President Barack Obama announced today that all federal vehicles will be required to be alternative-fuel vehicles by the year 2015, reports AutoWeek.
The president had spoke of the measure during his State of the Union address, but he surprised many critics by promoting the initiative again so soon after the speech.
Speaking about U.S. energy at Georgetown University, President Obama stated that his administration was working on deals with private companies that will help the federal government update their fleet of cars with hybrids and electric vehicles.
"We cannot keep going from shock to trance on the issue of energy security, rushing to propose action when gas prices rise, then hitting the snooze button when they fall again," said Obama.
AutoWeek also stated that the president was pushing for the initiative after Republicans announced plans to push for more domestic oil drilling and cut the energy-conservation budgets.
The move will hopefully encourage American citizens to buy alternative-fuel vehicles as well. While still expensive, the environmental benefits of using hybrids and electric cars are endless.
Obama's speech was praised by the National Resources Defense Council, an environmental group focused on improving energy usage and cleaning up pollution.