October 24, 2013

The Department's Fleet Vehicle Sustainability Initiatives at Selected Locations

In Fiscal Year 2012, the Department of Energy's fleet consisted of 14,457 vehicles operated at an annual cost of approximately $131 million.  Nearly 72 percent of the vehicles were leased through the General Services Administration, with the remaining Department-owned and commercially leased.   

While Los Alamos National Laboratory and the Bonneville Power Administration had taken steps designed to improve economy and reduce emissions, they had not always managed their substantial vehicle fleets in a cost-effective or efficient manner, nor did they take all prudent steps to advance the use of alternative fuels.  Specifically, these organizations leased flex-fuel vehicles that were routinely fueled with gasoline instead of alternative fuels and did not optimize the size of their fleets. 

The issues we identified occurred primarily because Departmental policies and procedures had not incorporated changes necessary to achieve optimal fleet inventory with regard to the type and number of vehicles.  Further, the policies did not reflect the need for procedures to locate alternative fuel vehicles near alternative fueling stations.  We also noted that fleet vehicles were effectively managed and appropriately updated to achieve sustainability at the Savannah River Site.  The Office of Management and the National Nuclear Security Administration generally agreed with our findings and recommendations and submitted planned corrective actions that are fully responsive to our recommendations.

Topic:  Management & Administration