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Soybeans are one alternative fuel source crop found in North Dakota. |
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According to the DOE, transportation accounts for 65 percent of oil consumption in the United States and is the main source of air pollution. Oil is a rapidly depleting fossil fuel resource, and countries like China and India with expanding economies are competing with the U.S. for more of a share of imported oil. That, plus the instability in oil-rich Middle Eastern countries underscores the importance of transportation programs. There are several state and federal initiatives underway to make better use of home-grown resources for transportation fuel, to improve the efficiency of transportation vehicles, and to explore alternatives to the gasoline-fueled internal combustion engine.
What's been done in ND?
The Division of Community Services Energy Office has been and will continue to be involved with a number of transportation/alternative fuel vehicle programs and activities, including:
- Biodiesel demonstration projects and information dissemination;
- Sponsorship of UND and NDSU solar vehicle race teams, and sponsorship of national solar race through eastern ND in 2005;
- Funding assistance for the purchase of hybrid gas and electric vehicles for the state motor pool;
- Continuing sponsorship of the Red River Valley Clean Cities Coalition administered by the American Lung Association, North Dakota chapter in Bismarck;
- Funding assistance for establishment of E85 refueling sites in North Dakota; and
- Partial grant funding of GEM and other alternative fuel vehicles for state facilities.