase the availability of alternative fuels to consumers. CAFE standards are the weighted average fuel economy for a manufactures fleet of automobiles. Penalties are incurred by manufactures who fail to meet the CAFE standards.

“Our nation needs alternative fuels to play an increased role in creating a broader and more diverse energy portfolio. We must begin to expand the availability of alternative fuels, such as E-85 ethanol, to American consumers. This is common sense legislation that will help reduce our nation’s dependence on foreign sources of energy while at the same time providing additional markets for Nebraska’s agriculture producers,” Hagel said.