We are helping federal agencies purchase greener, more fuel efficient, lower cost shipping and delivery services.That will put more clean trucks on the road in 2015.

How It All Began

In 2012, we launched a new campaign to cut back the level of harmful pollution associated with hauling freight and packages to and from the federal government — a $150 billion a year business.

Our landmark 2012 Oil Shift report by Gregory C. Staple and Warren G. Lavey made the case for switching federal transportation spending to alternative fuel vehicles. The report showed how the government could do that better by shifting more and more of its trucking and overnight delivery contracts to vendors that have more efficient fleets and use greater volumes of alternative non-petroleum fuels, such as natural gas and electric vehicles.

Our Oil Shift campaign has generated support from a broad range of organizations including the Electric Drive Transportation Association (EDTA), the American Council on Renewable Energy (ACORE), and the Advanced Energy Economy (AEE). We also garnered endorsements from leading environment and public health advocates.

Washington has begun to listen. First, GSA decided to adopt provisions of our plan by including clean fuel and environmental metrics in a $1.5 billion government-wide overnight delivery contract. Then, on March 19, 2015, President Obama issued a new Executive Order on federal sustainability that, among other things, includes requirements for considering environmental impacts in the future procurement decisions of the seven largest procuring agencies.

The Road Ahead

We have asked the Department of Defense to make cleaner domestic fuels a priority for its transport vendors. With your help, we can improve air quality, create more American jobs, and promote energy independence.