Fayette

County is moving toward propane gas rather than

electric vehicles in complying with federal

requirements concerning alternative fuels.

The

county will spend $134,733 to install a new

propane fueling island at its McDonough Road

public works facility, increasing its holding

capacity from 1,000 gallons to 6,000 gallons, and

is stepping up its orders for vehicles that will

run on both propane and gasoline.

"We

have two in the fleet now and six on order, with

seven more to be ordered," public works

director Lee Hearn told county commissioners

during recent discussions.

Federal

agencies are requiring local governments to

gradually convert the majority of their fleets to

alternative fuels to reduce emissions. It's part

of an effort to improve air quality in the

Atlanta region.

Within

five years, Hearn said, 70 percent of Fayette's

fleet will be composed of bi-fuel vehicles.

For

the last two years, the county has experimented

with electric vehicles, which perform much better

on air quality standards than vehicles that burn

natural gas or propane.

But

the electric vehicles are "just not

practical," said county fleet manager Bill

Lackey.

One

of the three electric trucks owned by the county

has had mechanical problems, and if it hadn't

been under warranty the repairs would have been

much more expensive than on a normal vehicle,

said Lackey. And the initial cost of the vehicle

is almost twice that of a comparable gas-powered

model.

And

although improvements are being made, currently

an electric charge on the vehicles doesn't last

long enough to suit county purposes, he said.

"If we were in the city of Fayetteville

where we would have a shorter perimeter to drive

them in, it might be all right," he said.

"But right now propane is the way to

go."

One

bi-fuel Ford F-150 pickup truck, currently on

order, is priced at $19,379, Lackey said,

comparable to the cost of a gas-only truck.

Federal

requirements are that the bi-fuel vehicles spend

at least 90 percent of their time running on the

alternative fuel, propane. That's not a problem,

said Lackey. "They can run pretty much the

same distance on propane as they can on

gasoline," he said.

Commissioners

wondered whether it was necessary to upgrade the

county's fueling station now, with only a handful

of vehicles using propane. "I don't like us

to move any more quickly than we have to,"

said Commissioner Linda Wells. But Hearn pointed

out that under its cooperative agreement with

local governments, the county provides a fueling

station for Fayetteville and Board of Education

vehicles as well.

After

complaining that the alternative fuel requirement

is "another federal mandate that is totally

unfunded," Commissioner Greg Dunn made the

motion to approve the expense. The motion passed

4-0, with Commissioner Harold Bost absent.

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