Legislation offers incentives to convert gas pumps

Washington— Ford Motor Company vice president for environmental and safety engineering, Sue Cischke, joined members of Congress to promote bipartisan legislation that would offer a reimbursement of up to $30,000 to gas station owners who convert their pumps to renewable fuels.

The Alternative Energy Refueling System Act of 2006 (S. 2614) would provide incentives for gas station owners across the country to convert their pumps, giving consumers greater opportunities to opt for cleaner, renewable fuels such as those containing ethanol, compressed natural gas or bio-diesel.

Cischke displayed an F-150 ethanol-capable truck, which can run on gasoline or E85 ethanol. Currently, only about 600 of the 170,000 retail gas stations in the country carry E85 ethanol.

“We need about 30 times the 600 E85 ethanol pumps available today," said Cischke, pointing out that Ford will have put 2 million ethanol-capable, or flex-fuel, vehicles on the road by the end of 2006.

Cischke also reiterated Ford’s commitment to produce 250,000 hybrids by 2010. Half of all Ford, Lincoln and Mercury models will offer hybrids.