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HCR 12: Relating to the use of natural gas as a motor vehicle fuel in Alaska.

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.