Polk County Board of Commissioners

June 4, 2008

I have presented some EV ideas to the Polk Board of Count Commissioners on June 4. Although the sesion was cordial, no immediate action was taken, no otion made. I believe this governing board is, however, better informed concerning the EV as a result. I was most impressed when later that afternoon, I received a call from the Director of Fleet Management Mr. Bob Stanton. I realize that I should not be surprised, because the Polk leadership in our County, State and the Nation is well recognized and appreciated. The National Civic League officially named Polk County an All-America County.

The Lakeland Ledger although they made a brief reference to the presentation online made no reference in print.

http://environment.theledger.com/default.asp?item=2209537&mode=

This publication has shown no interest in interviewing the presenter, seeing or learning about, what I believe, may be the only BEV on the road in Polk County. Certainly if there are others, the Ledger has not given them any more attention than they have given mine.

Presentation follows:

Polk County Government, in general, and the Polk Board of Commissioners, in particular, serve as a model for other counties in our great state of Florida and as an award wining example in our great Nation. This Board, and its predecessors, have introduced innovations such as county health care, viewed by many, as being in the purview of national and state government, offered here in our Imperial Polk County at the county level. As a graduate of the Polk County Citizens Academy, I understand and appreciate my Board of County Commissioners and am proud to be a resident of Imperial Polk County.

I ask you to consider with the same openness, the current energy crisis. Rising fuel costs are the concern, of an increasing number, of Polk Count Citizens. Because 25% of the products in our supermarkets are made from corn; and because the production of corn is fuel intensive process; and because corn is being diverted to make ethanol, food prices are rising rapidly, also.

I ask you to consider initiatives, taxes and incentives to move Polk County in a positive direction, which will serve as an example, to the rest of the state and the nation. Polk County Hybrid vehicles can be converted to Plug-in Hybrids at a cost of $10,000 per vehicle. Charging stations for these vehicles can be provided at county buildings and facilities. These stations can be powered form the grid or local solar panels. Plug-In Hybridses can run for thirty miles on pure electric, increasing vehicle efficiency to 100 miles per gallon or more.

These improvements could be paid for with an environmental impact fee on new car sales of $100 per vehicle for gas burning automobiles. Hybrid vehicles capable of conversion to plug-In would be exempt from the impact fee. An incentive of $5,000 could be paid to any resident converting a Hybrid to a Plug-In, or purchasing a Plug-In Hybrid, or a purchasing pure electric vehicle.

As the number of conversions increases, the environmental impact fee on gasoline cars could be increased to cover the cost of the conversion / purchase incentive.

Finally, a guaranteed minimum price of four dollar per gallon could be promised to car owners and drivers, by imposing a county gas tax differential, whenever the price per gallon of gas drops below four dollars per gallon.

I drove here today in pure electric car. It never uses gas. I would be happy to show my car, take anyone interested for a ride, or speak in detail to anyone interested, in taking steps toward solving our reliance on foreign oil, national security, rising food and fuel prices, pollution and global warming.

In addition to these steps above, I hope the board could act as a conduit to help bring these ideas to our State and Federal government legislators.

There are many reasons to take these remedial steps. Please visit www.evprogress.org.

Respectfully submitted,

Al Lococo

Winter Haven