Alternative Fuels and Government Grants

The alternative fuel industry has grown in popularity over the years, and the Federal as well as State governments are getting involved like never before. Legislation is being introduced every day offering goverment grants for using alternative fuels. That means that research and technology can continue to progress as it has for several years now as scientists and researchers find new ways to provide us with power other than standard fossil fuels.

What types of goverment grants are available when it comes to the use of alternative fuels? Well, most of them involve businesses who are interested in converting their gas-powered vehicle fleets over to alternative fuel fleets that are environmentally friendly and will meet with the Energy Policy Act that President Bush signed in 2005.

Businesses such as trucking companies use a large amount of fossil fuels. The increasing cost of gasoline makes their operating costs rise and, in turn, passed on to the consumer – that’s us! When these companies begin to convert their trucks over to alternative fuel and get a goverment grant to pay for the cost, they’re saving money, and so are we!

Of course, these goverment grants won’t cover the cost of switching to alternative fuel sources entirely. However, many grants can amount to millions of dollars of free money with the companies only having to pay about half of what is required to convert engines.

Some people don’t agree with the thought of their tax dollars paying for something like paying for companies to convert vehicles to alternative fuel vehicles. However, if they really thought about the advantages, they might actually change their mind and begin supporting the goverment grant program for alternative fuel use.

For example, allowing the goverment to provide grant money for those who want to use alternative fuels, we are decreasing our dependence on foreign oil and thus becoming much more self-sufficient. This will also help with the alarming phenomenon of global warming, which is a reality, and has been brought to the forefront through ex-Vice President Al Gore’s Oscar winning documentary “An Inconvenient Truth”.

All of us in the United States should really be concerned about both of these problems: dependence on foreign oil and global warming. By getting involved with grant programs, the goverment is doing what it can to insure that we can find solutions to the problems instead of just sitting back and doing nothing. Alternative fuels are the wave of the future and having the support of the goverment through grant money can help make us a totally independent country when it comes to our energy sources.