ENROLLED

Senate Bill No. 509

(By Senators Sharpe, Ross, Helmick, Dalton, Boley and Minard)

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[Passed April 10, 1993; in effect from passage.]

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AN ACT to amend chapter five-a of the code of West Virginia, one thousand nine hundred thirty-one, as amended, by adding thereto a new article, designated article two-a, relating to alternative fuels; regulating alternative fuel technology; providing for conversion to alternative fuels of a certain percentage of state-owned vehicles; reports; standards; exceptions; and related matters.

Be it enacted by the Legislature of West Virginia:
That chapter five-a of the code of West Virginia, one thousand nine hundred thirty-one, as amended, be amended by adding thereto a new article, designated article two-a, to read as follows:
ARTICLE 2A. USE OF ALTERNATIVE FUELS IN STATE-OWNED VEHICLES.
§5A-2A-1. Definitions.
As used in this article, the following words and phrases shall have the meanings hereinafter ascribed to them:
(1) "Alternative fuels" include compressed natural gas, liquefied natural gas, liquefied petroleum gas, methanol,ethanol, fuel mixtures containing eighty-five percent or more by volume of methanol, ethanol and other alcohols with gasoline or other fuels, coal-derived liquid fuels and electricity (including electricity from solar energy).
(2) "Alternative fuel vehicle" means a motor vehicle that operates solely on one alternative fuel, a motor vehicle that is capable of operating on one or more alternative fuels, or a motor vehicle that is capable of operating on an alternative fuel and is capable of operating on gasoline or diesel fuel.
(3) "Compression and conversion equipment" means all equipment used in the compression, storage, transmission and decompression of natural gas for the purpose of powering motor vehicles.
(4) "Fleet" means fifteen or more motor vehicles that are centrally fueled or capable of being centrally fueled and are owned, operated, leased or otherwise controlled by or assigned to a state agency.
(5) "Secretary" means the secretary of administration.
§5A-2A-2. Purchase or lease of fleet vehicles; use of alternative fuels.

(a) After the first day of September, one thousand nine hundred ninety-three, the secretary may purchase or lease alternative fuel vehicles for use by any state agency.
(b) The secretary may acquire or be provided with equipment or refueling facilities necessary to operate alternative fuel vehicles by any of the following methods:
(1) Purchase or lease as authorized by law;
(2) Gift or loan of the equipment or facilities; or
(3) Gift or loan of the equipment or facilities or other arrangement pursuant to a service contract for the supply of alternative fuels.
(c) If such equipment or facilities are donated, loaned or provided through other arrangement with the supplier of alternative fuels, the supplier shall be entitled to recoup its actual cost of donating, loaning or providing the equipment or facilities through its fuel charges under the fuel supply contract.
(d) Of the total number of vehicles acquired or caused to be acquired by the secretary for use by any state agency vehicle fleet:
(1) Twenty percent in fiscal year one thousand nine hundred ninety-five;
(2) Thirty percent in fiscal year one thousand nine hundred ninety-six;
(3) Fifty percent in fiscal year one thousand nine hundred ninety-seven, shall be alternative fuel vehicles.
(e) The secretary shall review this alternative fuel use program on or before the thirty-first day of December, one thousand nine hundred ninety-seven, and if the secretary determines that the program is effective in reducing costs to the state, taking into consideration the cost of operating alternative fuel vehicles over the expected useful life of such vehicles, the secretary shall, of the total number of vehicles acquired in each fiscal year, acquire at least seventy-fivepercent alternative fuel vehicles for state agency fleets beginning the first day of September, one thousand nine hundred ninety-eight, and thereafter.
(f) The secretary shall, in the annual fiscal report to the Legislature, show the progress in achieving these percentage requirements by itemizing purchases, leases and conversions of motor vehicles and usage of alternative fuels.
(g) The secretary, in the development of the alternative fuel use program, shall consult with state agency fleet operators, vehicle manufacturers and converters, fuel distributors and others to delineate the vehicles to be covered, taking into consideration range, specialty uses, fuel availability, vehicle manufacturing and conversion capability, safety, resale values and other relevant factors. In order to maximize the savings to the state, the secretary shall attempt to the extent possible to convert first those vehicles that are used the most often for the most miles. The secretary may meet the percentage requirements of this section through purchase or lease of new vehicles, purchase or lease of used alternative fuel vehicles or the conversion of existing vehicles, in accordance with federal and state requirements and applicable safety laws and standards, to use alternative fuels.
(h) The secretary may reduce any percentage specified or waive the requirements of subsection (d) of this section for any state agency upon a determination by the secretary that either of the following situations apply:
(1) The agency's vehicles will be operating primarily in anarea in which neither the agency nor a supplier has or can reasonably be expected to establish a central refueling station for alternative fuels.
(2) The agency is unable to acquire or be provided equipment or refueling facilities necessary to operate alternative fuel vehicles at a projected cost that is reasonably expected to result in no greater net costs than the continued use of traditional gasoline or diesel fuels measured over the expected useful life of the equipment or facilities supplied.
(i) The provisions of this section do not apply to:
(1) Vehicles operated by law-enforcement agencies;
(2) Emergency vehicles;
(3) Vehicles operated by public transit authorities;
(4) School buses; or
(5) Nonroad vehicles, including farm and construction vehicles.
§5A-2A-3. Regulation of compressed natural gas.
The secretary of commerce, labor and environmental resources has the authority to regulate all activities related to the safety of compressed natural gas and shall establish by regulation minimum safety standards, in conformity with federal and industry standards, for compressed natural gas compression and conversion equipment including the installation of such equipment.
§5A-2A-4. Prohibition of subsidies or incentive payments.
Except as provided by section three-d, article thirteen-d, chapter eleven of this code, the state may not enter into anyprogram providing subsidies or incentive payments for the production of compressed natural gas, liquefied natural gas, liquefied petroleum gas, methanol, ethanol or coal-derived liquid fuels.