Title
Amending Title 17 of The Philadelphia Code, entitled "Contracts and Procurement," by providing for a price preference for hybrid-electric or alternative fuel vehicles when the City purchases vehicles, and by making technical amendments; all under certain terms and conditions.
Body
WHEREAS, In April 1993, in response to recommendations by Mayor Rendell's Private Sector Task Force, the City created the Office of Fleet Management to centralize responsibility for the acquisition, assignment, and maintenance of city vehicles and pieces of equipment at the lowest long-term cost to Philadelphia taxpayers; and
WHEREAS, Given the rapidly rising cost of gasoline, many cities and towns across the country have implemented fleet management policies to replace conventional vehicles with hybrid-electric or alternative fuel vehicles; and
WHEREAS, Research in alternative fuel and hybrid-electric vehicles was revived in the 1970s due to the 1973 oil embargo. And, after years of pursuing reliable, affordable and practical hybrid-electric vehicles, the first four-door hybrid-electric sedan was introduced to the United States consumer market in 2000; and
WHEREAS, Hybrid-electric vehicles have excellent warranties, lower projected maintenance costs (because the combustion engine receives less wear), and as much as 50 percent lower fuel costs than conventional vehicles; and
WHEREAS, The EPA has determined that the Philadelphia region fails to meet the federal health standards for both ozone and fine particulates; and
WHEREAS, On-road vehicles are a significant source of the Philadelphia region's worst air pollutants. Exhaust from cars and trucks comprise roughly two-thirds of the carbon monoxide and one-third of the pollutants that form ozone present in the air. Vehicle emissions also account for 12% of the especially dangerous fine particulates; and
WHEREAS, Alternative fuel and hybrid-electric vehicles produce 30 to 50 percent fewer greenhouse gas emiss...
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