00HOUSE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION NO. 12                                                                                      
01 Relating to the use of natural gas as a motor vehicle fuel in Alaska.                                                   
02 BE IT RESOLVED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF ALASKA:                                                               
03  WHEREAS Alaska has a large natural-gas resource base; and                                                              
04  WHEREAS natural gas is available to approximately half of the state's population;                                      
05 and                                                                                                                     
06  WHEREAS most vehicles are capable of running on natural gas; and                                                       
07  WHEREAS all major automobile, truck, and bus manufacturers in the United States                                        
08 are building and road testing prototype natural-gas vehicles; and                                                       
09  WHEREAS natural gas is a safe fuel that, if leaked, dissipates into the atmosphere;                                    
10 and                                                                                                                     
11  WHEREAS natural-gas refueling stations avoid the problem of leaking underground                                        
12 storage tanks; and                                                                                                      
13  WHEREAS the federal Clean Air Act amendments of 1990 impose much tougher                                               
14 vehicle emission standards beginning with model year 1994, and natural-gas vehicles can meet                            

01 most of those standards; and                                                                                            
02  WHEREAS natural-gas vehicles produce significantly lower levels of harmful air                                         
03 pollutants such as benzene than do gasoline or diesel vehicles; and                                                     
04  WHEREAS Anchorage is a nonattainment area for carbon monoxide, and natural-gas                                         
05 vehicles would emit much less carbon monoxide, thus reducing the need for other attainment                              
06 measures such as oxygenated fuels; and                                                                                  
07  WHEREAS on a per-gallon equivalent, compressed natural gas in Alaska costs less                                        
08 than gasoline; and                                                                                                      
09  WHEREAS natural-gas vehicles require less maintenance than gasoline or diesel                                          
10 vehicles; and                                                                                                           
11  WHEREAS over 50 natural-gas vehicles currently operate within Alaska;                                                  
12  BE IT RESOLVED that the Alaska State Legislature supports and encourages the use                                       
13 of natural-gas vehicles in federal, state, municipal, and private automobile, truck, and bus                            
14 fleets in Alaska; and be it                                                                                             
15  FURTHER RESOLVED that the Alaska State Legislature supports and encourages                                             
16 the rapid development of a natural-gas fueling station infrastructure in Alaska.                                        
17  COPIES of this resolution shall be sent to the Honorable Tom Fink, Mayor of the                                        
18 Municipality of Anchorage; to the Honorable Don Gilman, Mayor of the Kenai Peninsula                                    
19 Borough; to the Honorable Ernie Brannon, Mayor of the Matanuska-Susitna Borough; to the                                 
20 Honorable John Williams, Mayor of the City of Kenai; to the Honorable George Carte, Mayor                               
21 of the City of Palmer; to the Honorable William Reeder, Mayor of the City of Soldotna; to                               
22 the Honorable John Stein, Mayor of the City of Wasilla; to Mr. Jeff E. Avila, Field Office                              
23 Manager, General Services Administration; to the Honorable Jerry Covey, commissioner of                                 
24 education; to the Honorable Frank G. Turpin, commissioner of transportation and public                                  
25 facilities; and to Mr. R.F. Barnes, President, ENSTAR Natural Gas.