National Alternative Fuels Week, 1998

Proclamation 7101 of May 29, 1998

National Alternative Fuels Week, 1998

By the President of the United States of America

A Proclamation

In today's robust and growing economy, the United
States faces major challenges in meeting the ever-
increasing demand for transportation goods and services
while minimizing the adverse impact on our energy
resources, environment, and future prosperity.

Today's American transportation system remains
enormously dependent on oil. Highway transportation
alone accounts for more than half of our Nation's oil
demand, and the number of vehicles and miles driven on
our roads is steadily increasing. Transportation is the
second largest contributor to U.S. greenhouse gas
emissions and will likely be the most significant
contributor by the year 2000.

Fortunately, vehicles that are powered by alternatives
to conventional gasoline and diesel fuels are already
on the market, and domestically produced, renewable
alternative fuels are readily available to American
consumers. These alternative fuels--such as ethanol,
methanol, natural gas, propane, electricity, and
biodiesel--can make significant contributions to our
energy security and environmental quality. By
increasing the use of alternative fuel vehicles (AFVs),
we can reduce our demand for imported oil, create new
products, jobs, and businesses, and improve air quality
by dramatically reducing carbon dioxide emissions as
well as the hydrocarbons, nitrogen oxides, and
particulate matter that are such major contributors to
urban air pollution.

More than 350,000 AFVs are already on the road in the
60 communities participating in the Department of
Energy's Clean Cities Program. This program is
fostering the development of AFV markets in a network
of cities across the country through partnerships among
fuel suppliers, vehicle fleet operators, Federal,
State, and local governments, and private sector
organizations. Through the efforts of program
participants, we are moving closer to our goal of
building a transportation system for our Nation that
meets the energy, economic, and environmental needs of
Americans today and of generations yet to come.

NOW, THEREFORE, I, WILLIAM J. CLINTON, President of
the United States of America, by virtue of the
authority vested in me by the Constitution and laws of
the United States, do hereby proclaim May 31 through
June 6, 1998, as National Alternative Fuels Week. I
call upon all Americans to observe this week with
appropriate programs, ceremonies, and activities.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this
twenty-ninth day of May, in the year of our Lord
nineteen hundred and ninety-eight, and of the
Independence of the United States of America the two
hundred and twenty-second.