The State of Louisiana’s Governor Bobby Jindal signed into law a bill that requires State agencies to purchase alternative-fuel vehicles. The law says agencies are not allowed to purchase or lease any vehicle unless it is capable of bi-fuel operation, including some combination of a natural gas fuel or liquefied petroleum gas (propane) fuel along with gasoline or diesel. The bill also allows for bi-fuel engines that can use any “non-ethanol-based advanced bio-fuel.”

The new law exempts State agencies that are operating vehicles in an area that is not within a 25-mile radius of an available alternative-fuel fueling station (for the fuels described previously). The State is also exempting fleet leases or purchases from this agreement where the State agency cannot recover the additional funds required to acquire a bi-fuel model within 60 months of purchase. Lastly, the law exempts the purchase of bi-fuel vehicles if the vehicles don’t meet the agency’s required specifications (as determined by the division of administration).

This new law applies to a total of 30 law enforcement agencies in the State that operate emergency vehicles, though only if acquiring bi-fuel models is deemed feasible after consultations and various considerations described in the bill.

By Greg Basich