Mr. President, today I gladly lend my support to the Alternative Fuels Tax Incentives Act being introduced by Senator JEFFORDS, along with Senators HATCH, ROBB, KERRY, BRYAN, and CHAFEE. I join with my colleagues because of my longstanding dedication to increasing the use of alternative fuels for transportation, and my understanding that to do so we must stimulate interest in the still fledgling alternative fuel vehicle industry. The success of this industry, and the acceptance of these vehicles in the market place, is critical to lowering our dependence on imported oil, improving the quality of the air we breathe, and reducing the greenhouse gases our nation emits.

     Let me take a few moments to relate some of the reasons why it is so important that we reduce our consumption of petroleum and use alternative sources of energy. The first and most tangible reason is the need to reduce our nation's dependence on foreign oil. Currently, we import more than half of the oil consumed in this nation. That translates to $180,000 per minute that is being spent to purchase foreign oil. That's bad for our balance of trade, but more important, none of us want to continue to have our energy costs fluctuate and spike at the whim of OPEC or any other foreign organization. The recent price increase shows just how important this is, and how vulnerable we are.

     A second reason is that it is critical that we reduce the transportation sector's negative impact on air quality. While the automobile industry has made great strides in reducing the emissions of cars and trucks, the improvement has been largely offset by the dramatically increasing number of miles these vehicles are driven each year, and by our increasing desire for larger, more powerful vehicles. In 1980, light trucks, a category that includes minivans and SUVs, accounted for only 19.9 percent of the U.S. automobile market. Traditionally, these vehicles have been exempted from corporate average fuel economy (CAFE) standards. In the past couple of years, some in Congress have been successful in blocking any adjustment to CAFE standards, including the inclusion of SUVs and minivans. Now the reason for including them is even more obvious. By 1998, these larger vehicles accounted for 47.5 percent of the automobile market, with SUVs alone accounting for 18.1 percent. Clearly, doing something to cut air pollution and to reduce greenhouse gas emissions will require an enormous change in our transportation sector.

     Because I believe it is the right thing to do for the people of West Virginia, and for the nation as a whole, I have been a long-time supporter of research into, incentives for, and commercial implementation of alternative fuel technologies. During my first term in the United States Senate, I introduced the Alternative Motor Vehicle Act of 1988. That legislation has been credited with a dramatic increase in the production of alternatively fueled vehicles, notably the so-called flexibly-fueled vehicles, which run on either alternative fuels or gasoline. In fact, 500,000 of the 17 million cars sold in the United States in 1999 were flexible-fuel vehicles. In 1992, when Congress passed the Energy Policy Act (EPAct), I authored and supported a number of provisions in that law to promote the use of alternatively-fueled and electric vehicles through tax credits for vehicle purchase and installation of supporting infrastructure.

     Finally, just over a year ago, along with my colleagues Senators HATCH, CRAPO, and BRYAN, I introduced the Alternative Fuels Promotion Act, S. 1003. Both the Alternative Fuels Tax Incentives Act introduced today, and the Alternative Fuels Promotion Act introduced last year, would provide the alternative fuel vehicle industry some of the help it needs to begin to get a sustainable foothold in the market place. While these bills differ in the size and type of tax incentives, I strongly believe that both bills are appropriate steps toward a cleaner environment and a more energy independent nation.

     As I have stated on the Floor of the Senate before, the options for bringing about change in the transportation sector are somewhat limited. Congress could impose new taxes, mandates, or regulations. However, these approaches are sometimes unpopular with both the American people and our colleagues in Congress. I believe the best way to bring about the change we need is to provide incentives for manufacturers to develop and sell clean technology and for consumers to buy and use this technology. I believe that the Alternative Fuels Tax Incentives Act being introduced today offers manufacturers and consumers these necessary incentives.

     Our domestic automobile manufacturers have developed a number of clean-running and efficient vehicles. These vehicles are virtually indistinguishable from their gasoline-powered counterparts in terms of performance, safety, and comfort. However, there are still two major barriers to widespread acceptance. The first is cost. Though manufacturers have made great strides in reducing the cost of these vehicles, most, including those powered by natural gas, propane, methanol, and electricity, are still significantly more expensive than their gasoline-powered counterparts.

     A second critical roadblock impeding acceptance of alternatively fueled vehicles is the lack of an adequate refueling infrastructure. I received a call a few months ago from a woman who had just purchased a compressed natural gas-powered car made by a domestic manufacturer. Her entire car pool loved the car, especially the absence of any "exhaust smell" when you stood behind the car. She was calling to find out if we could help her locate more places to fuel it. She lives in Boston, and knew of only three fueling stations within a reasonable driving area. If this is the case in a major metropolitan area — which has a significant number of compressed natural gas-powered fleets in operation — it is clear that we have a long way to go. The Alternative Fuels Promotion Act offers strong incentives aimed at minimizing these roadblocks.

     We know that when national policy supports the creative energies and potential of the private sector, progress is made at a faster rate. The private sector is leading the way in developing alternative fuel vehicle technology. We need to provide consumers with a strong financial incentive to use this technology. Certainly, our continued dependence on foreign oil and the contribution of conventionally-powered vehicles to air pollution — including greenhouse gases — compels us to try. I encourage my colleagues to take a hard look at our environment and our national energy security, and to pass the Alternative Fuels Tax Incentives Act during this Congress.

     I ask unanimous consent that this statement be inserted in the RECORD immediately after Senator Jeffords' statement introducing the ALTERNATIVE FUELS TAX INCENTIVES ACT.