Westchester Action Plan, 2008 - Westchester County Government

In changing to bio-derived fuels, it should be understood that they are only a partial
solution. Some plant materials are better than others for producing fuel, as they require
less energy to be turned into fuel. Other plant materials are also food crops, which raises
sustainability issues. Finally, if land is cleared to plant crops to create fuel, the previous
sequestering capability of the land is lost.
Alternative fuels include:
Ethanol – produced domestically from corn and other crops.
Biodiesel – derived from vegetable oils and animal fats.
Natural gas (CNG ) – a fossil fuel that generates less air pollutants and greenhouse gases.
Propane, also called liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) – a fossil fuel that generates less harmful air
pollutants and greenhouse gases than other fossil fuels.
Hydrogen – produced using electricity from fossil fuels, nuclear power, or renewable resources,
it emits no greenhouse gas when burned.
Electric/hybrid electric – Electricity can be generated from fossil fuels, nuclear power, or
renewable resources. A plug in electric vehicle has the environmental attributes of the
electricity it runs on. Hybrid electrics capture energy from running on conventional fuels and
store it as electrical energy that can be used to run the vehicle, improving the efficiency of
conventional fuels.
Change Vehicle Operating Behavior
Driving with fuel efficiency in mind can reduce fuel use up to 30% and reduce GHG
emissions and air pollution. This includes the following actions:
• Avoid idling.
•
•
•
Avoid aggressive driving.
Maintain the vehicle and check tire pressure.
Have tires filled with nitrogen rather than compressed air
when purchased. Nitrogen helps maintain tire pressure
better than compressed air.
Westchester County law
prohibits the idling of
diesel powered vehicles
for more than 3 minutes
unless engine operation
is required to run
• Drive at a lower speed and reduce GHG emissions.
loading, unloading or
processing equipment or
• Consolidate trips (trip chaining). This saves time and fuel. the temperature is
• Additional tips on driving efficiently can be found at
eartheasy ix .
• Additional guidance x on reducing diesel idling in New York
State is available from the New York Planning Federation.
below 25OF, NY State
law limits idling to 5
minutes.
Attachment 6: Transportation
Westchester Action Plan, 2008 6-5