WASHINGTON, D.C. — Over 1,500 federal fleet managers, vendors, and exhibitors recently attended the Fed Fleet Conference in New York City the week of July 19. Staff from the National Ethanol Vehicle Coalition (NEVC) participated in the event for the fourth consecutive year, the agency reported. Federal fleet administrators and fleet managers from across the nation meet annually to interact with each other, attend workshops, and visit with vendors. “The conference proved to be a great place to network with federal fleet managers and others about the availability of E-85,” said Michelle Kautz, director of communications for the NEVC. “This is the only event in the nation where federal fleet staff and management come together and we make use of the opportunity. We made connections which we hope will help establish E-85 infrastructure for flexible-fuel fleet vehicles.” Phil Lampert, executive director of the NEVC, led a seminar on E-85 during the conference, “E-85 is clearly the light-duty fuel of choice for federal fleets. Federal agencies are under the same financial demands as the private sector in that they are continuously asked to do more with less. The federal fleet has seen that E-85 vehicles can be purchased at no incremental cost and E-85 fueling locations established for minimal cost. Tens of thousands of E-85 vehicles are in the federal fleet and priority is now turning towards ensuring those vehicles are actually fueled with E-85. We are very optimistic that federal purchases of E-85 will double if not quadruple in the next 12 months.” Executive Order 13149 requires that federal fleets must decrease their petroleum use by 20 percent by 2005. Using E-85 can help the fleets meet their mandate.